Thurs 2nd Aug 07
Sam writes: I can honestly say that that was the most surreal night of my life! We arrived to a beautiful room with a red carpeted stage, gold lame drapes and a fine twinkling mirror ball to find that a band in over the weekend had cut the wires attaching the speakers to the PA……….
Are you not acoustic says the MC? Err…no….we are an electronica duo, laptops don't tend to be acoustic……..
So Vince bravely gets going with a soldering iron. A few people arrive, Vince is tucked away in the corner, glasses on top of his head, little wisps of soldering smoke gently rising (does that mean Vince has contravened the smoking in public rules?).
Eventually we try the PA but the damage is worse than we feared, distortion doesn't really do it for laptop/keyboard bands so we go for plan B and stick everything through a guitar amp on stage.
We are on after a solo tuba, distorted through a guitar pedal. Somehow this seems kind of appropriate, a natural continuation of the chaotic nature of the night so far.
We then remember that we haven't had time to sound check at all (Vince having spend the time on things to make and do with the PA). Some bits came out, some didn't, we persevered. Not quite the nice rich sound we would usually produce but hopefully people got the idea.
Highlight of the night – Sybil Madrgial, poetress telling me thoughtfully as I left "if your voice were a food…it would be chocolate". So it can't have been so bad!