Blog: Gareth's Birthday Gig

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Saturday saw me heading SOUTH on a secret mission, to play a SECRET GIG that wasn't technically very secret but also definitely qualifies as such, for LO! I was off to BRISTOL to play at Mr G Jones's Birthday Party!

Gareth had arranged the gig nearly a year ago, and I have spent the time since then imagining it being a sort of mini-Indietracks, with lots of other bands playing who are ACE and also loads of PALS likely to be there, so I was delighted to be finally on the train and on the way. This feeling lasted just over an hour, at which point the train ground to a halt due to an Incident On The Line, and we were held in the middle of nowhere for over TWO HOURS. It wasn't a hugely fun experience but the train staff were AMAZING and most people on board also were STOICAL. There was one announcement asking people NOT to try and get off the train, but otherwise everyone was surprisingly calm, helped v much by the regular updates. It was all quite moving!

We originally got to Bristol a LOT later than expected. My original plan had been to wander over to my hotel, check-in, loaf around for a bit and then amble over to the venue, but with the new situation I instead LEAPT into a taxi and ZOOMED straight to the venue where, as is the RULE for all-day music events, things were running late so it was all fine. I thus had time to bump into MULTIPLE pals from all over the place, some of whom I hadn't seen for YEARS, before it was time for me to go on and do THIS:

The Peterborough All-Saints Wide Game Team (group B)

Bad Back

20 Things To Do Before You're 30

Sound Of The Underground

It Only Works Because You're here

The Lesson Of The Smiths

Easily Impressed

Boom Shake The Room

Man alive, I had a WHALE of a time! It's been a while since I played with a PA system so that took a bit of getting used to, but otherwise I relaxed fully into it and LOVED the fact that I was doing a gig where the bits in between songs were not the result of many years of research but rather WHATEVER CAME INTO MY HEAD. I thus apologise if I went on a bit, but it seemed to all be OK and I was especially RELIEVED that Sound Of The Underground went down well, as it had been especially requested by the birthday boy.

That all done I sped round to check in at the Premier Inn and then came back to thoroughly enjoy The School (who I had not seen for AGES and were ACE) and similarly Milky Wimpshake. I then relaxed into the best bit of any of this type of gig, which was wandering around going "Oh HELLO how are YOU?!?" to loads of old pals. It was flipping lovely - I now hope Gareth does something like this for ALL his birthdays!

It was thus a tired but happy Hibbett who returned to his room later that night, and a slightly less tired but equally happy one who got his train back next morning WITHOUT massive delays. PHEW!

posted 15/3/2026 by MJ Hibbett

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