Back Home in Kenny

So, where were we in our true love story?  We were just heading back to England on a lovely Ferry ride with 2 German mechanics, who were chasing an engine round England........  Again, I have left it too long to write in this blog.  I have been back home for nearly a month, and even with free time and a computer, I havent wrote any chapters.  It's because when I am back in England, I don't feel like an adventurous traveller.  Being back in your old house, in the same old bed takes away a lot of the adrenaline and excitement you feel from being in different country in a different city, with no money, nowhere to stay and just a guitar.  That feeling is the kicks that keep your blood running.  Like motion and movement is life, in motion you feel alive.  The earth never stops spinning.  But when you are rooted in one place, you feel trapped sometimes.  I have one phobia in this world, the fear of not being able to move.  Whenever I cant move my arms or legs, I get crazy!  And when we touched down in England, I felt that familiar wave of familiarity hit me again.....

So we were dropped off in Old Swan in Liverpool, we never had any English money on us, cos we spent it on a pint on the Ferry, we asked the bus driver if we could just jump on.  He was reluctant at first, but a bit of sweet talking got him round, so we touched down half hour later in the city centre.  Driving past all the old estates, in Kenny and Toxteth, a few of my old houses, just wondering what Nizha was making of it.  It was cold and grey, even though it was August and we got ourselves a cheap jacket potato from the cafe and sat and ate with the hungry pidgeons at our feet.  I always spoke so high of Liverpool to Niz, how there is music everywhere, street musicians, dozens of venues that host live music, and really an infrastructure that just nurtures bands and musicians.  The last few years have seen most of them venues close.  The Barfly, MOJO, Magnet, and so on.  There was a dank dampness in the air, and just an old Roma woman playing sad accordion on the corner.  I feel Liverpool was the best musical training ground I could ever be in.  Playing with bands in all the venues, hosting open mic night, acoustic afternoons, going to Uni there.  It really engraved on me a true love and belief in making music.  But on a wet Wednesday afternoon, your first impressions of it might not be as grand.

We took the train to my Mums house to go and stay there for a few days and make a plan.  There goes 8 quid just on the fare!  I always thought Britain was so cheap ya know.  But this journey would have cost almost half the price in PARIS!  I always think of the older generation who built the railroads, they must have been so proud that they felt they were building something that was gonna connect people to wherever they need to go.  In those days when it was 'Peak Time' it meant that the trains were free, as people had to get to work.  Now, Peak Time means the fare is 50 percent more expensive.  The last 30 years has seen England sell to private firms all its family silver.  The 'Public Transport' was a fine piece for the collection.  But anyway, I digress.  We take the train over to the Wirral, and I know my mum is a little concerned.  The last she heard from me, was a frantic skype call in Paris, where I say I am comin home to get married, haha.  Niz was a little nervous about meetin her an all that, but the moment we walked in all was good.  We drank a cuppa tea, told of our stories and plans, and me mum loved her from the first moment.  We ended up stayin at me mums for a week, and the good thing about Liverpool is the busking!

There are no laws or restrictions here.  Pick a spot and play for as long as you want, as loud as you want.  Thats what I mean about the atmosphere of the city just nurturing musicians.  I have a good little busking amp and until the mic for Niz's violin came, I did a bit on me own.  I got a 20 quid drop, a big crowd and some nice busks, but it didn't feel right as my Niz was either watching (getting the beer in) or at home, but her mic finally came and we had a few quid to get us started.  We wanted to save enough to get to either Ireland, Isle of Man or Scotland.  We were staying with my friend Alicia, who is a heart and soul of the Liverpool music scene.  You will always find her singing, acting, photographing, radio hosting, anything creative.  Her house is a shrine to all the musicians and artists who have come through.  A drum kit and PA in the living room, a beautiful musical home.  It was in my old estate of Kensington, and they had demolished all the houses but Alicias, she had stood strong, but was about to sell it and get a travelling van!

The thing about busking in Liverpool, is you need to put the hours in.  You need to get a good spot and hold it for a good few hours.  There is so much competition, but if you give your heart to it, and stand above the rest you can make really good money.  That month I had spent back here after a year in Amsterdam, I was a rich man with pockets full of pounds.  Me an Niz were doing great, getting a great response, filling our coin bag, saving good and living good.  We knew we wernt here for long, but we wanted to make the most of it.  Sometimes being back in Liverpool would hit me, and I felt like I had been there done that.  But being with Niz, it was like a new world for us both.  Doesn't matter where you are, if you are with someone you are crazy about then it's magical.  We were learning lots of new songs, and enjoying playing with the amp.  The music is not as lost in the city noise, and you can really enjoy it and feel like it is a show.  Bit of reverb on the vox and violin.  Really nice sound we had with the amp.  We needed a CD!  We played a little gig at Stanley Park festival that Alicia was running, and that night we had the place to ourselves.  We threw down 6 of our songs we would play while busking, had a little beer and then left them for a few days.



We were still unsure on where to go, but it seemed everything was pulling towards Scotland.  It was the Fringe Festival and an exciting time to go there.  With our busking money we got our ticket, and looked forward to our next adventure.  The day before we were going, we were busking and had done alright.  It was early evening, and then John, a beggar came and sat right opposite us, and he was winning the drops, then the batteries went on the amp, and even when I replaced a couple, it stuttered and went off.  Niz said, lets go and finish the CD, so we took it as a sign and went back.  We had a little bit of smoke, bought some beers and went to put the last touches and mix the E.P we started.  We were up until 7 am in the morning finishing them, and Niz wouldn't go to sleep until she was satisfied with the mixing.  I have told you about the moments when I physically felt myself fall in love with her even more.  And this was another moment.  We both lay with eachother, listening to the mixes, our eyes nearly closing getting them right, and neither of us leaving till we had done it.  We done it, and though it was a very rushed and last minute job, we had our first CD together, and something to sell on our next busking adventure....The lovely lowlands of bonnie Scotland..........


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