Aldershot

Is a bit off my beaten track, don’t think I’ve ever been here before; we pass a Home to the Army sign after a decent drive. I’m thinking sqaddies and barracks and suchlike…so that’s what it’s famous for. Ben wangs a short cut and we’re at The West End Centre in no time, a community centre style venue with council sponsorship and a lottery funded PA. Women in bri nylon aprons patrol its corridors with brooms and polishing machines. In a funny way it reminds me of a hospital, or I should say a long stay institution. We’re met at the venue by Karina and Sid [who’s band Wherewithal are supporting]. It’s so nice to see them after years of emails, letters and record exchanges. Karina’s excellent fanzine POPART is still in production and has given plenty of support to VP over the years. Julie the sound engineer for tonight affords us the most luxurious of sound-checks paying great attention to detail. She really knows her stuff and we in turn are very grateful. Then we leave for a radio session on Eagle FM in Guilford, Karina navigates. Roy ‘the boy’ DJ meets us at the station where we chance upon a kids plastic guitar which we fail to persuade the station owners to part with. It’s a prize for the phone-in or something, one of those plastic button riff beat box battery jobs. Andy entertains us admirably grovelling to the bosses no avail. He also wins the gizmo guy in the band award by a mile spending most of the travel time today playing computer golf on the laptop. Me I’m just about to get a lap top, better late than never. This will mean I can update the site with a little more punctuality. The radio station doesn’t have the capacity to handle a bass D.I. [no inputs and no desk] and we’ve somehow forgotten the percussion and melodica so I end up playing Jesus Stole my Girlfriend solo. There’s a bit of a giggly vibe going on in the studio but I get through it OK. We do a brief interview and they play the Two Fat Lovers single. We thank Roy ‘the boy’, do some pictures and head off for pizza express. Back in the venue we’re just in time to catch The Poppycocks who are first on tonight. They are like The Joe Jackson Band meets The Go Betweens. Their singer has a fringe to cry for and their bass player suits the naval look as well as dancing like Andy Cox from the Beat [hmmm…I’m going back a bit here]. Quirky punchy catchy songs. I do my best to photograph them from side of stage. Wherewithal are next and Ben and I go out front to mingle atmospherically. They hit the boards running, like a proper power pop posse. Our gig comes and goes. Response is good. For me it’s an odd one as I manage to break 4 guitar strings [I hardly ever break them, in fact I don’t think I’ve broken any strings since we started touring early in Nov last year] so this is a personal record of sorts and one I hope never to repeat. Thankfully the guitar tech who works with Wherewithal was on hand to sort me out and minimise the disruption. So many thanks for that, a real life saver on the night. After the show we meet Zoe, her mad teacher dad and others sweet enough to buy the albums. Then it’s back to Karina and Sids place for a blinding recovery, best VPx

Brixton

We’re making good time heading across London after a slower start than expected due to the tedious rigours of hiring equipment, still Johnny Roadhouse come up trumps in the end. It’s a size issue as we can’t fit Andy’s beast of a bass rig in the mini bus; plus we all hate lugging it. Bens at the wheel again as we slip into the exclusion zone and get flashed. I make a mental note to sort it later. We arrive at the Windmill in good time; it looks like a gaudy scout hut with a cactus logo and Christmas tree lights, council estate country and western style. Inside we’re met by the jesus of cool who’s apparently a sound engineer. The sound-check is all function and no detail still you can never really tell what’s what until the gig proper. Then it’s off to eat the worst Mexican food in London, truly awful and expensive, if only I could remember the name of the place to advise avoidance at all costs. Still the waitress was nice. On return to the gig at least we have a decent crowd. We say hi to Nick from UNPEELED who are promoting tonight’s show, then we’re on and taken slightly by surprise at just how good the sound is onstage, the engineer knew what he was doing after all, which inspires us in all the right moments. Reactions are favourable and the camp is happy. Then we’re off to Nick and Louise’s ample Victorian manor house in Crystal Palace for cocktails and pizza where we get top beds and showers. Next day I realise we’ve not paid our exclusion zone fine but it’s too late by then and the operators having none of it. Even the charming telephone manner of Mike Joyce can’t win them over. £50 it is then. Drag n all. We take an early lunch and head off to Aldershot for more of the same, VP

Soundtrackers

It’s 6.55am and I’m sprawled across a lounger in Terminal 1 Manchester waiting for the band to arrive. I’m on thanks to Chris who's a natural lark to my owl. Twenty minutes later the unmistakable voice of Mike Joyce rings out like a tannoy announcement as I shudder to my sleepy senses- ‘wake up you puff’ he says-'we’re checking in'. All this has come about courtesy of Manchester sound engineer Spooner who we worked with on the troublesome ‘Man about the House’ mixes. Spoon is currently working with Swedish Psychedelic Rockers Soundtrack of our Lives and we’re heading off to their Gothenburg studio to record ‘Two Fat Lovers’. There is a slight degree of trepidation in the camp though nobody lets on- we need results,especially after recent disaters with dodgy tape machines and such. At the airport I purchase Golden Virginia and hand over to Ben for safe keeping as I’ve been scrounging way too many off him of late-not that I smoke you understand, not me. After some delay we hit the runway positivity intact. I’m the only who’s never been to Sweden before as the others recount former gigs n glories. Ben was here with The Mondays in 92 and then there’s talk of Bez in Celebrity Big Brother…which I haven’t seen. We land at 11.30 and we’re at the studio by mid day, dropping off the acoustic guitar. We say hello to Kalle, bass player/producer of Soundtrack ooL who’s co producing with Spooner. The studio is a right old Aladdin’s cave so we do a bit of mooching, checking out all the gear which is extensive and kind of thrilling [loads of great retro guitars, amps, keys and such] before heading off to a bar around the corner for Kestrel Export and a sandwich. The wind is picking up so out comes’ the comedy head gear, loopy Cossack style. Back in the studio an hour later where Kalle has spent some considerable time setting up the sounds, headphone mixes and plug ins we run through each song and get a decent first take. An hour later we have three bass and drum tracks we’re happy with. ‘Two Fat Lovers’ is the priority, we also record ‘Dirty Old Man’ and ‘Pete Shelley’. This is fast work by any standards and were chuffed to have nailed something so early in the day. Then Spooner and Kalle transfer from tape to pro tools which is another excuse to go for a walk. So far so good. What a difference a decent studio can make, certainly it feels great not to have spent the first 4 hours of the day getting a decent drum sound which is so often the case…we should come here more often [of course that is the idea but one step at a time]. Later that night we eat in Kalle’s favourite Swedish restaurant and leave our coats at the door with a cloakroom attendant as is the way here. We stop off in a café half way back to the studio where Ben whilst innocently ordering his cappuccino is cross examined by the bar keep who asks in all seriousness ‘Do you have money’? ‘Are you a criminal?’ which brings out much hysteria in the camp. Ben is shaken but not deterred. The guy serving meanwhile remains deadly serious continuing the evil eye much to our bemusement. Then it’s back to the studio for more overdubs and edits before getting a taxi to the flat Kalle has loaned us for the weekend where we each have a room and a bed and it’s very comfortable with great showers. We flake out to Andy’s mobile ipod disco. Next day we discover a great little breakfast café which does the most amazing cakes, I order toast and marmalade and get cream cheese and black current jam on a roll. Tastes great all the same. Then we walk through the centre of Gothenburg to the studio which takes about 20 minutes with Ben as ever the homing pigeon navigating like he’d lived here all his life. Ben is something of a navigational genius with a sixth sense of direction that is really uncanny and incredibly useful. Later that afternoon after more guitar and vocals overdubs we’re out again eating Chinese food some three blocks away from the studio. By now the wind has picked up to a gale force so strong you can practically lean against it. When we’ve eaten on return to the studio you can’t help but notice a huge swaying metallic tower that looks like it will fall down at any minute and land, naturally, right on top of us. All kinds of debris swirls in the roads, various signs have been ripped from their moorings. We have entered the city of the whirlwind and it looks seriously scary. Mike adds percussion back in the studio and Andy plays some comedy kazoo, we finish tracking and leave for the bar, the wind by now is ferocious. On the high street various trees have been uprooted and have impaling themselves into Volvos, street lights flicker and dangle menacingly, for a minute it looks like we’re going to lose electricity. Roads have been closed. Safe inside a bar we’re back on the Kestrel and the tequila, the place looks like a Eurotrash set with comedy house music and lots of young people who are always fun to watch especially in the mating season. Later on we head back to the studio for some late night musical improvisation. On the way Mike commandeers a souvenir sign ‘Bred Last’ which was being blown about the side streets. Our late night sing song becomes a jam session, Andy’s on acoustic stand up bass, Ben on drums, Mike on vibes and me on piano. Everything sounds great at 3am after a few beers but this time even greater. Alcohol is for once agreeing with me. In the 24hour café next door to the studio it’s all taxi drivers and small hours folk playing the numerous card gaming machines which occupy most of the floor space. They’re big over here Spooner advises. We get a taxi back to the flat around 5am. Roads are closed which complicates the journey; luckily Ben’s on hand to remind the driver of way who apologises for missing the turn. On Sunday morning we were expecting to meet with Ebbot, singer from from Soundtrack who we’d asked to do backing vocals but as it happened he was marooned without electricity due to the storm and couldn’t make it. Maybe next time. We leave for the airport on a satisfying high. Spooner is off to the US with Soundtrack he'll master the single when he’s there. It’s been worth it; you can’t ask for more than that, can you, VPx

Holiday

And that's not really good enough. OK so now is the time to book the holiday as we've not been away together for 2 years or more and really, is it that long? Yes and it's your fault, you cancelled the last one, remember? And so it came to pass; tail between the legs again when everything was going so well; she's right of course. So after some considered debate we settle on Budapest courtesy of a Guardian offer. It was my turn to choose. I'm really terrible at holidays, terrible at choosing them and terrible at going on them. I blame my upbringing but don't I always?. Mostly I can never see the point and want to come home as soon as I've arrived though have come to realise that they are an important part of couple life identity and as I've chosen to co habit so I must accept the responsibility of such. End of story. Budapest it is then, can't wait. Two years ago we went to India which didn't really suit me. I bought a sitar, got ripped off and there was a heat wave to end all heat waves. On a brighter note.... this morning we took the Dog to the West Pennine Moors for exercise and dog socialisation [he is coming to terms with a fear of black Labradors] which is much more my cup of tea. It was very bleak and beautiful up there; we should have taken a picnic. Of course all this domestic dithering really has no place on a rock n roll website which this almost is, or was, until now so I'll bid you a happy new year and finish there before it all gets the better of me. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, there's a new forum on the site should you wish to express yourself whatever, best wishes, VPx