Day 7: It’s not the leaving of Liverpool...

We’re briefly back at the Oaklands Road headquarters of the Nightingales (Proprietor: Mark ‘Ace’ Jones) after last night’s groundbreaking London gig at the famous Borderline club. The kitchen is a hive of activity as the band eat the full English breakfast fastidiously prepared by Alan ‘Roots’ Apperley. Fresh toast continually appears on the table, and coffee and tea-cups are refilled constantly in between bouts of washing-up, which Apperley executes wearing his trademark Marigold gloves, protection for his delicate guitarist’s fingers. Occasionally, he breaks off in order to light a cigarette, or indeed to roll one whenever any of the several smokers demands it.

The band is in good spirits, and are keen to hit the road in several hours’ time. Tonight’s gig is in Liverpool, the spiritual home of British rock ‘n’ roll, and in this respect it is a more important gig, as far as the band is concerned, than the London gig last night. Robert ‘The Chief’ Lloyd is especially keen to return to Liverpool. As a fan of the giant-killing Manchester United football team, Lloyd is brimming with the sportsman’s admiration for the all-conquering Anfield heroes and is keen to meet any supporters of the famous club who might turn up at the gig tonight.

Dave ‘Big Dave’ Wassell arrives, refreshed after a sound night’s narcotic-induced sleep. He is his usual chatty self and his presence immediately galvanises the members of the band, who hand their greasy plates to Apperley before disappearing off to pack their cases for the next leg of the tour. By one o’clock, Big Dave’s van is fully loaded and as soon as Mark ‘Ace’ Jones has located, by turns, the lighter, wallet, spare underwear and ‘Arab Strap’ he thinks he’s left in the house (all of which turn out to have been in the pockets of his capacious jacket all along) the band will depart for the great city of Liverpool.

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The East Village Arts Centre is a legendary venue which, in its time, has hosted many of the nation’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll groups such as Anal Beard, Gimpfist, The Turdish Five and Fuck Da Beatles (the latter being a hip-hop tribute to the greatest Liverpuddlian band of all time – Gerry and the Pacemakers.) The band are on a high after last night’s glorious London triumph and the soundcheck is swift and good-humoured, with even the usually belligerent Paul ‘Carpet’ Squires cracking a smile as Lloyd performs his regular entertaining harmonica solo mid-way through his vocal mike check.

Later, in the dressing room above the venue the band relax as best they can while the support band soundcheck below, the incessant, monotonous pounding of the bass drum seeming to shake the dressing room to its very core. But with their slab of twenty-four cans of Stella Artois and the strangely-neglected seventy-five bottles of Budweiser’s specially-brewed Supreme Quality Artisan Brew (1.75% ABV) the band is content to ‘chill’ far away from the prying eyes of the public and Mark ‘Ace’ Jones downstairs at the merchandise table.

A rumour is circulating that ex-Beatle and Ivor Novello songwriting prize winner Sir Paul ‘Macca’ McCartney is in town and has been briefed by his people about the Nightingales. Ever keen to keep his musical ear to the ground in order to follow the latest musical trends, McCartney has apparently heard the buzz about last night’s performance at the Borderline and, rumour has it, may put in an appearance at tonight’s gig. The band are remarkably unaffected by this information. Ever the realists, they know better than to give such extravagant rumours too much credence.