Chapter 12
There was a table set up for them in an adjoining room, and they went and sat for a meal.
“What do you think of those keyboards, Willow?”
“They’re great! I think that we could do with a pair of those in the studio. I did see them when I bought my Nord. They were close to five thousand, but I guess I can afford one now.”
“What do you guys want for the studio, Herb?”
“Something small, like the Marshalls we use at the club, and something we can get used to, like two hundred watts, Gina.”
“What about you, Brent.”
“A good kit would be all right, but I want to try an electronic set to see how they go. They’re able to be carried around in a small case, and all you need is an amp. There’s a lot of odd percussion instruments that would be fun to experiment with.”
Willow looked down the table.
“When we get closer to filling the space at Leicester, we’ll have to revisit this discussion. You’ll have to decide if you want to have personal property, or if we buy everything static from the syndicate. The desk will have to be part of the building, but the other things will be able to be taken out. A lot depends on how well our shows go over the summer, whether we need to supply our own gear at a venue. With the new songs, can we please aim at trying them out in the next couple of weeks? I can get Xavier to record us, we already own the portable equipment for that, and I can get us time in the club. If we are going to re-record the Other Side. It would be good it we have the second disc ready to go.”
“Why the tight timing, Willow?”
“I was talking to Jill, our girl with the label, at the netball carnival. She thinks that the label will want the launch at the end of June, so that they can organise a tour in the summer. She is going to talk to the Blastmasters promoter to see if we’re still up for opening, now we’re in the charts. When he agreed, we were nobodies without an album.”
As they finished the meal, they went to the adjacent toilets to freshen up, with the four girls checking their make-up. They had a group hug before going out to be ready to play. The room had filled up, with well-dressed men and even better dressed women. There was a smattering of applause as they went to their places. The entrées were being served, so the band started their usual mix of songs and tunes as the people ate. They continued as the mains came out, and then the desserts.
As the dessert plates were being removed, Willow turned her head an called ‘Dance’, and they moved into more dance music. A few did dance, but these were captains of industry, unable to loosen up enough to have fun. After about twenty minutes, Willow called out that the band will be taking a short break but would be back with some songs that they may have heard on the radio, lately.
They left the stage and went into the other room, where there were hot or cold drinks and some nibbles. They recharged, had a comfort stop, and the Willow left them to walk to the keyboard. There was some chatter, as most expected the whole band to come out. She set the Nord to grand piano and started singing ‘We’ve only just Begun’, which quietened the room. They may have heard the song, but never this way. She went on with ‘Finding a Friend’, and then ‘Her Day’. As she was nearing the end of that, the others in the band joined her on stage and they followed with ‘Close to you’. When Willow eventually called that there would be another break, the Head came to one of the microphones to conduct an auction of vouchers and holidays. The band sat in the other room, listening to the bidding, which got quite high. The last item that was auctioned was Summer Rose playing at your venue, offered by Peter. The winning bid was twenty-five thousand. The Head asked what the occasion would be, and the answer was that it would be here, at the football ground, during the summer break.
Willow turned to her friends.
“When we go out, I’ll ask the question whether the venue is in here or out in the stadium. If they want us to play in the stadium, we should give them a hint of what we can do.”
As the band went back on stage, Willow sat at the keyboard and asked if the winner of the band performance wanted them for a private show in the function room, or somewhere else. The man who made the winning bid stood.
“Miss Rose. We are planning to hold a fundraising show outside, on the pitch, with a stage set-up at one end. I went to the Belgrade, and I intended to book all three bands for it. This was an opportunity to get you booked early. I’ll be talking to your manager about the others. This will be a Coventry event, held at the Coventry City Club, to aid the homeless and disadvantaged of Coventry. I hope we should get around forty thousand to come along.”
“Thank you, sir. If you were at the Belgrade, you would have heard the sort of music that we can play at an event like that. I can tell you, right now, that there should be a double album of stadium rock on the market by then. Does anyone want to hear some of it now?”
There was a shout of ‘yes’. Willow looked at the sound man and lifted her upturned hand. She turned to the band.
“Change of plans. We do the Moody’s show and follow with Kansas. That should see us out the night. Winds, follow us if you’re able, Vivienne, do you know the flute parts of the Moody’s?”
“Sure do, Willow. Let’s show them something they weren’t expecting tonight.”
They all grinned and then Willow played the intro to ‘Dawn’ and they were into it. As they played, she could see a lot of interested faces as, for the first time that night, those who had their backs to the stage turned their seats around. By the time they had arrived at ‘Nights in White Satin’ the room was swaying with the beat. Vivienne and Victor nailed the bass and flute part and there was applause when they finished. When it died down, Jacob went to his microphone.
“The next segment will be our last for the night. It’s a set of songs about the world going to hell with ego-driven dictators, and ends with the human race wiped out. It was written in the late seventies, when the world teetered on the brink. We just hope that it doesn’t happen fifty years later.”
He stepped back and Willow called out, ‘three, two, one’ and they were into the album. Ten songs later, they were finishing ‘Hopelessly Human’, and nobody had left. The band stood and bowed, with a lot of applause, and they left the stage to go to the side room. The applause didn’t abate. Herb smiled.
“How about we try them with something new. Let’s encore with Willow’s ‘Dummy Spitter’? I think that we can do what we did before, and nail it.”
They walked back out on stage and the applause died. Willow spoke.
“Thank you for that great reception. We have been planning that sort of show for a tour, later in the summer, opening for Blastmasters. We have a little thing that we do, being modern children and living so far apart. If one of us has an idea for a song, they record their part and email it to the others to add to the basic song. This is what we did for ‘Journey’, and the first time we played it live was the first time we’d played it together. I sent out a song in the last few days, and most of the band sent back their additions. We will now play, for the first time, a little number that I called ‘Dummy Spitter’. Peter, you will know the reason that the name came to me. One thing that I will say, right here and now, is that we can do this because of our time at the Blue Coat School and its excellent music studies. If you haven’t thought about sending your little primary school child there, this is a good reason to do so.”
As the others had followed her thread, she played the intro and then they played the song as if they had practised it for days. At the end of it, there were smiles from the ladies in the room, with a few giving out a whistle. The band bowed again and went back to the side room. They sat around the table and rehydrated. Herb, grinned.
“Good one, Willow. We made the punters happy, and you put in a plug for the school. The Head is going to love you on Monday, especially after that match-winning pass in the netball. Dianne texted me and told me about that. By the sound of that auction, I expect that the Bishop will be happy with tonight.”
As they were resting, they were visited by the Head and the Bishop. He told them that it was a fabulous evening that had done all that was expected. He went off to touch hands, and the Head sat at the table and grabbed a drink.
“What can I say? You lot are a one-band advertising campaign. There were some in the room who would never stoop so low to send their precious baby to us. Who knows, perhaps they’ll now consider it. I agree with the Bishop, the evening was fabulous, and it was a pleasure to see you all adapt to the changing situation. Willow, I won’t drag you into the office Monday morning, but I will say that the second-year netball team are very happy that you’re on the team. Consider yourself the Goal Defence in third year.”
“Thank you, Miss. I’ll have to get more liniment and bandages then. Those are bigger girls in that bracket.”
The Head smiled and stood.
“Once again, well done all of you. I believe that the orchestra session next week will be a full run-through of the Proms performance. Then we’ll get a notice on the boards and the website to start auditions for the choir. Goodnight, see you at school.”
She left, and Herb looked at Willow.
“What’s this about auditions?”
“We need to boost the choir for the Proms concert, with male voices and more female ones. We will be doing the Saint-Saens again at the Proms, and the Messiah in the Cathedral before Christmas. We need a big choir for both events and just don’t have them yet. Tom, the choirmaster from the Cathedral, will be coming in to evaluate the voices. You should try out, Herb, you do have a good singing voice.”
“Does it pay as well as these gigs?”
“What it does is get you noticed by the powers-that-be. Jacob will be playing a guitar concerto to open the Proms, and Gina will be doing a piano concerto. I’ll be on their organ for the symphony, and our great wind section will be at their usual places in the body of the orchestra, along with Brent on percussion. There’s no room for electric guitars, but there’s plenty of room for good singers.”
“Who is in charge of the auditions, one of the teachers?”
“No. Gina and I will be playing the scales and Tom will note the range of the voice. It doesn’t take long, and then you get to line up with the other girls in the choir to work through some simple exercises. We will get serious next term. If you think playing three hours here is easy enough, the Messiah has around fifty movements and you’re on stage over three sessions for two and a half hours. At least you have seats for when you’re not singing.”
“When the notice comes out, I’ll put my name down. It sounds like a challenge, and being in the orchestra hasn’t done you guys any harm. What about it, Roy, Victor?”
“If you’re in, Herb, I guess that we have to continue to be your other two musketeers.”
Willow grinned.
“I’m sure that you’ll all do well. Now, I’ll see about getting the club one evening, the week after next. Please do as well with the other songs as you did with ‘Spitter’. Anyone who have any ideas for another five or six songs, please send your ideas to everyone. Even you wind section. You’re becoming part of the band, so none of us will laugh at your ideas, who can tell how a good song gets started. ‘Spitter’ came about because our previous promoter didn’t like us going behind his back. We all thought that he was a nice guy until I gave our label a copy of the Kansas session. I’ll send out an email to tell you the day. Good job tonight, now, let’s all go home.”
They went back to the stage, and the girls picked up their coats and bags. Jacob and the boys picked up their guitar cases and effects boxes. Willow gave the big Nord a gentle tap, and the seven went to meet the security detail, while the wind players found their parents. The drive back to Stoneleigh was a happy one, with Sebastian telling them that it was a great show and saying that he’ll be in line for the tickets to the big show, no matter how much it will cost.
Her parents were already home when Willow arrived. They both gave her a hug and she went upstairs to strip and get ready for bed. She sat with them in the kitchen for a while with a hot chocolate and talked about the show and the money-raising. Wendy was curious about the big show.
“Had you been told about that offer?”
“No. That was a surprise for us. If Peter had any idea that the other bands would be booked, I guess that he will put their booking fee up a bit. I don’t mind not getting paid, as it will be great experience for us. Who knows, we may get to play at other football grounds and any practise is good.”
“How can he charge extra for a charity event?”
“Do the numbers, Mum. If they charge twenty pounds and get fifty thousand in, that’s a million at the gate. Spending a hundred thousand on staging and the bands is only a drop in the ocean. Then there’s food and drink sales, merchandise, perhaps a payment from a TV station for the rights to broadcast it. If it’s filmed, there could be a DVD after. The income just adds up. It’s their own venue, so no hiring fee.”
“Just listen to my daughter, the accountant in waiting. It’s about time you went to bed, you’re in the church tomorrow.”
That night, Willow cuddled her furry friends and thought about the evening. She was certain, with the attention of the diners to their last songs, that the stadium rock sound would have a wider audience than she first thought. She was thinking about being on a stage that towered over her head, a wall of speakers behind her, and big screens on either side showing the band as she dozed off to sleep.
Sunday morning, she walked to the church with her parents. The service was all about giving, and the hymns were easy. Afterwards, she pulled the church door shut and walked over to the club. The big screen was showing Chris playing organ for the service, and she sat with Gina to watch.
“Can’t say I see much difference in how we played, Willow.”
“How do you make it sound different, friend. Play one huge organ, played them all.”
The girls giggled. Malcolm sat down with them.
“Ashley told me that the show last night was a great success and that you’re slated to play at the football club in a big show.”
“It seems that way, Malcolm. We will need to have some time to put together some songs that fit that sort of show. Can we have use of the back room on a weeknight to practise?”
“Not a problem. Ashley can open up for you and you know where everything is. I have to tell you that next week I intend to talk to your manager and book that G-Force for a few dance nights. That will give you a bit of extra time to do what you have to do.”
“That’s perfectly all right. We need to put together a bunch of original songs for another album, and our contact with the label is trying to put together lightning visits to shops, with matinee performances, between now and the end of term.”
“Sounds like you’ll be busy over the summer.”
“That will be our window of opportunity, where we earn what we can. The next term will have us in the Albert Hall at the beginning, and back in the Cathedral at the end. Oh! And sometime this term we’ll be with the orchestra recording an album at Abbey Road.”
They had lunch at the club and went home. Willow checked her phone and emails. There were two new song suggestions. Vivienne had sent a five-minute song, loosely based on plot of the Magic Flute. It had at least three voices, all telling of getting through great trials and tribulations, with a fourth that spoke of being a total failure. It was quirky, to say the least, but workable. She went to her room and added an organ track and sent it out to the team.
After that, she had a change and played the opening movement of the Messiah on her violin. Firstly, from the music sheet, and then listening to the piece through her headphones and playing along with it. With daylight saving now in place, she went for a walk after dinner, meeting some of the villagers along the way and having some short conversations. Back at home, she had a leisurely shower and went to bed, wondering what the second half of the last term would bring. It would certainly be different than last year.
Monday morning, she woke, refreshed, and got ready for school. The clothes, the uniform, the expectations, were all becoming second nature. This week would be momentous in a few ways. Hopefully, her home will be paid for, the distribution centre will be finalised, and they would be able to start on the redevelopments.
Every class that she walked into, that had netball players in it, was started with a cheer and some hugs, with all the teachers smiling. Lunch was more hugs, from Zara and the Gees this time. They had received their first statements and had shared over two million between the six of them. As they were hugging, Zara whispered that her mother had fainted when she was told. The atmosphere quietened down by the end of the day, and things were close to normal on the trip home. In the vehicle, she raised her voice.
“Sebastian, I didn’t hear any noise from gate crashers on Saturday evening.”
“That’s because getting to that function room is like finding a needle in a haystack if you’re not going the proper route. Our guys caught about a dozen, trying to bluff their way in.”
She worked on the emailed songs that evening, after a walk. On Tuesday, Willow played the chapel organ, and the orchestra session was the full proms set, with the friends getting home later than usual. That evening, there were some interesting emails on her laptop.
One was a group email from Peter, with the date of the football club event set on the first Saturday in August. He confirmed that it would be the three bands and that the equipment will be loaned by the Birmingham music store. More details to follow.
One was also a group email, from Wilhelm. The Leicester property had been purchased and the paperwork may be about a week to finalise. The sticking point was that the tenant had been paying for the whole site, and that there would have to be alterations to the lease agreement to reflect the area that the band would be using. He expected that the lease payments would need to be twenty thousand a year lower if they take over the use of the upstairs offices as well. Their agent had been notified and would be talking to the tenant. He said that he would let everyone know when they could invite an architect to oversee the changes and start to get quotes. He added a statement of accounts and asked that anyone who hadn’t transferred this cycle, should see to it.
There was one from Jill to Willow. She read it and forwarded it to the rest of the band.
‘Willow, I took your advice and looked at the Other Side DVD with the sound up. It blew me away with the power that the band put out, so different from the other albums. I went to see the promoter of the Blastmasters tour. He and I sat with the DVD and watched it right through. It appears that he was played a couple of tracks off a CD by The Other Side and never told the ages of the bandmembers. He has never linked Summer Rose with the band he heard and would never have considered you if he had been told the truth. He admitted that a bunch of teens, playing like that, would make the headline act look stupid. He has time to replace you and has offered twenty thousand as compensation.
Peter has advised me of your show in August, and I’m working with our people to make it a stop in your summer tour. We have negotiated a group booking of the three bands and are working on a tour, with it starting in Nottingham the Saturday after the term ends, with a Sunday show if the bookings require it. The middle of the week will be in Derby, and the following Saturday will be in Leicester. You get a week off to recharge and make any changes needed. The next will be the Coventry one, with us working with the club to advertise it. After that will be Liverpool (Saturday), Leeds (Midweek), and Sheffield (Saturday). After that will be Southampton (Midweek), with the final venue at London, with three or four dates being thought about. The show will be billed as ‘The Coventry Sound on Tour’ and Band spot will be helping with TV advertising. It will give you a bit of down-time at home, and two full weeks to enjoy your holiday before you go back to work.
We will get you into Abbey Road to re-record the Kansas cover, and another album which we hope that you’ll have ready by then. The date pencilled in is the weekend after the school orchestra is there, with launch in the first week of July, two weeks before the first show of the tour.
Your product is selling well in Europe, especially Denmark, so will see if we can have you playing there as well, probably in the half-term holiday in October
Hope you find this suitable. Jill.’
Willow printed this to show her parents and the Reverend. There was likely to be some Sundays that they would be away from Stoneleigh over summer. Then she had an idea. She emailed Jill and asked her if there were any budding organist that she knew, or, maybe, any retired ones who would like to play at St. Marys when they were on tour.
Marianne Gregory © 2025