London Adventure
Panic.
03/04/18. Me and Tom spent the morning frantically searching for a place to stay that wasn't the price of a house. My tummy was a swirl of anticipation and sickness, head swaying in a dizzy manner. There was nothing that I could focus on, everything became a blur. Pressure settled on my shoulders and the thought of being closer to nineteen dawned on me. I'm an adult now. You can do this.
I had a rough plan. Get fuel. Drive to London. Park the car. Settle down in accommodation. Get ready to go out. Eat dinner. Perform. Sleep. And that's what pretty much happened. Except it took us half an hour to find parking, enter a dodgy looking apartment where nothing worked, come to terms with how expensive pasta can be, try to befriend a rather unhappy engineer and walk back with blistering feet. That evening I played at The Lucky Pig, a venue hidden in a room underground, decorated with elegant antiques and a very stylish bar. The set I did wasn't my best but I was mentally drained. The audience were friendly though and I had a reassuring Tom by my side. My payment for it was a free drink so I went up for a hearty rum afterwards. The barman was extremely generous with the amount he poured annnnd let's just keep it at that. We headed back after a tiring day. Fair to say I slept very well.
04/04/18. The next day was immediately brighter. We freshened up and prepared ourselves for a much calmer day. This was our proper adventure. Our host for the night had warned us of some work being done in the kitchen. We headed downstairs hoping for some breakfast and the floor was gone. Poof. Ripped up and removed with no space to have a decent breakfast. Remember when I said it seemed dodgy? Yep. Not ideal. Anyway we found a Greggs and had a bite to eat along with a much needed cuppa. The dust in my head settled, the mess of our journey becoming slightly more organised and planned.
We were tourists and I was very happy to be one. I've been to London on school trips and only seen the city from a scratchy, unclean coach window so it was nice to see what it was truly like. Busy as expected but still vibrant. We made our way steadily around Camden, the stalls towering over us with everything you could possibly want or need. With some spare change, we helped ourselves to some churros and plodded along, no goal in mind and still six hours to go until my evening gig. I suggested a mooch around Regent's Park. If you're like me and feel tense in a crowded area, I suggest a good stroll in the park. Our walk was calming, even when we got drenched by the rain. We admired the gardens and Tom even managed to pet a squirrel. The photos I have from it say it all. I would like to return there.
The reason we stayed over was for another performance, planned about four days before travelling down. I supported the wonderful Hannah Aldridge at her show in Thimblemill Library and she invited me to open for her at Green Note in Camden. It's so inspiring to meet someone like her. She's strong, confident and what matters to me is that she's done this on her own. I look up to her now. The venue was cosy and even better is that the evening had completely sold out for her. A red curtain surrounded the stage and the intimate setting was perfect. My legs shook and I struggled to catch my breath when singing but it was worth it. I had some lovely shots by Lou Morris Photography who I'll link below and a kind review from w21Music attached below. I can't thank Hannah enough for the opportunity and for helping me out. I hope to see her when she returns and encourage you to go and have a listen to her music.
We travelled back in darkness, reaching home at midnight with strained eyes and aching legs. The experience was invaluable and something I'll never forget. Shoutout to Tom for being unbelievably patient with me, I couldn't have done it without him. The next day I got up to record a new tune at the studio. It's like I'm a musician or something. Crazy.
https://hannah-aldridge.com
http://www.loumorrisphotography.com
https://www.w21music.com/single-post/2018/04/10/Hannah-Aldridge-Ellisha-Green-The-Green-Note-Camden-Town
