"Owyer doing, allright?"

...was Chris's traditional enquiry of the half dozen shell-shocked punters after our first number at the Fishes in Highworth on Saturday.
At first the silence was deafening, but eventually we were rewarded with the gentle snoring of the recumbent patron at the back of the room, closely followed by the dull, wet thud as he rolled off the bench & hit the flagstone floor.
The next couple of songs elicited little response save the howl of the wind, the distant tolling of mournful church bells and (someone must have opened the back door) the appearance of a lonesome tumbleweed, which came to rest in front of the monitors.
Looks were exchanged, eyebrows raised, & grim determination set in...
Sure enough, by half ten most of the pub were leaping around like... well, like drunks, frankly, & none the worse for that! As we stripped the gear down at the end of the night, we were surrounded by genial & barely coherent people who wanted to buy the CD, which of course Chris had forgotten to bring... ;-)
All in all a good night, & a nice gentle reintroduction to gigging after my 3 year absence - I don't think anyone noticed my copious mistakes?
As we loaded the van, a couple of Highworth yoof lurking outside the chippy commented: "Blimey, it's the Magic Numbers!", which was a bit depressing - I know we've all put on weight over the years, but please..!

Got Jesus in your life?

Then you need help.
I'm getting me one of these for the motor - been looking for one for years!
Loads of other good stuff here as well:

http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/emblems.html

Next gig in Bristol

...for the benefit of the bloke I met in Tescos last night!
Sat. Feb 18th @ Mr Wolfs in the centre - be there, or be somewhere else...
I apologise in advance for my cock-ups, as it's only my 3rd gig after a 3 year break, & of course I'll be heavily fortified, which won't help.

Latest pics of Joe & Rory

...in the 2005 album:
http://www.byphotos.com/album/1334810

Down the Prom, Prom, Prom,

...with the brass band playing Tiddley Om Pom Pom... well, not quite!
Very weird to watch the lads & lass playing @ the Prom wine bar on 22/12/05 - it's the first time I've heard some of those songs without me playing. This was the last outing for Nick Sorensen on bass, and it went very well from my perspective out the front - sound mix was excellent, and on stage sounded great as well by all accounts.
Not a vast crowd, but not bad for a freezing night at the arse-end of December, & they were appreciative, which is what counts...
Couple of very friendly punters, who bought me a pint because they were convinced I was the band's manager & also I looked like Silent Bob. Tried to persuade them otherwise but they weren't having any of it, so I gave in gracefully... was mystified by the "silent Bob" reference, but it turns out this is he - can't see the resemblance myself..!

Billy in the Lowground - new website!

The band's shiny new website is up, and very tasteful it is too.
Still a bit of tinkering to do, but the forum is up & running, and you can download sample mp3 files:
http://www.billyinthelowground.com/

Down with this sort of thing!

Yet another shocking example in the Old Fox last night of the harrowing ordeals that musicians have to endure in pursuit of their art...
Here, Alan of Angel Up Front (http://www.angelupfront.co.uk/) manfully defends himself in the face of an unwarranted invasion of his sacrosanct personal space (in the middle of a particularly widdly solo) by an eager young lady who later claimed to be "just trying to get to the dartboard!"
"This sort of thing is becoming all too common", a clearly shaken Alan later confirmed: "It's not the reason I took up playing the guitar at all..."