It started well, with a substantial breakfast en famille (amazingly my dear, 77 year old mother had never set foot inside a Youth Hostel before) and a gentle drive through the soft Welsh rain into the surprisingly still accessible town of Hay-on-Wye.
A killer combination of being an "Artist" and my Mum's disabled permit led us to pole position in the best car park. The place was a quagmire of red mud though and the cold and rain just made everything a trial. However we found our way to the BBC Radio Wales tent where Alison and I did a short interview (which was broadcast the following afternoon).
Various Domino bods turned up and tea and cakes appeared, which were very welcome.
We then retired, for several hours, to the "Artists" wing of one of the many vast and imperial marquees, where we were joined by Phil and his family, and proceeded to enjoy two really thought-provoking interviews; the first with a chap from Mojo, which I can't wait to read, and another with a lady from Japan, who asked satifyingly oblique questions.
An excellent lunch of Moroccan lamb followed, amid the vaguely familiar faces of the British literati, before we all set off for the venue. For me this involved wading through six inches of shockingly cold water (bringing to mind my late paternal grandmother's First World War trench advice: "Keep your feet dry and your head cool and you'll be alright." I couldn't avoid failing the former instruction and it led inevitably, instantly, to a loss of the latter. There were a couple of occasions consequently when my head felt as though it would burst due to the simultaneous demands of so many people.)
Anyway, the setting for our one-off comeback turned out to be a typically undervalued marvel; a cross between the hotel from "The Shining" and a caravan site nightclub. Architecturally breathtaking in grandiose High Victorian style; smelly, camp and friendly, its' labyrinthine layout led to dozens of frustrating journeys through back corridors which were exactly like recurring nightmares where I find myself fretfully negotiating semi-familiar buildings for no particular reason but with considerable anxiety.
The gig was a welcome escape....
Our rehearsals had gone very well and Ken Brake had secured the best possible recordings of the original drum machine, from the studio multitrack masters, and with him and Andrew Moxham in charge we were in the best possible hands on the night.
A full house greeted us after Louis' kind opening announcement and there were many familiar faces grinning up at the stage.
I think we played better than we used to - Phil agrees. I thoroughly enjoyed manhandling an electric guitar again and Phil's bass playing was a deep joy. Alison totally excelled too. All told a very satisfactory outing. As you would expect, the folks in the audience were very warmly welcoming and made us feel relaxed and valued.
Tonight I watched the video which my daughter made, with her, and she made a point of frequently panning into the audience, zooming in on people occasionally. Superb!
Phil's wife also made a video which I look forward to seeing.
Having left the stage I was approached by a sea of well-wishers and autograph seekers; people who wanted to say their piece or just hello after so many years. It was truly amazing. Of course all our good friends from that era came and the post - show atmosphere was extraordinary, with much - loved faces all around and some legendary introductions made between major friends who'd never met. I was also pleased to meet Lawrence Bell, the Domino boss, and thank him personally.
Later, Louis and I held court with acoustic guitars in the dressing room for a while, playing a few tunes from The Huddle House; other friends gave the party songs of theirs too and a cosy, informal glow ensued.
I'd neglected to get keys to the Youth Hostel for that night and didn't know how difficult it might be to find in the dark, so I set off a lot earlier than I would have liked to, mindful also of my sons' sleepiness, and ended the night, after nearly concussing myself on a low beam, by slipping into a stuffy dormitory bunkbed.
The whole process of preparing for and doing the gig achieved what I had hoped for; that Phil, Alison and I would overcome our past grievances, have fun and feel comfortable with each other in a way we never used to. Seeing Phil smile at me across that stage made it all worthwhile and we've penciled in a first weekend to continue working together - this time on the new songs.
Of course it will be an immense challenge to match "Colossal Youth", especially after so long. But it's only the equivalent of the challenge we faced back in 1978 at the start of it all, and that was what made us excel. I wouldn't have contacted the other Giants, back in '03, with a proposal to attempt it if I didn't believe, deep down, that we can do it.
Watch this space, I think it's going to be very interesting.
-Stuart Moxham, 5/29/07