Witchwood

I’ve been in Manchester 10years and never played the Witchwood in Ashton. In the old days we’d be constantly negotiating a gig there that never was to be, no matter which band I was playing in, I was beginning to think they’d cast a spell on me still here we are courtesy of Andy’s spot on directions. On the way we pass numerous inflatable snowmen all dressed up and ready to rock on the roofs of Droylsden , our very own capital of Christmas Culture. The venue is a pleasant surprise and nowhere near as scummy as expected, it’s nestled behind a pub complete with an onstage stake burning logo that looks like a dodgy metal album sleeve in some unpronounceable third riche font. Perhaps we should get a backdrop after all? The pub is friendly and there’s some kind of cocktails promotion which go down a treat with the non drivers in our group. Ben and I merely get to sniff the flaming alcohol fumes and roll a couple of consolation cigarettes. So now it’s official; I have become a social smoker again. We bump into Hugh whose down for the gig from Scotland. Later on he ambushes us in a local Italian Restaurant that is so attractively cheap I thought we’d got the wrong bill. We stayed with Hugh in Edinburgh when we played the fringe awhile ago and it’s good to catch up with him. He also agrees to take some pictures of the night. He’s wearing a Celtic shirt but of course no one takes any notice. The gig is good but the reaction is Manchester. If you live round here you’ll understand. Our loved ones are there which is nice. We drop the gear off at the lads club at 1am and meet up with more of the team from Salford Community Radio who are broadcasting all week 24/7. The Evening News did a feature on our Radio session last week, you might have seen it, they took about 400 pictures and picked the worst one; a similar sad and pitiful story befits the text. Still it’s no more than we have come to expect. Today we’re off to Glasgow where we’re meeting Gav from Camera Obscura and borrowing his gear. He’s also sorting our some bed space. This will be our first Glasgow gig as a band, best wishes, VPx