Finally, I believe that I am happy...

10th February, 2013.  L-R:  Paul Hancock (bass), Angela Lazenby (drums, vocals), John MacLeod (guitars, lead vocals), Matt Tyrer (keyboard, synth, accordion, melodica, vocals)

  There has never been a better time to get back on the blog "horse" than now, has there?  So much happening, so little I can actually say.  Not because I am legally obliged to keep schtum, you understand, but because you know how it is.  You tell everyone you are going to do a thing, and then things change.  Always the way, like the day before you have a week off and someone asks what you are going to do with your time.  You tell them "Well, I'm going to record some demoes, maybe have a trip out somewhere for a day, tidy my house, see people, y'know, do the things I don't get chance to do normally."

  Those words don't half come back to haunt you on the first Monday back, when you recall spending at least half each day in bed, and the other half moping around the kitchen, eating toast and forgetting to do the shopping.

  I was very glad, then, when I returned to work from a week off that had been very, very productive and fun.  The first couple of days, I didn't see anybody, had a massive amount of me time, and that was enough.  From Wednesday onwards, I busied myself with band business, we all went to Folk Club at Keele, where I pogoed circuitously and did two revolutions before I had to start singing again, and where Angela knocked my pint over with her face and managed not to get herself any injuries whatsoever.  The glass didn't even break!  As she said the following day on Twitter: "Drummers are so hard, we glass ourselves!"

  The following night we had our first full electric practice, where we went through songs we hadn't played as a four-piece, ironed out creases from songs that we hadn't yet been able to fully realise, and just gave our repertoire some welly.  We talked over ideas for recording, among other things, and by the time I went to bed, I was so excited I couldn't actually sleep.

  We had a gig in Birmingham on the Sunday (which is where the above photo was taken, by one Lewis Bloor), which was an acoustic set, and we had a lot of fun playing it.  Every time we've played, we all seem to have a transcendent moment during 'Six Bodies, Strange Noises' (which I can't wait to play on Friday night - more on that later), where the music just happens, almost unconsciously.  And thus ended my week off.

  Last night we all went to see the incomparable Nerina Pallot play at The Glee Club.  The Pallot is, seemingly, a regular character on this blog, but then she is also a big source of the heart of what I do.  Oddly, I am unsure of whether her musical fingerprint is audible on my songs, but emotionally, she's there.  One or two songs of mine are direct responses to hers, and with the advent of her new EP, 'Lonely Valentine Club', I think another song has seeded itself in my brain.  As yet unwritten, but I know it's there.  This was the first time I'd gone to a Nerina show with folk, and so there we sat: Angela and her husband Dan, Paul and his partner Marlz, and Matt.  This was a solo acoustic set, preceded by the stylings of Samuel Taylor, a regular pre-Pallot performer whose solid guitar playing is complimented by a steady voice and a clear lyric.  

  Nerina arrived onstage and launched into 'It Starts' a song about finally being happy and finding true love, and listening to the lyrics, I found I was thinking "That's how I feel about the band now!" which I am fairly sure is a good thing.  Anyway, the show was a joy to be present for, as ever, and there was a rather emotional moment partway through, when her husband Andy popped up to the stage to tell her that their son was okay (he hadn't been very well), which lead to a few tears of relief from Nerina, and the acknowledgement that "I was really worried, because he's the love of my life," (a sentence that stood out amongst all others) before composing herself and playing the best rendition of 'Human' that I've ever heard her play.

Nerina Pallot meets The John MacLeod Band, smiling ensues.

  And that brings us to now.  We are on the home stretch to playing our first ever headline show, four months after starting to play together.  I would never have said it would be possible, but two things brought us here - love & enthusiasm.

  At this point, I would consider breaking out a few choice epithets on the nature of life, love and happiness, but I really can't be arsed.  Like with the gig, I dreamed up some ill-thought-out offers on tickets to try and cater for people who may only want odd numbers of them (oh my, the hare-brained ideas I have, and valiantly try to put into practice, while all around me watch with mute pity), and it got to the point where I couldn't be bothered to repeat them all ad nauseum, so have just kept it to "buy one, get one free".  That's all it needs to be.

  One more rehearsal to go, then it's Bad Edit, Burslem, this Friday.  We have support from two great acts, and the whole night should be lovely.  I'm eager, really.  We go to the studio the day after, to make a start on what will be our debut LP record, and there are other ideas floating about in the ether, as mentioned earlier, that I am desperate to talk animatedly about, and at length, but for now, be content in the knowledge that we are as excited as I hope you are.

This Friday - we want YOU to be there.  Make it happen.

  I will sign off now, in the hopes of retaining some of my composure.  Lots of love to you all, if you're reading, and yah-boo V-signs if you're not reading, which, if that is the case, you won't know about.

Um, yes.

John xxx