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23 : The Axe & Cleaver, Boston – 24NOV07
It was a freezing night walking the streets of Boston pre gig and we had a stroll to The Ship to see Karl and have a beer before the gig. The Undertaker had turned up and I was pleased to see him and his lovely wife Jane and they had brought some new faces to experience a BFCH 'Axe' gig.
For me, the gig is really about the audience and little else, they will determine whether the night is any good or not and since we don't start till about 10pm at The Axe and then just keep playing for hours there is a particular sort of person who tends to come along. My person of the night was part of The Undertaker's crew, a little red-haired Irish woman, about my Mum's age and the same build as Dawg our drummer. She could talk more than our roadie Trace, drink more than Hammer McKeys and mingle and move on a par with Jock McLelland. She had a ball all night alongside the teenage groupies that hang at Ben's feet (young females that is) and her red hair and lively stance kept me amused all night.
So yes, it was a great gig and yes we were pleased to see such a good audience. You know I don't know quite what is happening in this free country of ours at the moment but the people on the streets in Lincolnshire are feeling the pinch. Whether it be the credit crunch, the lack of services with a rapidly growing migrant population, the slowing property market or the increase in utility prices…I don't know but times feel nervous and I think worse is to come.
So we escape from it all with our music, and our audience escape with us, and we remember the real problems in life that are so much worse than the day-to-day worries…and when you mix all that with a cocktail of Guinness and whiskey and the irratic energy of BFCH you feel better and you just feel relieved that you're still alive!
The night was closing and what happened reminded me of how quickly a good atmosphere can change to a bad one and back again all in a few seconds. I was sat with one of our followers Jack Doogz, unwinding with a Guinness. My voice had gone by this stage but I had that after-gig happiness that makes any pain disappear. Anyhow, there were two men sharing a dram at the bar. I knew their faces, they have been to The Axe before with their wives but Saturday they were on their own and enjoying a bit of peace and a boys night out. They were minding their own business but I guess looked a bit different from the regular crowd because they were smartly dressed. So a bunch of six hippies come in…well they were dressed like hippies or musos, whatever you like, you know long hair, stripey scarves, hats – in the 60s they would have been into peace, love and all that maloney – but Saturday night they decided that there were six of them and two of the others and that because these two men were on their own and had no hair, they were gay…WHAT!…(yes, we did that again and didn't it go down well!)…I mean is that the best excuse they could think of for a fight and excuse me who cares anyway!! I suddenly felt nervous, actually really nervous and sickened. I didn't want this ending for two people who had come and enjoyed our music. Seconds passed slowly, some of our other followers moved in, the gang backed down and decided to go.
Thank you to Malc and The Axe. A great venue, well run. Merry Christmas and we'll see you all again next year.
Joolz
Pics: Helen Zealand
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