
AFTER breakfast I get busy printing some gig listing postcards to put round the tables at the Vale Club in Innerleithen where I’m playing tonight (Friday).
A guitar player from down south, Geoff, and his wife Maggie are in Scotland for a holiday. He was in touch to see if I was around for a wee guitar session and we arranged for this morning.
We have a grand blether and session the they head off and I get busy putting together the gear for tonight’s show. Margaret sorts all the merch.
Get in is 5pm and we rollup right on time. The Andy Taylor Group is sound checking and organiser Paul helps us in with the gear. The band soundcheck quickly then it’s my turn and Ian is on top of the sound in a flash.
There’s time to nip out for some grub and we find a wee pizza place – Out Out Gastro pub – a few hundred yards away.
On arrival we’re told they’re fully booked…and we could order take out, but we’d have to order online. A bit odd, but nevermind, I go on the website and order and we hang out for the 20 minutes or so until the pizzas are due to be ready.
While we’re waiting, our pals from the other act playing show up. They don’t have booking either but are shown to a table! This is pretty bad form. Our order is likely to be ready soon and I don’t wanna create a scene so stay schtoom. Saving grace is that our pizzas are very good and good value too.
In another twist of ‘weirdness’ we’re not allowed to eat our pizza in the venue because “you’ll stink the place out”! So we have to take ’em outside into the cold. This is from the venue staff – not the blues club folks I hasten to add…but not a great way to treat artists who have been travelling and need to eat before a show!
I guess you get the venues that look after artists – offer coffee, a drink of water or whatever after load in/during set up; a meal and some complimentary refreshments etc – and the others that have no idea. Again, this is down to the Vale Club, not the blues club folks.
Anyway, there’s a good crowd in, sound is great and everyone has a grand time….and my pal Davie Sargent is there with his camera and grabs some nice shots.
We’ve a fair distance home and an early start in the morning so we only catch the first half of the band’s set before we have to hit the road…

