"Twenty minutes later, the guitarist rings me. Did you get my text? he says. I'm still staring at it, I say. Saturday as in this Saturday? Yeah, he says. Are you up for it? My heart is pounding just from the text, I say. Within a few hours the thing is confirmed at such short notice only four of us are available, which is coincidentally the maximum number of musicians the studio can accommodate."
"We sit and listen to the original song on which the first chant is based: Sloop John B, by the Beach Boys. We have a protracted argument about how our version should start. There follows an inaugural run-through, and a short silence. Jesus Christ, says the fiddle player. My part is very high for me, I say. It'll be fine, says the guitarist. We have another run-through, followed by an argument about how it should end."
A musician receives a last-minute invitation for the band to play live on national radio on Saturday. Only four members can make the session, which matches the studio's capacity, so they accept. The slot requires interpreting cricket chants adapted from pop songs. Limited rehearsal time increases the risk of errors. Three members meet to rehearse, listening to the Beach Boys' Sloop John B and debating arrangements for the introduction and ending. They run through the piece, resolve harmony clashes, adjust banjo parts, and record a phone demo to share with the absent drummer. Tension and humour punctuate the preparations.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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