PLAY THE ABOVE LOUD AS LOUD AND IMAGINE AFTER ARRIVING AT THE PUB GIG…….YOU’RE ALREADY THREE SHEETS ALCOHOL DRENCHED TO THE ONCOMING WIND!

Oft whispered to self?

It is to provide positive energy

And good will.

Oft present within thought?

Is to provide grace in humility

And empathetic exchange.

(Gray Summers).

Okay! Huge decision. Do I share this? Yes….I did decide to share this song here with my lovely blog friends. It has an educational value really. The audio above is as rough as houses! To say the least. But it is what it is and what I am dealing with presently. To those first time visitors that have no idea of the story! The XCerts, a 1970s music band, were asked to get together again next year and play a set at a festival event. We were a band that grew up in Coventry, England, UK. Punk was evolving and we were very much in its presence. The 3 day festival we have been asked to participate in is to be held in Coventry next July 2024.

The XCerts? We were a three piece band of 1978 with Punk attitude initially and turning to a more considered ‘mellow tunes with edge’ existing within our 1980 sound. We were energetic to say the least. Our opening song, ‘Here’s the Weekend’, stuck around for all that two years of complete chaos. We wrote it before our very first gig. I had a Status Quo fascination and their tour song ‘Junior’s Wailing’ always opened their set when I saw them live on numerous occasions. It was with intention then that myself and Dave Pepper wrote a song with Weekend in the title to open up the set. Well! Our gigs were mostly weekend affairs in the ever growing punk scene in Coventry. As soon as we played this song, we had the enthusiasm of a punk crowd on our side and at times they were ‘spitting’ on us with fervour. A punk audience sign of appreciation! We carried on gigging a lot and played the Midlands, other places in the UK and the ultimate London venues. And this ‘Here’s the Weekend’ song was always, always the opener.

FINAL LYRICS TO WEEKEND AT END OF BLOG.

Fun times. But! And a huge BUT. I have no clean recording of it. My brother who was the drummer in the XCerts, died in a car crash when 21. He had all the clean recorded XCerts songs cassettes. The ones where you heard all in clarity. I have a bunch of very poor copies of copies from a hand down of re-recorded over and over tapes on equipment that left much to be desired. I didn’t care at the time. I am very frustrated now though, but at least I have an idea of what we played back then in having these strangely weird sounds on tape.

My brother had his clean/bright cassettes in a continually carried hippy bag. Alongside a pair of drum sticks. Snare drum metal edge impacted sticks that smacked rhythms on any near surface when an idea hit his mind. He was the one who held vinyl records with reverence. I was the one who picked them up by the grooved surface after eating a greasy bag of chips. The car he died in? My Dad told them to get rid of it after the crash. It was a mechanic friend of my Dad’s who took the car to disappearance status. Along with it? The bag and tapes. So nothing exists now. Other than my awful copies.

So, I present to you the 1978 cassette which is as rough as rough. This is why the re-formation of the XCerts ‘two’, myself on Bass and the Guitarist Dave Pepper, is so nice to witness and be a part of again. The song will be recorded again early next 2024 year and also played live in July 2024. Will it hold the same energy? Who knows! But..The two of us original XCerts are hooking up with an excellent drummer, John Hewitt, who we both played with. Alongside? My other brother Steve, also an excellent guitarist, who is adding his own unique contribution to the songs from those days. All self written songs with only this above standard of recording above to go on and to work out intentions.

Next year is a fantastic opportunity for the four of us to simply play the XCerts past songs at a few gigs. Also, to record them in a Welsh studio too. So, , we will bring a new energy to it all.

My blog inherent and oft quoted Mantra?

‘And so the story goes.

To where? No one knows.

Borne from?

Self promises.

Not worn out wishes’.

Never more true than this new part of life.

Good fortune to you all.

HERE’S THE WEEKEND.

Are you ready to go?

You’ve waited all week long.

The weekend’s here

And it’s three nights long.

It feels so great

Coz you’ve got no work

Plenty of money

To do your worst.

Here’s the weekend.

Here’s the weekend.

You’re gonna dress up right

To hit the night.

Here’s the weekend.

Here’s the weekend.

Forget the career

Just buy a few beers.

Well you look real sharp

In your brand new clothes

You drive fast cars

Complete the pose.

Monday to Friday

Is such a drag

Got no money

Can’t buy more fags.

Here’s the weekend.

Here’s the weekend.

You’re gonna dress up right

To hit the night.

Here’s the weekend.

Here’s the weekend.

Forget the career

Just buy a few beers.

Middle:

You wear your hair short

It suits your style

You gotta be hip

You gotta stand out a mile.

There’s stars in your eyes

Caught up in your dreams

You think your a star

But you’re a mirror machine

You all look the same

It’s a military look

But it’s only a game

So you don’t give a fuck

You’re having fun, fun, fun, fun

Fun, fun, fun, fun.

Here’s the weekend.

Here’s the weekend

Here’s the weekend.

Here’s the weekend.

Guitar solo to out and finish.