All the hog pork!

Currently in full wedding season swing. Most weekends until about October I'm slapping bass with my Lovin' Handful buddzz!
Friday we played a wedding....yes a wedding, on a Friday!! Crazy hey!?

During the day I'm Clark Kent working as a graphic designer for The Daily Planet. Friday, 3:30PM hit and I ran into the staff toilets to make my miraculous change from Office nerd to punk rock wedding attendee. Many factors I had to take into consideration, mainly not letting my stuff get dirt on it. The works toilets are used by everyone, warehouse and office. Some days you'd think the warehouse had been down the mine looking for diamonds for 4 years from the state of the bathroom. However, I came out undritied and super smooth fresh!
I then had to rush to a meeting to talk graphic design with a client. Who was rather impressed with my smart but punk attire. I should probably dress like it all the time with all the comments (one comment).
I then had to zoom to the Lovin' Handful pick up point leave my van and wait for team Bice's ambulance and Dr Bobs green bob-boom machine.
After some junk yard program and a glass of Blackcurrent we set off and headed to some middle of nowhere village near Attelborough or something (in the village for some bizzare reason had loads of vintage looking bikes decorated just on the side of the road).
Totally on time when got to the venue and we're met by the bride.....like usual, stuff was running late.

A beer on the tab and an hour later we were ready to load in. It was a swift operation and we were offered 9 year old gin, which was lovely. There was also tin foil swans that had meat inside.....didn't really understand that bit.


The gig was great, everybody danced and shouted along. The night ended with a gather round the baby grand piano and a sing-along.

Saturday
Was a strange timing gig. 5PM - 7PM. This was part of a beer festival along the North Norfolk coast.
This time I was hitting the skins with The Ugly Dog Skiffle Combo.

The beer festival in question I'd played about two years ago. It wasn't great! I was there all day as I was playing in two bands. But it was cold, rained on and off and hardly anybody there. HOWEVER two years on...fantastic audience, the sun was out and was just an all round great gig (though we did get eaten by many wasps).




Note: At 90% of events I play there is Hog Roast. Hog roast is nice as a treat every now and again. But after smelling it and seeing the cripsy head of a pig pretty much every Saturday...i'm sorta getting turned off by it..... So cutting down on the pork at gigs and going for the salted peanuts.
FACTS!

Same tracksuits....same sexy? (Matlock with The Lovin' Handful)

Most covers bands that I've played with usually have a strict rule of not travelling out of the East Anglia area. There may be multiple reasons for that; from getting decent cash, a long drive then having to play, work or family.
My experience of travelling out and playing gigs has usually been with an originals band...where...lets face it..."we don't do it for the money, it's for the exposure"..yadda yadda yadda...

Anyway, Saturday my crazy 8 piece skiffle / bluegrass band The Lovin' Handful were booked to play in Derbyshire. It's pretty rare we do this, but as this was a wedding and a mate of one of the band members, the offer of free food and drink all day PLUS a B&B and payment... we took it.

So with eyes like a new born mole I jumped in my van and drove to LBs house to await the arrival of Team Bise in his old Ambulance and Dr Bob in his generic family car.
9am set off was the plan. Between loading up, "bants" and trying to figure out how many members were already in Derbyshire we didn't set off until more 9:30am. Though 30 minute difference from planned, this makes a terrible difference for the following reasons.
1. Currently we're in the Summer Holidays. Caravaners are polishing their vans and trying to remember how to drive these things, not kill everyone, follow a sat nav, pronounce place names in Norfolk all while little Jimmy and Suzey argue over the last jellytot.
2. We needed to get a decent bit of road under us but still have enough time for a McDonalds breakfast.

The sensible team aka "Team Bob-Boom" (Bob, Luke & Myself) went in Dr Bobs car. Where the not so sensible team aka "Team Bise" went with Chase in the Ambulance.
Even before Bob turned his key Team Bise had left, like a tracker dog sniffing out a suitable McDonalds.

After a Coffee / McDonalds / Wasp stop at a services it was time to whip our butts and get to Derbyshire.
Not only did we have to get changed before the ceremony at 2pm we also had to learn a song for a sort of vocal flash mob surprise for the bride and groom (more on that later).

Summer Holiday traffic was in full swing, luckily we didn't hit too much slowness. The issues looked as if it was going in to Norwich rather than coming out. Praise the ghost of Neil Diamond we didn't get caught in it (he's not dead?...oh).

Getting excited on the road between the two handful vehicles and shouting phrases out the window at traffic lights at each other (personal favourite was "Team Bise gonna F*** Yo Mamma") we ended up in Derbyshire with full bladders.
It was then a race against the clock. Hitting our B&B just after 1pm, we had an hour to get changed, get to the venue, unload the gear and be ready for the ceremony.
We done it by the skin of our teeth and had time for a cheeky beer/cocktail.

The flash mob singing thing.
So I'm not 100% who planned this out of the wedding party. But the ALL of the wedding guests were in on it, except the bride and groom.
The plan:
- Once the bride and groom were married and started to sign the register, we get up, stand next to a piano and piano player (at the front).
- The song was a song called "Book Of Love".
- We start humming
- We sing first verse
- When the chorus hits the WHOLE wedding party stands and sings
..................did it happen, did it happen so good that one day it'll become viral and I'll be interviewed by someone on a terrible tv show about viral videos..

YES! It went amazing!! The bride and groom both burst into tears. It was an awesome experience and brilliant plan.
If I ever tried to organise something like that with my family and friends, the game would be up straight away!

So the band (minus Horne who was an actual invited person to the wedding) then had FIVE hours to kill.
This is never a good idea when the BEER WAS FREE and we didn't have to drive home. The phrase "STOP DRINKING *name*" was muttered many-a time.
We got some scraps of food and coffee and hit the stage at 8:15pm.
Rocked everyone's socks off.

We then has enough time to eat left over cheese and dance until midnight.

After a very dark walk back to the B&B we said good night and team Bob-Boom (with the addition of Mc Simmo) settled down with a brew and the Matrix.

Ok lets wrap this up.

B&B Shenanigans
Drunk Bob was my favourite.

B&B
You could hear EVERYTHING in the other rooms. We heard the toilet flush under us multiple times.
The shower was so low down you basically had to kneel to wash.
Fried breakfast was ok though.

End.