Tuesday, December 08, 2009

February 2009

Darren Hayman visited Libris Acres on the 13th, upon which Luke and Imogen fed him lots of lasagne and we listened to him talk about his failed exploits as a music teacher. The sound check to the show was painful: the Star and Shadow equipment is categorically useless. One needs an internecine knowledge of which cables, amps and speakers are broken, so that one can cobble together a PA that actually works from the remaining gear. Surprisingly despite the feedback-ridden rehearsal, the sound during the show was perfect, with Darren starting proceedings entirely un-miced with nothing but banjo and voice. The highlights of the show were ‘Porn Shoes’ on the banjo at the start (you could hear a pin drop, and a real pinch-yourself moment when the mind flashbacked to the wine-soaked afternoon when Luke emailed Hayman for the first time while I shouted encouragement in the background) and the encores on the piano, which conjured up an atmosphere of a lock-in singalong at your local drinking tavern.



For the final time, the company accounts were filed via recorded delivery, bringing to a close a long-running dispute over whether Companies House in Belfast received our initial submission or not.

February also saw my first live experience of No Fit State, a roaring menace of girrrl punk, and the return of Khunnt and Bong to the stage, strengthening my desire to have them play at a Libris show as soon as possible.