‘We do. We mix covers into our sets with some of our own stuff. Tends to go down well.’ He shoots me a grin. ‘Ready for a shot? We’ve got the Killers lined up for you.’

The stomach flip returns. I look to Matt, who nods again.

‘OK, then. Suppose now I’m here I can’t pass up the opportunity.’

I get up from my seat and follow Sammy across to the microphone. He hoists his guitar strap back over his head and turns to me.

‘We’ll stick as close to the original as we can. You’re on straight after the second note, remember.’

I nod mutely, tap the microphone a couple of times to get a sense of its volume, and take a deep breath to calm my now trembling body.

A piano-like, haunting pling comes from the keyboard, and I start to sing the opening lines, which, with almost no instrumental accompaniment, make me feel very exposed indeed. Momentarily, I’m transported back to the karaoke bar, when my confidence initially wavered. This time I don’t get over it quite so quickly. Having Matt listening to me, I feel like I’m on show. I glance back towards him, and he gives me two huge thumbs up, mouthing ‘go for it’.

I continue my way through the first verse, setting no one and nothing alight, but as the band launch into the chorus, the music and emotion finally consume me, allowing me to lose myself in the song. The band are full of approving expressions and encouraging nods as I move through the song’s climax to the calmer ‘outro’. As they play the closing notes, Matt stands up behind me and whoops and claps, and is quickly joined by all the band members.

‘That was incredible.’ Sammy hops across to me and gives me his friendly slap on the shoulder. ‘You’re a natural. Took you a moment to get going, but once you did…’ He gives an impressed whistle.

‘What he said,’ Matt calls out jovially, as he wanders over and gives me a squeezy sideways hug. ‘How did it feel, Alex?’

I do a quick self-check. The jangling nerves that consumed me before I started to sing have dissipated completely. I’m now feeling surging adrenaline and an unquellable urge to keep going. I look at Sammy hopefully.

‘Can we do another one?’

‘That’s the spirit.’ He gives me another friendly shoulder slap. ‘Right, lads. Let’s put Alex through her paces.’

‘Go for it.’ Matt smiles at me and plants a firm kiss on my lips that, in my heightened state, reverberates through me, feeling like a million fireworks have exploded in my body.

I turn back to the microphone, where I’m handed a lyrics sheet. The band kicks into the intro of another Killers song: ‘Somebody Told Me’. As the pounding music fills the room, I can’t help but move to the beat of the music, and within moments I’m lost again.

An hour and a half later, after some more challenging and less familiar pieces where I needed guidance from the band, we finish up for the evening.