The time to go back was almost upon me. It was the last day of my break. Whilst I’ve got no fundamental dislike of my job, going back to work after a month off was never going to be easy, so I was determined to make the most of my last Sunday of freedom.
Playing the blues...
That said, I wasn’t in too much of a reflective mood as I was on my way to the Chertsey Radio Station to do my weekly ‘Noughties and Nineties’ show. It was on leaving my car that I first heard it – the regular thump of the drum intermingled with the steady hiss of the lighter percussion, backed by the sounds of a saxophone and accompanying string instruments. The net result was pretty good, though the loudness made it hard to miss! There was definitely no doubt about its source – it was coming from the Chertsey Radio Station Studios.
I met my mate who had arrived a bit before me, and he said that the music had been going strong since he got there. We both found this a bit puzzling as according to the schedule a radio play was due for broadcasting. Also my show was to start in less than half an hour, and there was no indication that the full blown live Blues session going on would stop in time. When I went into the Studios my initial assessment was proved to be correct. There was indeed a live blues band playing, but the session was being recorded for a Blues show to be broadcast later on in the week. The assistant presenter asked if I could do my show from the smaller secondary studio, as there was a bit more recording to be done in the main one.
I had used the secondary studio before. The equipment there is actually better configured as the faders on the mixing desk are in a more logical order. The lack of familiarity with the kit was less of an issue than the lack of space, as my mate, who does a bit of co-presenting on the show, had just enough room to stand, using the guest microphone karaoke style. Whilst not a major problem, it did make the broadcast seem a bit surreal!
It was only afterwards, whilst enjoying a couple of post show pints back in Surbiton, that the realisation kicked in – I’d forgotten to find out the name of the band who were playing. This was a real shame as they were very good.
