ADAM Masterson

It was a fine day out and I’d just had my haircut round a friends house on Caledonian Road.  Made a dash from Holborne to Bloomsbury Square, I was running a little late, but the haircut and the weather had me in a fine mood.

I made my way into The Bloomsbury Ballroom. Sound-check was already underway for Mummy Rocks 2010. The Ballroom looked elegantly swelegent each table decked out in Flowers.

Rehearsals at Jones productions had gone well.  Me and Jamie Hince decided we’d do Waterloo Sunset together and I was gonna play piano for Bobby Gillespie and Sharleen Spiteri who were dueting on The High Society musical song ‘What a swell party this is’ made famous by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

Sharleen and Bobby beckoned me up, they were sound checking this one now! I had just enough time to jump onstage, get behind the piano, and do my best not to do my Les Dawson.  

Actually we sounded good!  It had been a bit tentative in rehearsals, but the three of us had gone away figured it out and now it sounded like fun.

At the end of the sound check me and Jamie got a chance to go over Waterloo Sunset a couple of times we were gonna do it just the two of us acoustic.  People started filing in after that and I went off to find a drink.

Saw a few faces in reception Rufus Wainwright  was there and Natalie Imbruglia, a waiter handed me a glass of Champagne and I found the band at the bar writing out a set-list.  Jamie and I were gonna go on first and start the night and I thought that was grand.

At dinner I was sat next to the charming and very glamourous actress Sarah Barrand, and jeweler Stephen webster hosting the night from the stage told us all a little more about the charity and introduced a young patient who spoke about her experiences at Great Ormond street hospital.  In the end I think the night raised £95,000 for G.O.S.H

An auction then followed and I headed backstage to have a play on my guitar. I found Jamie Hince back there we found a couple of seats in a back room and jammed through the song.  It sounded mighty, Jamie had all the harmony notes in the guitar.  He was playing an old 40’s Guild and I had my 60’s Gibson SJ, we even had matching jackets by chance so we looked the part.

Mick Jones soon came round and told us we were going on, we waited in the wings while he went on to introduce us.

Everybody loves Waterloo Sunset you can see it in their faces when you start singing it.  The film producer Julian Temple was right down the front and started filming it on his phone, he jumped up on stage at one point and started filming round us.  I think he’s a big Kinks fan. I saw him afterwards and he said ‘I’m gonna show it to Ray!’

‘Bloody hell’  I thought ‘ I didn’t know I was under that much pressure!’

Jamie and I bowed to our applause, we’d kicked off the night and headed backstage for a cold beer.  We found Sharleen and Bobby back there, and we all sat down in the corridor waiting to go on again.  

We started talking about songs with only a few chords, Bobby said those songs are the hardest to write and have the best melodies.  Sharleen said the song ‘Dreams’ had only two chords in it the whole way through.  I started trying to wrack my brains, I thought of the Roy Orbison song ‘Dreams’ but that had loads of chords, I then thought of the Everly Brothers but that had at least three Chords.  I gave Sharleen my guitar and she did a great version of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ sat on the floor.  Bobby then picked up the guitar and played ‘Go Your Own Way’.

It was cool sat there listening to them talk about simple songs.  They all started complimenting me about the guitar, it’s Southern Jumbo guitar that Rambling Jack Elliot used to play in the 60’s. It’s got his signature scratched into it, but I’ve nearly scratched that off from playing it so much and catching it with the pick.

Guitars are a bit like kids, you reason with them, you struggle with them, you get frustrated with them, then you take them out some place, and someone reminds you what a miracle they are, and you fall in love with them all over again.

Sharleen was called onstage, and I started talking to Bobby about Alex Chiltern the Box Tops and Big Star singer who had recently passed away.  I knew he was a fan and he picked up the guitar and played me The Box Tops hit ‘Letter’ which was pretty cool.   I still haven’t got round to listening to Big Star properly.  Bobby said start with the third album.

I then joined the band on Keyboards for the Texas hit ‘I Don’t Wanna Lover’.  The place was really swinging around, the audience were loving it.

Then Mick called Bobby onstage and I began playing ‘What a swell Party This Is’… No fluffs!  The tricky bit out of the way, the rest of the night was a blast.

Jamie came back on with an electric guitar, along with Barrie Cadogan from Primal Scream. There were now four electric guitar players onstage, and we launched into a high-tempo ‘Rocks’.

Bobby and Mick then ripped through a version of The Trogg’s hit ‘Wild Thing’ and the place went off. 

It was pretty peaceful at the side there, playing keyboards, much less involved than being up front. I found it really relaxing, but it’s weird you look out into the audience and no one’s looking back at you.  I finally had some understanding why the rest of the band always ends up hating the lead singer!  But its tough up there man… and if you ask me it’s an easier ride at the back.

The night came to it’s finale, everyone got involved onstage, and Mick Jones lead the crowd singing ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’.  Even Kate Moss grabbed the mic and sung a few lines.

A grand night indeed.

Adam