Rock and Roll Stories #39 - Getting it all back together part two

 In the last last episode, I told the story of how the False Dots awoke from a ten year break and started rehearsing again. We left ot standing at the start of our second rehearsal after the break. Or last gig had been at St Josephs College, Mill Hill in 1990. We had no intention of gigging when we got back together. The intention was simple. Record some of the old songs for posterity. But the False Dots seems to be a concept that refuses to die. Gigging had always been our lifeblood. However, Paul Hircombe had rejoined on the express understanding that we wouldn't gig. As we started rehearsing the songs, we all found we rather enjoyed a regular Jam, usually on Tuesday night. There was no pressure It was a pleasant break from the kids for me. We soon had a selection of songs ready to record, but as is the way with musicians, when there is no pressure, nothing happens. 

Then tragedy struck. My studio business partner and best mate Ernie Ferebee became ill. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away. The band felt it was only right and proper to do a fundraiser for his family. An old mate of ours, Rick Collins ran an annual cancer fundraiser at the Red Lion and all agreed that we should do this. We all, also agreed that it would be the False Dots farewell gig. We'd do it, it would give us a reason to pull the set together properly. Then we could record the songs. We had the basis of a set. Whilst myself, Paul and Fil had done a lot of gigs, Tony hadn't and it was a bit of a big thing for him. Actually having to focus was a good thing. The rehearsals became more structured and we put a fair amount of work into the set. We then agreed that Boz Boorer would jump up with us for an encore version of The Polecats hit Rockabilly Guy. As we'd not played live for a decade, a lot of our mates were quite interested.

When the big day came, we turned up and it seemed that everyone we knew was at The Red Lion. Mates we'd not seen for a decade. There were three other bands on with us and we were the second headline ( I can't recall who the headliners were). All the bands were friend of Ernies. The first two bands were pretty good, they had been playing out and about and were pretty slick. Tony seemed to be a little bit worried. Paul never seemed phased, Fil is a natural show off and was looking forward to it. I was apprehensive. A lot of time had passed since we last played and my guitar playing had gotten very rusty in the meantime. The other bands were doing covers, we had a set mostly of originals. We threw in a couple of covers as fillers. 

We took to the stage and to my amazement, sounde pretty damn good. I had worried about whether Tony would be nervous, but he actually played the best drums I'd heard him play, with the adrenalin of the gig. We did Not all She seems as our last number before Boz joined us. By then, the audeince were grooving. Boz's number was the icing on the cake. We came off stage and everyone was saying how good it was and asking when the next one was. As we'd specifically said it was going to be the farewell show, I said "We'll have to see". Then Paul jumped in and said "We'll probably do a few more after the summer". I had a quiet chat with Paul. He said "I'd forgotten that I enjoy all this, if you want to do some more gigs, I am up for it". I spoke with Fil and Tony and the message was the same. It was my 40th birthday in August. I suggested we had a big party and the band play it. Everyone was up for it. Tony was good mates with Huw Lloyd Langton of Hawkwind, who joined us on stage. It was the False Dots 50th gig and it felt like we were back. The party was at Bunns Lane Works, in an unoccupied unit, next to our studios. About 120 people came. There was much naughtyness that night. It was in some ways the last gig of an era. It felt like the gigs we did in 1980-81, with the parties and the shenangans. 

We settled into a pattern of doing 2-3 gigs a year. We recorded half an albums worth of songs with Paul. They sounded pretty good, but we never really did anything with them. I played a couple of them to people in the business and they simply smiled. Paul left in 2008 and Tony left in 2009. Then Connie Abbe joined on vocals and all of a sudden, without even trying, we had a proper band, one doing gigs in Camden and getting noticed back. I had my musical mojo back. It wasn't just a bit of fun. There is still a lot of road in the story, but Connie joining, for me was really the point where I felt I was back in a proper band, something I'd really last felt in 1985. There is a feeling you have when you are a proper band. I am just sad that Paul Hircombe left before we really discovered our old mojo. The 2000-2009 period was fun, but there was no real commitment to being a band as such. We just played together and did a few gigs. That is a very different thing. 

Fifteen years later, we are goin better than ever. Come and see us n Saturday at The Builders Arms in New Barnet, fro 8pm. It's free!