A lovely gig at a friendly open mic in Shoreham. The Welly is a pub that quite clearly plays a crucial role in the town’s music ecosystem – here you find local teens (underage, but allowed to play), wizened singer-songwriter hobos, and a backbone of regulars who add percussion, piano, and even flute to anyone who is interested.

There is clearly a tranche of established performers, but it never feels cliquey; you can just get a slot, plug in, and play.

I’d planned to just go along and perform alone, but Ros expressed an interest in joining. And, well, Elle lives just down the road… suddenly we were three quarters of The Highchurches, with Martha absent due to a scheduled “no social interaction” evening – a bit like saying you’re washing your hair, but without the bullshit, and if it’s a gig, not a date.

After some debate over whether Ros’ fiddle should be amplified or not, we set off with Doris Wu.

And honestly – I don’t think I’ve ever felt more confident on stage. We sounded great, the usual gently-chatting open mic pub crowd quietened up and took notice – it was a gorgeous feeling.

With no Martha we were limited to songs that I lead, so we went with Doris Wu, Even Keel, and Harvest Moon, Ros belatedly receiving a mic for her violin as a busy pub is a different atmosphere to a pin-drop silent and adoring folklore rooms audience.

I don’t know why, but standing up rather than being stuck on some stool makes such a difference both to singing and general performance. I enjoyed VERY MILDLY rocking out, and stepping back from the mic whenever Ros had a solo. We know these songs pretty well now, and watching and listening to my fellow band members felt like a proper joy.

“Do you want a sad one or a happy one?” I asked before Harvest Moon. “Both”, shouted one guy. It’s a bittersweet tune, so I hope we gave him what he wanted.

After we performed, the other acts and audience members were all lovely. A couple followed us on instagram, and one asked if we intentionally only play instruments with four strings.

I suppose we do; I suppose we do.