I bumped into David Grant yesterday. BBC Radio London presenter and frontman of Lynx. During of the course of our chat, I asked whether he had any plans for gigs. He said that he was planning a tour with Lynx next year. He said he'd recently done a show at the Union chapel and he'd 'got the bug back'. It was funny to hear that. I lost the bug in 1990 and didn't perform again until 2002. When we put a line up together and played at the Red Lion in Colindale, it was amazing. The odd thing was our last gig before that in 1990 was something of a tour de force. We played really well, but I'd become jaded.
It is now 24 years since we started gigging again. We've had a oouple of shows which weren't as good as I'd like, but even then they were fun. Since Tom Hammond joined the band, I think they've all been pretty amazing. We play 10-15 gigs a year, not enough to become jaded but more than enough to feel like a proper gigging band. We put a huge amount of effort into the shows. For some, Tom makes special T-Shirts. For others, we plan special songs, or interval statements etc. We always give 100% to try and get people involved. When Tom first joined, I think he thought he'd be standing at the back playing amazing trumpet lines. Now he leaps into the crowd to incite them to join in on the chorus sections. The band is very interactive. We actively encourage audience participation. On Saturday night, we played at The Mill Hill Services Club, for cub members. A very different sort of gig to the last two. The previous one was a massive street festival, which was amazing. Before that, it was London's most iconic grassroots venue, the Dublin Castle. Each was different in its own way, all were brilliant. We played 2 sets for the Services club, which is great as it meant that we played two sets, meaning the songs we don't play that often got an airing. It keeps it fresh. We probably have 15 really strong songs that suit the current set/line up and around 10 more which are more than good enough to play and I enjoy playing, which we don't play enough. Most of the time, we get to play 8-12 songs in a set. Before Tom joined on trumpet, we wrote some cracking songs, which do not really suit a trumpet though. It is great to give them a play through as well.
The band has massively evolved over the last two years. Tom sings a few songs now and we are getting Fil to sing more. This really helps, especially with two set gigs, as it means I can give my vocal chords (and everyone's ears) a rest. Both Tom and Fil have far more versatile voices than me. It makes the set more interesting and I think they bboth do huge justice to the songs. Derek Treadwell has also joined on percussion and backing vocals. Again it adds another layer to the sound, which makes us different. That is something I really appreciate.
I put a huge amount of effort into my stage performance and expend a huge amount of energy. Now I sing, this is even more the case. When we finish, I am usually in that strange place that performers find themselves, where they are totally exhausted, but also buzzing with adrenalin. When I was a kid, my Dad, who was a WW2 bomber pilot told me that whatever the time, when they returned from missions, crews went to the mess bar. They were totally exhausted, but also completely wired and adrenaline from the sheer stress of the situation. It was only when I started performing that I understood the feeling.
So what happens is you do the set, then have a drink/celebrate/party. You eventually go home, hit the sack and wake up the next day completely worn out. Now I am 64, I feel knackered for several days. It takes longer to catch up. It is now Thursday and as I've had a really busy week, with no scope to chill, I am running on fumes. I couldn't get out of bed this morning. I like to go to the gym every day, but it is a struggle. The strange thing is that if I had another gig, or a rehearsal, the tiuredness would instantly disappear. The human body and adrenaline is a wonderful thing.
If you look at major bands, like the Rolling Stones, they have been doing this for decades and make me look like a spring chicken. They are lucky though, they have an army to do everything. They just have to play. But even so, performing at the level the likes of Mick Jagger would is phenominal at any age, let alone as an octagnerian. It is almost impossible to explain just how much energy you expend just expanding and contracting your diaphragm to sing. Let alone do a 2 hour dance routine as well.
If you consider that Mick Jagger is three years older than Donald Trump and the same age as Joe Biden, you realise just what a feat it is. I have been doing the main lead vocals role since 2022. I also play guitar. I love doing both, however, I have increasingly found playing the guitar to be constraining. I have considered even stepping back from playing guitar, but the band has a great dynamic and I am loathe to spoil it. But I do feel I could perform better as a vocalist if I could give it 100% concentration.
I suspect if I did, I'd use more, not less energy, as playing guitar and singing into a static mic is a big constraint, and I can't move around and wave my arms around as I might like to. If ever the band starts getting paid more money, I will! Sadly it won't be in place until long after our next gig!
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