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Smell of the Crowd by Maddy Bell
Copyright© 2022 Madeline Bell
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Routine
"We have been BlauHase, thank you Darmstadt!”
It really had been a blast, maybe the guys have played better, I’ve possibly sung better but we’d had a good time and more importantly, so had our audience. The auditorium quickly cleared, of paying customers, off to enjoy the rest of the evening, the Centralstation complex isn’t just the music venue, there are a couple of bars and that Italian restaurant sharing the premises. For our part, the after party was in the venues own bar, tonight I was as eager as anyone to get a drink.
"Great gig,” Robert opined.
"We’ve done worse,” I admitted.
"I wouldn't say worse,” he stated, "Maybe less polished, I think tonight you were all more relaxed.”
"Maybe, the guys were well stressed earlier.”
"Not without cause,” he agreed.
"So how have the sales gone tonight?”
He wobbled a hand, "Okay I think, Hilde was busy enough when I looked.”
Maybe it was the drink or perhaps I’m just nosey, "So you’ve known Hilde a while?”
"You could say that,” he allowed.
"With another band?” I pressed.
"No, nothing like that.”
"Okay.”
"Look its not exactly a secret,” he went on, "We were married.”
"Married?”
"It was a mistake, we weren’t well matched so we separated.”
Oops!
"Sorry I didn’t mean to pry.”
"Like I said, its hardly a secret.”
"So, you and she…?”
"It was years ago Gab, we divorced, she married Jo.”
"Isn’t it a bit awkward?”
He gave a shrug, "We parted on friendly terms.”
I woke to the sound of the shower, my eyes delaying the moment of opening for as long as possible. I’ll admit it, I can’t actually remember getting back to the hotel which by the sound of Mist singing to herself next door is where we are. Yeah, I know, I’m a lightweight where it comes to alcohol but sometimes you just feel like kicking back.
I do remember that it was wet when we left Centralstation, there was something about a big puddle but otherwise its a blank. One eye cracked open, it was light but unlike the run of bright sunny starts we’ve had, this morning things seemed decidedly grey. And cooler, I gave an involuntary shiver and pulled my arms back under the duvet, yep much cooler.
"Ah you’re awake,” the orange haired one stated, returning to the main room wearing a towel and using a second to dry here florid locks.
"I think,” I agreed whilst trying to get both eyes to focus at the same time.
"You did get a bit tipsy last night.”
"Time is it?”
"Just after seven,” she brightly returned.
"Twirly!”
"Jobs to do, you got any laundry?”
"Erm.”
My head really was filled with cotton wool this morning.
"Don’t worry Princess, I’ll find it.”
"Chair,” I groaned, two brain cells having finally connected.
"It lives!”
Of course, having reached that level of consciousness there was not to be any return to slumber, I bowed to the inevitable, braced myself and threw back the duvet.
"So where are we off to today?” I asked before taking a sip of my coffee.
Outside the rain was still washing the streets, I say still, it was wet last night and when I got up but I guess it may have stopped in between. But I digress.
"Rüsselheim,” Marcus supplied having just arrived in the breakfast room nursing a black eye.
"Ooo, that looks painful, what happened?”
"Would you believe I walked into a door?”
"Not really,” I admitted, I’ve done that myself and it never resulted in a shiner.
He let out a sigh, "When we got back last night, me and Animal decided to get a nightcap in that bar over the road, I can’t remember the details but i ended up arguing with some ape, he took a swing at me and hey presto,” he motioned to his face.
"You shoulda seen the other guy,” Animal chortled joining us.
"On the positive side,” I started, "You’re half way to joining Mist’s Goth club.”
"Think I’ll give it a miss thank you, all that makeup and stuff, not really me.”
"Might have to find you some concealer for tonight , you can hardly go on stage looking like you’ve gone ten rounds,” I pointed out, "So where’s this Russel place?”
"Up near the airport,” Animal advised, "Talking of Goth’s, where is our backing singer this morning?”
"Laundry.”
"Again?” Marcus exclaimed, "Didn’t you do a load at the weekend?”
"Yes and yes,” I agreed, "It soon mounts up you know.”
"Sam brought me some fresh underwear on Sunday,” Animal shared.
"If only it was that easy, my stage gear gets a bit whiffy and I’m not wearing bike kit more than once, its not hygienic.”
"I suppose stuff does get a bit sweaty,” Marcus admitted.
Back up in the room I found my road atlas, quickly finding Rüsselheim just where Animal said, about midway between Frankfurt Airport and Mainz, to be honest it doesn’t look like much of a place, wonder why we’re playing there? Whatever, I’m sure there’s reason enough. If it hadn’t still been hissing down I might have ridden up, well that and the fact Misty isn’t back from the launderette yet with my bike gear.
Of course, the mere thought of her was bound to summon the orange haired one, there was a bump on the door and some unladylike cursing.
"Gab? You in there? Get the door for us.”
"Hang on.”
I recapped the nail varnish and duck walked to get the door, well have you tried walking without smudging wet toe nails?
"Thanks,” my roomie allowed as she dripped inside.
"Still raining then.”
"Eh?”
"Your welcome, I was wondering where you’d got to.”
"You can do your own next time.”
"I usually do.”
"Yeah well, so what’ve you been doing while I’ve been slaving over a hot washer?”
"I was just redoing my toe nails, they were looking a bit tatty.”
"Well don’t let me stop you, we have to be out in like thirty minutes.”
"I’m pretty much ready, Stefan wasn’t going to fetch the bus until ten.”
"Apparently there was a big fight in that bar over the road last night, they had the Polizei there and everything,” Mist espoused as she separated the laundry into hers and hers piles.
"Oh?”
"Yeah, they were all talking about it in the launderette, bikers apparently.”
"Didn’t hear anything.”
Clearly the bar fight that the guys were involved in was more than they were saying, either that or the local rumour mill has embellished things.
"Nor me, you’d think with all that commotion you’d hear something.”
"Think I was well beyond hearing anything by the time we got back here.”
"You were talking gibberish,” my ‘friend’ confirmed.
"I usually do.”
Given the short transfer from Darmstadt to Rüsselheim, its all of twenty five kilometres, there was no great rush to get there. The rain was still falling but it had reduced to a sort of light drizzle, enough to make you wet in short order but not so bad as to need the buses wipers on full time – well until we joined the Sixty Seven a couple of K out of the town. The autobahn was quite busy, spray from the heavy traffic made the experience less than pleasant, I was quite glad when we turned off to head into the town.
It didn’t look much on my map earlier but as we headed into the centre it was through a landscape of apartment blocks and family villas on a scale that you don’t often see in Germany, outside of the big cities at least. It was only when we crossed the Ring that a sign to ‘Adam Opel Werke’ brought the reason for all the housing to register, Munich has Bee Em Vee, Stuttgart is Mercedes and Porsche, Rüsselheim is in turn Opel town.
By the time we had crossed the railway and reached our destination, what was clearly a smaller venue almost opposite the Rathaus, it was clear that there isn’t really an Altstadt here, I’m guessing the RAF did a fairly thorough job of levelling the place in the last Weltkrieg.
"This it?” BJ queried.
"Its the address Robert gave us,” LJ confirmed.
"Well we can’t park just here,” Stefan opined, "Lets park the bus and walk back.”
There was a big parking area at the end of the street, as it turns out between the town and the bank of the Main. At least the rain had now stopped.
"Where are we staying tonight,” I enquired eyeing up the huge five story MK Hotel across the street.”
"Some place just along the street according to Rob,” Hilde advised.
A couple of heads turned in a ‘how do you know sort of way’.
"He told me yesterday,” she filled.
"Well this is definitely the address, Das Rind, Mainstraße elf,” LJ stated.
"Looks derelict,” Marcus stated.
Maybe that was a bit harsh, but I have to agree, it didn’t look like a buzzing rock venue. For starters its only a small building, hemmed in by a timber framed house on one side and a modern build the other with an alley between. We peered through the windows, looked like a bar, can’t see how this is the right place.
"I’ll call Robert,” Stefan stated fishing his phone from his pocket.
"This is more like it,” Marcus stated ten minutes later.
Turns out that the actual venue is accessed down the alley, its not actually as small as it first looked, I guess it was probably some sort of store or workshop in a previous life.
"Where are you parked?” the guy who’d identified himself as Armin enquired as we herded through the doors.
"Down by the river,” LJ advised
"You can bring it up to the pavement outside to unload, there’s kaffee inside, round to the right, your manager is already there.”
"I’ll go fetch the bus,” Animal volunteered taking the keys from LJ’s hand.
"I’ll get the stage hands,” Armin stated.
Inside my guess was born out, despite the modern lighting rig and low stage at one end, there was no disguising that it had been used for some sort of industry in a former life. Okay, its maybe a little more intimate than the Centralstation last night but its a good step up from the venues that I first caught BlauHase playing back up north. We followed our noses to where Robert was stood talking to Britta Bursche.
"Found your way in then,” Robert pointlessly mentioned.
"Eventually I replied in over dramatic fashion.
"Hi everyone,” Frau Bursche offered.
There was a collection of greetings but what was she doing here? We helped ourselves to coffee, there was a plate of Lotus® biscuits too, not to everyones taste but I grabbed a couple to have with my beverage.
"Where’s Animal?” Herr Silsman enquired as we found ourselves perches to drink and eat.
"Fetching the bus up,” BJ advised.
"Well you can catch him up on things later, I know Britta has a show to do this afternoon so I’ll pass you over.”
"Your session last week really struck a chord with our listeners.”
"More than Marcus can usually,” LJ snickered.
"Boys!” Robert warned.
Britta went on, "I’ve been following your revues this week, people really seem to like your slightly eccentric set, its all very positive.”
"So why the personal visit?” Stefan voiced what I guess everyone else was thinking.
"Good question Stefan, as you know we champion new and upcoming talent on Britta Bursche, I, we, would like to broadcast your gig on Saturday live on HR3.”
"Live as in on Saturday?” I chipped in.
"One hundred percent,” Britta concurred, "I know its a bit last minute it was a choice between you and David Hasselhof for the live slot and whilst he’s popular I prefer you guys,” she finished with a grin.
Wow. Just wow.
"Well say something people,” Robert hinted into the stunned silence.
"Where do we sign?” Stefan asked with a grin.
"So this just goes out in Hessen right?” I asked before she could answer Stefan.
"We’ll sort out the paperwork with your manager, there’s a small fee but don’t go ordering those Porsche and Audi just yet.”
"Was thinking more of a Ferrari,” Marcus put in.
"And yes Erdbeer, its live across Hessen but its syndicated on most of the domestic networks and in our near neighbours.”
"Sugar.”
"A problem Erd?” Stefan asked.
"Not as such,” I told him, "I guess I need a new dress though.”
It wasn’t entirely meant as a quip but it broke the slight tension in the air, everyone had a chuckle at my expense. I’m not saying we’ve hit the big time but its a great honour I guess to be offered the exposure, me and my friends have sometimes listened to the Samstag Live broadcast, not everything is to my, our taste but bands like the Rolling Stones, Nina Hagen and Prince have been on in the past as well as lesser known artists. We are obviously in the latter bracket but if nothing else it gets us out to a wider audience than any string of gigs in middle Germany will do.
"Hallo, Preiser Stallungen und Reiten, Bernadette sprechen.“
"Bernie, its me, Gab.“
"Oh hi Gab, how’s the tour going?“
"Great, you sounded very professional just now, Erika got you answering the phone now?“
"Its a family business, everyone has to chip in, you wanting riding lessons?“
"As if!“
"Drea’s started.“
"On a horse?“
"Well not a bucket, of course a horse, well donkey actually, but its a sort of horse.“
"If you say so.“
"So what’s with the phone call, not that I don’t like talking?”
"Oh right, yeah, you never guess what?” an edge of excitement in my voice.
"A clue maybe?”
"The band, on Saturday, we’re gonna be broadcast live like all over Germany.”
"Live as in not recorded?”
"Well it’ll be recorded too but yeah, direct to the nation on Samstag Live.”
"That on RTL?”
"Its a radio show based in Frankfurt.”
"Not TV then?”
"I just said.”
If it was Television I really would need a new dress!
"You’d best let me know the details, I’m sure Mart will want to listen, you ringing round everyone?”
"We just found out, I had to tell someone, look I have to go, soundcheck stuff, give Drea a hug for me.”
"I will.”
"Tschussie!”
"Tschuss Gabs.”
Of course, Britta had departed for Frankfurt and her afternoon show after telling us the news, Animal missed her completely so unloading and setting up was delayed a bit longer. Not that it was an issue, we have all afternoon and apparently we are staying in the hotel at the end of the road, the Höll am Main, weird name but who am I, Erdbeer, to make that call?
"Ringing Max?” Misty asked seeing me gripping my handy with a vacant expression on my face.
"Max?” I snapped to and slipped the phone back into my bag, "No I was just talking to Bernie, telling her about Saturday.”
"She okay?”
"Think so.”
"It always seems a bit weird, you know, her and Mart with a child, settling down on the family farm.”
"I guess.”
"I don’t mean there’s anything wrong with that,” she hurriedly added, "But I want to live a little, travel, get a tattoo before all that.”
I gave a little internal sigh, it was Bern ‘having a life’ that got her where she is, maybe living a little should have a health warning on the label.
"Come on you two, we need your levels,” BJ hollered across the auditorium.
Maddy Bell © 20.04.2022
