The library

February 11th 2004 - Alex

"Can we at least try and give it a go? If it's wank then it don't matter." I shrugged as I talked to the rest of the band.

We were huddled around Matt's drum kit in Yellow Arch. It was getting late as we'd played our whole discography trying to see if we could improve or actually drop any songs for this demo.

Lottie was sat on the sofa watching us, drawing some random shit as usual. Well, shit is a massive insult. She's a great artist but you know what I mean. Although she came over she was still a little off with me - completely understandable.

Alongside her at the other end of the shite leather sofa sat Ian - Colin was down in London and couldn't make it. Ian had been helping us adjust the songs and improve them for the release of the demo. We weren't recording them just yet, but we were hoping to have a physical copy by the end of the month.

At this point we had already been giving out discs of our tunes at shows but nothing like an actual demo. Just singles.

This would be the last song for tonight. We were all sweaty from giving it our all, trying to finalise this demo disc. 

"Yeah we can give it a go I s'pose." Matt shrugged and then looked at Andy and then Jamie who both gave some form of agreement.

I nodded myself and stepped back from the drum kit and up to the microphone.

"Alreyt this is a new one... Mardy Bum." The title barely left my lips when Matt started counting us in.

As Jamie started strumming the opening chords and I started the intro melody, I glanced up from the fretboard to see Ian watching us with full attention. What surprised me most was when my eyes caught Lottie's. She had stopped drawing whatever it was she was scribbling on the now busy sheet of paper and instead locked gazes with me.

I completed the opening solo without a second thought and closed my eyes as I delivered the opening lines.

"Well now then mardy bum, I've seen your frown and it's like looking down the barrel of a gun and it goes off,"

I opened my eyes again to look at the tatty leather sofa but I only saw Ian, sat in the middle now, looking down the corridor to his right.

I kept singing the next line and despite the noise being created by all the instruments as well as my shite, amplified voice, I swore I could've heard the slamming of a door.