Saturday Night's Alright For Gigging.

I'm currently on the train back from a lovely gig at Guildford Gag House in - yes, you've guessed it - Guildford.

It was nice to do a set in a 'club' club, having done a lot of open mic gigs recently, to work up new material. The place was run like a tight ship, which was refreshing, and the room (which was in the back of a pub called the Star Inn) had a decent stage and a proper tech set-up. I suspect it doubles as a music venue, but to be honest, I haven't done my research.

I was on in the middle, between Tom Lucy and Mark Dolan, which was good for me logistically, as it meant I could nip off earlyish, which makes for a change after a week of late nights. I felt guilty for missing Mark's set, but I quickly said hello, to hopefully negate my inherent rudeness. I also had a good chat with Tom, who I haven't met before, and enjoyed his set; he's far to self-assured for someone I now realise is half my age; I'm officially decrepit.

My set went well, considering my brain's a bit shot. My wife came with me, which was great, as it's nice to have the company, particularly when you're not feeling your best. I was heartened when I saw how warmly the crowd received the MC Elf Lyons' stories; happy to listen and invest in them. It's good when people are happy to pick up on detail, which is a rarity when playing to a Saturday night crowd. It was a nice way to round off the week; now I'm going off-duty to eat an apple; rock 'n' bloody roll.

'...I'm Gonna Look at You 'til My Eyes Go Blind."

Over the past week or two, I’ve been on a bit of a Sheryl Crow kick, largely thanks to rediscovering her cover of one of my most-liked Bob Dylan songs. She has one of my favourite female voices, yet despite this, I only own one CD and that’s just a single (her '97 release ‘Hard to Make a Stand’); on that basis, you can only imagine how much of her back catalogue I’d own if I hated her (it would fall into minus-figures). Dylan, conversely, takes up more of my collection than anyone else, save The Beatles and Paul McCartney’s solo work. He’s one of those artists who, when you get him, you really get him - and once I’d tuned into his style as a student, I'd time and again be blown away by his lyrics; he’ll have more jaw-dropping imagery in one track than other people fit in a whole career. These days, I mostly listen to music in the morning when getting ready, and more often than not, this will consist of a suggested YouTube playlist when I’m in the bath, r...

Shakerpuppetmaker.

Have Parker from Thunderbirds and Noel Gallagher ever been seen in the same room? The resemblance is uncanny. So much so, I think something’s afoot. If my suspicions are correct, I've stumbled across a secret that will blow the music and puppet industry wide apart. In the mid-60s / mid-90s at least. It doesn’t take long to see the signposts. There’s the similarity between the name of Oasis’ first single, Supersonic, and Supermarianation, Gerry Anderson’s puppetry technique. The Gallagher brothers would often wear Parkas . Live Forever was clearly a reference to Captain Scarlet and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants to the size difference between Noel and his bandmates. The more you think about it, the more brazen it gets. It’s fishier than Area 51, Paul is Dead and JFK's assassination put together. The only glitch to the theory is scale . According to Wikipedia, Anderson’s marionettes were 1’10” and Gallagher is 5’8”. How does he maintain an illusion of avera...

Not The Bayeux One.

The Carole King album Tapestry has been my 'getting-ready-in-the-morning' soundtrack for the past few weeks. It's been a favourite album ever since I was a student, which makes for a pleasantly gentle way to usher in the start of a day. I've always been a fan of a well-crafted song, which is something of a Carole King hallmark, ever since she started writing with her first husband in the early Sixties. Tapestry may be an unimaginative choice for a favourite LP, as it suggests I haven't delved that far into her career, but it's still an undoubted classic; anything with '(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman', 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?' and 'You've Got A Friend' on it can't really fail; if nothing else, it proves she likes writing songs with long titles. Next month, she's set to perform the album live in its entirety for the first time at a gig in Hyde Park, which I would have loved to have gone to, if it weren...

mostly david ephgrave

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