Unprecedented dancing...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – The Vendôme EP
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Aftersilence
Freemasons – Unmixed
Family – In Their Own Time

As yesterday, up at an ungodly hour and more work on order issuance...

A walk to FOPP at lunchtime and I partook of Freemasons’ “Unmixed” from 2007 – which contains a folder samples “for DJs and Producers” which I may be able to use...

With this in my hand I took a wander around the shop and, while browsing at “F”, I had a wee look at the “Family” section and what did I find but the very compilation recently removed from HMV’s 2 for £10 promotion – and for just £3 – for a double CD...

It was sofort upgesnapped...

Took delivery of the one and only CBQ “Aftersilence” T Shirt produced thus far...



Back home, prepping Vendôme EPs for tonight’s performance and a last minute run through of the four songs – trying not to sound “hesitant” as noted yesterday by the Exec Producer...

Out just after seven and to the venue – The Melville, a well known bar in the city’s William Street near the West End of Princes Street...

On arriving I was advised I’d be playing for thirty minutes (twice as long as expected and rehearsed for)...

So, around nine, after the compere talked me up and got the crowd going, I took to the stage and opened with “Twenty Twenty Vision” with no introduction from me...

Then my usual spiel about the unfortunate sale of a house and a car noted while taking Meg the Black Cat on her holidays to Armadale which led into “The End of Everything”...

Third up was the first of four last minute additions, “The Angels’ Kiss”, which was prefaced by a comedy grammar lesson re the positioning of apostrophes...

Then a plug for the EP with the title track “Vendôme” which, without Mr Ryan Sour Grapes’ backing, seemed a little flat – although of course no-one else there had heard the original...

The tale of Scottish/Australian co-operation intro’d this one...

“I Re-Arranged the House (on the Day You Came to Stay)” was next, which I introduced by mocking the use of country and western style brackets...

Everything was going swimmingly – the above descriptions don’t really give you the full deprecating nature of my between song banter but it was going down well with the crowd and offsetting nicely the downbeat nature of the material – a lesson learned from the recent performance by John Grant I attended with Creek’s Mr Cobley...

I threw the floor open as to the meaning behind “Still We Doubt You” – of course no-one got it and a shout of “Iraq War II” went up from the stage at its conclusion...

I also thanked the providers of the buffet for serving it while I was on stage in an attempt to help me with my weight loss programme...

For “Lights Out”, I explained to the youngsters in the audience the fate which awaits them of all their family and friends dying and their losing their memories – but I did it in a comedy stylee...

And so, having run out of time and dropping “Splinterheart” I ended with the only other upbeat number in the bag, “The Crocodile Song”...

To my surprise and satisfaction, people got up and danced in front of the stage...

Thanking the “Cloudland Blue Dancers”, I left the stage to much congratulatory input from various audients, the owner of the establishment and my fellow performers...

A very enjoyable experience – prior to which I was ultra, ultra nervous and self doubtful...

Over the evening I enjoyed four other acts including an impressive 18 year old singer Jill Shearer – when I remember how dreadful I was at 18, it put me to shame...



At 11 I headed out into the night and back home to Annie and Meg the Black Cat, just in time for “Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle” – a good end to a good day...

Highlight of the Day : Performing to an appreciative audience...