Fire In My Heart

I've just watched the latest episode of Torchwood on BBC3. If you're a fan and you haven't seen it yet I won't give anything away. However if you're a fan you'll probably be aware that it features a wedding. In the episode, on the morning of the wedding, the bride-to-be wakes up to Super Furry Animals on the radio; playing 'Fire In My Heart' from their Guerilla album, one of the best albums of all time in my humble opinion.

SFA were a funny band for me in the 90s. I kind of liked them in secret, because I didn't know anybody else who liked them. Or so I thought until I met up with some friends at the Reading Festival and during a drunken moment found myself in the middle of a mass singalong of this song. Turns out SFA were one of the favourite bands of all my friends too. In secret. I'm not quite sure why we never mentioned it prior to that. It's not like they're a band to be ashamed of.

Anyway, back in 2001 I split up with a woman I'd been involved with on and off for 13 years. It hadn't been the best relationship ever; if I'm honest I'd never been properly happy in the relationship. And the signs had been there for a long time. On and off is an understatement, she called things off at least once every six months over the years. And the fact that she a) didn't know friends I'd known for years because she didn't want to come out to gigs and things - and that was because b) she really didn't like music and c) she didn't drink, probably should have told me to get out a lot sooner.

I moved out and headed back to my old manor in North London. I left behind a lot, in fact all I took with me were my guitars, clothes and music collection. I had some fun with a girl who was a lot less complicated, a lot more funny and back in North London I started to make new friends and build my life again. The new relationship fizzled out, which was a little sad, but not unexpected. And anyway I was living again, without the cloud of the old relationship hanging over my head. It really was a new start.

One night in 2003 I was out with some friends. So it hits about 1030pm and I suggest another round. Unfortunately they all had an early start so we said our goodbyes and I headed for the bus-stop. So I'm stood at the bus-stop waiting on a bus and this gorgeous blonde walked past me.

I'm not particularly shy, and I will talk to anybody. But chatting up requires a reason to speak to somebody. So I pondered, lighting up a cigarette. An aid to concentration. And it helps the bus come sometimes. As I lit up a cigarette so did she. And guess what? The bus arrived and she headed for it too. As we put out our cigarettes to get on, I said something stupid like "well, that was a waste of a good cigarette, wasn't it?" She sort of smiled cautiously like you do when you're approached by somebody drunk in the street - did I mention I was a little drunk? - and got on the bus.

I'll cut this short. We got talking and found that we lived two streets away from each other. A few days later we went for a pint, which turned into us being the last to leave the pub as the staff put chairs on the tables around us. Six months later we were engaged. Just under two years later we were married. My decision back in 2001 had proven to be the most life changing thing I'd ever done.

Anyway, the day of the wedding my bride to be didn't wake up to SFA singing Fire In My Heart, but she did walk up the aisle to it. Thankfully the wedding day was a little short of aliens....

Super Furry Animals "Fire In My Heart"