Holiday in hindsight...

It's been a hectic few weeks... time off from work doesn't necessarily equate to 'time off', especially at Christmas.  Preparing for the family visits, friends coming over, shopping for gifts, decorating the home, cooking, learning lyrics for a complete set you've never sung before, writing new material, releasing your first EP... it all adds up to a frantic time :)

 

But it was fun... all of it!!  The visits from friends and family were great, the parties were an experience (traumatic for some!!) and the gifts were greatly appreciated by all.

 

Then there was the gig.  There is a saying that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and this was definitely the case with the Freeway gig on Boxing Day.  As we'd said all along this was a Freeway gig with Morpheus Rising appearing as guests to play a couple of numbers.  Unfortunately the Freeway vocalist had made arrangmeents over the period and was unable to make the gig, in order to avoid a cancellation several vocalists were invited to sing numbers from the set...  As the day approached the other vocalists dropped like flies, other commitments, holidays etc. meant that they were unable to perform on the night and with only a day or two to go it ended up with Grae looking forward to the task of performing the entire Freeway set, and the Morpheus Rising material.  All was going well, the lyrics were printed (in case he forgot them on the night) they were rehearsed around the home and all was set, then...

 

On Christmas Day Grae woke up with another, unexpected, gift from good ol' Santa... a healthy dose of 'man-flu'!!  You could feel the tension, panic was everywhere, and Google was pummelled for quick and reliable remedies for sore throats, wracking coughs and impossible levels of congestion... ginger tea with honey, lemon and honey tea, no 'normal' tea or coffee, gallons of water, benelyn, honey, sudafed, more ginger tea, more honey... and a good dose of port all aided in the partial rescue of the night.

 

As Boxing Day progressed the remedies were continued and things seemed to be ok for the gig... 5 tracks in and it was the Purple Medley, the cracks were beginning to show, as Woman From Tokyo sounded out from the PA the high notes began to croak a little, only one more track to go until the MR material and it was looking decidedly dodgy!!

 

The set began with Save The Day which sounded great,  the band managed to power through the track and the voice held up to the challenge of the long high notes.  In The End and Those Who Watch followed and were similarly despatched with professionalism and power, then it was the turn of Fighting Man... half way through the cracks became a gaping chasm!!  The chorus had to be dropped an octave and things were looking dire for the finale of Lord Of The North, but it held together, in fact it did more than that, the song rocked, it was awesome!!  Despite the tentative rendition of Fighting Man and the pressure felt from that performance the shear power and drive of Lord Of The North carried it onwards and upwards, a great end to the Morpheus Rising set for the night... and then it was back to the Freeway set...

 

Some guest vocals from Olivia Sparnenn (Mostly Autumn, Breathing Space) helped to finish the night off in style and saved the last vestiges of Grae's voice for the after show banter...

 

All in all a great night was had by all... it was Freeway with a difference, and the Morpheus Rising material went down well, it's now time to concentrate on the year ahead... 

 

Bring it on!!



All the best,



Grae, Pete, Daymo, Gibbo and Andy

MORPHEUS RISING

resurrecting British Heavy Metal!