Friday Sept 5th:
Release day (locally) - the culmination of months of effort, which included having to remodel the artwork template provided by ex-SAZ bassist and Mermaid Rock promotor, Marina Mermaid, all rewarded in the form of the debut CD album. Looking god and sounding even better, the cost of the remixing proved to all to be worth while as people who were hearing it, already exclaiming how good it all sounded. To celebrate the release, our merry quartet went to local Mexican eating emporium, Rancho Pancho, where a good time was had by all. After a great meal and rather a lot of coktaisl, the girls elected to go to McDaniels while Andy G toddled off to The Doghouse to see Grace Emilys launch their new CD single - ah, you see, we'd got one up on the Emilys - we'd got an album!! It was to be hoped that we would also get a few more people through the doors than they got at The Doghouse!!
Saturday Sept 6th:
Launch gig day - or, to be precise, launch gigs day. You see those wonderful people at Zavvi (that's the name of the company that was essentially the management buyout of Virgin Records Retail for those still clueless) had actually been delighted when we went in all those weeks ago, suggesting a launch (indeed, a lunch) gig in the store. As time went by, instore promotion proved not without its idiosyncracies. Initially, we were to be at shop front inside, then, at the behest of the Virgin Mobile people, we were to be relocated to play at the back of the store, only to find, on the day as we turned up, that we were back on at the front of the store - fair dues!! Similar thing happened with posters - first we provided them for instore and window - then the window one disapeared only for it to go up once more, only for it to disappear once more, this time for good, since the top brass didn't like their display window with Paula right across it. W smiled as we said that one day Paula's face will be legitimately right across the front of the store - then they'lll be laughing!! Anyway, shorn of that outlet for letting people know, we improvised - got posters up in the city centre sites, some of the city centre pubs and venues (special mention to McDaniels, The Bond, The Doghouse and Dexters for putting posters up for us) and assorted other things. On the day we blu-taked this whacking great black and white poster to the outside wall of Zavvi and you could see it halfway down the Wellgate walk-up. Accidentally left it there, too - but someone noticed, luckily.
Anyway, time for the launch. I'd picked up bassist Rory while drummer Martin had followed with Paula and her assistant Nikki (lol), and as they set it up, trouble!! No mic!! Aaaarrrghhhh!! Luckily Dave at Hustlers was there and he said he'd got one, so it was hot foot to Hustlers to get a mic, then back down to put it on. Amazingly, pretty well on the dot of 1.30pm, the gig started. A the band got more into it, the ensuing audiences gopt more out of it, plenty of people electing to stick around to catch the set, and even better, all ages and persuasions. From approx 16 to 60 in age, people purchased the CD. Surrounding the band were rock fans, punk fans, pop fans and more - enjoying the delights of "Wonder", "Forbidden", an emotive "Can't Sleep Tonight" and a power-packed "Lady Of Rage". At the end, everyone was happy, including the staff in the store - a special thanks to Zavvi for leting us do it.
I rushed off to do a three hour show on Radio North Angus, and reconvened at Hustlers for the official launch gig suporting a Thin Lizzy tribute band. Powered and fired up, the band delivered a stormer of a set and got a good reception from all and sundry. Overall, a great launch day.
Monday Sept 8th:
Local newspaper, The Courier, had sent as photographer to Zavvi to cover the event on Saturday. Afterwards, a local reporter did an interview with Paula and the result was a rather excellent slice of press, a whole eighth of a page of a broadsheet (which is no mean feat!!) with a great photo taken at the store and the headline "Wonder-ful start for Paula" - can't argue with that!! In fact, here's the photo they published:
Thursday Sept 11th:
Earlier on in the day, Paula had jetted off to Glasgow's fair city as she'd been invited by "Sunny Radio Govan",an oft-listened and well-respected local radio station based in Glasgow's Southside, to come along for a live interview where they'd also feature a couple of album tracks, too. This all went down wonderfully, and the station decided to make the CD their "album of the week" for the following week, a mark of just how radio-friendly all the tracks on the album, actually are!!
For this final leg of part one of the launch tour (since Rory was off to Scandinavia for a spell) we were in Glasgow, this time the heavy rock haven that is Rockers, and this time at the other end of the time scale, with a gig that started at 8pm!! Paula was actually supporting what turned out to be two punk-rock bands, one from down south, up here on tour, and the other from Stirling. Luckily, a fair smattering of Paula and Martin's friends from the Glasgow days turned up, as did album bassist Don, since Rory had the Scandinavia trip starting that day, to play with the band. If that wasn't enough, the composer of "Seven Skies", one of the album tracks, also turned up. So, to all of them and the two bands and a motley crue of punk rockers, assorted venue frequenters and the staff, Paula's rennovated trio came on stage and played what had to be the best set of the tour so far - right from the off, the sound was superb, and Paula just went for it, delivering every song with passion and strength. "Seven Sklies" was magnificent, "Can't Sleep Tonight" both tender and strong, while "Lady Of Rage", for the first time in years, evoked that thrill, that spine-tingling moment of amazement, that I experienced the fiorst time I heard it, only now it was a nuclear blast of a song. If only this one could have been recorded!! Still, we had the punks and the drunks and the fans dancing once again, nearly all people unfamiliar with the songs but lapping them up like they were chart hits. Slowly but surely, the paths are opening up.
Sunday Sept 14th:
I'm with Paula in Chambers Bar in Dundee watching one of the more unorthodox - or should I say "less predictable" - of the clutch of rock tribute bands that operate to great effect and even better reception, around the city, in the form of Headroom. During a rather fine rendition of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb", this guy, drunk as you'd like, startd to dance - it was a smile-a-minute job as we watched some of the most bizarre moves unfold. We looked at each other - an idea was born!! We'll tell you what that idea was, very soon......
Thursday Sept 18th:
Sunny Radio Govan had invited Paula to play a short set at a "Drugs & Alcohol Awareness Concert" which they were organising in the Southside, Pollokshields area if I remember correctly. Although she had no available bassist, Paula decided to do it as an acoustic gig, so the two of us drove up, guitar and CD's in hand, to find the venue, St Pauls School. Now you'd have thought we might have got the hint, but I do assure you that it wasn't until we arrived there that we realised she'd be playing in fornt of an army of..... secondary school children!! As we watched from a small distance, a load of kids doing karaoke on the Radio Roadshow stage, with plently of others front of stage urging them on, mutterings of "I can't go up there" were heard coming from my right. I understood what she meant. Luckily, as it turned out, we were thrown a lifeline - this acoustic trio walked on stage and proceeded to lay down this somewhat ragged but enthusiastic rendition of Dion's '60's classic "Runaway" in front of an audience who would not have had a clue that the song even existed! But it was jolly and they danced - a bit - and I whispered to Paula "if they can get away with that, you've got nothing to worry about" - the seed was planted!! We returned to the car. While I sat in the front seat, Paula and her guitar serenaded me from the back - "first time I've had a woman in the back seat of a car on my own for a long time", I quipped knowing that she couldn't reach me to knuckle my jaw. I'd suggested that she did a cover to start with - familiarity to ensure nothing got thown at her - then two songs from the album - and finish with a cover. Since she used to do THE best rendition of Kelly Clarkson's chart smash, "Since You've Been Gone", I entertained that she open with this. Sadly, the odd chord change proved it had been a bit too long since that one had been brought out of the airing cupboard. So, it was decided on "Pinball Wizard" to open up ("since McFly had covered it a short while back", Paula decalared - "OK, bit spurious, but that's good enough for me", I thought), then album tracks, then the coup-de-grace" - a rendition of The Zutons "Valerie", currently one of THE karaoke showstoppers of the year. Reading lyrics we'd only printed out a few hours earlier, she memorised the lines - so I thought - and that was that. Then, with time in hand, she said "would you like to hear a couple of new songs I've written?" A bit like asking me if I'd like to win the lottery, I nevetheless nonchalantly said "yeh, sure", and was treated to this absolutely wonderful new song, with some deep rich chord changes that she so loves to arrange in her work, plus lyrics that were truly inspirational. After that a faster track, but as yet unfinished, but enough to know a new rock life is about to emerge.
Time was up - we went inside the school first, watched the children on stage in the hall briefly, then returned to the roadshow stage as they announced that "Paula Knight would be on stage in a few minutes". In the dark of night, under the stage lights with an excellent sound system, Paula walked on to the announcement and so the strains of an enthusiastic rendition of "Pinball Wizard" flowed from the PA. It clearly captured the attention as adults moved forward, and the children remained front of stage. From there, via a warm round of applause, she went into a fine acoustic version of "Wonder" from the album. Although relatively uptempo for an audience more into rap and dance, it seemed to hit the spot (apart from one kid, according to Paula, who was somewhere to the right mouthing expletives). So, rather than push it, Paula decided theree would be enough, and "Valerie" it was - not only was the choice of song a gem of a move, but just before the second verse (which by now she'd forgotten part of), Paula was inspired - she asked the audience if anyone wantedd to come on stage to sing it with her. Sure enough, this one girl raced to the stage so fast, you'd have thought they were throwing money. Even better was that the girl could sing, too, and, with the audience well on her side, Paula and the girl proceeded to duet and share verses and choruses to the audience's delight - it went down a storm!! We gave a copy of the CD to the girl who'd sung, said our farewells to Jim at Govan Radio ("you'll have to come back to the station to play a live session soon", we were told) and, satisfied at another achievment, made out way back into Glasgow.
Now Paula knew this pub - it was near where she used to reside and every Thursday it featured a jam night where a band would play seventies rock covers on stage and invite people to play along as the night wore on. Sure enough, it was still going, so we went up to find the place well full, and a band with a three guitar, bass and drums line-up about to go on stage. Called Independance (and nothing to do with the Dundee band of the similar name), the proceeded to give us Robin Trower, David Lindley, Pink Floyd, Cream and more, all with some fantastic guitar work throughout. Never one to miss an oportunity, Paula asked if she could join in for a couple of songs. The leader of the band was fine with that, so up jumped Paula, straped on this guitar and, with just bassist and drummer, went into a performance of Free's "Alright Now". Well, not only did she deliver a great version, but having oerformed the mid-song solo just note-for-note spot on, the resultant applause was nearly a standing ovation - they loved it. I was loooking round and every eye in the place was on her, absolutely transfixed and loving it, scarcely believing a woman was doing this. After this, a rip-roaring rendition of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode" was played equally well and won a similar ecstatic applause - and her night was done. A couple of colas later, and the drive back to Dundee was upon us.