Gaby Book 27 Smell of the Crowd by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2022 Madeline Bell Life has some certainties, birth and death of course, but the rest is a mix of Minestrone and Spaghetti, some of which we have no direct influence over. We can however decide whether we want Parmesan or other seasoning, we can give Gnochi a try, doesn't mean we'll like it but at least we'll know. Gaby has reached just such a point in her life, she knows she likes Pizza, she's not averse to Spaghetti or Lasagne but is Gnochi for her? The Gnochi in this case is doing the singing with BlauHase on a more serious level, as a 'hobby' its fine but could this be a change of career? Well you don't find out without trying so that's just what our heroine is about to find out in this, the 27th book of the Gaby saga.

 
Adams Opels' set was definitely on the hard core end of the Goth spectrum, I don’t really know much about that end of things other than death, melancholy and depression seem to be key elements of the lyrics. I stood in the wings watching them for a bit, they made the darker BlauHase stuff seem positively joyous! I still couldn’t decide whether they were all female or not, they reminded me a bit of those Japanese bands, what is it now… oh that’s it, Visual Kei or something like that, where the all male bands dress and look like women.

I was still trying to decide if the Keyboard player was a fella when someone jogged my elbow.

"Wondered where you’d got to,” Mist stated.
"Do you think that’s a lad on the far side?”
"In the PVC?”
"Yeah,” I agreed.

Said individual looked like a girl what with the shiny PVC minidress, fishnets, makeup and hair but there was just something in how ‘she’ was playing that seemed a bit, I dunno, off. Who am I to judge, even before my issues were properly diagnosed I ended up presenting as female more often than not.

"Maybe, there’s definite boobage trying to get out of that dress tho’.”
I gave a small shrug, "So where’ve you been? Stefan was looking for you.”
"Helping Hilde, Robert really is a sod just dropping that stuff off, those boxes are huge and heavy.”
"But is the stuff selling?”
"Seems to be.”
"I’m sure that’s a bloke.”
"Who cares? Guess we should go find the others.”
 

The rest of BlauHase were in the Green Room where I’d left them with the addition of Hilde, a pile of boxes and our manager.

"Checking out the competition Erd?” Marcus queried.
I chugged a good measure of lemonade into a paper cup, "Yeah, they’re a bit dark for my taste but the locals seem to be into ‘em.”
"Lets hope they’re into us,” Animal opined from the worn sofa he shared with Stefan.
"They’ve bought tickets,” Robert observed.
"And a lot of shirts,” Hilde added.
"They can’t be all bad then,” Stefan chortled.
"Should we maybe grunge down our set a bit?” I suggested, "I mean, if the locals like things a bit less cheerful?”
Little Jo chipped in, "Its an idea.”
"They’ve paid for BlauHase, we should give them the real thing,” Big Jo stated joining the discussion.
"I think BJ’s right,” manager man added, "Its not like you guys are a Heimatband.”
"It was only an idea,” I pointed out.

"Bit heavy on the makeup tonight Erd.” Animal observed.
"Not my idea,” I told him, "Blame Mandarine here.”
"Just thought a more Gothy look would go down well with the audience tonight,” she of the orange locks stated in her defence.
"Hmmph.”

Armin poked his head around the door, "Ten minutes guys.”
"We’ll be there,” Stefan told him.
"Knock their socks off,” Hilde instructed as bodies were raised from seats, backs stretched and I finished my Sprite®.
 

Despite, or perhaps because of our warm up’s somewhat gloomy mien, the paying public were quite appreciative, I guess there is only so much of that you can take. There was a different vibe tonight, maybe because of that, not bad or anything, just different. It was also quite warm, with the low stage making things more ‘intimate’ you could feel the heat from the crowd and stage lighting doesn’t do a deal towards keeping you cool either.

With the loss of Misty as stage hand, Hilde has stepped into the breach, when we broke in the middle of the set I pretty much snatched the cup of lemonade from her hand, I don’t think the contents touched the sides.

"Someone’s thirsty.”
"Its a bit warm out there,” I noted pouring myself another cup, "This stuff doesn’t help,” I plucked at my skirts.
"Take them off then,” Hilde suggested.
"I am not going on stage in my underwear!”
"We’d get more fans,” Big Jo commented having overheard our exchange.
The look I returned would melt steel, "Not happening.”
"What’s not happening?” Mist asked having arrived from a visit to the facilities.
"Erd doing the second half in her knickers,” Hilde supplied.
"This skirt is a bit warm,” I added.
"Stefan?”
"What’s up Mist?
"Can we delay for like five minutes? Erd’s got a bit of a costume issue.”
"Guess so.”
"Be back in like ten,” she advised as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
"What are you up to?” I called to an empty doorway.
"Where’s she going?” Marcus asked.
"Search me,” I admitted with a shrug.
 

"Problem?” Armin enquired.
"We’ll be there in a couple of minutes,” Stefan stated.
"Sure, just checking.”

"We’ll have to go back in a minute,” our leader advised, with or without her.”
"I’m sure she wont be long.”

With that the body in question arrived in a sort of cartoon slingshot through the door.

"Sorry I was so long, couldn’t get back in.”
"We need to get back on stage,” Stefan told her.
"You guys go, we’ll be right behind you,” she puffed.

The guys shuffled out leaving just us women in the room.

"So what was that about?”
"Sorting your problem, take those skirts off, quick.”
"I am not going on in my underwear.”
"You won’t be, give her a hand please Hilde.”

I have to say I felt immediately cooler when the froth of nylon and lace slid down to the floor.

"Here, put these on,” Mist stooped to guide my feet through the leg holes of what turned out to be those tiny denim shorts she’s been wearing.
"Really?”
"Stop complaining, they look cute on you.”
"She’s right,” Hilde agreed as she draped my skirts over a chair.
"I don’t want to look cute,” I erm, complained.
"You don’t want to miss your cue either, come on missy!”

With that I was dragged by Mist and pushed by Hilde towards the stage feeling a bit exposed if I’m honest even if I wasn’t exposing my underwear – quite.
 

"Hello again Russelheim, you ready for some more?”

I stepped up onto the stage rather self consciously to loud cheering.

"Its a bit warm in here tonight, hope you don’t mind my costume change?”

There were a few whistles and cat calls, good natured and a few nervous laughs.

"Go for it Erd!” one wag shouted.
"Why thank you,” I strutted across the stage, "So before we return to the music, I’m sure you’d like to meet the band, on bass, Big Jo!”

I felt a bit like a ham actor as we went through our little pantomime, Stefan did the honours introducing yours truly and soon enough I was singing Edelweiss before we got on with the second half of our set. Part two is, if you recall, a bit punchier than the first half and I was soon quite grateful to be wearing Mist’s shorts however brief they are.
 

"Bleh!” I exclaimed as I collapsed less than gracefully onto the battered sofa in the ‘green room’.

It wasn’t a bad ‘bleh’, the audience really got into it, even the more poppy stuff, Luftballons turned into a regular sing a long. No it wasn’t the audience, well not entirely, it was the heat that had me collapsed on the iffy furniture, what with the lighting, a warm evening and several hundred enthusiastic punters I was pretty much steaming.

"You are such a diva Gab,” she of the citrus hair stated passing me a cool bottle of something.
"Well done ladies,” Robert told us as the guys joined us.

I was too busy necking what turned out to be wiessbier to do more than tilt my bottle in acknowledgement. Okay so I know its not the best thing if you are dehydrated but it was there, wet and I’m not planning on drinking more of it.
 

Of course, there was an after party in Das Rind’s main bar where we joined Adams Opels and a few of their hardcore Gothy fans, friends. I had my skirts back on, over the shorts, well I didn’t want to forget them and truth to tell I was a bit self conscious of their brevity.

"Great set.”

It had got to that point where we’d done all the glad handing, the lads were taking advantage of the free bar and pretty much everyone else had split into small groups, doing what you do at these things. To be honest I was thinking of heading back to the Höll am Main to get some shut eye when the voice broke my reverie.

"Er thanks, yours was …”
"A bit gloomy,” the girl I recognised as the supports guitarist put in.
"Why?”
"Why the songs or why gloomy? Nikki by the way.”
"Er, Gaby, both I guess.”
"I s’pose its the same answer anyway, we’ve always been on the dark side, its what the fans expect now.”
"They seemed pretty up for our stuff,” I pointed out.
"But you aren’t the Opels, if we put any of your stuff in our set there’d be questions asked in the Landesamt! So how did you end up singing with this lot? I’m guessing you didn’t go to school with them.”
"No nothing like that, they’re years older than me.”

The girl looked mortified, well I think that’s what it was, difficult to tell through all that makeup.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean you looked their age.”
“’s okay, so my boyfriend reckoned it’d be cool to go see this band up at the roadhouse, must’ve been about a year ago, long story short I finished the night singing with them – well before I got grounded.”
"Grounded?”
"Long story.”
"And that was it?”
"Nah, we went to see them again with my sister and her boyfriend in Bonn, Stefan spotted me and I found myself on the stage again. I guess it was after Moselfest that I sort of joined BlauHase.”
"You were at Moselfest?”
"Only on the Sunday, Max got given some tickets.”
"Max?”
"My boyfriend, him I have known since school. Did you go?”
"Not last year, but I’ve been before, your first festival?”
"First time on stage at one, that was a story on its own, I did go to Leeds, you know in England one time, we had this school exchange thing so we got day passes.”
"You went to England for your exchange? Lucky you, we went to a right hole near Prague.”

I decided to not put her right on her assumption, we’ve only just met after all.

"So what’s it like being in an all girl group?”
"I’ll let you into a secret Gaby,” she took a swig from the bottle she was nursing, "We’re not, all girls that is.”

"You mean…”

My mind brought up my earlier exchange with Mist, about the girl in the PVC dress.

"Yeah, Moni, our bass player, is trans.”
"She is?”
"Not that you’d ever know, she’s less butch than Barbie under all that makeup!”

Hang on, she said bass player, wasn’t that Sam’s friend from college?

“’kay.”
"Hey Monique, come meet Gaby,” Nikki called across the room to someone, I guess this Moni, out of my line of sight.

So of course I was expecting PVC girl and a deep voice, what I got was something quite different.

"Hey Nik,” the new arrival greeted in a voice you’d never take as anything but female.
"Mon this is Gaby, Gaby meet Monique, the Opels sheep in sheep's clothing.”
"Er high,” I offered.

How wrong can you be? Monique, once you got past all the Goth stuff, would never be mistaken for anything other than female, she was pretty, at a guess about ten centimetres taller than me, her chest made my girls look like fried eggs - there was absolutely no hint that she was anything but what she appeared to be. And those leggings are just about sprayed on.

I was given a firm but girly hug, "Sam has told me so much about you.”
"She has?”
"And Peter.”
"Peter?”
"Animal, your drummer.”

Well I suppose Peter does sound a bit lame for a drummer.

"All good I hope.”
"You’d better believe it girl and after seeing you out there tonight I can see why.”
"You can?”
"You really are an exceptional singer Gaby,” Nikki added.
"And so pretty, you even make Stefan look better.”

By now I’m pretty sure you could light candles from my cheeks, you know what I’m like with any sort of compliment.

"Gaby was saying she went to Leeds Festival on her school exchange,” Nikki stated.
"Just one day,” I temporized.
"That is like so cool,” Moni cooed, "All we did was visit stuffy museums and galleries.”
"We did that stuff too,” I told them.
"So who’d you see?” Monique pressed.

Who indeed, it wasn’t that long ago really, I can remember the marquee with Shania Twain, there was the business with the bag snatcher but I really can’t remember who else was playing.

"Erm, Shania Twain.”
"She’s pretty cool even if she is a bit vanilla,” Nikki stated.
"Ah, it must’ve been so cool,” Moni sighed.
"So erm, you guys always been into all this Goth stuff?”
"Oh my god no, at school I was soo into Madonna its unreal,” Monique admitted.
"Spice Girls,” Nikki told us.
"So how come you crossed to the dark side?”
"Boyfriends!” they both sang.

The girls seemed keen to keep my company and its not like I was set on an early night, it was well into Wednesday before we bade our farewells and I minced barefoot down Main Strasse, boots dangling from my hands. Of course I was with the rest of our merry band, it might only be a few metres down to the hotel but there is no way I’d do it alone at this time of night.

"Good night eh?” Animal suggested as I avoided a patch of spilt gravel on the footpath.
"Not bad,” I agreed.
"Its a good job its midweek, those girls can really party!”

Of course I didn’t spend the night with just Moni and Nikki, I got introduced to Paulette and Maria, the one in the PVC dress as well as their boyfriends. I’m sure there was alcohol in more than one of my lemonades, either that or I forgot my iron tablets this morning. I wasn’t the only one having a good night, Misty was lapping it all up and no sign of being drunk.

Hang on, "Where’s Misty?”
"Thought she was with you,” Hilde suggested.
"Last I saw she was with Armin, the stage guy?” Little Jo stated.

 
Maddy Bell © 27.04.2022