It’s hard to believe (for me at least) that I’m actually typing this on The Eurostar train on the way to Paris, on the way to a gig, with my band, to sing songs that we’ve written. I was sent a picture during the week, of our poster outside the Montreux Jazz Cafe in the Gare de Lyon. That’s when it all started to seem ‘real’. Yet I was still scared to go to sleep last night incase I woke up to find it had all been but a wild fanciful dream of momentary fame and international stardom (cough). But no, we have just exited the tunnel on the French side, it’s a sunny spring day, and we are thundering along nicely towards the capital.
The previously daunting task of singing in Harrods now seems a mere warm-up compared to this. I’m sure it would feel the same in reverse for a European artist to come to London, however the increase in pressure is quite significant. Not only is there the psychological language barrier to overcome (although I’m not expecting, or indeed expected to converse in fluent French with the audience) but there’s also the perceived idea that to travel this far to perform, you must be good! So then, I wonder, will the universal language of music transcend all the barriers and break down the fears?
As a nation we are pretty lazy when it comes to speaking other languages. Not only that, we are lazy when it comes to listening to other languages too. For most the only exposure to foreign music is the annual farcical feeding frenzy that is The Eurovision Song Contest. Or course, other countries are used to listening to English lyrics, and I think on the whole this gives Europeans much wider palates and broader minds when it comes to accepting new music.
Or not. I could just be kidding myself, but at the moment, I am being positive and optimistic about how we will be received by our new audience. I need to stop worrying about my rusty subjunctives or word gender sexism, and concentrate on being English, and just doing my thing.
The weekend has a very slight tinge to it though because tomorrow is of course the London Marathon, which I had secured a place in. Thankfully I have been able to defer till next year, but it won’t stop me from thinking of all those I know who are taking part tomorrow, and remembering again what a momentous day that was in 2011 when I first ran. I will never forget that day, and I’ll never forget this one…however it goes! It took three blogs to cover that one day…..I wonder if today will be as eventful! A la prochaine!
The Road to Kansas 