Boom a bang bang

Today we had another bash at recording an entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. We did the backing track today and will record vocals next Tuesday. Heaven knows if there's a point in our doing it. The BBC is making a big deal about the fact that they're taking the selection process really seriously this year... Although they said the same last year and I guarantee our song wasn't heard by a single judge. It makes my blood curl if I'm honest because I believe that Eurovision success can only come if a country starts to take the competition seriously, and that process can only happen if you allow those writers who care passionately about the contest, and shell out large sums of money to create high quality demos, an opportunity to feel they are being taken seriously. I am a life long fan of Eurovision - and a fairly well-regarded composer. If I were the selection committee, I would take me very seriously.

I understand, that this year, UK Eurovision entries are being presided over by a chap from the record industry called Hugh Goldsmith. I wouldn't normally do this, but if anyone reading this blog knows him, or might know someone who knows him, I'd love them to find out if it genuinely is an open playing field this year. I'd rather not enter if the BBC have already chosen their act and writers behind closed doors. As they plainly did last year...

We have a very strong song which I don't want to waste. The session musician who came in to play guitar (whom we'd not met before and is the guitarist for ABC) actually applauded the song when he heard it for the first time. I've not known that to happen before.

The song was recorded at Julian's studio in Limehouse. We had Vicky's Martin playing drums for us. He played drums on the wedding and was on fire in the studio today. Drummers are worth their weight in gold. You can convince yourself that computer samples and electronic drums are as good as the real thing until you sit in a studio with a bloke bashing merry hell out of his kit, and suddenly your song starts to motor into life!

We've gone for a rockier edge this year. I guess you might say it's a little like Muse's version of Feeling Good, and the girl who's singing it is very exciting (but more on that front in a week's time...)

Our guitarist was a proper character. He was an American from New Orleans who'd obviously been travelling around the rock-God block for many many years. He was one of those musicians who seems to inherently understand where a piece of music needs to go and we gave him free rein to basically drop in whatever little bits and bobs he fancied, including a massive Brian May-style solo!

By the time he was done, he'd filled in all the gaps, at which point he declared, with great comic timing: "If I add any more screaming guitar lines to this chorus it will start to sound like a fire in a pet shop!"

Fiona joined us in the afternoon to drop in some violin on the track, which was brilliant. We were hoping to kidnap her and take her up north for an evening of telly, but she was rushing back to Hove Actually.

...And so, here we are back in Highgate at 8pm with nothing to do until the workshop resumes tomorrow morning. Let me tell you. This feels very strange...