Page 79 of Take a Moment

‘Come on in, mate.’

The door unlocks and we step inside.

‘What is this place?’ I ask, as live band music starts to filter along the corridor. ‘Is this one of these underground bars with a “members only” policy?’

‘You’ll see.’

Matt leads me along the corridor until we’re right outside the room the music’s coming from. It’s very loud and I can’t help wondering how small this bar is; it sounds like the band’s right behind the door. Matt pulls me in for a quick and intoxicating lip-smacking kiss, then opens it and beckons for me to follow him inside. As we enter, I realise it’s not a bar at all, but some kind of rehearsal studio. We move across to the other side of the room and take a seat at a small table.

‘Is this your friend’s band?’ I have to shout to be heard over the punchy rock music.

‘It sure is. Like them?’

‘They’re brilliant.’

I tap my foot to the beat until the song finishes and when they wrap up, we give them a mini round of applause. The lead guitarist turns and bounds across to us, giving Matt a blokey handshake and an affectionate slap on the shoulder. He has a friendly face and hair like Bob Marley.

‘Matt, mate, good to see you. Didn’t notice you sneak in just then.’ He turns to me. ‘And I remember you from the karaoke bar. How could I not?’

‘I thought you looked familiar,’ I reply. ‘Great to meet you.’

‘You too. And these guys here are Simms, Carter and Andy.’

I give a friendly wave to the other members of the band, and they wave back casually.

‘Are you here to “audition”?’ He gives me a hopeful wink.

‘Not that I’m aware of. Although now you mention it… Matt, why are we here?’

A guilty look spreads across Matt’s face. ‘I know you said you’ve got too much going on, but as your childhood dream was to be a singer, I didn’t see the harm in letting you have a taste of the magic.’

My stomach immediately does a somersault and I can’t tell whether it’s because I’m touched by Matt’s incredibly thoughtful gesture, or if it’s a premature dose of stage fright.

‘No pressure, eh? I’ve never been in a rehearsal studio before. Closest I’ve got to singing with a band is “bandaoke”, but even then, I had the words in front of me.’

‘We’ve got lyrics sheets.’ Sammy points to the drummer (Carter, if I’ve got it right), who holds up a folder. ‘How about you listen to a couple more tracks, warm your voice up by singing along, then you can see how you feel? Want a beer?’

‘Oh, no, thanks, I’m fine. I guess that sounds OK.’ I look to Matt for reassurance and he gives me an encouraging nod.

As Sammy rejoins the band, Matt leans across the table and grabs my hand. ‘You OK with this? You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to. But you’re so good, it would be a shame to waste the opportunity.’

‘Why do I get the feeling you’re up to something?’ I narrow my eyes at him playfully.

‘I’m not. I just genuinely want you to have an experience.’

I keep my suspicious eye on him a moment longer, then turn towards the band as they launch into a perfect rendition of ‘Sex on Fire’ by the Kings of Leon. The buzz of the music is contagious and before I know it, I’m enthusiastically singing along. One song rolls into another, with T-Rex, Arctic Monkeys and Pulp featuring on the playlist. Eventually they wrap up once again and Sammy bounds back across to us.

‘What do you think, Alex?’

‘I think you guys are amazing! Do you do your own stuff too?’

‘We do. We mix covers into our sets with some of our own stuff. Tends to go down well.’ He shoots me a grin. ‘Ready for a shot? We’ve got the Killers lined up for you.’

The stomach flip returns. I look to Matt, who nods again.

‘OK, then. Suppose now I’m here I can’t pass up the opportunity.’

I get up from my seat and follow Sammy across to the microphone. He hoists his guitar strap back over his head and turns to me.

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