It really is time to shape up

Mal Pope is a songwriter who co-produced the film Jack To A King, about the 10-year rise of Swansea City FC

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“BABA, it looks as if you are going to have a baby” The trouble with kids is they are so blinking honest. I suppose that’s why the Bible says “Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings” (Psalms 8:2)

I knew that with seven weeks to go until my big Homecoming concert at the Swansea Building Society Arena that I needed to get in shape. Firstly I needed to make sure that I started rehearsing nice and early.

The older songs seem to be locked in. I just need to start playing and without thinking the words come out. It's like a muscle memory. It’s the same with the rest of the band. Mal Pope & The Jacks played all over the country, two to three times a week, for the best part of five years. Twenty-five years later and even now when Ryan the drummer counts in Keep On Running we all go into autopilot mode and can play an hour and 45 minutes without thinking or stopping!

As this is a new show, some of the songs I have chosen I haven't performed for quite some time. Others are new songs which we've never played in front of an audience. Firstly I need to play them to make sure I can get them right, then I need to keep practising until I can’t get them wrong.

So making sure I know the material is important. The next job is making sure I'm prepared physically. Looking at my hands you would see that its pretty clear I've never done a day’s work in my life. The only working scars I ever have are on the tips of my left hand. These are the fingertips that press on the strings to create the chords when I play guitar. When you have regular gigs or when you're recording a lot in the studio the tips of your fingers stay hardened. If you take a few weeks off and don’t play regularly then, and I don't want to sound too yucky here but, the top layer of skin starts peeling and you have to start all over again.