Leonard Smalls

Had our nearest gig to home last night, at the Assembly Rooms in Ludlow with Kidderminster's finest, Humdrum Express... Sound was good, we were above average - nobody even threatened us! It was our drummer's last gig so we were out to have some fun - this was helped by a large Jim Beam on mounting the stage. We also did our longest set for a while, a whole 55 minutes including two covers (our Magazine tinged version of Dead Kennedy's "Moon Over Marin" and the Cameo mash=up of Penetration's classic "Don't Dictate) - there were a few OG punks singing along raucously to these as advancing years had stopped the stage diving... I even did a whole 2 minute reverby bass solo as intro to our first song (mainly cos Mr Guitar had gone for a piddle so had to cover!). gear was ACG Recurve, Helix, BBEPre/DBX compressor, Crown power and Markbass 4x10. Boots were MotoMartin bike boots, trousers by Indian Project, home-time dram was a rather fine Machrie Moor cask strength.

First gig of the year, tonight in that great metropolis, Ludlow!

Curry up Harry - Sham 69

Kebabtraume - Deutsch Amerikansche Freundschaft

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash

man with the horn - Miles Davis

I've done this before, on both hands! And before playing I used superglue. Worked fine...

Good to Go - Trouble Funk

Autobahn - Kraftwerk

Aye... Unfortunately I only had £500 so had to make do with the Wal. 😁 I suspect that if I'd bought the Alembic either their Security Team would have had me liquidated for all the scuffs and fluorescent paint in the nooks and crannies, or they'd have re-released Stan's "If this bass could only talk " with a pic of my Alembic as "worn" as my Wal is!

I bought a Crown 2 channel PA amp for around £350. Bridges to 1500W into 4 ohms... Been faultless in 4 years - only slight downside is you need to get a bridged speakon lead, or just use bare wire across the channels...

Wheels of Steel - Saxon

Aye! back in '91ish when I went to Allbang and Strummit (RIP!) in Covent Garden they had 3 beautiful 2nd hand basses... There was a Jaydee for £400, a Wal custom for £500 and an Alembic Series 1 at £600... I loved 'em all with the Alembic and Wal being very close and the Jaydee just behind. But the fact that the bank loan I'd got was for £500 and I had no extra meant I bought the Wal!

Doin' the sgian-dubh - Betty Boo

if you leaf me now - Chicago Cheese Band

That guitar's proper funky! But what do I know, I've used a Lightwave fretless at a punk gig...

Not being the target market for anything teddy-bear related, I done some funky stuff featuring slap ACG and DOD filter. POW! (or not...) Loud guitar stuff is by fellow Weed Johnny Boy Sultrypants... Rest by me!

Whip in my valise - Adam and the Ants

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - iron Maiden

Surfin' Bird - The Cramps

Gill-ted John - Jilted John

I suspect my 42 year old Wal is going nowhere!

The Ripper -Judas Priest

A bit of funky Indonesian blues...