FIVE

The venue was smaller than Chris had expected and the sound guy looked pissed off.

“You’re late” he said.

“Sorry man, traffic was bad and how often do sound-checks actually run on time, eh?! One of those sod’s law things isn’t it...” Matt was trying to lighten the mood but the sound guy wasn’t having any of it.

“Well you’re here now, just set up yeah?”

“Sure man, I’m Matt by the way” and he extended his hand. “Sonny” said the sound guy giving a dry and quick handshake and the others tried hard not to snigger. It was just like, you know when someone well doesn’t suit their name?

Sonny brought out the DI boxes in a huff and Matt and Tim plugged their guitars in.

“Why are you playing your acoustic?” asked Chris from the wings, he was looking for the house kit.

“I mean, where’s your bass, Tim?” and Tim looked at Matt and Matt looked down at his pedal as though something were terribly wrong with it.

Chris couldn’t find any kind of house kit and began to worry.

“Sonny?” he called out into the black, stale room. Someone was behind the bar putting bottles on the shelves and Sonny was nowhere to be seen. He walked over to the bar and asked the guy if he knew where Sonny was.

“I think he’s out front” he said gesturing toward the double doors with a bottle of Sol.

Chris left Tim and Matt with their tuning-up and went through the doors and up the stairs to the front of the venue. It was so bright outside compared to the black walls of that small room and it took his eyes a little while to adjust before he could see the unfamiliar poster on the door:

THE MYRE - ACOUSTIC DUO £5 DOORS 8pm