IPO Liverpool

IPO Liverpool is always an exhausting elated experience, we’ve played it for the last 9 years and usually we end up playing three gigs in one day. This year was no exception. We go up to The ‘Pool' with Bob ‘Kelly’s Heels’ Kelly & his lovely Mrs and Bruise and Kelly’s Heels whizz from venue to venue pumping out 25 minute sets of perfectly formed pop. It’s really exhilarating. Bruise’s first gig was The Cavern Club at 12.30pm on Sunday! Yes shortly after breakfast, too early to think, so I didn’t bother. I was astonished and gratified to see the audience, almost every seat filled with familiar faces (if you know what I mean) and it was hard to fathom how so many people had dragged themselves from their rest to hear us play. Then the room filled up to standing room only. The set went
‘Don’t Make Me Wait’ – a nice gentle start
‘The Prize’ – I’m loving the mid-tempo momentum of this song now it’s in the set, it’s kind of magnetic and irresistible
‘Stranger in You’ – always a pleasure
‘Little Victories’ – another relatively new addition to the set, performing this song feels like white water canoeing, if I wasn’t so busy I’d laugh out loud, the journey, the ups and downs, it is such a joyful thing to me
‘Nobody Else’ – Jim and Bob make this track vocally so exciting, I love it
‘Jennifer’ – Possibly the most up tempo track we have and another gleeful trip for me.
And that was it. I’d had a magnificent time but found myself a little confused after such an early and energetic gig. Straight to the pub to settle myself with a Sunday lunch and half a pint. 6 pm found Jim and me the rhythm section for Kelly’s Heels; it’s a treat for me to be onstage in a supporting role especially for such an intense songwriter as Bob Kelly. Bruise’s last appearance at IPO Was 10.30 Sunday night at The Cavern Pub, and an entirely different affair to the lunchtime performance the pub was rammed with stag nights, hen nights and Bruise fans, an oddly satisfying mixture. We played an almost identical set only substituting ‘The Prize’ for ‘Mr Rat’, no monitors at this venue so slightly less blissful for us however I loved it still. We were rewarded with a dancing crowd, absolute attention and I could not have been happier. Here comes the list of thanks, and I have a lot of people to thank, Katy, Ron, Hazel, Sheila, Roy, Lesley, Ni for coming to both gigs. Evo and the Appelpop posse for coming so far and generally being brilliant! Darren, Lesley, Jim & Louise for making a special effort. For putting it all together; David and Rena. Finally Tony & Robbie for doing the sound & doing it well. Hurrah!

Scotland 'Little Victories Tour' 2011

This trip up to Scotland has been a bit of a test for me from the beginning. We’ve never taken what we do North of the border before so on a practical level it was a case of finding all new venues, guestimating costs, checking mileages and trying to come out ahead. We had a venue drop out a couple of weeks before we started the tour which meant we took quite a financial hit. The venue was completely straight with us and there’s no hard feelings. It did however mean a tight budget got considerably tighter. The thing about touring though is, once you’re on the road, there’s nothing to do except put on a good show. At home here I multi-task all the time, we have to work hard and we have to be flexible, on the road things are so simple, find hotel: find venue: play gig: find hotel again, there’s a LOT of heavy lifting but that’s the only down side and Jim does more than his fair share.

We started out at Edinburgh Whistlebinkies. Smashing classic music venue, plenty of space for the audience a nice hollow low stage for us (I LOVE a hollow wooden stage, I love the way my Amp sounds when it’s set up on one). With James on the sound desk we had a good soundcheck and were ready to kick off when a 70 strong pub crawl fell through the door. A fantastic atmosphere was created, on-stage sound was very good and the room was full of people dancing and getting into our first set letting us know that we sounded good out front too. The tables down the side of the venue were full of groups of women having a bit of a dance and smiling openly which I really like. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not just doing this for the girls but I do like to know that the women in the audience are enjoying the music not scowling at me as if I’m some attention seeking harpy. After a short break where Jim and I had the chance to talk about how great the stage sound was for us, we were back on and having a brilliant time. A properly musical experience for us, delightful delightful delightful! I know we had some fans in the audience and I wish I had had the chance to speak to you all; all I can say is thank you for coming along and making our first gig in Scotland a memorable one! Thanks to Stevie for the hospitality, Mr On The Door for directions and James for doing such a good job on sound.

The Lemontree is a vibrant arts center in Aberdeen, every Friday they put on a songwriter / acoustic session. I was very excited to be playing because one of my literary heroes was giving a lecture on the same day and I was anticipating big brains and respected writers filling the hall. This isn’t what I got. However I was very content with what we did get; once again a lovely stage, a super in house PA with skilled & friendly Lisa driving it and a gentle and generous audience. It was an acoustic gig, the audience listened attentively and behaved in a most respectful manner. Sometimes onstage I find myself seeing every little detail of the audience’s experience, every tapping foot & blissfully closed eye, every nod of appreciation, it was like that for me this day. And though they weren’t raising the roof , it was Friday lunchtime so that seems appropriate. When we left the stage and the audience started leaving the building every single person looked us in the eye and said thank you, and meant thank you, we shook hands warmly and hailed with waves and goodbyes as we collected our guitars and exited. We felt as if we had done a good thing.

Finally We were playing The George, Inverary which was a spectacular drive and a complete surprise. Getting into Inverary the George is a nice looking pub on the corner of the high street, going into the The George it’s a massive place buzzing with people eating delicious looking plates of quality local faire, windy corridors leading to large but somehow intimate spaces, warm, buzzing and in contrast to the drizzly empty street outside. We were a night early so we got treated to Fridays entertainment an acoustic duo with a brave policy of playing songs they’d never played before if they were requested, we were wiped after our journey and it was difficult to relax our empathy with the band was such, so we put our heads down early and slept like children. Saturday after some excited exploration of the town and environment we rehearsed our folk set on the side of the loch, a lovely place to sing traditional Scottish folk songs. Set up was easy enough, we were in a stone lined room which didn’t cause us any trouble, the first hour we played a folk set, maybe 5 bruise tunes scattered around Jim and my favorite trad songs. What a lovely reception, singing along, laughter and a wonderful connection within the room. The atmosphere shifted at 11 when a lot of younger folks came in but Jim and I were ready and looking forward to this so we launched into an electric duo set. From the top I knew we were pretty much what they wanted, I never cease to be lifted up by people having a dance, singing along and letting us know they’re having a good time and they were. I only have good things to say about this venue and the people who frequent it, it was a TOP night and we’re looking forward to coming back. Thank you to Tommy & Jean for assisting me with my trad lyrics, Kris and all the staff at The George for the outstanding hospitality, and David, Stevie & Gregor for the good company.

We’ll be going back as soon as we can. There are some pictures from the tour on Flickr follow the link from our website if you’d like a look www.bruiseuk.com and there’s a short video blog from King Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh here http://youtu.be/aa_0h4FGWDc

'Wabsnazum' or 'brilliant acoustics and active friends'

Jim here! I’m blogging in Isobel’s stead while she catches up on some sleep, books the next leg of the tour and writes the next album – it’s true!

We’ve just completed probably the most diverse set of gigs of our career so far, and seen some of rural England at its very best. Firstly to Berkshire and the Swan at Compton (already it sounds like Jane Austin booked this one, doesn’t it?). An unamplified gig to a select number of friendly locals lured in by the promise of a bit of Bruise with their gourmet burgers. We met a Jockey who really is best friends with Dolly Parton, got a bit terrorized by a MASSIVE bug, and chatted with Pippa and Nick who’d come over from Henley specially to see us.

The Hawkley Inn near Liss in Hampshire was next and our route took us down the A34, a scenic enough road with a colourful array of roadkill. We while away the miles putting together a menu or two. My great friend William Topley lives in Hawkley and he and I have spent much time in this pub drinking and playing in about equal measure so was good to bring Bruise here. A very chilled acoustic gig with a proper listening crowd – absolutely ideal with a gentle pint of Darkstar.

We were off to Lincolnshire next (a good-ish drive) so we broke our journey and got a night in our own home. The A1 being closed at some point, Isobel found us an alternative route which took us across the Bedford Level. This is the fens and very impressive. Big skies, raised roads, a continental atmosphere and villages called Wabsnazm and the like. The sun was out and the countryside looked superb as we indulged in that most Rock n’ Roll of pursuits – naming the wild flowers of the hedgerow. Ahh. Hough on the Hill (Lincs) has a church with substantial history, brilliant acoustics and active friends. We were to play the first in a series of fund raising summer concerts put together by another old friend, Gary Southwell, and we had high hopes. We were not disappointed. The sound was so good, the audience so respectful and the PA so top notch that every tiny nuance was clear. There were a great many grey heads in this crowd and I wasn’t sure we’d be their cuppa, but we really were. Maybes (the final track on our current album) sounded so beautiful. An emotional moment. Thanks to Tony, Sue, Sarah, Mark and Mervyn for making the journey.

Then the weather broke and we headed into the city – Reading! A venue/rehearsal space on an industrial estate played host to the rockin’ little, invite only Smithfest 2011 – a happening and a wedding reception all in one. This was an electric two-piece gig so we got there for an early soundcheck and found Isobel’s amp was playing up. Dawsons, the local music store, put is in touch with one Mick Johnson who, alongside top secret work for the MoD, builds guitars for the Shadows and still took time out of his weekend to save our show. What a man! Back to the venue for showtime and there’s the coatcheck guy asking everyone “Bride or Groom?” Ha Ha!

Good Deeds and Charitable Works

Quite a few months ago Bruise were approached by Barnet Acoustic Club to appear as a guest at their monthly open mic night. There was something apologetic in their tone, possibly because they are a charity and the nights are run to raise funds which means not much in the way of a fee. We had a look at the Bruise diary and we were free. Every once in a while it’s good for the soul to do something for practically nothing, just to support a venue like that and we are really glad that we did. Apart from the diverse and enthusiastic floor spots there was a joyful house band (featuring some wonderful harp playing and a stunning sax/clarinet amongst other fine instrumentalists) all set in a beautiful converted warehouse. We played Girls Best Friend & Silvertown in the first half, Jim’s radio mic was low on battery and finally gave up part way through Silvertown so we stepped back from the microphones and sang the rest of the song into the room. We’re getting quite accustomed to unamplified singing and the acoustics here were beautiful. After a healthy second half showing from the regular attendees Jim and I took to the stage for a short 4 song set. We gave them ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’ ‘Someone Else’s Garden’ ‘Stranger in You’ and ‘Maybes’. In return they gave us such a round of applause and many, many warm handshakes, and we left knowing it was a good thing we had done.
Sunday saw Bruise electric three piece at The Hob (LOVE IT) in Forrest Hill in aid of The Hope Festival (Double Love It). We were booked for 5.30 then over the last couple of weeks we’d been moved up and up the bill until we settled on 9.30 kick off. Lovely for us: not so lovely for the chaps who had turned up to see us play at 5.30 but they were good humored about it, thank you chaps! Mr Ed behind the desk creating a beautiful atmosphere for us, Jim, Bob and myself heads down getting everything in place as we set up then we opened with ‘Excuse Me’ and let go. What an opportunity and what a reception, I don’t know what’s happened to audiences lately but they are a more passionate, louder, shoutier, singier, dancier group of people than they have ever been before and I LOVE IT. We kept the tempo up for most of the set, everywhere I looked there was smiling, foot tapping, nodding and knee slapping, very nice for me, very nice. Thank you all who came along to support us and The Hope Festival, here’s a link to their website http://www.hopefestival.co.uk
After a weekend of charitable works and good deeds we are excited about what is coming up, we’d love to see you at a gig, we’d love you to visit our new website www.bruiseuk.com HURRAH!