(Author's note - thank you once again for taking the time to read my stories. This one came about after the song in question came up in my Spotify playlist the other week and I just knew it was perfect for Bea! Please feel free to leave comments, any feedback helps! - Chloe)
It was the final week of the tour and the reviews of the gigs had all been really positive. Violet Stiletto were enjoying critical acclaim and solid album sales, and Bea was hinting a larger tour maybe on the cards, to the States. We laughed about them appearing on one of the American late night talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert.
We'd both spent the best part of a week together, after that first night in London. Violet Stiletto started their tour in Manchester, then have been headlining around the country. Meanwhile, I'd been filming The Gift, starring as the innocent girl, Lulu. It was exciting work and Lioness Pictures had doubled their usual production budget, with some interesting shooting locations. I'd shot some scenes with Bethany Starr, and had already done the makeover scene with Chloe, the amazing hairstylist. They were both fantastic but in every waking moment I found my thoughts drifting back to Bea, I was starting to miss my sexy bassist. We'd managed to see each other a few times, but I wanted more and I was hoping she felt the same.
"We've got a two-day gap coming up. After Glasgow, we've got a couple of days before our next gig in Belfast," Bea had said on the phone.
"Do you want to hang out, then? I could come up and meet you", I'd said. I tried to sound, you know, laid back, non-committal, but failed miserably. She put me out of my misery quickly though.
"I'd love to spend more time with you Noa," she said, "Come to the gig, I'll leave a pass for you at the ticket office."
I packed a weekend bag and booked a flight that afternoon. It's just an hour by plane so I was going through the airport by six in the evening. I'd booked a hotel room -- it might be superfluous but at least it was somewhere i could freshen up and change clothes -- then I headed to the venue.
It was a much larger place than the last gig I'd seen Bea, which admittedly was a secret gig for the fan club, mainly. This, though, had seen big names play here in their prime. There was even a balcony, already filled with people. It felt a bit surreal seeing so many teenagers of different genders wearing tee-shirts with Bea's face on them.
The support band were on, and I had to admit, sounded really good. I watched the remainder of their set and made a mental note to check out their album at the merch stand later. But for now, I had a different destination. I made my way through the crowd, to the side of the stage, where a burly looking security guard was stood in front of a door. I flashed him the large, laminated pass around my neck, and he pushed the door open for me without a word. It opened into a corridor, and eventually I found the band's dressing room. I tentatively knocked on the door and the band's drummer, Jen, opened it.
She took one look at me, puzzled for a moment, then recognition and a wicked grin.
"Bea, it's for you!" Jen called, beckoning me in at the same time.
"You made it!" Bea leapt into my arms and wrapped herself around me. I hugged her back, it felt so good to feel her warmth, take in her scent again.
"Hi, Bea," was all I could say. I felt so content, in that moment, as if the universe was telling me this was exactly where I needed to be.
There was a knock at the door and a voice yelled, "Five Minutes, ladies!". Bea looked at me and said, "They are almost finished the sound check. We'll be going on stage in a minute."
I looked around at the other girls. They were looking over their set list. I could see Charlotte and Kate adding something to it near the bottom of the sheet.
"We're doing it, right?" said Kate, looking up at Bea, then me, then back to Bea.
"What's going on?" I asked Bea, and I swear she was blushing, which made me giggle a bit.
"What?" I asked.
"I'll see you after," she said, smiling. She pulled me in for a kiss, i slid my arms around her and forgot about the weird exchange. I smiled at the girls and left, heading half-way back through the crowd so I'd be clear of the mosh-pit.
----
Over an hour later and the gig was going great. With two albums under their belt and loads of B-sides, the band had a lot of good material to fall back on. They'd built up a strong following and played a mix of old and new songs. They finished on an old favourite of mine, "Mansplained", a funny, rocking song based on Kate's experiences working in a guitar shop. The crowd, as expected, went crazy, as the band finished to a crescendo before leaving the stage. The crowd kept screaming, clapping, shouting for more. Suddenly, all the stage lights switched off, then a single light at the front of the stage came on, and there was Bea.
She strummed her guitar, and pushed her hair back, looking out into the crowd.
"So, uh, this is a little different... it's uh, a bit of an indulgence, actually..." she said. She pointed to the guitar, and I realised it wasn't her bass, it was a six-string.
"Kate says I'm dead if I mess this up... this is... for my girl."
Then, she leaned into her microphone...and sang-breathed...
"Ah..." I was already getting goosebumps...
"...now I don't hardly know her
But I think I could love her
Crimson and clover"
I was melting on the spot.
"AAhh," her voice stronger now, playing the chords, swaying a little to her own music.
"When she comes walking over
Now I've been waitin' to show her
Crimson and clover
Over and over..."
I suddenly noticed how quiet the crowd was. The song was unfamiliar to most, it was an old Joan Jett and the Blackhearts song from the 80's. Bea had played it to me, telling me how it made her realise as a young teen that it was ok to like other girls, that here was this powerful, confident rockstar expressing her sexuality in the guise of a rock and roll song.
Memories flooded back as I watched her. She'd said to me, "I learned later, it was a cover, it was originally by Tommy Jones and the Shondells. But she took that song and owned it, didn't try to change the lyrics. Put it all out there. It still means a lot to me."
I was awestruck, watching her, in her skintight jeans and sleeveless tee-shirt. It felt, for a moment, that i was the only person in the room, and she was the only person on the stage.