Up early for a sesh with Arktik Lake Tony in Sydney but the internet is playing up so he video-Messenger-ed me instead and that seemed to work. We were working on a new song and I needed to clarify some chords with him so we needed some stability on the net. It’s still amazing that we can even communicate at all across the world but I suppose that is taken for granted now. That’s what happens, whatever you regularly get, you expect, whatever it is.

We were meeting sessioneer Noel today, he was bringing over a Takamine 12-string guitar that I am borrowing for the tour. It’s going to give me a little more flexibility for the song choices as it will be tuned down to ‘D’. Noel arrived around midday and we continued into the day with Part 2, The Sound Lounge in Sutton. It’s a place that Biggles has been telling me about for a long time, it’s an approximation of what I would like the In Deep Music Archive to be, except it has more of a cafe feel with an impressive and extensive vegan menu. It has a small record store at the front and on the other side of the room a stage with equipment, ready to go. There are all kinds of shows here free and not free, poetry and music. Lots of tables and chairs all different shapes and sizes, I love places like this. The staff were cool and friendly, the food was great, the music they played was great, like Syd for example. It was about the same size but had fewer records, haha and the archive aspect, the collection for posterity idea was absent but they monetise the place as an eating place and venue.

I spoke with Chris who was selling records in the store, I found a few nice things on sale, including Linda Perhacs‘ second album, The Soul Of All Natural Things (2014). Her first album Parallelograms was released in 1970, it’s classic psychedelic folk. Her third album, I’m A Harmony, was released in 2017. You can check out the posts on the In Deep Music Archive about Perhacs and Vashti Bunyan. Does anybody remember John, Paul, George, Ringo…and Bert (1974), courtesy of Willy Russell with the songs performed by Barbara Dickson? I have a Beatles covers and ‘inspired by’ collection, this one I didn’t have.

We came back to the house and sat down to watch the Liverpool/Man United game at Anfield, who could have predicted such an outcome? Six goals in the second half and a 7-0 win. It was the visitor’s worst result since 1931. The analysis was fascinating too – from both sides. This put Liverpool into fifth place with a game in hand and a massive goal difference, they’re back.