Down for the Count at Wembley Stadium

On Wednesday 1^st February 2012, we were invited to perform at one of the most iconic, instantly recognisable venues in the world – Wembley Stadium.

Some of us had been to see Take That at Wembley the year before… sadly we weren’t performing to 80,000 people (more like 80) but you’ve got to start somewhere!

The event was the European Annual Conference for D-Link.  The delegates had a large meeting in the daytime, before retiring to the hotel to prepare for the evening meal and party – at which time we arrived to set up.

When we arrived at the venue, we were guided through a very impressive security gate and then to the stadium’s internal perimeter road.  This meant driving extremely close to the pitch – the temptation to jump out of the van and run on to the pitch shouting ‘GOOOAL’ proved hard to resist!

Our route from the loading bay to the function room involved walking halfway around the stadium.  On the way, there were reminders of a few of the stars who had performed here before us...

Our home for the night was the Pitch View Restaurant – and the view from the balcony was amazing:

After we had set up and sound-checked, we were shown to our changing room.  We are used to all kinds of different changing rooms – sometimes we don’t have one, sometimes it’s far from glamorous – but this one was incredible, a corporate box with a spectacular view of the pitch and, waiting for us when we got there, a delicious hot lasagne and bread rolls.

Suitably fed, we sorted our music and got ready for the first of two sets.  Before our performance, a group of Brazilian dancers got the guests in the mood with a demonstration.  We then launched into two sets of swing and soul music – with the instrumental Glenn Miller music proving especially popular.

The dancefloor was full all evening, and we all had a fantastic time.  Sadly it was all over too soon – and all that remained was packing up, followed by the long push around the stadium with three trolleys worth of gear.

We all had a fantastic evening and hope to return to Wembley one day soon!

A weekend in the life of Down for the Count

The weekend of the 3rd -5th of February was a busy one for Down For The Count, and definitely had its fair share of challenges and surprises! With swing, soul and lots and LOTS of snow on the agenda, here's a little snippet of what went down...

The 3rd of February 2012 meant one thing and one thing only for the folks here at DFTC: the eagerly-awaited Down For TheCount LIVE at Crouch End Music Palace, London!

The first of many public concerts in this stylish yet homely venue, the band swung the hall to the rafters with two sets of our finest, premium-quality jazz and soul. Set-up was a breeze, with everyone chipping in and knuckling down, and soon soundcheck was under way. This time we were polishing up our new addition of backing vocals by the very lovely Kate, Claire and Steve, and as a rare treat we had the stonkin' duo of BOTH of our premier singers, Katie and Nicky, who delivered a cracking duet of 'Me And My Shadow'!

Once we were finished, the venue looked a treat:

And the rest, as they say, is history - if you don't believe us, read a rave review from Hire-a-Band's Martin Kyprianides! A fantastic gig, and a tradition in the making: head on to our next performance here on the 4th of May, when we will be opening the very first Crouch End Festival.

Review: www.hireaband.co.uk/down-for-the-count-gig-review

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But the fun didn't stop there, oh dear me, no. After a well-earned rest at DFTC Towers (aka Mike and Amelia's flat), Rich and Simon nipped off to Budgens for what can only be described a a brunch fit for a Count (sigh), perfectly cooked by Claire:

After that it was straight off in the car, on our way to Eynsham Hall, West Oxfordshire - Simon was in the middle. Cue obligatory panoramic car photo:

As we approached Oxfordshire however, the snow began to fall… so much of it! So that by the time we arrived the beautiful venue looked like this:

A fantastic wedding was to follow, and such a success it was that the venue has asked us back for a charity ball in aid of Ovacome! Energetic as ever, we were still full of beans enough to have a little play in the snow afterwards:

Fortunately, high spirits were exactly what we needed next - as a long, LONG journey back along the M40, and a skillful but hazardous drive by Mike back to the unit, saw us arriving home at 5.30am (an average journey speed of 16 miles an hour) - but not a minute of it wasn't good, bandterous fun.  We even had our text message read out by Richard Allinson on early-morning BBC Radio 2!  Down For The Count's epic weekend in the snow was certainly one to remember.