Nine years of Yallas!

It’s Monday morning. I’m a little tired. I had quite a long day yesterday. Will came around early doors to take the tour van for a spin. What a vehicle. Then in the afternoon I joined my friend Pollock for a pint in Leeds to watch the football, we we’re joined by a few more of our friends, including Ben who had survived a fire in his apartment block on Saturday. He was extremely lucky that Pollock’s girlfriend had witnessed it and called him to see if he was ok. He was in a deep sleep as the fire raged. Allegedly the buildings alarms didn’t work. Scary stuff. Luckily everyone’s ok. We eat, drink, and listen to his story, we do the thing that all good friends would do in this situation and try drop as many fire jokes as we can. I’m wondering if he will have a house warming when he finally moves back home. After the football we go back to Pollock’s house where the boys watch the NFL. I vent my anger at such a ridiculous sport, the amount of stoppages and adverts is ridiculous. I decide to play Trivial Pursuit with the girls instead. Much more fun. About 10pm a little drunk I decide to head home. On the way I received a text message from a Leeds gig promoter. Doc.

Doc has been promoting gigs in Leeds for years. He hosts regular charity all day events called Docstoc. These events are usually held at The Primrose Pub on Meanwood Road. They are borderline legendary. There is usually an impossible amount of bands on each line up. Some of the bands have the most ridiculous names. So much so that there is a bit of a Yallas tour game where we try to invent imaginary bands that could play a Docstoc event. One day I hope ‘Concrete Slab’ or ‘Grass Verge’ are the headliners. The posters are usually designed in Microsoft Word using clip art for added effect. Every band in Leeds has a DocStoc story. Ours is that our very first gig as The Yalla Yallas was for Doc. I was reminded of this last night with his cryptic message.

“Ten years next year” he wrote.

“Ten years of what?” I replied

“Yallas, you played my 40th in January 2008”.

That is correct. We did indeed play his 40th at The Brudenell but that was not our first gig. Our very first gig was only a few weeks before at a venue called The Primrose. Doc booked us that night too but it was not one of his all day events. It was Saturday 22nd December and it fell on the fifth anniversary of Joe Strummer’s death. We called our band The Yalla Yallas after one of his songs. We didn’t have enough songs to fill the set so I started the gig acoustically. Then as a full band I think we played ‘Stand Up’ ‘Girls are Meaner than Boys’ ‘Rock n Roll Kid’ and a cover of Rancid’s ‘Roots Radicals’. This would’ve been Dempsey’s first ever gig. He borrowed a bass amp from our friend Pollock. He still hasn’t give him it back. It would’ve been the first time that I had played live with a band. Our original drummer was a guy called Kev Bellwood. I think he lasted about eight months in the band. He was an amazing drummer. I believed we we’re alright that night and I believe that we’ve got better every gig since.

That first gig also set the rules for the band. Fuck rehearsing endlessly. Just gig. 22nd December first gig. I only had the idea to form the band on or around the 16th November. What is that 5-6 weeks from the idea to stage?. I was in Amsterdam with Pollock. It was my girlfriends birthday. I bought her a scarf. We were having a rough time at that point and by Christmas we would be separated. I was heartbroken in Amsterdam I knew the end was coming. I decided that I wanted to form a punk band. I put all my anger and energy into The Yalla Yallas. I remember turning up to the two or three rehearsals with tears in my eyes and then turning the heartache into songs. I felt like I was gaining strength from the music. I wouldn’t say that any of the early songs are particularly about her, but she was certainly the spark that generated the energy and anger.

So anyway I’m in Amsterdam. I call Dempsey first and he agrees to play bass if I show him what to play – I didn’t think that deal would stand for the lifetime of the band. I still have to show him to this day. I can’t read music, but I know chords and notes. He doesn’t even know notes. Still to this day if I shout out A or D he just shrugs his shoulders and I have to physically show him. Tosser. Learn the bastard notes at least. I then ask Kev from 4 Letter Holiday if he will help out on drums. I would play guitar in those days. I also put an advert on Leeds Music Scene for another guitarist. We only got one response. Will Grinder. Cool name I thought. The advert was asking for a guitarist to join a band whose influences we’re The Clash, Iggy Pop, Guns n Roses, Dead Boys. Will writes back saying that sounds like his sort of band and directs me to his previous bands MySpace page. I take a listen and thought I’m not having him in my band, I didn’t even reply to his message. I decide to re-post the advert. Yet again, No response except for Will Grinder politely asking if I had received his previous message. This time he includes the words “I have a van”. Hired. We arrange a rehearsal and he tells us that he’s sold his van. Still to this day I don’t believe there ever was a van. Will plugs in and I quickly realise how close we we’re to missing out on one of the best guitarists in town. From day one Will has managed to take the songs I write and turn them into something else. He just brings them alive. Now I don’t ever write a song without imagining what Will could do with it.

So while we’re away on tour next week. I’ll be in the very city. Amsterdam. Nine years to the day from when I had the idea to form the band. Truthfully like most other bands that play Docstoc I never imagined that we would see out a full year. We have had our wobbles, and I get restless sometimes, but The Yalla Yallas right now are in a very good place. We’ve got a new album written, a tour to complete, and bookings into next year, and also the year after. Doc sent me another text message. It read “Keep Jan 2018 free, It’s my 50th”. Wouldn’t miss it.

 

 

 

 


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