Clear Vision headed into 1999 with renewed enthusiasm. We were Kent's Second Best Band (see previous blog post) and we had gigs piling up. Playing such giddy venues like The Cricketers in Gillingham, my rugby club at Aylesford and the long lost Cherry Tree in Parkwood, Rainham.
The "Cherries" always used to get a big crowd as it was the local for 2 members of the band and also my girlfriend was local, so she always used to get many of her friends and family to come along. However, the "Cherries" used to also attract a few other unsavoury characters, with a very pungent whiff of "herbal cigarettes" filling the air. Maybe that's why the venue is now an Indian restaurant. There always seemed to be tension in the air in the pub, many drunks always expecting you to play songs they requested, expecting instant recognition of these songs and immediate play of said requested song, never understanding that to get a band to play a song, each member has to go away learn the song and start to piece it all together in practice for a couple of weeks before it was gig ready. To combat this I used to get the boys to play a standard blues song and I would then jam the lyrics to the requested song in question, sounding nothing like the actual song but it would always make the boys in the band giggle seeing them get agitated. Let's just say the band definitely paid their dues there.
My favourite venue was The Cricketers in Gillingham. Popular with the Gillingham FC supporters, always rammed on a match night and if the Gills had won then the atmosphere was electric. Our first gig there was quite fun, we turned up at the venue and the manager showed us where to set up. We plugged in and set up, did a sound check. Just before the gig a load of my mates turned up. Honestly the place was rammed, then all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I spy my father walk in with my grandmother! Now, my nan at the time was in her early 80's and was my mother's mother. After my mum had passed away, my nan kind of took over the role of mother to myself. I am still extremely close to my nan, who is now well into her 90's. Having my nan there was pressure for me as she was very much like my mother. I always wanted my mum to say she was proud of me, so making my nan proud would be the next best thing. She took a seat, at the back of the room, for the duration of the set and we started playing. I didn't get to see her for the rest of the gig as she was really blocked out from sight by the crowd dancing and jumping up and down in front of the band. However, after the gig I went over to her, I asked if she enjoyed it. She commented that it was loud but she did like my singing. OK, like was good enough, I wasn't expecting her and knew this type of music wasn't her cup of tea, so like was sufficient. Ironically enough, recently my nan came to her second gig, with my current band. We only play 60's & 70's so it was much more up her street. We did a 'Vintage Night' with the legendary comedian Tom O'Connor. She turned up with my Aunt and after I came off stage at the end of my set, my Aunt commented that she was amazed at my band and especially my voice (it was the first time she had seen me) and that if my mum were alive she would be proud of me. Upon hearing this my nan said to my aunt, 'Oh Karl's got a lovely voice, I've known for years his mum would be proud, ever since I bought his CD years ago'. Unbeknownst to me my nan had purchased Clear Vision's debut CD; a lovely surprise to find she's proud of me and she had secretly purchased my CD too.
OK, I digress, we thought Clear Vision would be going from strength to strength, however, we had stagnated, never really getting out of playing in Kent. I'd hope we'd have done a few more gigs in London except the one or two we did. Maybe that was the reason why our founding member Alex decided that playing with Clear Vision wasn't for him anymore. I still to this day do not know why he really left but we decided that we'd carry on and try to continue the fight to get signed to a record label. The replacement for Alex didn't take long to find; we had the perfect replacement - one of our regular followers and Chris' friend. His name was Ernie..... and he played the fastest guitar in the west (of Kent).
Ernie joined the band after wowing the rest of us with his rendition of 'Johnny B Good', and within the first few weeks we were playing our first gig with the new member. However, this gig was not the ordinary gig I was expecting it to be. You see John & Yoko had split up. Yes, after 2 happy years my girlfriend and I had gone our separate ways, and on my part it wasn't entirely amicable, in fact I was rather pissed off! At that young age, she had been my first love and had plans to marry, so to be told my boyfriend services were no longer required was a rather big shock. Our first gig with Ernie was at the "Cherries" and there was a big chance she would be there, of course with her new fella. Let's just say I wasn't looking forward to it. I can write this now as I am married to a wonderful woman who is everything I want and more, plus I am friends with Yoko again and know why what happened did. Also, after 12 years it seems rather comical. However, we set up and start playing. About two songs into the set, I look to the bar and see her with her new fella, which kind of caught in my throat. So I made a conscious decision to give the gig my all and show her what she had thrown away and what she wasn't going to get back again. So for the next hour and a half I played that gig as if it was my last, the place was buzzing and I was just rocking so hard I knew it was a good gig. Ernie played a blinder and everyone loved him, especially on Johnny B. When we finished the gig, I just packed up and went without a word to anyone outside of the band. I was just glad it was over. It was the last time I saw Yoko for years, for me at that time it was the right decision, I had to give it my all and show her what she was missing. For me it cleared my mind, I knew I would be ok and I was still strong. Unfortunately, the band wasn't as strong. We continued to play with Ernie but somehow the spirit had drained away; maybe 'cause the other lads were off to uni soon, maybe 'cause losing Alex was a bigger thing than we anticipated. Whatever happened, come April of 2000 I was bandless, loveless and jobless.... And so started my first music wilderness years!