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Blue No More |
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Blue No More |
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Determined to find a drummer and thus avoid a one way ticket out of Rock City, our heroes placed an advertisment in a local paper. At last, preceded by the distorted bell-like tones of a glockenspiel played through a diabolical PA system, the tune 'Greensleeves' cut through the night air like a hot knife through butter. There he stood, dry ice wafting around his feet, and a Cadbury’s flake in both hands - the new drummer Mr Rick Daniow. Pausing momentarily to dispense a couple of 99’s and a tutti fruity, Rick unloaded his kit from his ice cream van and started to lay down some grooves. Not only could he play well, he also had a rocktastic name. He was cordially invited to join the band shortly afterwards.
Now back up to strength, the band were invited to do a short warm up spot at 'The Victoria' in Tilehurst, supporting Darren’s band 'Vision'. They were all nervous and using other peoples gear, with very little sound check time, proved stressful for some. Dave Shephard on bass had an ideal rig waiting for him – an Ashdown amp feeding an 8 x 10 cabinet. Despite this and standing mere inches from a thousand watts of raw power, he couldn’t hear a damn thing, yet members of the audience were checking their fillings to make sure none had rattled out.
Half a dozen numbers later it was over - Blue No More's first support slot. It didn’t sound fantastic from where the band were standing but, those not in the band said they were OK. It was a start.
The band’s first proper gig was at the Westwood Farm Sports and Social Club in Tilehurst, on 23rd April 2003. Not content to rest upon their laurels, Blue No More had a few more sonic surprises up their sleeves. Augmented by Jo Walsh on backing vocals and text messages, this extra dimension allowed them to explore the world of close harmony. One of these days they’ll learn a number that can make use of it. The Roland SP505 sampler also made it’s debut, allowing atmospheric sound effects to waft in at the touch of a foot pedal. As if all this were not enough, Darren and bassist Steve, from 'Vision', had agreed to provide sound and lighting. The main reason was their band had just purchased, from e-bay, a monster P.A. system which featured bass bins the size of a phone box. They were therefore keen to hear what it could do when put through it’s paces by a rocking teenage combo!
Despite being pretty nervous, things went well once we started playing. A partisan crowd of friends and well-wishers had arrived, determined to heckle Martin Walsh at every opportunity. It was all jolly banter and at one point people actually started dancing. The band were unaware, until the day before, that there was a nationwide initiative underway to celebrate St George’s Day with the same passion that the Scots, Irish and Welsh do their Saint’s Days. The initiative was almost certainly the work of the big brewing companies and Bill Kelleher had, in fact, procured some John Smiths t-shirts decorated with the cross of St George. Being Welsh he didn’t give a monkey’s, so they were issued the day after. Given the lack of time, the band had been unable to learn a suitable song ’last night of the Proms’ style. A sample from an old Alberts track was brought into use however, with more than one song ending with the following words: “It may be rubbish but, by jingo it’s English rubbish!”
Rick secured Blue No More's next gig, which was at a posh girls school in Reading. He claimed that was a result of his winning smile and showbiz connections. In fact his wife Lesley worked there and thought Blue No More might be suitable for the end-of-term bash. Pre gig rumours suggested that a Pink Floyd offspring had once attended the establishment, along with the daughters of other stars of stage and screen. Fully geared up for an evening of canapés and celebrity schmoozing, our heroes were a tad disappointed to discover everyone had gone home. Well, not everyone, but the band and it’s entourage outnumbered the audience, which in itself was out numbered by the number of sandwiches eaten later by sound magician Nick Willson.
Those who did turn up were treated to the full Blue No More experience and with the pressure off, a decent performance ensued. The ladies from the school were up and dancing almost immediately and carried on going to the end. At one point, the school music room was raided and the audience, to bolster the band’s performance, then used a variety of percussion devices. On bootleg recordings of the set (Blue No More – Live at A Marquee) a Chardonnay fuelled tumult of tambourines can be clearly heard. As the sun set slowly in the west, Blue No More realised they had no stage lights at all. In keeping with the cosy nature of the evening, a bevy of teachers quickly dropped their maracas and searched the school for illumination. The set ended with the band surrounded by standard lamps and little bedside shades with tassels on them. It could have been the Hollywood Bowl.
October saw Blue No More's triumphant return to Westwood Farm Social Club. Elements of this performance were caught on video. Later, in December, the band played a pre-Christmas gig at the 'Pond House', along the Oxford Road, in Reading. Was an unstoppable momentum building?