Chapter 7

On Thursday, it was the last of the Music Studies with the Musical. There was some listening to snippets of various performances and discussion on them, with a question-and-answer session that everyone had to be part of. That evening, Willow packed her case and filled a garment bag with her four stage outfits.

Friday, she saw Jill poke her head into the lunchroom so beckoned her over.

“Welcome to the zoo feeding time, Jill.”

“It’s much nicer than the school I went to. What are we doing this afternoon?”

“We are going to record the first-year musical project. We’re performing a modern version of ‘Wicked’ in the middle of next month.”

“What part do you have with this?”

“I’m the director, Gina is in charge of the costumes, and Jacob has a team making the backdrops. They will be with us this afternoon, and Xavier is coming along to run the desk.”

“That lad, and his friends, have made some serious friends during the tour. There are some very respected producers who have them pencilled in when they leave school. They would be fifth form now, wouldn’t they?”

“Yes, same year as the Gees. I think it might be time to get the crowd together. Come and meet Petunia and Ivy, twelve-year-olds with a huge future ahead of them.”

The three friends collected up Xavier, the singers, and they all collected their bags to take home afterwards. The guitarists had their cases with them. It was an excited group who went out of the main doors to get in the coach. They were joined by both Mister Jamieson and Mister Bamborough, as well as the twin’s father, and a few other parents. There was plenty of room in the coach, and they left the school. Willow stood at the front with the microphone.

“Good afternoon, and welcome to the Magic Bus. Today, we are going to a very private recording studio in Leicester. So far, it has only made albums for three bands. It is not, and I repeat that, not a commercial studio, so we will be the only ones there. The site is a working distribution centre, although the company is in the process of moving out. When we get there, I’ll go and see what the state of play is. If they are still in full operation, we will all have to wear hi-vis vests outside of the studio.”

When they did arrive, the car park was almost empty, and the big shed was open and looked like there were no workers. Sebastian pulled into the parking area and stopped. Willow jumped out and went into the office, coming out a few minutes later with a smile. She looked into the coach.

“All right, Xavier, do you want to go and open up, please. Everyone else, you can get out and stretch your legs. There are no forklifts operating today, but there will be a couple here on charge.”

They all got out, with the adults having querulous expressions, especially Mister Vines, with a daughter on each side of him. Willow told them all to be careful and follow her, leading them into the shed. A lot of the racks were empty, and there were some pallets on the ground, but it was a clear path through to the workshop and the open door to the studio. Gina led them in, while Willow waited for Sebastian, who had locked the coach. When he was inside, she followed, closing the doors as she went. The students were looking at the awards with excitement. Willow stepped up a couple of rungs of the stairs.

“Can I have your attention, please. This is the rest area. While the students are recording, all of you adults are welcome to use the kitchenette. There’s tea and coffee and should be long-life milk in the fridge. There are toilets to the right, both male and female. If the cast can follow Gina and Jacob, they’ll get you through to the studio proper. Be prepared to be amazed.”

The students followed the others through, with those left hearing exclamations of wonder as they went through the control room. When they had left, Willow went and spoke to the adults that were left.

“Before we go any further, I have some explanation. This site is owned by seven members of Summer Rose and was purchased with money we had earned from record sales. We bought the site because of where we’re standing. It was originally a cold store for vegetable distribution. Overall, it’s over a hundred feet long, with eighteen-inch insulated walls, so perfect to turn into a recording studio. We’ve produced well over a hundred decibels inside and the people in that big shed didn’t hear us. When we move to the next room, please do not touch anything. It’s a state-of-the-art recording desk and has recorded three albums in the last two weeks that will be on the market next month. I’m sure that your children have talked about Summer Rose, G-Force, and Rick Sacks and the Hikers. This is our home away from home. If you follow me, we can stand and watch as your children make music.”

She led them in, and they all stood in line, looking at the wonderful vision of the mixing desk, and through the glass to all the cast sorting out leads to the amps, and microphones, while Gina and Jacob handed out buds and told the students how to put them in for best effect. When they were ready, Gina gave Xavier a wave and the two came out into the control room. Willow sat next to Xavier, and he switched on the microphone.

“Can everyone hear me? Wave if you can. Good. With this as your first time in the studio, we want you to get used to it. When you play, you will hear the mixed result in your earbuds. There will be a short while as Xavier gets the mix right, so, Vines, do you think that you can play some of your own music. If you can do that middle eastern song second, I want to get it onto tape so we can give you all a keepsake. When we’ve finished recording the musical, we will be able to produce a CD for everyone. You’re good to go.”

She went over to Gina and Jacob, messing around with the camera vision.

“If you want to get serious, get one camera showing the whole group, and have that one picked when you press that record button. That will be the base vision. Then you move the others by selecting the number to control that camera. There’s a button marked ‘change’. If you press that, it will then use that vision. You can then go back to the base vision or pick another one. It will give you a pre-edited recording for a DVD.”

She left them being creative and stood by the teachers. Mister Vines joined them.

“You never fail to surprise, Willow. This would have cost a bit.”

“About one point two, all up. If the album we recorded last weekend takes off, that will return about the same amount. It was a win-win and something we all agreed on.”

“So, what do we get out of today?”

“When they’ve recorded the songs, we can let them play a bit of their own music for us to record while the rest of the cast can relax. There’s a supermarket around the corner. I could go and get ice creams. It’s warm enough in here to make an ice cream enjoyable.”

Mister Vines smiled.

“I’ll help you, Willow. I’ll buy them. This has been an interesting experience for me, and I’d like to talk to you, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind. Xavier, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“No problems, Willow. These students are really good. I can see them on the theatre stage next year, after the Head hears them and sees the show.”

Howard Bamborough laughed.

“She’s already been told that there’s a new supergroup that’s only been in the school for half a term. She’s quite pleased.”

Willow and Mister Vines left the studio. On the way to the shop, he chuckled.

“I’ve always thought that my daughters were just playing around with the guitars. Today has opened my eyes to how good they are. What do you think of their band?”

“The first time we put them in a rehearsal room with the equipment, they impressed with most of an hour of jazz-based songs, and one with a middle eastern beat that could be considered as chart material. You have two incredibly talented girls, Mister Vines, along with their talented friends. They are so far ahead of what I could do at that age, it’s not funny.”

“Look. I’m only Mister Vines to my bank manager. I can see that you have a big influence on my girls. My name is Samuel, or just Sam. I’m interested in this site you’re at. What’s the situation?”

“Seven of us formed a syndicate, pooling some of our earnings. We bought a commercial factory in Coventry, and then looked around for something bigger. This came up, and when we saw the cold room, we bought it. We have only renegotiated the lease a few months ago, but the head office of the company wanted this site to increase the flow-through. We found another site in Small Heath which the manager thought would be perfect but would only need half of it. We formed another syndicate with the entire band and bought it. He’s in the process of moving.”

“Was that Stella House?”

“It was, why?”

“I was looking at that site, myself. The thing was that it was too big for me as it was and would stretch my assets. Do you have an agent?”

“We do have one that looks after all three sites. This one will probably stay vacant for a while, as we make changes to suit what we want. If you still want half of Small Heath, the lease will be five years, starting at one fifty, and increasing to one seventy-five over that lease time. What do you want to do with it?”

“We’re in a number of older buildings and I want to consolidate those under one roof, starting with the installation of more modern machines and a bank of 3D printers.”

“That may need a bigger power supply than what’s on site. We could come to the party there, as long as it’s still in place should you move out.”

They got to the shop, and he paid for three dozen assorted ice creams, and carried the box as they went back.

“You seem very assured for a teenager?”

“I suppose it’s standing on a stage in front of sixty thousand screaming fans. Next week, we’ll be in Europe playing to a total of over two hundred thousand, and then I’m back in school getting the cast ready to perform the musical.”

“My girls used to think that you were wonderful, now they tell me that they know you’re wonderful.”

“Oh, lovely. I got the ‘Wonderful Willow’ nickname last year and hoped that it would just die out.”

“They told me that you were in charge of another big project.”

“Yes. A couple of weeks after their show, we’re performing the Messiah at the Cathedral. That made ‘Wicked’ feel like a walk in the park.”

“Not much organ in that one.”

“No, they got me in the hot seat as leader and first violin. Before we go to the studio, I know the manager is in the office today. He should have the cards for the agent, if you want to get serious.”

They went into the office and Mervyn looked up. A smile appeared on his face.

“Grape! It’s been a long time.”

“Perve, you scoundrel. It’s good to see you.”

He put the box on a desk and the two had a man-hug. Mervyn turned to Willow.

“We met while we were in the army, after high school. It wasn’t a good time, but we got through it in one piece.”

Willow picked up the box.

“I’ll leave you two to talk and get these into the fridge before they melt.”

She grinned as she went back to the studio, to load the fridge and put the box aside for wrappers and other rubbish. She went out into the control room where the adults remained as they had been, no doubt mesmerised at the sound of their children through the speakers. Willow stood beside Jill.

“What do you think?”

“I think that you’ve built one of the most remarkable studios I’ve ever been in. I think that Xavier has a fantastic career ahead of him as a producer. I think that what you sent us is worthy of platinum awards, and the mini opera is going to be mentioned on several awards nights, even if it doesn’t win. Oh! I also think that those kids in there are brilliant, especially the band. What can you tell me about them?”

“The twins are daughters of the man I went to fetch the ice cream with. He’s a very successful motor engineer with workshops in Coventry and was going to send them to a posh college before they dug their heels in. The rest of the band are friends, and the singer is the one playing Glinda. Actually, one of the ones playing Glinda. We have most of the stand-ins here today, so should let them get some of their own time out in front.”

“Some of the words are not as I remember.”

“We’re doing it in the current day, in modern dress, and Oz is a condemned building in a seedy city.”

“What did you think about the tour?”

“It looks really good for a week away. My mother picked up on the good hotels.”

“You’re stars now. We can’t put you just anywhere. Expect that sort of accommodation in future. There’ll be a hairdresser, a cosmetician, and three dressers with you for the week. All had been on the previous tour. Are you bringing the outfits that you wore last summer?”

“I’ve put mine in a garment bag.”

“There are a couple of good places in Paris who want to dress Zara and the four of you for the shows there, so you could wear the other four in Copenhagen and Berlin, and theirs in Paris. If that’s all right, they can fit you on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.”

“That would be different. We could wear them for the Berlin show that’s going to be filmed.”

“That’s a good idea. There isn’t much time for sightseeing, I’m afraid, but we have organised a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower and a morning at Versailles. There will, of course, be photographers present. It can’t be helped, but both bands are growing in Europe, while the Hikers are bigger in Spain.”

They stood and watched until the group finished the last of the songs. Willow sat next to Xavier, and he turned on her microphone.

“Well done! We’ll take a break now. There’s ice creams in the fridge. When you’ve had a rest, I’d like all the stand-ins to sing at least two songs before we close down. When you take the buds out, give them a wipe with the towelettes that Gina will give you before they go back into the box.”

The adults made a move to the rest area to brew hot drinks as the children came out from the studio. When the twins had wiped their buds, they both hugged Willow.

“That was brilliant! We felt like pop stars with those big amps. This has been the best day ever!”

“I can tell you that you made your father proud today. If I’m not mistaken, he’ll be more supportive in future. Keep your marks up and the idea of that posh school will be forgotten.”

When the others had gone through, only Jill remained to watch as Xavier talked the other three through the process of outputting two dozen complete CDs, after trimming the two ends of the file to get rid of unwanted silence. Then, they made another dozen of the single song. Jill asked for a copy of each, to play to Clive, purely as an idea of the sort of talent coming along in the future. She asked if she could have a still from the recorded session, and Xavier showed Jacob how that was done, printing off one of the whole group.

They joined the others in the rest area, Mervyn and Sam with the twins, in conversation. Willow went around giving out CDs. She texted an ‘S’ on the twelve singles, and only gave these to the Vines. She had an ice cream and joined the queue for the toilet. After that, she called for the band to set up again, and the stand-ins to take centre stage. Most of the adults remained in the rest area as they recorded the main stand-ins. That was almost all of the songs again, and then Brenda went back into the studio, and it was just the Vines recording their own songs for about half an hour before Willow called for a halt.

It didn’t take long for Xavier to output a dozen copies of the CD, with Willow and Jill taking one each. Sam Vines asked if he could have a photo, so they found one from the previous session with Brenda out in front and printed it for him.

After that, they were ready to leave. The others went out towards the coach while the four made sure the studio was tidy and all of the visitor’s guitars had been removed. They checked that all the buds were back and then made sure that the equipment was off before they closed the doors.

The rest area had been tidied up, and someone had emptied the bins and taken the box away. The three friends had a last look around and had a silent group hug before leaving, locking the door as they went.

On the way back, Sam Vines spoke to Willow.

“I’ve got the details from Mervyn and will take my operations manager to look at the site during next week. We’ll let you know if we move forward. This has been a good day and a great experience. They only downside is that the girls have spoken to that Jill, and now I’m being pestered to take them to Europe to see you on stage there.”

“If you give Jill your details, she can organise ‘All Areas’ passes for you, so you can come backstage and sit in the VIP seats. We had well over a hundred schoolfriends at the shows over the summer holiday.”

“I’ll do that. It will make their day, that’s for certain. Thank you for that.”

Jill came over to her as well.

“My car is at the school. If I follow the coach when he drops you off, can I leave it at your place? Then I won’t have to put it in the car park at the airport.”

“That’s all right, Jill. I think that we’ll need to pick up my bags and start picking everyone up so we can get there in good time.

While Sam was talking to Jill, she went to the front of the coach.

“Sebastian, are you taking all of us to the airport?”

“I am.”

“When we get to Stoneleigh, Jill is going to park her car and we’ll get our bags to begin the pick-up. I just need to change from this uniform.”

There were hugs and thanks at the school when they got there. Jill followed the coach as they headed south, and they dropped Jacob at the farm on the way. Gina was dropped at home and then they arrived at Willow’s home. Willow got out with her bags and Jill parked on the front lawn. Willow went inside to change out of the uniform, put her collection of new CDs on her desk, take a comfort stop and come back downstairs to find Jill talking to her parents. She had a hessian bag and reached into it.

“Willow, before I forget, this is for you. I’ll give the others out at the airport. They only came in yesterday.”

Willow was given a new passport that the label had arranged, with Willow filling in the form that Jill had emailed her and sending it back in the post with a copy of the birth certificate that her mother had created. It was just one of the passports that members of both bands had never had a need of. As she put it in her bag, Wendy gave her a wink.

She had her roller case and garment bag, so hugged her parents and went out to the coach to add her baggage to Jill’s in the compartment. Sebastian reversed up the road to the tee-junction, and then they were off on the pick-up run. They arrived at the airport in good time, and checked in. The four of them had something to eat while they waited to board, the others having eaten at home.

That night, the two bands were settled into the Bella Sky hotel, fast asleep in the big beds in individual rooms. In the morning, they all had a buffet breakfast in the dining room, then assembled in a function room for a meeting.

Clive told them that they could relax for a couple of hours and then had a lunch meeting with the media. They were big news here in Denmark, so this was a friendly way to let the reporters ask their questions. In the afternoon, they had a sound check, then dinner with the VIPs before the show.

Summer Rose had a meeting of their own after breakfast to discuss what they were going to play. They decided to use the format from before but leave out much of the Kansas material to give time for some of the new songs. They would still have ‘Spitter’ as the encore.

The day went as planned, with the lunch allowing easy talk with the media. They walked to the performance space in a well-designed complex and did the sound check. The set-up was good, and everyone was happy. The dinner was interesting, with a large group of VIPs, including their first contact with royalty, the young Prince and Princess and their children all considering themselves as fans. Willow had a lovely talk with the Australian-born Princess and the media were on their best behaviour.

That night, the Gees were well received with their set, then, after a short break, Summer Rose had a very loud welcome to Denmark. They were happy to be back in front of an audience again. Every member of the band had crossed a line during the previous tour and were happiest on stage with fans in front of them. It lifted them as they worked through the set, with examples of every album, so far, and a few new ones from ‘Greenhouse’.

On Sunday, they were given a coach ride around the area to see the sights, which included a stop at the music store that had supplied the equipment, where there were group photos, and they all signed a poster that advertised the show. Willow noticed that Jacob seemed somewhat distant. That night was a repeat of the show and Monday morning they were back at the airport for the short flight to Paris.

The weather in Paris was crisp but sunny, and they were taken to the Citizen M hotel and checked in by late morning. Today was the one free day in the city, but the afternoon was taken up with getting outfitted. The four girls and Zara were taken to a dress shop, where they were outfitted for the shows. For Zara, it was easy, good gowns in different colours, with the Gees all in denim. For the girls of Summer Rose, however, there was a fashion show for them to choose the styles that they were happy with. For the first show, they picked a harder look, with black leather jeans, red blouses and leather bolero jacket, teamed with red ankle boots, which they thought would also go well with the filmed show in Berlin. When Jill saw them dressed, she was on her phone to Clive, telling him what he should organise for the boys.

The other two outfits were more ladylike. Cocktail length dresses in a range of colours where it didn’t matter who wore what, it would all look good. The boys could wear smart casual and it would appear designed. They all met up in the late afternoon for a quick visit to the Eiffel Tower. After dinner, they had a free evening, and some the group took taxies to the Folies Bergere. Willow, Gina and Brent, were in one, while Nancy and Herb, and Vivienne and Roy were in another. They had an interesting evening, being entertained for a change.

When they arrived back at the hotel, Jacob was waiting and took Willow to his room. For Willow, it was less than satisfying. She wondered if her realisation of being unable to conceive had lowered her enjoyment level. Jacob was forceful even squeezing her breasts painfully. Back in her own room, she wondered, until she went to sleep, if Rick may be a bad influence.

Marianne Gregory © 2025