getting down to business

Friday 28th July 2006

9:55 a.m. The last couple of nights have probably been the busiest so far, especially Wednesday night – the bar was fully occupied for most of the evening, and initially the audience were a bit of a tough cookie to crack, but I soon took care of that by playing some golden oldies and giving it some, in fact it was the first night where I actually broke a sweat whilst playing! When I had finished a girl who I guess to be about my age did a number, which was Urban Spaceman. Last night went really well also, I had another Scottish group sat around me for most of the evening, and despite them being a bit loud and boisterous they were a good lot to have in as they were really enthusiastic and gave me plenty of requests. Also there was a guy in there all evening sitting just behind me listening very intently and didn’t leave until I had finished. I spoke to him afterwards I think he was Dutch or French, and he was full of praise!

Was talking to James the other night and he said he could see me playing the piano on a cruise ship in a year’s time.

Have now confirmed that I will be coming back on board this ship on 21st August to do another contract, after having had a week’s break.

the two week mark

Monday 24th July 2006

12:42 a.m. BST Tonight was a bit testing. Was lacking inspiration when choosing the songs for my vocal sets, however I did decide to include a couple of new numbers which went down very well. I ended up with very little motivation as the evening drew on… … …

5:08 p.m. BST Looks like I abandoned last night’s post, seems I couldn’t even muster enough motivation to put an entry in my blog! lol

Back in Hull today, but decided not to go into town again, largely due to lack of money. Instead I spent a few hours at the internet place, getting song lyrics together, checking my e-mail etc. When I got back I had a quick chat with James in the crew mess and the good news is that they want to offer me another contract on this boat. The slight downside is that it would mean me only having three trips off (less than a week) next month, then doing another four weeks. However it would mean getting paid a bit more at the end of August, which would be good as it would mean a bit more financial security.

I’m going to clean my bathroom, then get ready for this evening.

Tuesday 25th July 2006

3:43 p.m. CET Last night went well, there was a good atmosphere in the bar and a nice receptive audience, which makes this whole thing just seem worthwhile.

Have just been out on deck reading. Is superb weather yet again here in Belgium. It seems to be consistently fine whenever we’re here.

Am now two thirds of the way through Sophie’s World. I’m enjoying it as much if not more than I did last time.

The resident band Top Secret have got another week with us starting today, then apparently a band from Bulgaria are coming on. Should be interesting!

8:01 p.m. CET Well, it has now been two weeks since I came aboard the Pride of York, and I have to say it has been a largely positive experience. In some ways it has gone really quickly, but in other ways it feels like I have been here a lot longer. This really is a different world. Being on the ship is a bit like being in the tardis: time slows down, the day of the week becomes irrelevant, you’re moving around in this big floating thing without always knowing what direction you’re going in.

Wednesday 26th July 2006

12:11 p.m. Last night was largely successful, I got applause after most numbers and the bar was quite busy despite us not being at full capacity. However, I experienced something last night which has happened a few times before where people seem to wander in during my instrumental numbers, and stare vacantly for the whole time they are in the room. So far I can’t really figure out why, maybe they can’t really fathom the possibility of there being a live pianist on-board, or maybe they are musing over the fact that I have both my ears and that my nose is in proportion to my head. If anyone has any other other possible explanations please let me know.

back to normal

Saturday 22nd July 2006

4:22 p.m. BST As predicted it was a lot quieter last night. It’s strange that some evenings, people are lively and don’t seem to even register that I’m sat in the room playing, and other times like last night, the room was very quiet for most of the evening despite there being quite a few people there. One thing that I certainly wasn’t expecting was one woman telling her child to be quiet during one of the vocal numbers! Got applause after every song so again it was a bit like a performance. It’s good that it isn’t like that all the time though.

Despite the oppressive weather I went for a walk this afternoon, and managed to find a few shops and a post office just down the road from the terminal, which is good as it means I don’t have to go into town every time I need to pick up a few bits and pieces.

Another very busy evening on the cards, but James returns tonight so we’re back to normal again.

Sunday 23rd July 2006

6:03 p.m. Last night was extremely busy again, however, custom in the piano lounge was fairly steady all night. Just before my third set, I let the son of one of the passengers have a go, he was only a young lad but he played very well. Then later on during my last break an older guy helped himself and played a few numbers, but I just sat and listened and he was actually pretty good too. Plus the added benefit of cutting down my set times!

Went to the beach at Zeebrugge this afternoon with the rest of the entertainment gang. Had a few drinks (mine were non-alcoholic again) and I took a walk down to the sea and had a wade. This morning it had been grey and overcast, but was lovely weather this afternoon, very warm but not unbearably hot, and a nice cool sea breeze.

When we got back I finally admitted defeat and went to do some washing as I had been putting it off since I got here!

As for tonight, I hope it goes slightly more smoothly than last Sunday evening did! Tomorrow it will be two weeks since I arrived, and I am still enjoying it (mostly!) and getting on well. Today James reiterated that he wanted to get me back on this ship after my break. But we’ll have to wait and see what Live Business have got lined up for me. I’m going to ring Pete tomorrow and see what the score is.

all hands to the pump

Friday 21st July 2006

2:50 p.m. CET Had yet another good night last night. I was generally a lot busier than usual, what with the Ent’s manager James being away, and there being nearly a full ship’s worth of passengers on-board. As part of my stand-in duties I had to do the P.A. announcement at 6:30 which was a little nerve-wracking but it went very well. After my seven o’clock stint I was selling Bingo tickets in the show lounge (where I managed to drum up plenty of interest despite never having done it before!), and I didn’t have time to prepare for my first vocal set at nine, so I just did it purely off-the-cuff and it worked well. During my break I just had time to throw a few lyric sheets together, and I played all the dead-certs during what I regard as my main set (at 10 o’clock) since this is when the bar tends to be busiest – Brown Eyed Girl, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Piano Man, to name a few. Was met with a very warm reception from an almost capacity audience – the first since I started here. The French people who had been on last Thursday, were there again (on their way back home), and they remembered me and sat right next to the piano as before, which helped to keep my spirit high. There were a few more than last time, including one guy who complimented me in French at the end of the night, which was a great encouragement. It’s these sorts of things that are not only good for my morale, but also act as confirmation that I am doing the right thing by being here.

I also did some live DJ-ing single-handed last night which is another thing I have never done before. Went very well.

Julian began another contract on Monday, aboard the Pride of Hull, which is one of the larger boats deployed a few years ago, whose route is between Hull and Rotterdam (the route I was working seven years ago). Unfortunately he is on the opposite sailing pattern to me, but that may change again in the future, which would be good as it would mean I would get to see him every other day when our boats are both in.

Apparently it should be a lot quieter tonight, so hopefully won’t be quite as physically demanding!

more news

Wednesday 19th July 2006

2:49 p.m. CET Was a quiet night last night in terms of passengers, and it would have been a quiet night for me, if a group of Belgian students hadn’t turned up and sat right next to me for most of the evening! It was good though, they were all singing along and there was a good atmosphere.

James is going early tomorrow and won’t be back until Saturday afternoon. Went and saw how to do the Bingo last night and it seemed pretty straight-forward. I’m going to have another go at DJ-ing tonight as well.

Ida comes up for the day tomorrow, which I am really looking forward to!

Thursday 20th July 2006

12:53 a.m. BST Had a great evening this evening, again it wasn’t very busy but the people who were around were very appreciative and I got my first proper encore!

Looks like I have managed to forfeit the bingo calling as one of the new band members has offered to do it instead. Thank goodness!

4:29 p.m. BST Just got back from town having spent the day with Ida. Didn’t manage to get her a day pass to come on board so we decided to go to The Deep instead. Took plenty of photos and a few short videos, some of which I will upload asap. Was really good! Had a really nice day and the weather wasn’t too hot either which was a bonus.

topsy turvy...

Just noticed that the order of the posts is topsy-turvy. Will sort them out when I have time, in the mean time, please bear with me!

the next instalment...

Monday 17th July 2006

4:25 p.m. CET Yesterday evening was a bit of a weird one. Not very busy but a bit of a strange mix of people. Having said that, a lady approached me after my first set who complimented me on my ability to play songs entirely from memory, which was nice. We chatted for a few minutes, and it turned out that she is in the Beverley Operatic Society in Hull.

Concluded the evening on a good note as towards the end of my penultimate set, a group of students came in and sat next to the piano, and they were requesting loads of stuff and singing along. Ended up going over time – didn’t finish til about midnight, with Hey Jude, including a long drawn-out coda!

James has got some family business to take care of at the end of the coming week so Jo (the children’s entertainer) and I are going to be filling in for him while he’s away. Will only be one round-trip which shouldn’t be too bad. Looks likely that I’m going to need to lend myself to some more DJ-ing, and some bingo calling… lol

I got eight hours’ sleep last night which is the best night’s sleep I’ve had since I began working on the boat. Haven’t done very much today though, mainly because it’s rediculously hot outside. The people from the band headed off to the beach this afternoon, but I decided to stay here. Probably just as well that I did; I sat outside for about half an hour but had to come in because it was unbearable.

11:02 p.m. BST Last night was difficult, tonight was just a wash-out! Well up until the last twenty minutes or so. I think part of my endurance in this job is going to be about taking the rough with the smooth. As with any job really.

One positive thing though is that I think my voice and my playing are both improving. I had always thought of them being being synonymous in a way, but I am beginning to see them as two separate and very different skills that can work individually or combine. My voice was a bit husky last night, and the first half of tonight as well, but then something changed and it sounded a lot better. My playing is just strengthening without me having to think about it. There are still a few bum notes here and there but a lot less than a week ago. Makes me wonder what results I might get if I actually did some rigid practice…

I’m off down to the mess to grab some food, then down to the DJ box to hang out for a bit.

Tuesday 18th July 2006

1:41 p.m. BST True Nature left this morning, and I helped them shift their stuff, and also lent a hand to Top Secret, the band who are coming on to replace them. James had a lot to take care of, so I offered to help out with cleaning the cabins. I relished the opportunity to do some vacuuming, as I haven’t had to the chance to do any house-work for the last nine days!

Took a couple of photos last night which I will be uploading shortly...

the story so far...

Monday 10th July 2006

8:13 p.m. Currently I’m sat on a boat bumbling down the Humber Estuary heading for the sea and on to Zeebrugge. Needless to say after seven years I am finally venturing out to do piano/vocal work again, on the North Sea Ferries. Shortly after being dropped off I and negotiating the thick-accented Security staff in the terminal, I boarded the ship, found my cabin, dropped off my stuff, then made my way to the crew mess in search of tea and toast. After negotiating the labyrinthine crew accommodation deck I found said mess, ate my toast then sat drinking my tea contemplating. It was strange coming back onboard the Pride of York (formerly known as the Norsea, the previous incarnation of this vessel) as it has hardly changed at all, and felt strangely familiar and homely. In a weird kind of way it almost feels like I haven’t been away.

I’m not in the same cabin as I was in last time, which is a shame as it was really nice, but the cabin I am in this time is almost as nice (if a little delapidated). The ship is large but the cabins seem smaller than I remember. This may be due, in part, to the fact that I have grown up since last time.

It’s cloudy and we’re only at half-capacity tonight.

I did my first set from seven until half-past. The so-called Moonlight Lounge was quiet, although there was a group of rather boisterous middle-aged people sat right next to the piano, which was a bit annoying. Still they were friendly enough, and recognised a couple of the tunes which I played, and I had a bit of a laugh and a joke with them. I forgot to take my set-list down with me, so I just played whatever came to mind, and it went down well enough.

The entertainments manager seems like a decent guy. His name is James, and I think he’s slightly younger than me – about 25. I met the band and the children’s entertainer as well, and the guy from the band Alex seemed very familiar. Not sure where from though. He knows Julian and Robert.

Today’s been a bit rushed but I’ve enjoyed it. Scarcely had a moment to stop and think, or to unpack, but I have managed to throw on a shirt and a suit and my new leather shoes, and although I say so myself, I am looking rather dapper.

I’m sure there’s plenty more I could say but I can’t think now, and I’d better go and get my song sheets ready. Will say more tomorrow when in Zeebrugge. Am looking forward to having the opportunity to speak French again.

I’m also looking forward to tucking into Sophie’s World, the second time round…

Tuesday 11th July 2006

9:55 a.m. CET Knackered. Hardly slept last night, which was a bit strange as I seem to remember sleeping like a log last time I was on here. Still it was my first night…

I realised where I recognised Alex from. He was part of the band that was on here when I was on last time - seven years ago!! And he remembered me from before!

Got boat drill this morning…

Wednesday 12th July 2006

1:09 a.m. Second night tonight. Went OK but had a load of German people on and they’re a difficult crowd to entertain. Asking them for requests was like trying to draw blood out of a stone.

Was reading through my journal from when I was last on the ship. Made me realise how much I’ve grown up since then!

Got the sense to go out on deck after my final set tonight. When I got to the aft I realised why, the full moon shining on the trail the boat left in the sea. Was an amazing sight.

Managed to receive a text message from Ida in the middle of the sea! I wondered whether there may be mobile phone transmitters on some of the oil rigs, or whether we were close enough to the coast to pick up a signal. Either way it still freaked me out when my phone went off!

I think it’s going pretty well so far. I’m waiting to see if I get any feedback from James or Peter when we’re back in Hull. James did say that he thought I played well tonight, plus a couple of officers walked through the bar during one of my earlier sets, and smiled when they saw me which I also took to being quite positive. There’s a different atmosphere on this boat than there was before. It’s more relaxed and friendly. I let the bar staff have a look at my repertoire earlier on so that they could choose some numbers, and later James said that they had commented on how that had never happened with anybody before!

Looking forward to being back in Hull and being able to check my e-mail, and get hold of some more material hopefully…

Thursday 13th July 2006

5:14 p.m. CET Didn’t go into town yesterday in the end, as it turns out that the Seafarer’s Mission just outside the Hull terminal has got an unsecured wireless network, which was very handy!

Had the best night yet so far. Had a few attentive groups in, got quite a bit of applause for several numbers including a couple of Keane songs, and Unchained Melody, which is always a safe bet. Even got a couple of thank-yous which made it seem all worthwhile.

Boat drill was rescheduled to this morning and it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. Still, it’s all part of the job I suppose!

The weather is gorgeous today. No cloud and a strong breeze. Got the tram into Blankenberge with James this afternoon, which was good. We wandered around a bit, went for a short trip on a small amphibious boat, then sat in a bar for an hour and had a couple of drinks. Lipton’s Iced Tea is proving to be an excellent substitute for the hard stuff.

I decided not to do any practice today. Probably wouldn’t have had the time anyway.

Friday 14th July 2006

10:06 a.m. Last night was even better than the night before! There were mostly Scots and French people in the piano lounge, I had a group of French people sat at the table next to me for most of the evening, and they were very enthusiastic, and as the night drew on they had me playing some more up-tempo numbers, like Crocodile Rock and I’m A Believer, and some Beatles numbers, to which they were singing along (in harmony!) I got chatting to them afterwards and it turns out they are in a choir. I got applause after all of the vocal numbers I played last night, and one of the guys sat on another table close by bought me a (non-alcoholic) drink.

Had some requests for some stuff I don’t know as well, so I think it’s time to get cracking on some new material…

So far I’ve managed to go my first four nights only repeating about four or five numbers from the night before. Quite an achievement really considering I play somewhere between twenty-five and thirty vocal numbers per night!

Generally things are going well. Going to go in to Hull later on this morning with the whole Ent’s crew. Need to go to the bank, and I need to hunt-down somewhere that has a wireless access point…

Saturday 15th July 2006

2:45 a.m. CET It’s late yes but I am not feeling very tired at all. Had a fairly good evening this evening, was a bit quiet but there was a couple who sat nearby who were very appreciative. At the end of my first vocal set, one chap gave me a tip! A lady who had been sat near the piano for a time thanked me for playing one particular song. The most well received song of the night was probably Walking in Memphis. I do play that one particularly well, even if I say so myself! Tried out a few new songs tonight, such as Elton John’s Are You Ready For Love, and also played Mrs Robinson for the first time in a while, which went down really well.

I forgot to say that last night there was someone from work on the boat on the way back from a motorbike trip around Europe. Chatted to her and her partner for a short while in the red deck lounge. It’s a small world!

James spoke to Peter (the guy from the agency) earlier on and apparently gave me a glowing report! :-)

I’m sure that there was a bunch of other stuff that I was going to say but once again I’ve left it too late and I’ve forgotten. I’ll do an entry later on today probably.

9:54 p.m. We just went past the QE2!!!

Sunday 16th July 2006

9:28 a.m. Had another good night last night. Did some more new stuff, plus some golden oldies, and they all went down well. There was a couple on from the night before who had asked me to play Scarborough Fair but I told them I didn’t know it so I learnt it for them and played it last night and that went really well too. Unfortunately I didn’t have the lyrics but I did an instrumental version and really enjoyed playing it. Felt more like a gig rather than just playing background music. I prefer it that way!

Didn’t do much at all yesterday, despite the weather in Belgium being excellent. I was really tired as I hadn’t slept well the night before, so I spent some of the afternoon catching up…

Fast approaching the end of my first week on-board. Generally things have been going very smoothly and I have had plenty of positive feedback, both from the Ent’s manager and passengers. Am still getting applause during almost all of my vocal sets, which is a good sign.

After I had finished last night the disco was still going on in the red deck bar, and I even had a go at DJ-ing for a bit to help James out while he did some other stuff. The band who are on at the moment, True Nature, have got one more round trip, then they make way for a duo called Top Secret. It’ll be a shame to see the guys go but apparently they’ll be back on at the end of August, which could work out very well if I get invited back onto this ship around the same time.

Here’s the link for the pictures I’ve taken over the last week. I will be updating this site fairly often, at the moment it’s just a web folder but I will add an index with thumbnails when I have time!

www.eclipse.co.uk/michelmas/Pics/Hull-Zeebrugge

Julian’s coming up today ahead of his next contract which starts tomorrow. Will be good to see him.