Robert in lockdown!
When I wrote my article last week, Tide Lines were making a bid for the UK top 40.
My Dad promised me, if we achieved this goal, that he would allow me to use his new lawn mower. This was a far bigger motivation than it might seem for reasons I will divulge shortly but, to build suspense, let me explain a little about the first week of an album release.
For independent artists, it is a long week in which you expect to chart impressively at the beginning (thanks to initial sales on release day) and then be overtaken as the week progresses by world famous acts backed to the hilt by major record labels and promotion campaigns.
Remarkably, and beyond our own expectations, we held our own until the end-of-week charts were announced on Friday, and finished number 12 in the UK.
We were number 1 in Scotland for the week and also number 1 in the Independent chart.
Over the weekend, I did interviews on our chart position for the Record, the Sun, BBC Scotland, BBC Caribbean, an indie radio station in Hawaii, and even BBC Phuket! I would in fact go as far to say that I haven’t had as much media attention since I won the Mòd Gold Medal in Paisley 2013!! But the main source of satisfaction was that it meant I could finally use my Dad’s new lawn mower.
Readers will be only too aware of the hours of toil and struggle I have endured during lockdown pacing up and down the garden pushing my Dad’s heavy lawn mower after the drive belt broke. It was with great excitement, therefore, that his new mower finally arrived last week. No more sweat and tears. Just a nice leisurely stroll leaving smoothly and evenly cut grass in my wake. The only catch being that the arrival of the new mower rekindled all my Dad’s grass-cutting enthusiasm and he refused to let me anywhere near it!
It gave him a new lease of life; a fresh burst of freedom! And, for a few dream-like hours, the bonds of lockdown were broken as he flew up and down the lawn turning it into something which, in his mind’s eye, I am sure resembled centre court at Wimbledon.
During quarantine, one must grasp the simple joys when one can get them. It became clear to me that my only hope of ever wrestling back control of the lawn mower lay in my dad’s wager. I accepted his challenge to make the top 40 and I am glad I did. Not only is this a lovely feather to be added to the Tide Lines cap, or even a wonderful example of the support of our amazing fans who tirelessly spread the word about the record, it has won me control of the hallowed new lawn mower. Except that, ever since the charts were announced, it has done nothing but rain!
Perhaps next week…