Philip Jeays

2003-04-15

The Battersea Barge
Nine Elms Lane
(behind the FedEx building)
London, SW8 5BP

In the afternoon I work on acoustic patches on the VG88 prior to the Jeays gig at the Barge this evening. It goes a lot better than it has previously, particularly when I back off the sensitivity of the RMC pickup. So that's how I'll do it until I have another cock-and-bull notion.

This takes a lot longer than I thought it would, so I blag lift from aged P, which allows me to take my nylon-string guitar along for my own set.

I arrive and set up, and we have something of a sound-check (considering the current lack of Jezza in the mix), then I take my guitar up and try to warm up.

As well as the various Jeays audience-members, Denise and Terry have come along, Phil H makes it (straight off the train from Paris!) and has brought along a friend as well (whose name I didn't properly catch, so sorry... if you email me, I'll insert the name later on, if you like).

My set is something of a triumph, if I say so myself. Largely this is to do with the enthusiasm of the audience rather than anything I do. I do falter after about twenty minutes, I notice - I become unfocused and flustered and essay a less-than-perfect version of Secret Agent. This is something I need to work on (the unfocusing rather than the song).

After me, there's a set from Geoff (also very fine and warmly received by the audience) and then a break.

The Jeays set goes very well indeed as well. General vindication for the VG88 setup - the acoustic sounds sound very acoustic, the bass sounds very bassy. I pluck a 12-string patch out of the air for October.

So a grin-tastic evening all round.