"Dude Looks Like a Lady"

Chapter 12 1st Round (Drummer POV)

‘This is called, The One-Eyed Horseman.’ We stared wide-eyed as they began. It was like Meat Loaf meets The Cure and we couldn’t decide whether that was a good combination or a bad one. But judging by the cheers that followed them as they walked off stage, I guess it was a good one.

‘Now to wrap things up we have a band called…’ we all breathed in, ‘Lazer Graffiti!’ Cheers came and we walked on stage. Poor Chris tripped over a wire but managed to steady herself.

I took a look at the audience, most of the people at the front were teens and at the back were people in their twenties- our kinda audience. I sat on the stool, sticks ready in hands and feet on the pedals. Chris and Red found their places on the stage, in front of each other’s amplifiers so they wouldn’t get reverb from their own. Strings stood behind the mic with guitar in hand.

‘Hello, there.’ He said winking at the girls down in front who swooned and giggled. I could see that most of the girls in the room were checking all us out, but the majority was on Chris. I wanted to laugh.

‘Okay this song is called Trigger…’ Strings said quickly, that was my cue.

Right foot down on the pedal and I broke the silence with a loud thud of the bass drum. Four times I did this before the rest of them came in very evenly. It’s funny a way a band works. You may be good at what you play alone, but you have to rely on someone else in the band when your playing together, a part from the singer. I suppose that’s why singers are often seen as the leader of the band. Red relied on my drumming to keep him in time with his bass. I had to rely on Chris to know when to switch beats. Me and Red could start off alright while opening the song, but in the end you always had to rely on someone. Chris relied on what Strings was singing to know when to switch. While Strings was alright as the singer, he also played rhythm guitar so he ended up relying on Chris to know when to switch too. I never understood why amazing bands broke up; if they fell out with each other why not just put up with one another for the music’s sake? But when I joined The Blue Eyed Crafters, I got my answer. You have to trust and rely on each to make good music; if you can’t trust them then it shows up as mistakes.

I listened for Chris to do that weird up and downy, pin to the guitar and strum thing. When he did, I brought and end to the song with a couple of whacks at the right and left tom, one on the snare and a crash of the cymbal. The audience cheered.

Screw modesty, it was kinda obvious we would win that round. I’m not the type to go on about how crap I am when I know how good I really am. If that sounds selfish I don’t really care, I prefer to be honest. When the judge called "Lazer Graffiti" and the crowd cheered, Chris, Red and Strings were ecstatic. I smiled and jumped to my feet with them, but I couldn’t really say I was excited or even happy at that moment. Midway through our song, I made eye contact Sailor.

I waited behind as the rest of them left, said I had stuff to do, which I did. Once everybody cleared out and the alleyway was dark enough for him to take shelter- he never really did like public confrontations.

‘Nice beats.’ He hissed, walking over to me. I just leant against the wall, I suppose he wanted me to get angry like I used to.

‘I know you don’t mean that.’ I said, quietly.

He sniggered briefly and came to a stop a breath away from me.

‘Whadya want?’

‘I felt like we should catch up.’

I raised an eyebrow, ‘Meaning…?’

‘Meaning like I thought I should tell you we’re rivals.’

‘…Meaning?’

‘Meaning Rosetta’s Thorns are in the competition too. Our gigs tomorrow.’