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Smell of the Crowd by Maddy Bell
Copyright© 2022 Madeline Bell
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Getting gig-ie
Robert stuck his head in through the bus' side door, "I'll see you at the venue later.”
"Sure,” Stefan replied, "If we miss the traffic we might even manage to grab some food.”
My stomach rumbled at the mere mention of new calories, what with the practice this morning and the Britta Bursche Show this afternoon we've sort of missed the eating bit. I say we, Anna Louise and Misty had, so Mist told us, grabbed a fish filled brötchen from a Nordsee stand in the centre during their shopping expedition. I'm not a big fan of white fish but at a push – pity they don't do Pommes.
"Okay then, later,” our tame shark grinned before pulling the door shut.
"Lets get out of this concrete jungle,” Little Jo opined as he started our transport.
The trip down from Idstein this morning felt like a bit of an adventure, the excitement of our radio aoppearance, a new city, a world alien to us more rural dwellers. It took several wrong turns and best part of half an hour to get us on the right road, once we'd broken the cities grip however we quickly covered the remaining kilometres having beaten the commuter traffic. There wasn't a lot of conversation beyond directional advice to our driver, I think most of us were still processing things at HR3.
"Eighteen?” Stefan suggested once we were parked back in the Adler Turm's yard.
"Think I can last that long,” Little Jo joked.
"Sure,” I added, "We going straight to the venue after?”
"Pretty much,” Stefan told us.
“'kay.”
"Fifty minutes,” Mist noted as we made our way to our shared room.
"I'll just grab a quick shower, maybe catch forty.”
"You still want your nails doing?”
I checked my digits, I usually keep my nails fairly short with just a clear coat of lacquer but i've let them grow out some the last few weeks and the dark purple varnish has already got a bit chipped just from Friday.
"We got time?”
"Should have if you don't spend too long in the shower, I can do your nails then get changed.”
"So what did you buy then?” I queried as my nails were cleaned of nail cosmetic.
"A few bits and bobs,” she hedged.
"Like?”
"You know.”
"Nen!”
"Okay, stop fidgetting or I'll get this all over.”
With a sigh of exasperation I settled and relaxed my digits for her.
"So?”
"Well I got a cute top in H&M, its like a net tunic with bell sleeves, quite fitted, you'll like it, then I found a new BH and there was a skirt in this boutique place, they had some cool bangles and stuff - oh and some boss nose studs.”
"Think i've got enough thank you.”
"If you say so, we doing the same colour?”
"I think i've got some red in my bag.”
"Oo, scarlet women eh?”
She dug around in my vanity, eventually finding the tiny jar of nail paint.
"Think i've got some lippy this colour or pretty close, would look awesome on stage. What're you wearing tonight?”
"Was thinking the black and white for a change.”
To be honest it was one of those impulse buys on a shopping trip with Con to Bonn, I saw it in Pimkie® and it just yelled buy me. Well I did and other than trying it on, its hung in my cupboard ever since, i've just not felt it was appropriate for anything. For some unknown reason it ended up in my case when I was packing last week.
A slightly feral grin crossed my manicurists face, should I be worried?
Everyone gathered at the front of our accomodation at something like eighteen – it wasn't me who joined us at five past.
"Sorry guys, I fell asleep,” Animal offered.
"You're always asleep,” Little Jo stated with a chuckle.
Little Jo joined in, "He needs his beauty sleep.”
"Not enouigh hours in the day to help there,” Marcus put in.
"Yeah, I'm far too handsome to start with,” our drummer stated.
I nearly choked, lets just say that when looks were handed out, Animal was near the back of the queue. Okay, its not like he's grotesque or deformed or anything like that but no one's gonna put him on the cover of Vogue. Individual, yeah, thats Animal.
"When you're done,” Stefan interjected.
"Where we doing?” Anna Louise asked
"Apparently there's some place called Popeye's in the Altstadt, fastfood but we can sit in.”
"Suits me,” I told the collective.
Popeye's was indeed a far cry from The Akropolis last night. Whilst in the Altstadt it's actually located in a modernish block a couple of streets from the Altmarkt, a typical multifood takeaway at the front but behind that was a sort of old fashioned diner type affair, lots of slightly grubby chrome, worn vinyl bench seats and walls mirrored in an attempt to make it look bigger. We piled in and commandeered a couple of tables, four to each.
I grabbed a menu card, my stomach letting go with an unladylike growl, yep i've definitely got a hunger. Forget your mono cuisine outlets, Popeye's were keen to cover as many bases as possible, pizza, fried chicken, burger, kebab, schnitzel, würst, pasta and a few items that at a guess the Mediterranean owners thought would appeal to the more adventurous locals. Establishments like this are either heaven or hell, you either go in with an idea of what you want or you end up bewildered by the options – my stomach was just saying 'food' so that was no help.
A scraggly olive skinned, black haired youth arrived clutching a pen and pad to take our order, Little Jo took the lead.
"Six Krombacher and two Kelheimer Weiss.”
The order serf scurried off before we could start ordering anything else which at least gave me a chance to reconsider my choice. I had been on the brink of the pizza a Pollo but on reflection, maybe schnitzel with pommes would be better?
"What you having Gabs?” Misty enquired.
"Not sure what I fancy really,” I admitted, "What about you?”
"Think I'm going for lasagne with fries.”
"Hmm, bit heavy before going on stage, think I'll just get schnitzel.”
The 'waiter', I use the term loosely, returned with our drinks, no glasses, we'd be drinking from the bottles this evening. This time however he did take our food orders, before scuttling off to where his swarthy colleagues waited at the front counter. Pretty much everything would be cooked fresh so we'd be waiting about ten fifteen minutes before eating.
"Guys, guys,” Little Jo stated to get our attention over the various conversations. "I'd like to propose a toast.
"A toast?” Marcus queried.
"Yeah, we killed it this afternoon, especially Erd.”
"Too right,” Stefan agreed.
Little Jo stood up, "So yeah, a toast to us, BlauHase!”
"BlauHase!” we all agreed, clinking our bier containers as you do.
By the looks the staff were giving us I reckon they thought they had a load of mad men/women on their hands, our food did seem to arrive indecently quickly after that. We all dug in with some gusto, clearly I wasn't the only one currently sporting hollow legs. Rather than seperate tabs, we'd decided on day two that we'd just split a single bill, it was quicker and no one was ordering Sirloin Steak instead of Frikadel so we'd end up fairly even.
Its just as well we weren't mucking about on the payment end, by the time we left Popeye's we had all of fifteen minutes to get back to the hotel and drive out to the venue, Scheuer. The gig starts at nine, we go on at ten, so we still had best part of three hours to get ourselves ready. Of course, our being a bit tardy it was inevitable that manager man was there waiting for us.
"There you are, the support are already setting up their stuff,” Silsman advised, Gaby, if I can have a word?”
"Er sure.”
Okay, now I'm a bit freaked, apart from general comments, our 'manager' usually only talks to Stefan about band stuff and I'm guessing he isn't gonna want to know what colour lipstick I'm wearing.
"Come,” he motioned me back outside.
I followed him out and across the parking, ostensibly to be out of earshot of the traffic through the stage door area.
"So, erm, what's up?”
"I was talking to some people earlier after you did Britta, great session by the way,”
"Er thanks,” I allowed when he paused.
"Your friend, Misty, she can sing?”
"Well she's no Julie Andrews but she can hold a tune.”
"Julie Andrews?”
"You know, Sound of Music, Mary Poppins? 'The hills are alive, with the sound of music..'” I tootled.
He looked a little puzzled despite my short rendition, maybe Mary and Maria weren't such a thing in the NRW. However, I think he got the general drift of my meaning.
"What's this about Robert?”
"My friends at Hesse, they mentioned that the sound earlier was a little flat, no not your singing, the um, roundness of the sound. A suggestion was made that perhaps you should have some backing, another voice to give more depth?”
I might be blonde but as Toyah would say, i've still got a brain up there. The cogs turned and clicked into place.
"A backing singer? You want Ne-Mist to be a backing singer?”
"It was just an idea, something to try.”
"Do Stefan and the guys know about this?”
"Not yet, I thought i'd sound you out first, so?”
I had a quick thunk, I sort of got the flat, round sound thing, you don't hear it when you are singing yourself but now someone has said, on our CD from Bonn, in places we do sound a bit monotone. Recruiting Nen as a singer though, that's a whole different kettle of fish.
"Well in theory, I get the idea but couldn't we just like record some backing ourselves?”
"If we had the time and equipment maybe but I think it is a slippery slope, part of the BlauHase vibe is the immediateness, the life of the singing.”
"Okay, I get it, but why Mist?”
"She is here already and to be brutally honest, she's what we can afford and she's available.”
Well I guess that makes sense, the tour is being done on a fairly tight budget, essentially we get fuel, lodging and a percentage of the door, Misty is here on my dollar so to speak. An outsider coming in would need to be paid, there'd be extra costs all round but Misty is essentially free.
"Just supposing the guys and Mist go for it, there anything in it for her?”
"I think we could manage a small wage.”
"So when were you thinking of starting this?”
"If we have agreement, as soon as possible, tommorrow, Wednesday?”
"We'll need some practice?”
"Of course, is that a yes then?”
"If its okay with the others, you want me to sound out Misty?”
"On a hypothetical level for now eh?”
"I'll run it past her later.”
"Danke, I'll let you go get ready.”
"So what was that all about?” Misty asked when I found her in the cupboard that we had as a dressing room.
"Just talking about this afternoon,” I hedged.
“'kay, so I was thinking.”
"Dangerous,”
"Ha, ha, I'm not the blonde round here.”
"Okay, what were you thinking?
"Well, the dress is kind of the fashion from maybe the nineteen sixties?”
Okay, well before my time, maybe yours too but i've seen films and pictures from back then so I had an idea at what she was hinting. The dress is a fairly straight cut mini, no sleeves, round neck in four panels alternating black and white, it makes a statement, not sure what but a statement nonetheless.
"With you so far,” I agreed.
"Well instead of the long Perücke i could cut one into a short style?”
"How short?”
"Maybe to here?” she indicated the bottom of her ear.
It would certainly be a different look.
"Lets do it.
We haven't changed the general format of our set since our pre tour gig, okay, we might play about a bit sometimes but its the same order of play. A couple of minutes before twenty two I was stood at the side of the stage with Mist, feeling somewhat exposed.
"You okay?” Mist asked as I fidgeted with the hem of my dress.
"I'm not sure about this Kleid,” I admitted.
"Gab, Erd, you look awesome,” my dresser told me.
"I don't feel awesome, I feel exposed.”
"You're fine, would I fib? Just don't bend over,” she chortled.
"I'm gonna change.”
I had now recalled just why I hadn't worn the dress before, I said it was a mini dress before right? Well the hem sits pretty much as high as it can without revealling my knickers, any position away from the vertical will result in me flashing everything I have to one and all. Okay, not literally, i've got two pairs of pants and tan fishnets on but thats not the point.
Mist had done quite a job on me, the straight shoulder length Perücke has been transformed into a short bob with bangs, to give a very sixties look despite its strawberry colour. However the kicker to the whole thing, so to speak, is on the end of my legs, the ankle boots that I got in Tenerife a few weeks back, in case you don't remember they are kick ass Rock Chick, very pointy, very black, lots of buckles and ten centimetre stiletto heels. Somehow they actually work with the rest – well according to Misty they do, kick ass, I think she said.
Out on the stage Animal started a slow beat, the others joining in with the very alt rock baroque parody that opens our set.
"Too late girlfriend,” Misty stated, spinning me around before holding me in place by the shoulders, "Break a leg!”
The music and lights on stage faded, I clutched my mic and counted down from twenty to calm myself before making my entrance. A single spot came up, time to find my voice.
'Where the mountains meet the sea....'
To be truthfull, before i'd finished the first stanza i'd forgotten how I was dressed.
"Erdbeere, BlauHase, Erdbeere, BlauHase, Erdbeere, BlauHase, Erdbeere, BlauHase,“ they chanted over and over. Time for Red Balloons. The din receded from a roar to a murmur when i raised my arms.
"Guys?“
Stefan started to strum,
"Idstein,“ i warbled.
"BlauHase!“ came the reply.
"Idstein,“ i repeated.
"BlauHase!“
"Idstein,“
and again they replied, "BlauHase!“
"Okay, seeing as you've asked so nicely, here's one you can join in with.“
The guys started the intro and i started the familiar anthem.
'Hast du etwas Zeit für mich?
Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
Von neunundneunzig Luftballons
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont...'
"Bleh!” I declared, taking the towel from Mist when we finally left the stage.
We'd had a full house who were very enthused, maybe they'd heard us on Britta Bursche earlier. Maybe there were a few duff notes, a dodgy amp gave some intermittent feedback but we ended up doing a three number encore so they must've liked us.
"Great set folks,” Robert enthused as the rest of BlauHase shuffled back stage, "They were very enthused out there.”
"Think that was Erd's outfit,” Animal opined.
"The minikleid as a weapon,” Anna Louise stated hugging her boyfriend.
"Eh?” I mumbled through a mouthful of lemonade.
Maddy Bell © 16.01.2022
