DIGGING DEEPER
HOLDING YOUR NERVE IN THE MUSICAL MULTIVERSE WITH LINS WILSON OF MAGICK MOUNTAIN
Live music... Those two words have a different meaning now to a few months back, when CPWM first asked me to write an article about my experiences of last minute fillins for bands I love, support tours organised on a week's notice, and a call to play at the Brudenell the day of a show (to name a handful of my gig-based calls to action). At the time they asked, I was on a five week tour around Europe / UK, filling in on guitar and bass for Blood Red Shoes. They urgently needed a replacement for their regular session player to play five of their eight week tour, I was to take over from Ayse Hassan (Savages) who was doing the first part. Yes, I did have a fan girl moment meeting her! Through mutual friends and a few coincidences, BRS got
in touch and within a few days of rearranging work and other gigs, I was all in. I had three weeks to learn the set at home, travelled to Brighton for two days of rehearsal, then wouldn't see them again until I flew to Barcelona, where I would watch them open for The Pixies - the night before I would be doing the same thing in Madrid. Steve BRS commented on my Northernness, cracking on where a lot of people might crap themselves. Performing to 3000 Pixies / BRS fans after I'd played the songs less times than I could count on my hands was definitely nerve-wracking, but after a couple of shows (including one in an 8000-cap Bull ring!) the nerves seemed to dissipate. I trusted my autopilot and years of experience 40
being on stages with many different bands, including my own band, Magick Mountain. In fact, it took me that tour to really see how many unspoken skills you really do need as a touring musician – technical, interpersonal, physical and mental strength, knowledge of gig / touring etiquette and not to mention being able to get your shit off stage in ten seconds before you get shouted at by a grumpy stage manager. I've always felt comfortable on stage, so apart from when there's any technical difficulty, I feel present, sometimes just watching my hands do the work while taking in the alchemical moments of us musicians performing together, connecting with a room full of other
