Dowsing, more filming, remarkably good gigs

I really should be sleeping; it's been a frantic weekend. But things are happening - things are moving in the right direction, you can just feel it sometimes, sleep isn't really a priority.

The weekend started in spectacular fashion with The Dowsing Sound Collective show at Trinity College. A sellout show, and not long after our Christmas gig, this was an acoustic show but with full choir, strings and stripped-down band. The set featured material we were confident with, the venue a stunning setting for those beautiful voices. I ranted a bit before on here, and to anybody who would listen, about how unhappy I was with my performance at the Christmas gig, but this one worked out really well - it felt tight but spirited, in control but rousing. Magical. It's an epic project, Andrea's vision is completely unrivalled. I'm a cynical git at heart, often leaving the stage with a niggle or two and totally wrapped up in a world of percussion whilst missing the bigger picture but on Friday night I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the joy in the room. A thrilling night.

The next night I was playing another acoustic gig, but of a very different nature. CB2, an intimate venue where I've performed literally hundreds of times (with comedy projects, plus the odd gig) was the home for Fred's House on Saturday. Sold out show, hosted by the wonderful and friendly Acoustic Routes team, we were informed beforehand that the show could have easily sold out twice over. On paper it's a small gig, we play a lot, we're exceptionally well rehearsed and very comfortable with what we do, but Saturday felt different - there was a sense of expectation in the air. The audience crammed in - all seated gig but with a lot of people standing at the back, there seems to be a buzz about the band at the moment. It was a gem of a show - that audience wanted it, we raised our game to match the occasion. Best gig of the year so far? Hhhmm, it's up there with...well, Friday's gig.

In between those shows I've been filming for the Oscar Pike film. On Friday I hit a problem in the sense that Izzy has a heavy, lingering cold and just needs sleep. Replacing her seemed like a daft idea - and 'replacing' is such a harsh word, because she is a remarkable actress, but given certain restrictions (one of the locations only available for a couple of hours on Saturday morning) I just felt the need to stick to the schedule. Unexpectedly, Vikki Jones was available and stepped in. Vikki is of course the singer of Fred's House, she's a trained actress - but in musical theatre which is slightly different. She read the script in the car as I picked her up, and completely nailed it. It was a great day of filming - her manic...loudness suited the character well, and worked nicely against my awkward rambling. My landlord Marcus even had a cameo role, he took it very seriously, he did his shouting very well indeed. Today more scenes were nailed - this time with Jess and Dan. These were difficult scenes to film - outdoors quite often, and other scenes which involved reliance on technology (washing machine, microwave). It worked - they did a great job, their scenes nailed in under four hours. With the exception of a little more French reggae footage (to be filmed next weekend), that's everything in the can for The Many Struggles Of Oscar Pike. A feature film, made on an iPhone (an iPhone 4, not even a good one), I need to put aside a lot of time for the editing, but it could work, I think it will.

Weekend ended with a show at The John Peel Centre in Stowmarket. Flaming June were supposed to be playing this but sadly Louise was poorly, so the replacement was Fred's House. A packed audience, but more on the attentive side of things, it was the perfect end to the weekend - nice and relaxed, lots of happy people chatting to us afterwards. A brilliant weekend.