Trendy Denim Hymns

It seems like an insane amount of time but it has been ten years since the band I was previously a third of, Negative Panda Society, released their second EP and played their last gig together.

I sometimes think about the version of myself I was ten years ago. Would I be happy with what I have done with myself or to myself in that time? Probably.
Would I be gutted about the very serious retreat of my hairline? Definitely.

What we did as a band was create a lot of memories.
One night, we went to an NME show and stayed in a hostel in Brixton.
During a show, I fed my guitar to a ceiling fan.

I once stepped out of our rehearsal space for ninety seconds to take a phone call and when I came back in, Mex and Mike had written the best song we would ever throw together.

 I recently went for brunch with a friend who was at most, if not all, of our gigs and we were reminiscing. There was a night where we were paid for our work (which was the only time it ever happened). I was given £150 to look after and the three of us went out to celebrate.

The next morning, Mike, my little ginger bullet of a bassist asked where the money was and I had to admit that we had drunk not just the profits but then the usual amount we spent on a night out.

Being in a band was a lot of telling girls that we were in a band, wearing skinny jeans and making grand gestures about an imagined future where we were famous. We really deserved to be famous.

When we moved earlier this year, I “rediscovered” our second EP, Trendy Denim Hymns, while clearing out the drawer that everyone has for the things that don’t go anywhere else. It made sense to bring it into this decade so I found a way of getting it onto Spotify. The most remarkable thing happened when I shared the news with Mike and Mex. It didn’t sound anywhere near as good as it did in our memories.

I stand by what we did as a three. It was the most fun an indie boy could have without keeping his trousers on. It cemented friendships and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

What we did together will always be one of my favourite things.