My merry band of four, also known as GoodBooks, go to Berlin tomorrow. They are there until the 30th, and they are quite excited. The purpose of the trip is mainly I think to get some non-touring/music industry based experience under their belts, and somehow – I can’t think how – Sevenoaks has ceased to fuel their imaginations. They’re taking some gear, renting a flat, and hoping to come back with a shedload of new songs. I have every faith. Seeing them play tonight (corporate shows fund this stuff, ya dig?), including one new song, made me a bit excited weak-at-the-knees Good Lord you’re good, I remember why I didn’t go to university now.
I’m going to Berlin on Thursday, and coming back the following Friday. It’s quite a while, but I’ll get out of their way. I’ve not been anywhere other than London for more than about four days for four or maybe five years – my holidays have merely been long weekends for quite some time. I’m excited about being away from London for a week. I’m excited about hanging out with the boys without any “yes we’ve got a meeting now” or “yeah you’re on stage in 45 minutes, we need to get dinner, kebab?” type pressures. And I’m looking forward to learning Berlin itself. I honestly can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be going – Berlin feels chunky and straightforward. I don’t know why that’s my impression of it, but I feel like I’m going to another place to live for a week, rather than in somewhere like Barcelona or even Paris where it feels like one is visiting. Perhaps that’s due to the nature of the trip. I guess we’ll see. I’m excited, though.
The whole thing makes me want to be in a band. Sitting down yesterday with the boys was fantastic because this trip has come entirely from them, and it feels like they’re putting the fun back into working hard. The past year has been tough on many occasions and felt too much like hard work and no fun a lot of the time. But it feels now like the four young men in GoodBooks are reclaiming this band as their own, forgetting all the “critically acclaimed” “not selling enough” “didn’t work at radio” crap and doing what they want to be doing. I think they’ll be all the better for it – and I suppose it’s what being in a band is really about.
Tags: Berlin, critically acclaimed, Germany, Sevenoaks
January 8, 2008 at 11:54 am
This trip sounds like a great idea! I completely understand what you mean about the boys reclaiming the band as their own – it’s so easy to get bogged down with the business side of things, all the technicalities and logistics, and it’s almost like your little club is watered down due to all these other people in the ‘team’ being involved, many of whom are only interested when things are going well. I guess sometimes (forgive the pun) you have come back to what you know, go back to basics, and remember what being in a band is about….essentially playing music with your mates.
Understandably it’s a bit of a blow to your confidence when you’re told you’ve “not sold enough” or “not done well enough at radio” etc. (that’s pretty much what caused the demise of a certain band we both followed a few years back), but remembering why you started doing this and what made you love doing it is the most important thing to hold on to, even if everyone around you (the ‘team’ etc.) is losing faith.
Some bands fall by the way side after their debut album doesn’t meet certain expectations, but others have the strength to go on no matter what is thrown at them and become a truly great band…and I hope that happens to you and your lot
Hopefully the Berlin trip will be a really good bonding (or re-bonding) experience for you all, and you will come back refreshed and renewed, ready to fight the good(books) fight again!
Enjoy Deutschland and make sure you post photos!