It also meant a new early morning regime for me, catching the train to get to Raveningham where Laura is now cosily shacked-up in a lovely country cottage. It involves 6 miles biking and one river-ferry crossing at Reedham! Some amazing sights have been seen though, and I get the weekly countryside dosage plus some new ferryman friends!
The two gigs couldn't have contrasted more. Bloomsbury was in a cold, damp, but beautifully leafy Russell Square where we shared the same stage as our friend Micheal Ormiston, an incredible Tuvan throat singer from north London, and some very sunny sounding African bands that people tapped frozen feet along to. Our contribution to the 'World Music' stage was kind of different, but we revel in not fitting-in anywhere! It was well received though, and you can't beat that special festival adrenaline rush of suddenly finding yourself on stage having not warmed-up with 5mins to plug in and go. Woa!!
Then, off to Brighton.
Walking into St. Bartholomew's church we were met with this incredible ghost-like fog of incense illuminated through a massive circular window above the entrance as we looked up, then up, then up some more. This is one TALL building! Apparently built to the dimensions of Noah's ark (or was that just the after-gig Hobgoblin ale talking?) you could easily host some giraffe acrobatics in this place.
However it was just us, and some not particularly loud instruments - an initially slightly daunting prospect, coupled with the fact that this was the debut of the Brawkestra line-up, 8 musicians in total, with whom we'd never shared a stage before!
However, once everything was set we started getting used to and enjoying the cavernous sound, and even started tweaking some arrangements to use it to its full. One quartet piece (me, Laura, Jim O'toole and Alexsis Bennett) has a build-up to a 4-beat stop which was extended to an 'at Laura's pleasure' stop! It was a real joy to hear the last notes literally fly around the church before we crashed in again.
The gongs were firm favourites, and I had the pleasure of ending the whole concert in a three-some with them, all of us bowing and hitting our respective instruments as everyone else processed off the stage into the sonic ether and left us to what could only be described as a pulsating screeching eerie-ness!! What a way to go!
It had been a lot of work to organise, but it was totally worth every minute, we all had a great time and got some really heart-felt comments from people afterwards. It's the best thing after working away locked up in a room in a musical bubble to then open-out and share it with people and find common ground, especially in such an amazing space.
Sooooooo, onwards. Just the small matter of an album to make and a spring/summer tour to organise! Ooh, and watch out for some new photos of us prancing around on a cold Raveningham day with our friend the very talented mr Dougal Waters at the camera.
Posted By Adrian
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