It was mid December, I had just quit my band “The Babblin’ Mondays” and had embarked on a new band in a similar set up to The La’s (acoustic-four piece) which I then formed and named “The Carnations” (the ‘album’ is on youtube!)
My band didn’t pick up, I auditioned and played with more musicians than Lee Mavers. Some good, some bad, some ugly (jokes).
I gave up playing music, and looked to make some money on my guitars. Pretty much the day before I was on my way to cash converters with my bass guitar, I was in college, had a quick glance at my phone and an unknown number had rang several times.
For whatever reason, I panicked. Don’t ask why, I just ‘did’. It rang again in the college lunch hour, so like a flash I answer it.
“Parrrrrkkkksssyyyy?!! Is that you la??!”
Some people have an instantly recognizable voice, this was one of them.
(For purpose of not disclosing details via the internet I will refer to my friend as ‘Pete’)
‘Pete’ was the maddest person I knew, he was like my brother, (though we hardly ever spoke outside of the Maths class!) he did everything usual teenagers do, but he’d done it three or four years earlier, he was also the only musician I really knew, he had a band and I was too late in joining, I didn’t care what music it was, I just knew he could play the guitar into to “There She Goes” so I thought he was fucking great.
So he goes on that the bass player has left and they need someone and am I up for it. I say yes, and head for an audition.
The next day we meet outside a pub (how British!) before venturing to the rehearsal rooms, the band was great, like pro musicians, like trained, taught, not in the same way me and ‘Pete’ were, we were the ‘poor man’s version’ of everything we played. Or as 'Pete' said "the scouse version"
We raised our game and the band was solid. We had our first gig, my first on a stage, within a month, and there was a lot of talk about us for a number of reasons, for our talent, a possible record label interest (any band with a female singer cause of Paramore) and me and ‘Pete’s’ antics off stage, showing up to practice drunk infront of a number of people.
We had our 2nd gig at the prestigious Liverpool venue ‘The Picket’ where I was taken aback by the people who had graced the stage before us, more so, The La’s, the venue had tributes to the band dotted around the place.
Before the gig, we had called it off and me and ‘Pete’ had been replaced by two other people for the gig, so we were having none of it, and we got together the day before the gig and wrote a song in about 10 minutes, and it was amazing.
Backstage all was great, it was no Las Vegas and nothing bad was going on. We played the gig, I was a shambles onstage and messed up a few times, and to this day I don’t know why I did. Our own song was the highlight. Me and Pete headed off to celebrate but the other band members we had our quarrel's with the night before simply left with just a half arsed wave. I thought nothing of it.
Shortly after I heard nothing from any of the band members, me thinking we were taking a time out, let things cool off, writing new songs. That weekend I bump into ‘Pete’ on a night out, he seems a little bit off edge, I ask about the band “ahhh split up la, they’ve called it and he won’t do it without him, so we’ve lost our rehearsal space and best members”
Like 99% of bands we split up in an explosion of drink, drugs, women and ego’s. I’m not here to bitch and moan (I did my fair share of seeing the band fall apart) about what could have happened with the band, but it was a great time and I’m playing acoustically soon with two of the former members, who I haven’t seen since the band imploded.
And with the thought of university on my head, like a tonne of bricks, I wonder what setting up a band would be like in a different city. Different scene, different thoughts, they’ve probably never ever heard of The La’s.
