A sunny Sunday in Epsom
So Sunday morning arrives, and it’s Feature Creep’s first ever Marketplace gig – in fact it’s our first ever al fresco gig full stop. Plus – it is the hottest day of the year, so I’m thinking – thank goodness we’ll be playing under a little gazebo thingy for some shade, as we are on at midday. By the time we arrive at 11.30 it’s already heating up nicely…but hang on…where’s the shady gazebo thing on the one day we really need it?? Having said that….playing in 30+ degrees and direct sunlight doesn’t seem to be affecting Debbie, (who’s being accompanied by FC’s Joe and Graham)…they are looking cool and sounding good.
Midday arrives and we wander over to set up. Jeez it’s hot! By this point I’m trying to ignore the laws of physics, which clearly dictate that any metal (i.e. guitar strings) will expand rapidly in the heat, requiring re-tuning every few minutes. But hang on…surely this is no different from playing on a stage with hot lighting? A count in from our beautiful drummer, Miss Margaret Rutherford (don’t ask)…and we’re underway. All my fears and pessimism dissipate rapidly as we start cranking out rock classics – and we don’t sound half bad, given that there are only 5/6ths of the band present (we missed you, Vernon!).
Once we get half way through the set, I start having visions of cold drinks (and I don’t mean the tepid water in my plastic bottle). What to have afterwards – cold lager, glass of fizz, white wine….by this stage anything non-alcoholic doesn’t even get a look-in. After zipping through some Clash, Foo Fighters and ending up with our rocked-up version of Britney’s “Hit Me Baby One More Time” (I kid you not)….we’re all done! Now it’s a funny thing, but although playing live music is one of the most fun things you can do in life….it’s also really nice when your set’s finished and you can relax and enjoy the other bands. And it did turn out to be a fun gig – total respect to the guys who played sets with other bands….and to The Tones, who played the gig in their signature look of suits, shirts and ties.
Come and see us tonight [May 30th] at the Bar XLR in Epsom….probably just as hot and sweaty, but the bar’s a lot closer, and you won’t need your factor 30.