Charity single and sell-out show as The Good Water rock on in lockdown

Musicians have been particularly badly hit by coronavirus, with live performances, rehearsal sessions – and even music colleges and one-to-one tuitions – all being cancelled or switching to online sessions.

Thankfully, venues like Dead Wax, in Digbeth, have managed to come up with some creative ways of getting live music out there for fans, while also giving bands the chance to finally perform together again.

The Good Water – which includes Rob Clements, from Redditch, on lead guitar and vocals, Stuart Webb, from Great Barr, on keyboard and backing vocals, and Tom Fisher, on drums and backing vocals – have kept themselves as busy as band can be during lockdown, and even managed to release another single.

Four Walls was recorded individually by each musician before being put together and then released through iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and Google. And to make the release even more special, profits from the song will be going to the NHS Charities Covid-19 Appeal.

Next up though for the three piece, all being well, will be a sold-out gig at Dead Wax on December 5. The band and the venue are eagerly awaiting the Prime Minster's next announcement, to see what tier Birmingham and the rest of the region are placed in, but as it stands – the gig is still on.

Clements said: "It's on until we're told otherwise. It's been a very up and down year for musicians – like it has for everybody.

"We were just so excited to finally get something booked up, which at least meant we had something to work towards.

"We're now nearly out of the second lockdown so I suppose we'll just to wait and see if it's extended, but we're hopeful of playing and we're planning for the gig as usual.

"We've got our fingers-crossed anyway but we'll know more once the new restrictions are announced.

"It's obviously been really bad for the hospitality and events sector, so it's great some of these venues are able to come with some sort of a plan.

"If they can put on any sort of event with all this going on you've got to take your hats off to them."

Like all industries, the ever-changing rules have made it more and more difficult to plan ahead but whatever happens in the next few days, Clements, Webb and Fisher will be eager to get back on stage – and just as eager to get back rehearsing.

"With the first lockdown, everybody knew the rules but since then it has just got harder and harder," said Clements.

"Dead Wax contacted us about the idea of putting on a gig – it was a phone call we had been waiting for all year, so we jumped at the chance.

"We knew it was going to be a different show but the idea of maybe trying a few new things really appealed to us.

"It will be filled with a lot of our usual songs, along with our new single and also a few new ones no one has heard of before.

"We also thought about putting on a more laid back set, not an acoustic set, but a more stripped back sound.

"But we knew we wouldn't be able to help ourselves once we got going so we scrapped that idea pretty quick. We always want to give it 100 per cent."

Clements said the band was particularly excited to play their new single, Four Walls, which they put together during the first lockdown.

"We didn't intend to release another single, we were just bouncing a few ideas off each other and then we realised we'd come up with a really good sound," he said.

"One thing we have really missed is proper rehearsals because, having performed live for a good few years now, we understand how important it is to practice before any gig.

"It's something we really pride ourselves on and we know that if you don't rehearse there's a danger the gig won't be very good.

"Lockdown has obviously made that side of things a lot harder but we stayed in contact at least once a week and bounced ideas off each other.

"I'd come with a guitar riff and then send it to Stu, who would put some keys over the top, or vice versa. Tom would also be involved adding back vocals and things like that.

"We also know the gig will bring a different kind of energy because everyone will be seated and we really work off the crowd jumping and dancing around at the front.

"It just means we'll have to work that little bit harder on stage ourselves to bring the same level of performance, but it's not something we're worried about. We just want to put on a good show for everyone.

"We've already released Four Walls during lockdown, which as I said came about as a happy accident. Things like that happen when you're passing ideas back and forth.

"It was all recorded in our own rooms and then put together. We think it sounds pretty cool.

"The idea was just to put it up on YouTube at first but then we decided to do it properly and put it on Spotify too.

"We've also decided to make sure proceeds from the song go to the NHS Charities, which was the main idea for putting it out.

"If we can help the NHS out a little bit during all of this, that's only a good thing. Hopefully we can raise a bit of money."

Four Walls can be downloaded via Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and Google.