Come taste the band

As I hit the front of the crowd, throwing up my left foot to brace myself against the knee-high stage, Bruce launched himself from behind Bonzo’s drum kit, microphone in hand.

“In darkness we run from the blade of the reaper.

Ignorance fills us with dread and with fear.

Hoofbeats behind sound the approach of the horsemen,

Galloping faster and soon drawing near.

The cries of the damned are a chorus around us.

Sulphur and brimstone and fire fill the air.

Before us the forces of Hell stand united –

Life has forsaken us – God does not care.”

The solo sprang like a living thing from the last line of the second verse, as Angus took his place at the front of the stage. He’d been playing guitar since he was eight years old, and on nights like this, you could see the results. Obviously straight from the sports field, he was still wearing a pair of shorts. Horned salutes stabbed the air. Bottles were held high inadulation. The rest of us launched into our own version of the solo, empty hands playing notes that hadn’t even been invented yet as hair and sweat filled the front row.

Then the inevitable mosher climbed onto the stage, threw his arms in the air and dived into the crowd. This one landed way off on my right, as his buddies broke his fall and helped him to his feet. Angus grinned and played on.

The third verse came and went, “the hordes of the dark one marching from concealment,” the apocalyptic fighting carrying on. This led to a second guitar solo, this time with Tony doing the honours. He’d lost the tips of two of the fingers on his right hand in an industrial accident, but this had never affected his playing. The crowd was rapidly banging its way into a frenzy. The guy on my left lost his balance and swayed for a moment, then was gone. In his place stood Damien, head down, foot up, bottle held precariously by two fingers as the rest of them danced along the air-strings.

Extract from Burning Roses, a decadent tale of sex, drugs, rock n roll & magick. Available from www.amazon.com/author/burning

Till next time. Cheers.