A Day in Bridgend

'Can someone chuck me another pick?' Padge shouted.

'Another prick?' Moose asked, looking confused and slightly horrified as he peered out from behind his drums.

'Pick you retard!' Padge shouted back. Moose made an 'Oh' face and disappeared again as he sat down. I sat on one of the amps as I watched this exchange. Bullet were doing a sound check at the venue and I was quite happily sitting in, watching and listening to them.

'How do we sound Lilly?' Jay asked when they had finished playing Last to Know.

'Awesome!' I replied, smiling widely. When their sound check was over I leapt down from the amp and joined the roadies. I wasn't really supposed to, but I helped them with whatever needed to be done, just to kill boredom. In preparation for the gig I made sure there were enough extra picks attached to Padge, Matt and Jay's microphones and a few extra drum sticks by the kit for Moose, as well as other odd jobs – moving things from one place to another, feebly helping to lift stuff, etc.

Everything ready, I went to change into a black vest top and jeans in the hotel, then went backstage to hang out with the guys before the gig. In the dressing room there was a slightly nervous air but it seemed like they were trying to get hyped up. Jay looked really excited and kept bouncing around . His behaviour soon began to rub off on the rest of the band as Matt, Jay and Padge warmed up their voices and Moose beat out rhythms on the sofa.

'You going to be in the audience or backstage tonight, Lilly?' Moose asked me.

'I don't know,' I replied. I hadn't really considered it, only thinking about how excited I was that I was even seeing them live.

'Well the crowd is probably going to be pretty nuts. Pits and shit.'

PIT! my mind screamed. 'I'll be in the audience.'

'Better go now then. It'll be filling up pretty soon.'

'Okay!' I stood up quickly grabbing a Guinness. 'Good luck guys!'

'Where are you going?' Matt asked, confused.

'To the stage area, so I can get a good spot at the front of the crowd.'

Padge cursed suddenly. 'Tell Dom to bring the other guitar if you see him on your travels. He'll know which one I mean. ...Hopefully...'

'Alrighty,' I said and turned to leave again.

'Sure you're okay to be in the audience?' Matt called after me.

'I'm fine,' I assured him, smiling happily. I waved as I exited the room and walked towards the stage while sipping my second can of Guinness of the day. There were already a few people there and others were still filing in. As I walked across the stage the fans who had already arrived looked at me curiously. Most of them looked to be around my age. Dom was busy changing one of the microphones and checking the others were in working order.

'Oh Dom!'

He turned quickly, 'Yes?'

'Padge said he wants you to take the other guitar backstage.'

'Seriously?' he groaned. 'He should get his own fucking guitar, lazy twat.'

I laughed. 'Have some of this to keep you going.' I said handing him my can.

'Ooh,' he said, his eyes lighting up a bit. He took a large swig.

'Don't drink it all!' I snatched it back from him in mid gulp making him splutter. I giggled, jumped down from the stage and leapt over the barrier. Looking around I found the girls in the venue were watching me a little enviously, now that they realised that I was with the band. Especially a small group all sporting home printed tee shirts with Matt's face on them.

The venue was eventually full and soon after the show began. A mosh pit was formed almost immediately, I could feel the slight pull of it even though I was right in the front. It was like some kind of black hole. Time for fun, I thought excitedly. My belly still hurt a bit and so did my leg where I'd fallen but that didn't stop me from being very ready to get into that pit.

After watching Bullet for one more song I allowed myself to be pulled backwards, just as Waking the Demon was beginning. I got to the pit very quickly and I didn't waste any time in shoving my way through the last of the crowd and launching myself into the mass of bodies. My small form was thrown around violently...and I loved every second of it! Call me crazy but I enjoy the violence of mosh pits and as soon as I got used to it and had regained a little of my balance, I gave as much of a battering as I received. Most of the people in the pit, or anywhere near it, were boys around my age and men. In fact, I don't think there were any girls besides me.

I was pushed hard and almost lost my balance but I fell against someone which helped me to regain it quickly. Unfortunately, I also managed to knock that person over. I glanced to make sure they were all right. The guy on the ground looked to be around two years older than myself and very angry. He stood quickly and came right up to my face, but I stood my ground. He shouted German words in my face and although I didn't understand them it was quite obvious the words weren't pleasant.

'Fuck you, it was an accident!' I shouted right back at him. I hate being blamed for things that aren't my fault.

All this happened between songs. Just as I finished shouting my words the next song began and with it the pit. Which was lucky for me because the guy looked ready to hit me. He raised his fist, but the lights hit the audience and he stopped abruptly. Then the bodies were moving again and we were swept away in different directions. The rest of the show was amazing. Bullet's final song was Say Goodnight, during which I returned to the barrier. Jay was at the front of the stage, one foot on a speaker at he played, and he glanced down smiling at me. I returned the smile happily thinking, This is soooo awesome! As they finished Matt shouted a 'thank you' to the audience and spoke for a couple of seconds about how great a crowd they – we – were. The band walked off stage and the lights started coming on only a few moments later. The venue slowly began to empty so I made my way over to the merchandise stand to see if I could help Mark with anything. Someone bumped into me hard, and I half turned to find the same guy from the pit.

He starred down at me and said, his heavily accented voice full of amazement, 'You're a girl.'

I laughed. 'You're a boy! And you speak English.' His accent was very thick but I could understand him all right.

He smiled. 'I am sorry about earlier. If I had known you vere female I wouldn't have tried to hit you.'

'No worries. It's my fault my balance is so bad.' I continued walking towards the merchandise table and realised he was walking with me.

'Could I buy you a drink, maybe?' he asked.

'Oh...I have to help out with selling the merchandise, sorry,' I said after a long surprised pause.

He raised his eyebrows. 'You vork here? But you are too young. And English.'

'I'm Welsh,' I corrected him politely. 'And no, I'm with the band.' He stared at me in shock and I giggled.

'Lilly!' Mark called. 'You're supposed to be backstage! Get going!'

'Okay!' I replied. I turned back to the German boy. 'It was nice to meet you. Sorry again about that little incident earlier.' I walked quickly towards the door leading backstage, leaving the boy looking after me confused.

The second I opened the door to the dressing room and entered someone scooped me up in their arms. I squealed in terror as the hyperactive vampire I realised was Jay spun me round in circles. He set me down so suddenly mid-spin that it caused me to stumble and fall back onto the small couch and Padge.

'Sorry,' I muttered to Padge, as I blinked, trying to clear my head a little.

'Jay, calm down mun! Some of us are fucking tired! How can you be so energetic after a show like that?' Padge groaned, as he nudged me off him and the room continued to spin.

'Maybe some of us are just too unfit to handle it,' Jay shot back pointedly, still skipping around the room.

'Piss off!' shouted Padge, throwing an empty beer can at him, which Jay dodged easily. The can instead hit Matt, who happened to be entering the room at that moment. It caught the stunned Matt right on the forehead, between his eyes. He stared at Padge a moment in shock and confusion, then his expression turned to anger.

'Right! You!' He pointed at Padge, who cowered into the couch. Matt leapt at him suddenly and Padge sprang to his feet with a yelp, dodged around Matt as only a vampire can, and ran from the room, the angry vocalist hot on his heels.

© Amber Williams 2010