Liverpool

We are playing the Cavern and I don’t want to get too hung up on it but the legendary venues all round reputation for promotion is to be frank piss poor. I know this both from personal experience and from talking to any number of Liverpool musicians over the years. We could just as easily have booked the Barfly which is a proper venue in comparison all be it minus the legendary connotations. The Cavern is basically an underground fun pub and the theme of the pub is the Beatles. I have good friends who make a decent living on the back of it all. We arrive around 5pm and I’ve already called the promoter and left messages but now they tell me he's on holiday. Nobody knows whats going on, nobody meets us, greets us, no one advises on parking and there’s no drinks, no food and no hospitality. There’s also been no promotion. No wonder it’s reputation is so dire. Here is a venue dining out on it’s name alone and it’s not even the original building. I try not to let it get to me. Steve Roberts, who’s an old friend of mine and playing with us here tonight takes a more balanced pragmatic view [he’s played here even more times than I have]; but we both agree it could be so much better. At least Jay the sound engineer is here, apologising for the lack of organisation and after the three flight load we sound check and drift off for food. Still there’s no sign of anyone who might know anything about the gig, the guest list, the stage times takes and I can feel my anxiety levels rising. We get Pizza Expressed. On return to the venue we are met by the manager who finally sorts the guest list, which is something I suppose. Then I’m off to the Grapes with some health service friends. Back at the gig things kick off with Maudlin Rich who play to an almost empty room which is a great shame as they are a great band. It doesn’t get that much better for the rest of us. Steve Roberts set is sharp and sweet, ‘Photie Man’ captivates and conjures up the freak shows of New Brighton in the 1970’s. I had asked Steve if he’d play Unsteady from the olden days ; he didn’t but I forget the reasoning why. We are onstage at 10 and we have a small crowd…I mean really small [54 people someone counted!]but a crowd none the less and despite some dressing room consternation as to what the feck we are doing here we manage to hit the full on collective show time button and deliver. I mean sound wise and performance I felt we really raised our game. Everyone enjoyed it, reaction was overwhelmingly positive and you cant ask for more than that. Several old mates attended from bands I played in way back. Jenny the Confessor also put in an rare and welcome appearance so it had to be good and despite the venues inadequacies it was BLOODY TOP, as Jeff would say, VP