Sunday 16 February 2014

Finally, the time has come, it is Punk Rock O'Clock!


All through the day on Friday I am trying to get extra sleep to help with my recovery. The problem is, that it is not a tired voice I am trying to revive, it is a sick one, because I am sick with a heavy cold. I need to begin to recover and I need to bring my voice back from the brink. I have a delivery from Isabela of the entire contents of a chemist shop (or so it seems) and I am left with a recovery regime to be getting on with, so with a vow of silence and a large lunch that Isabela has kindly prepared for me I try to sleep as much as I can, when I awake I need to keep myself hydrated and I periodically take some cough medicine, ibuprofen, drops in water, honey chewy sweats, ginger chewy sweets, throat spray, steam inhalation and repeat ad infanitum until I feel I will overdose on 'over the counter medicine'. My speaking voice has become a whisper (almost) and people sometimes struggle to hear what I am saying. To raise my voice to be heard is a strain and I do not want to strain, so it is difficult to communicate.
Finally, when it is nearly time to go  to face the moment of truth, I am showered and feeling fresh and a little better but unsure what lies within my vocal cords. Isabela arrives with Brazilian Neurotics bassist and tour organiser Demente and they both agree that I look much better and my voice sounds better too. Fingers crossed!

We head for the club in which the most important gig of the tour is to take place and I laugh to myself of the memory of Isabela trying to explain, earlier on in the day, how important this gig was to the whole tour and then becoming mortified that she had just put a ton of pressure on me to control something that I may just not be able to. I told her not to be concerned as I was perfectly aware of the consequences and had already been shouldering that pressure for some time now. There was no way around it, it just needs to be dealt with.

We arrive in torrential rain and I run for cover into the building and take a look at Zapata club where I will play my first gig, All seems well and good, nice audience area, the stage has minor level changes all in black whose unevenness seems to have little purpose than to trip you during a performance but I make note of it and hope I can hold it in mind (fat chance).
I am also shown a garden bar area at the back which is down a flight of concrete stairs with no banisters which is a rather tricky combination when drinking in a club until the early hours. The garden looks a bit forlorn in the rain but later the rain will stop and this garden will come alive in a big way and people will party hard under the garden's huge Banana tree. Very atmospheric!
Finally, I am set up, guitar in tune and approach the mike for our sound check and here comes the moment of truth for my voice.





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