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Seldom been more happy with a TAAQ gig. This has to be one of our best gigs to date – and not because there were ten thousand people in the crowd – there were perhaps 50. Not because we made a lot of money. I thought it was great that we really really connected with this audience – an audience that had never heard of us or our music before. We had a few scots dancing in front – something I didn’t see happen for their own local heroes. The band that opened was pretty cool – a surf-ish instrumental act called Attack of the Penguins.

Brendan (not Fraser) was the sound guy that made the difference – a lean and lanky scot who talked nineteen to the dozen and had us cracking up with his silly, irreverant and good-natured humour. Really knew his job tho, and gave us a cracking good mix.

The 13th Note is a great place, a corner cafe that serves Vegan food and beer. And yes, I seem to have finally found a beer I can tolerate – yea yea, I’ve been told over and over again by well-meaning fellow musician monkeys that beer is an ‘acquired’ taste and eventually I will earn some mean musico respectability by being able to down a mug or even (glory be) a pint. No dice – till yesterday. Remember those lines from Look At Me – ‘I dont use gasoline…’ well, the beer I finally liked is called Diesel. It’s sweet! Basically beer and blackcurrant and cider. yummy. no respect tho. sigh.

the venue is a tiny basement, space somewhat reminiscent of Tavern at the Inn – in Bangalore – dunno how many of you were there for that TAAQ gig. Good sound, and with 50 people in there it’s nice and tight.

Cracked off with Bend the World, and carried on till Motorbyckle… Words and Pictures was a good ‘un this time, pulled off just right. We didn’t play anything too fast, as we are sometimes prone. Sanity got the usual response, for the usual grandstanding solo.. always fun. Drunk went down well too, for obvious reasons. Boy these scots drink a lot. How Can I Get Your Groove got some booties moving, Holy Jose as well.. I could go on.

Goooooooood gig.

Spent this morning walking around, looking at all the colours… grey, grey, grey, brown, green, grey, dark grey, brown, light brown, dark brown, brownish grey, greyish brown, greenish grey, greyish green-brown, and other such vibrant hues. Still very pretty though, clean and fresh and drizzly… A few days of chilling now, before the next gig. Someobservationswillfollow…

First gig in Glasgow.

Walked from Guru’s apartment to the Barfly, on the banks of the Clyde. Bloody cold. Tee, sweatshirt, thick jacket and my hands are still frozen. Can’t feel the old nose and it’s real fun when you try and say ‘blubber’. The old city is charming. Soot-crusted ‘rebuilt in 1886′ etched in brown stone. The oldest public house in the British Isles 1516. Some locals walking around in just Tee-shirts. Passed St. Andrew’s Church, worn stone buttresses, polished wood..

Warm in the Barfly. Six bands playing tonight – three upstairs, three in the basement. We’re upstairs, sharing the bill with Futuro and The Fallout Trust (reasonably big London band). Hang around and wait while the other bands do their check. Have to borrow amps, and The Fallout guys, good fellas, let us use their Marshall JCM 900 and Fender Bassman. Don’t get much of a check, as it’s pretty late by the time we get a chance (8:25 – but it’s bright like mad outside – the sun sets at 10pm and it’s twilight till midnight. !!!) Five minutes of trying to get our sounds together and the doors are open and we’re off. Brigade st. goes down well, can’t really hear things very clearly on stage, drums real loud, guitars a bit muddy, vocals too soft, but what the heck. Bend the World, Paper Puli also good, Look at Me gets the usual grins. Nice. Before we know it 30 minutes are up and we’ve gotta go.

Futuro comes on, tight three piece straightaheadbritrock. Fallout much more interesting, but same sound hassles, good gig tho.

Met an oldish gent at the bar who said we were the best he’s seen in a good many years – and that I should take his word because he was sober when we were on! I smile and say thank ya.

So, it was no earth-shattering moment. Was no sellout fab groove on the floor mad screaming fans gig. Was TAAQ’s first gig here, so it was still special as hell. Love it. We’re here. And we’re gonnamake the most.

Today we play the 13th Note Cafe, supposedly a really cool venue. Tell ya all about it soon.