Blog: The Validators Return!

< previous

next >

Last week I found myself in lovely Leicester, where I indulged in some new experiences.

The first came about because I recently saw a mention of "Leicester Castle" and thought "Ha ha, how foolish, there is no such thing" and then discovered that there totally is and that it's a whole big area and building which I would have walked past LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF TIMES in the 15 or so years I lived there, on my way to work. THUS I went to have a look at it (it was nice), before going to The Good Earth, a vegetarian restaurant which has been in Leicester for over 60 years but which I had ALSO never been to in the entire time I lived there. It was exactly what you'd want a 60 year-old vegetarian restaurant to be and so I'll hopefully be back again soon, but it did all make me wonder how I could have been so INCURIOUS about things like this back in those days.

Anyway, the REASON I was in Leicester was to take part in the first Validators gig for over THREE YEARS, supporting The Loft at The Big Difference. This had all come about due to the actions of our NEW TOUR MANAGER i.e. Mr T Pattison, who had got fed up with us only meeting for CURRIES and so took it upon himself to book us an Actual Gig. The rest of us have been DELIGHTED with Tim's ascendance to tour manager, even though he humbly insists that he isn't but he TOTALLY IS THAT NOW, because LO! it all went really well. Thanks Tim!

We all met at The Big Difference for a sound check which sounded LOVELY as they do have a nice PA there and the soundperson was dead good. We haven't actually ALL played together since Gig One Thousand back in 2023, and haven't done a fully PLUGGED IN gig with all of us since - crikey - June 2021 but it all came flooding back as if we'd only been out on the road a couple of weeks ago. I guess after nearly THREE DECADES of ROCK then some sort of MUSCLE MEMORY develops!

Duly checked we went to get some CHIPS and then returned to The Green Room (i.e. the upstairs bar) to say hello to The Loft and to have some of the FREE BEER what our Forever Tour Manager had managed to negotiate for us - he's very good you know. Various pals and familiar faces rolled in and LO! there was much fun and chat before it was time to take to the stage where we went and did THIS:

20 Things To Do Before You're 30

My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once

Billy Jones Is Dead

Please Don't Eat Us

It Only Works Because You're here

The Lesson Of The Smiths

Easily Impressed

We Did It Anyway

As you can clearly see, it was BANGER after BANGER after BANGER, and it all went really well. We did Please Don't Eat Us because Joel - one of the tiny wee children from the CHOIR in that song - was now somehow the BAR MANAGER at Big Difference (surely this is child labour?) so he got up to sing his bit with us, and he did so wearing a SHOWADDYWADDY jacket. Somehow the venue has TWO such items behind the bar, one of which Emma wore and then handed over to ME to wear for the rest of the set, which was amazing. I think I have found my new look! Even more amazingly this brought about a NEW FEATURE for the live show, as Ms E Pemberton - quite probably the person who has seen us more times than anybody else - said she had a JOKE related to Showaddywaddy which she then got on stage and TOLD to the audience!

It was a fantastic gig all round really, and a reminder that KRAZY OCCURENCES and ROCKING GOOD TIMES are something that are still very much available to us. As we stood and watched The Loft (the band I have now seen more than any other this year i.e. TWICE) later, Tim asked how we could make this sort of thing happen more often. I guess the answer is for us to book some more gigs!

posted 25/5/2026 by MJ Hibbett

< previous

next >