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"Of course
to make all this happen smoothly we needed someone who could
coordinate. A people person with joined-up people person skills.
Also someone we could trust with cases of beer and fees from the
venues. We needed a professional Tour Manager music biz veteran
who knew the ropes. There was only one man for the job, but we
got my old mate Tank instead. A legend in his own lunchtime
(10am 'til 2) Landscape Gardener, Builder of Studios, Ex-Army
Officer, Driver of the Stars, Multi-Linguist (Standard
English/Wiltshire/Finnish and Chelsea) and all round the best
known and most loved Rogue Trader in the county...The H Team
was complete.
We
rehearsed in the Barn in that farmyard in Calstone (off the A4,
think Right Outta Compton Bassett) which is actually a superb
little Studio run by Steve who books it out occasionally, but
mostly likes to spend his time sampling the world (ever heard
one electron bouncing off the bonnet of a 1962 Austin A30 then
amplified, stretched, reversed and slipped seamlessly into a
Drum 'n' Bass loop for a cover of a Brian Heddon and the
Heddonists song?). That is of course when he isn't listening to,
quoting from or praying for/to sixties psychedelic god, yes you
guessed it - Brian Heddon.. Anyway we frightened away all the
B&B guests, terrified two old mares and killed a few sacred cows
with our not so Limp Bizkit versions of 'Building Our Own
Temple' etc.
So we were
rehearsed down to the finest detail of each sinew of every note
of every chord of every song with a set list and a mission.
Unfortunately our crib sheets were eaten by the band as part of
a cost-cutting measure by Tank which left us half way up M6
creek without a padlock and three sets of 'Trumpeter's Lips'
before...Dum dah dum dum Daaaah! THE FIRST GIG!!" |
