That got her curious.
"I'm not sure of the final plans yet but I want this to be memorable. Of course, the lead-up gigs will be great too but you can't give the whole game away, just enough to get people talking."
She nodded.
"Come downstairs for a drink before you go," she said. "It’s the least we can do after all this."
I followed her downstairs. That guard was slowly coming down. It'd not take long now and she'd be in my arms.
Chapter 21 VIOLET
THE FIRST OF THE LEAD-up gigs featured Razer and his band, who were simply called Razer. I’d gone up to watch their soundcheck and make sure everything was okay. I wasn’t expecting to find Alex sitting up at the bar.
"The dude doesn't even know how to spell it," Alex said. "And he names his band after himself. Wanker."
Like Alex wouldn't name his band after himself if a band called Alex didn't sound so stupid. Alex's band was called Zero, and Razer had plenty to say about that too.
Razer grabbed the mic. “What’s that wanker doing here?” he asked me, not even looking at Razer. “He’s come to steal our secrets. He should be banned from soundcheck.”
"What secrets?" As far as I could tell, they just got on stage and played music. It wasn't like they had some gypsy charm to make them play better or anything like that.
"You never know.” Razer stayed on stage, talking through the mic. “This is getting serious now. He could copy our sound mix or something like that. People get weird when they have something to lose."
“Keep away from the sound desk,” I told Alex.
I didn't have time to babysit him though, I had to get back to work. That pile of paperwork on my desk didn’t get any smaller. It only seemed to get higher since Chuck got this debt. The idea of working through it had about as much appeal as root canal. But even root canal was preferable to being around either of those guys. When I was with either of them, there was chemistry and feelings and all that messy stuff I wanted to avoid. I pushed those things into a dusty cupboard and slammed the door shut.
Before I left, Razer went into a run through of one of their songs.
"They've got the mix all wrong.” Alex leaned over a bit too close. “They need to get a better sound guy."
Hamish, the resident sound guy, worked with all our bands. Did Alex plan on bringing someone else in? Because that would cause a world of trouble. Hamish didn't like relinquishing control.
Maybe I needed to stick around. When soundcheck finished, I'd find out exactly what Alex had planned. I didn't want any nasty surprises.
Even though it was just a run-through, Razer moved like he owned the stage. He didn’t tone down any of his raw power. The energy of the room changed as he played. Even Alex sat up and paid attention.
Alex was the better musician, that was clear, and a much better lyricist, but there was something to Razer on stage that Alex lacked. Alex had the subtlety; Razer had the power on a much more primal level.
When they finished, Razer gave Hamish a nod to let him know everything was okay.
"Sure you don't want another run through? We can try it again." Hamish walked out from behind the desk.
"No mate, she'll be right. Sounds good to me."
Razer picked up his guitar and walked off stage, giving me a wink. I blushed. I stupidly blushed because he winked at me. What was going on with my hormones?
Alex shrugged. "That's his problem. Too easy-going and not focussed on the details. Good enough is not enough. It has to be perfect."
I wasn't so sure about that. In a room full of beer-swilling punters, who'd notice the details? Sure, that might be important if you were recording but people came out to have fun. If the band on stage gave them a good time, they wouldn't even notice an off-key note or a missed beat. It was entertainment they were after, not some pitch-perfect performance.
"Any chance of something to eat?" asked Dazza, jumping off the stage. "That worked up an appetite."
"Go ask Carlie. She's in charge of the bar snacks." I turned to face Alex. "So, what did you mean about the sound mix? You know Hamish does all the sound work here."
Alex leaned back, studying my face for a moment. A long moment. Long enough to make me awkward. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and tried not to look back.
"I want to bring in my own guy."