Recurring Dreams
Recurring dreams don't have to be recurring nightmares.
Most of the time they are though. You know the ones, where the creatures are coming to get you. They never quite succeed but as you wake in the dead of night the fear that they might do next time is very real.
But I used to have a recurring dream that wasn't a nightmare. In fact it was quite the opposite.
If you've been reading this blog for a while you may recall that one of my favourite bands of all time are Lush. An account of following their Split tour around in 1994 appeared on this very blog back in 2011 (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4). Due to the tragic death of their drummer Chris there were no more Lush gigs after 1996. I don't think anyone expected there to be.
Except, for some reason, my subconscious. From the first few years of the twenty-first century onwards I started having dreams that I was going to a Lush gig. It was always a gig by the reformed band (as opposed to a dream set in the past) and after a while always started to contain the thought I've dreamed about Lush reforming before but now it's actually happened in real life and here I am at the gig, usually occurring shortly before waking up. Another element of the dream which was only occasionally incorporated - a kind of semi-recurring sub-plot - was that I was somehow expected to play bass, despite not having rehearsed (probably stemming from real pre-gig anxiety about my bass playing ability in bands out in real life).
I always awoke to a combination of disappointment and slight embarrassment at my credulity - of course Lush were never going to reform. How could I, even in the thrall of a dream, imagined otherwise?
I still remember the last time I had this dream earlier this year. I was in the audience waiting for the show to begin and tweeted "I am finally at a Lush gig again - you won't believe how happy it makes me to write those words!" This time it was really happening.
Except of course I then woke to the same emotional combo as ever. And that was another odd thing about the dreams. The music never actually started. It was all about the anticipation.
In the waking world there were still many gigs to go to of course. Earlier this year I blogged about going to see Bleach - another band from the same era as Lush - who had reformed for one night only. The intensity of the emotion experienced when watching them play took me by surprise and the thought did go through my head It's just as well Lush are never going to reform as I'm not sure I could even cope with the level of emotion watching them again would engender!
And then Lush announced that they were going to reform for some gigs in 2016.
Sod whether I can cope or not, I am going to go to as many of those gigs as humanly possible. It goes without saying.
It is quite literally a dream come true.
Lush will be playing Manchester, London and New York in 2016, with no doubt more dates to be announced over the next couple of months. Check lushofficial.com for details.
Most of the time they are though. You know the ones, where the creatures are coming to get you. They never quite succeed but as you wake in the dead of night the fear that they might do next time is very real.
But I used to have a recurring dream that wasn't a nightmare. In fact it was quite the opposite.
Except, for some reason, my subconscious. From the first few years of the twenty-first century onwards I started having dreams that I was going to a Lush gig. It was always a gig by the reformed band (as opposed to a dream set in the past) and after a while always started to contain the thought I've dreamed about Lush reforming before but now it's actually happened in real life and here I am at the gig, usually occurring shortly before waking up. Another element of the dream which was only occasionally incorporated - a kind of semi-recurring sub-plot - was that I was somehow expected to play bass, despite not having rehearsed (probably stemming from real pre-gig anxiety about my bass playing ability in bands out in real life).
I always awoke to a combination of disappointment and slight embarrassment at my credulity - of course Lush were never going to reform. How could I, even in the thrall of a dream, imagined otherwise?
I still remember the last time I had this dream earlier this year. I was in the audience waiting for the show to begin and tweeted "I am finally at a Lush gig again - you won't believe how happy it makes me to write those words!" This time it was really happening.
Except of course I then woke to the same emotional combo as ever. And that was another odd thing about the dreams. The music never actually started. It was all about the anticipation.
In the waking world there were still many gigs to go to of course. Earlier this year I blogged about going to see Bleach - another band from the same era as Lush - who had reformed for one night only. The intensity of the emotion experienced when watching them play took me by surprise and the thought did go through my head It's just as well Lush are never going to reform as I'm not sure I could even cope with the level of emotion watching them again would engender!
And then Lush announced that they were going to reform for some gigs in 2016.
Sod whether I can cope or not, I am going to go to as many of those gigs as humanly possible. It goes without saying.
It is quite literally a dream come true.
Lush will be playing Manchester, London and New York in 2016, with no doubt more dates to be announced over the next couple of months. Check lushofficial.com for details.
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