BBC RADIO 2 LIVE SESSION

When your manager gives you 3 missed calls by 7:55am, you know that it’s either going to be a very good day or a very bad day.

On this occasion it was very much the former, as we got offered a live session on Janice Long’s Radio 2 show. Needless to say we almost bit their hand off in accepting – big national radio slots can be hard to come by for people without massive radio plugger budgets.

There was one slight snag – our headline set at the 100 Club finished at 11pm. We had to be soundchecked and ready in Janice Long’s studio by 11:50pm. I really didn’t know if we’d make it in time.

In the end we played the last notes of the gig, packed up, rushed over to the Radio 2 station, and played out of our skins. Many amazing fans messaged the show via texts, emails, twitter and facebook and the producer said it was one of the best live sessions he’s ever heard. Jo Whiley’s producer called during the show to ask about playing a track during her Radio 2 show this thursday at 8pm, and other BBC 6 Music producers are going to lend it their support. It was a real big deal for us and I’m so pleased we stepped up and performed so well. You can hear the show on iplayer here – we’re 17 minutes in.

It’s funny how your ambitions change as you go. If you told me when I was in my teens that one day I’d headline the 100 Club and do a live set on Radio 2 on the same night I’d have settled for that as a career high. Retire at the top! But once you’re there you don’t see it like that. I don’t really see myself as a success, and if I defined what success was I’d probably change my mind if I ever got there. I’ve always said that success is when music can pay the bills, and I’m still a long way from that. Maybe the day you think you’re a success you give up, or become a bit of a tosser, or both. I’m trying to avoid that for now…

x

PS Massive thanks to the following…
City Showcase and The Association of Independent Music (AIM) – for putting us on at the 100 Club gig. AIM do a massive job to help support independent music and I want to thank them for that.
Janice Long for being a genuine music fan with genuine passion. A real gem of a lady who bubbles with enthusiasm.
Alex Genn-Bash and Xuan Du – the musical reinforcements for the evening to complement our already-incredible band. Alex thought he was just there to take photos – he ended up singing backing vocals and playing harmonica too!