04 Jul 2000
It was a night of smiles; of melody and harmony. It was a night of relief and delight. The music soothed; the audience moved - a little bit, anyway - and the apres-gig knees-up grooved.
And so Lie down and fight, The Regulars' little baby debut single, was delivered into the world a few days late, but kicking and screaming and in perfect health. Last Saturday's launch gig was everything the band hoped it would be.
Before the music began, the burning issue of who would be the first ever buyer of a Regulars record had to be settled. And shortly after the arrival of the Doc, bearing a box of virgin vinyl, this honour went to the Regs' long-time friend and supporter Mr Richard Banner.
'Big Lebanski' has attended almost every gig the band has played - including the first, at Kings Heath's Hare & Hounds back in 1996, which Paul and Chopper also attended before they joined the band - and he was quietly delighted with this outcome.
The Regulars took the stage shortly after 9pm, kicking off again with the new tune Today at last, and before long a highly respectable audience had assembled. So respectable, in fact, that Pete was later to describe them - several times - as the nicest audience he had ever played to.
The set - which, technically, was not the best the band had ever played; but the audience didn't seem to mind - peaked on cue with the final three songs: This is the sound, These things obscure, and Lie down itself.
Another long-time fan of The Regulars, Ms K Mann, commented afterwards: "The Regulars started out as the 129 bus route; they are now somewhere up there with the number 50."
Next up was a solo spot from Leicester's M J Hibbett, whose shrewd lyrics and crafted pop structures earned a fair few smiles and a lot of friends. And some sales for his CD Say It With Words - strongly recommended.
Headliners Saloon beguiled and bewitched all present with another beautiful set of languid, moogy, hazy-sunshine pop songs - "like champagne-flavoured ice-cream on a breezy September balloon ride over sunny French countryside", as Pete put it.
The Regs are grateful to all who turned out; and would like to give special thanks to supporters and Regulist members Mr D Umney and Mr D Vernon, for making the long journeys from Bedford and Wakefield respectively; and of course to Pete and Chris's mum and little brother, who trekked all the way from Grimsby.
Post-gig celebrations, similarly, were all they could have been, with all three acts, half the audience, and the hero of the hour, the Doc himself, repairing to Stu's house for champagne and chips.
Like that of The Regulars, Saloon's performance marked the release of a single on Bearos Records. Of the 25 copies of Lie down and fight brought along by the Doc, 25 were sold; and a further 300 have this week gone out to Cargo for distribution.
Some of these should reach record shops next week. Those wishing to mail-order are referred to Bearos; while online purchases can be made via the redoubtable Pennyblackmusic.
Your next chance to see The Regulars is at their first ever Custard Factory gig on Friday 21 July. See the gigs section for more details.
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