[spinners] sgt. pepper [the band]

Oliver's green eyes scanned the crowd of mostly familiar faces, alit in the soft glow from the hanging lights set up around them— Senna's idea, something to do with the ambiance she had explained as she saged the space prior to anyone having arrived. And she had been right. Between that, and the various candles spread around, it was a perfect atmosphere. He thought he might like to live in this moment for a while longer. Forever, even.

The band had been at Spinners all afternoon, setting up, playing old records in the safety of the closed shop, relishing in the fact that they were finally going to share their new music with the world. Well their world. Friends and family only.

And as it turned out, between them, they had more of those than anticipated.

The basement was as full as he'd ever seen it, people sharing couches and squeezed into booths— he even thought he saw his brothers amongst a group of younger witches and wizards that were hanging over the edge of the skate ramps opposite them.

The album itself wasn't out for a couple of weeks, but they decided as a band that they owed it to themselves, and the people they loved, to have a more private celebration than what the label was planning. So there they were the last song lingering into the cheers from the room. Oliver had to look down to his shoes, grinning, as the familiar warning of heat on his cheeks that usually preluded tears. 

"Thank you, you've got no idea how much this means to us..." He managed a little bow of his head before showing off each member of the band to the resounding sound of the crowd. Rheya would hate him for that. Setting his acoustic guitar on the stand that sat atop one of the rugs they had laid out, Ollie hopped from the stage to pull the band into an embrace.

This made this real. It was all happening.

Rheya was normally comfortable here at Spinners, in a way she'd grown up here, but tonight everything was different. Tonight everything was going to change, and even though a lot of things had already changed, somehow tonight was going to make it all real. They'd been writing songs, they'd recorded, they'd been signed, but playing in front of the people they cared about most like this was what would really solidify it for her. She had felt like she was going to be sick before they started their set, which was pretty normal for her, but in the moment it felt overwhelmingly stronger than usual. Senna had tried to give her some sage tea or fairy dust or something to calm her nerves but Rheya couldn't have been helped. She had barely caught her breath by the time they were headed out on the stage, the hot lights burning down on her as she hid behind Oliver and snuck to her drum set. It didn't matter that she knew, and loved, pretty much everyone out in the crowd tonight or that they were at a home venue, Rheya's stage fright was as persistent as ever.

And just like every other show, the moment they started playing all of those nerves and worries and anxieties melted away. She didn't remember that she hated being in the spotlight or that too many people were looking at them, all she knew was the beat on her kit and the music they were playing. Every time it took her over and it was like she was in some sort of trance, she felt high on it, and she was addicted to it.

When they had finished playing she smiled, a little out of breath and her heart still racing. Holding her sticks in one hand and using the other to push long braids that had fallen out of where she'd clipped them back over her shoulder the young witch looked out for the first time. Behind the bright lights and the rest of the band the dark floor looked like a blob of swaying shapes and lights. For a moment she enjoyed it, loving that the crowd loved their music, relishing the feeling of sharing this with others, and then the anxiety slowly crept back in. One on one she was ridiculously charismatic, flirty you make even say, but up here in front of a crowd it was like she was the same shy badger she had been in her first few years at Hogwarts. Before she'd grown into herself, she gained some confidence, and made friends.

Oliver was calling her over as he introduced members of the band and she complied despite the fact that her hands were so sweaty she could barely grip her drumsticks. "Uh, hi." She said leaning into his microphone with a shy wave and then backing up again. She tripped a little over his cords, shot Senna a desperate look, and moved off of the stage and onto the floor just before Ollie jumped down. Down here she felt calm again, it was Spinners, it was Ollie and the Ollies, it was real and she loved it. "We killed it up there~!" She whispered to them as they all hugged, letting out a relieved laugh and smiling.

It had been an amazing set, an amazing night. Senna had been smiling so hard her cheeks hurt, her body tingling with post show adrenaline, her heart soaring with the feeling of love and camaraderie and appreciation she felt for her bandmates, for the music they created together and for the family and friends who had shown up today to hear their latest songs. It was a good thing she had saged the stage before they had went on, even though she knew they would have killed it either way.

She had prepped in her usual way for tonight. Having absolutely no plan and going based on instinct. It had been a very last minute decision to add the lights and candles, but she thought the new album vibed with that cozy type of ambiance. It set the stage so to speak for the soft but powerful dulcet tones of Ollie's voice, hers lower and softer accompanying him on songs that reminded her of California and heartbreak.

She wrapped her arms around Rheya's and Jonesy's shoulders as they embraced off stage, leaning her head into Rhey's as she nodded. "Knew we were gonna be great out there. So proud of us!" she exclaimed with excitement, a bright smile on her face. She grinned as she looked across their little circle at Ollie and stepped closer to wrap her arms around his neck affectionately, stretching up onto her tip toes to snug him for a quick moment. "Proud of you, Olls," she told him before she leaned back to look up at him and gave his arm a squeeze. She flitted away in the next moment, nodding toward the bar. "Drinks on me?"

The ambiance, the edging on from the crowd, the steadiness of Ollie’s voice as he held that last note – all of it had Jonesy feeling like he’d just downed several shots of liquid luck. He fed off of the palpable energy circulating in the room. It was a natural high he never wanted to come down from.

His fingers glided over the keys with practiced ease, sweat sliding down his temples, the whisper of a smile never falling from his face. He felt a surge of pride, knowing how much hard work had gone into this album, knowing how far the others had come. Ollie and Senna – after all those solo gigs, the settling for late performances in shoddy bars or on the streets – deserved this moment. He played for them more than anyone else.

When the set was finished, George’s faint smile had widened into an all out, ear to ear, holy-shit-inducing grin. When Ollie introduced him, he took it as his cue, promptly giving a few quick notes on the keys. The cheers that followed sounded just as much like music as the tune he’d just played.

“Shit, mates,” he said, eyes lit like wildfire. He’d hopped off to stage to join them, still reeling from their performance. He didn’t even finish his sentence, but he knew he didn’t have to. They could all feel it. George instinctively put his arm around Senna and Rheya when the former pulled them into a hug. He’d had a group of mates at school, but the solidarity had never been like this. The support was absolutely mental. George kept his arm around Rheya’s shoulders while Senna walked over to Ollie. He beamed at his friend.

“Drinks on you, Senna?” he repeated, cocking an eyebrow and turning to the bar. “Brilliant. I’ll ’ave ten pints.”

While he couldn't feasibly wrap his arms around the four others, his band— how strange it was to say that, formally— Oliver certainly tried his best as he clutched the fabric of various shirts, unaware of who or what he was holding onto. Either way, he was going to hold on tight. Spinners was loud. In his head, he could ascertain that, the sounds of the crowd and the music from the speakers picking up where they'd left off. All he could hear, though, was ringing in his ears, and the distant voices of his friends hushed in the circle. Their own private moment.

Senna tucked into the small of his neck and Oliver involuntarily gave back a little shiver as he pulled her into a full embrace. "I'm proud of you," He grabbed her shoulders, softly but firmly, looking her in the eye. He knew that this was what she wanted as much as he had, maybe in a different way once upon a time, but here they were, all of them together. She had worked so hard at her solo stuff, and there was a fleeting question that he might be depriving her of that.

George Jones (Ollie exclusively called him by full name) broke whatever tension he'd created in his own mind. "Of course you will," He clicked his tongue, pulling his friend to him as they all made their way to the bar. He was pretty sure Spinners would cover their tab, but it was the precedent that mattered. "You!" Oliver pulled George's hand up to his face as he half sat against a barstool. "And these god damn magic fingers!" No matter how much he'd already said it, he simply couldn't wrap his mind around it— that level of skill.

As if premeditated, that barback had a tray of shots ready for them, something that Ollie thought looked like tequila, but he couldn't be sure. He passed them around, taking his last, trying, and failing, to avoid the sweeping feeling of sentimentality in his chest. "Well..." He finally looked up from the floor, his green eyes misty from the sweat of his brow, the inevitability of welling up. "S'pose, to the rest of our lives." He held up the shot glass and caught them each in the eye, grin growing by the second.

She beamed up at Ollie, her face full of respect and love and happiness for him, as his hands settled lightly on her slight shoulders. Senna felt the emotion welling up and she took a deep steadying breath as they all moved toward the bar together. This.. camaraderie wasn't something she had ever even dared to dream of, but somehow she had fallen into it and she wasn't looking back now. It was a good thing her tarot cards had told her she needed a change the day before she had moved back to Paris and back to Rheya's flat filled with artists. After years of trying it alone, trying to make her solo act work, she was finally making it happen. With them. She was grateful for every moment, for each one of them.

Especially in moments like these when Jonesy made her laugh, just by being him. She laughed, high and light, as she grinned at Jonesy and shrugged. "You probably won't even make it past the first two," she teased sweetly, but not minding all the same. She had never been much of a saver anyway and she'd much rather spend it on these people that made her happy than lock it away in some vault. Luckily, her round wasn't quite up yet as Ollie passed around some shots. She widened her hazel eyes, glancing at Rhey with anticipation, then look back to Ollie who seemed poised to say something. She heard the emotion in his voice, his aura felt like it was rippling gently, and she rubbed an affectionate hand up and down his back as she nodded, saying "here, here!" before she clinked glasses with everyone, making sure to look everyone in the eye (for luck of course) before tipping it back.

It slid down her throat smoothly and she held her shot glass in the middle of the circle, waiting for everyone to pile theirs up on hers in a neat little stack that soon became topsy-turvy. "Ok now this round is on me," she added with a grin. After that performance, they all deserved to let their hair loose and the liquor would help. Senna slipped the barkeep some silver sickles and ordered everyone's favorites with a soft smile, her fingers drumming along the counter lightly, the music still weaving through her veins, the high from the stage still very real for her. She glanced at Rhey, bumping her hip gently against her friends as she leaned against the bar and checked in with her. "Feeling good?"

Rheya felt like she was on top of the world like they all were, this was the moment she knew she'd look back on and remember if they really made big. This was the moment it all became so real to her. They were done playing little gigs, living in her uncle's free artist housing, and dreaming about the day. This was the day. In her heart, they had always been a real thing but now the world was starting to recognize them too. This party was just for friends, family, and fellow artists but there were still plenty of industry people around. Enough that even though it wasn't their "official" album release it felt like it could have been. And where better to have it than Spinners. They'd crashed on the couches more times that Rheya could count, and she'd worked upstairs on and off since she was sixteen.

Hugging Jonesy and Senna back she felt the warm burning on her cheeks starting to cool off. She hated the attention, but she had loved the feeling of the crowd vibing with them. And these guys were her forcefield, protection from the anxiety, once they were all playing together it was like everything was falling into place. This was going to be a great year. Senna moved away to congratulate Ollie and Rheya leaned up against Jonesy, the lightheadedness after the adrenaline starting to settle in her bones. She laughed loudly when he ordered ten drinks on Senna's sickles and the banter between them all. "You probably won't even make it past the first two," made her laugh again as she nudged whoever was closest to her. "That's why I'll be drinking at least four of them." She added, a little wink in Jonesy's direction as she joined them all for a toast.

"Cheers," Rheya said as she knocked back a shot and let the harsh liquid fuel her soul. In no time at all she'd feel it kicking in, she'd forgotten (a.k.a. not wanted) to eat before the set so her stomach was rumbling. When she saw Senna ordering up the next round she shot the wizard behind the bar a look, knowing he'd take the full amount of sickles if Senna offered, but also knowing that Spinner didn't intend for them to pay top-shelf prices all night. Billy was the type to pocket the rest if he could get away with it, which made Rheya like him less but Merlin if he didn't make a killer cocktail. "Oi, that's two rounds worth, right Billy?" She barked at him, a bit of the shot already kicking in, and the flush came back to her cheeks a bit. Billy the bartender cut the stack of coins in half before depositing some into the register and then the rest. He started pouring them another round of shots, the same as the last and grumbled under his breath.

"Really good," She told Senna as they leaned against the bar together, back to Billy and resting an elbow on the ledge. "You?" She asked, watching the boys from where they were standing and then calling out to them. "So who's gonna' play Galleons with me?" Rheya asked, wiggling her eyebrows a little at the prospect. Much like the muggle version of quarters, it was one of her favorite bar games.