...Today I Played My First Ever ‘Shed Gig’

So here we are in the ninth week of ‘lockdown’. The Zoom rehearsals are wearing a bit thin and it would be so nice to see our band, Lot 49 , in person again and hear us all playing in the same room....together.

Our guitarist, Max grins at the screen and tells us that he is doing some blinding riffs...But of course we’ll never know. ‘Hey Great Max, sounds fabby!’

Basing it on my own efforts at guitar playing on Zoom, I own up , my guitar has been wildly out of tune, and also out of sync, but since I’m on ‘ mute’ I just keep smiling and I try to look as if I’m singing the harmonies. I am actually doing that, but they sound pretty bland, and as long as my mouth keeps moving everyone assumes that I am singing. (Chortle chortle) The truth is the screen is frozen and the sound is breaking up, but hey we’re still in it...and we’re having a go ...Whoopee!

It isn’t unknown for us to crack open a bottle of wine or two during normal rehearsals, so wisely that tradition has been kept up and I’m pleased to say that on a Sunday, as we link up on line, the wine still works very well.

BUT this Sunday I had an extra treat. I was asked by Geoff our other guitarist and mandolin player if I would like to sing four songs ‘live’ on the roof of a ‘ Shed’ in the Mews behind his garden, for the surrounding neighbours.

You bet....what fun...of course I’d love to. Although, I should mention that I am a little scared of heights, but hey, how high can a shed be? I kept that bit to myself. The ‘shed’ turned out to be a studio shed , so a bit bigger and higher than usual, but happily it had a flat roof. I have to admit to being slightly nervous as I climbed the ladder with my treasured Taylor guitar, but what a view, and being amongst the trees felt very much like they were giving me a huge hug.

Below me in the garden next door sat Geoff , who was all set up with his guitar plugged in and looking happy. Beside him (socially distanced of course ) was keyboard player Jon Hall, who you may have heard of from a band in the 80’s called Kissing the Pink. He’s a lovely man and great player. He set my mike and the amp on the roof and the three of us just played. The songs we chose were all old favourites that everyone knows....and the neighbours were kindly appreciative.

As we threw ourselves into the first song a few friends gathered in the mews and some windows were thrown open, (I didn’t see any close...whew) so basically it was just plain fun.

Could a ‘Shed Tour’ be the answer to socially distanced future gigs.??