Alright, I admit it, it’s been two months since I last write a blog and I’ve got 16 gigs to catch up on. I can’t write that much, I’d be surprised if you want to read that much and I doubt if I can keep my prose interesting enough to recreate some of the amazing atmosphere’s we’ve played a part in. I’m going to move fast, backwards & pick out the highlights.
Swindon, Bee Hive and Glastonbury The Riflemans Arms last weekend gave us a quality reception which we really appreciated. Beautiful atmospheres, dancing, laughter, very moving. I’m really surprised the effect that this touring schedule is having on my playing and what happens when Jim and I are on stage together, we’ve got something magical, a confidence and sense of ownership which I could not anticipate but it’s making the gigs buzz with energy and the dancing audiences give everything that we put into a night bouncing right back at us with such joy it is brilliant. Brilliant I tell you! Glastonbury and Swindon were wonderful examples of this so thank you to everyone in the audience there.
The Wickham Arms on the 29th – HOT HOT SWELTERING HOT, folks jumping up and down, people riveted to what was going on onstage. Again, our total elation at the sound of it - the size of it - the sheer bloody momentum was reflected back at us from every angle. We worked hard but it was worth every bead of sweat. We’d like to congratulate the brewery on continuing the work Ted and Paul started in support of live music.
A Tiny acoustic excursion into Wiltshire and Hampshire was quiet but blissful.
Edinburgh was so worth the trip. Whistlebinkies is a proper small venue that forms a vital vertebrae in the Edinburgh original music scene. It was our second visit there and we had a top time, totally worth the mileage. Again we had some quality no holds barred, unselfconscious dancing and for Jim and I it was a beautiful musical experience. Thanks to the sound engineer James and the enthusiastic audience input. Thank you to Ni and his posse for coming out and supporting us on a work night. Lovely to see you!
Leeds, The Grove, is definitely shaping up to be one of my favorite gigs of the year. Hosted by the beautifully melodic Blame Dave who had rustled up a roomful of ‘up for it’ people and who delivered a gorgeous support set of original tunes with their 4 piece (bass, drums, 2 guitar, harmony heavy) line up. We took the stage turned off the PA and sang unamplified into a room silent with anticipation. Roars of appreciation as we played introductions to tunes familiar to our fans and roof raising applause at the end of songs. Nights like this affirm our feelings that people want to be challenged; want to hear quality original music, basically: want us. It filled my heart, and post gig conversations confirmed that the crowd were as moved as us. One audience member new to our music confessed she’d been moved to tears three times during our performance. Thank you every one for contributing to this magical evening, a special mention to Tony for all his hard work in making it happen and to Steve & Pete for their continuing support.
The Britannia, Crickhowell was a wild night and a welcome return. The Whole nation was on a high after the Welsh victory at the Rugby that day which had had some of our audience up and drinking since 6 am. An unruly but appreciative bunch, we look forward to coming back and thank Ashley and Pedro from The Dragon Hotel for their generosity and hospitality.
The Globe Theatre, Hey on Wye, our first appearance there and a very promising start. A beautiful venue with challenging acoustics managed expertly by their sound engineer, and a perfect theatre audience who balanced respectful listening with enthusiastic responses perfectly. An absolute pleasure for us and we look forward to returning.
The Hob, Forrest Hill is a real favorite with us and our gig on 30th September was my favorite of many appearances there. A bright eyed open minded audience grew and grew to climax in a room full of people beaming with pleasure and showing their appreciation in most generous terms. It was our pleasure and I’m looking forward to returning on 18th November, Come ON!
The Cwmaman Festival was a weekend of diverse acts from all over the UK. The whole village got behind the event and our two appearances were short, well attended and impactful. In a situation where one gets a 40 minute set with a 10 minute change over between bands all you can do is get your gear onstage and get on with it. It’s a proper test of what you have to offer, no sound check, nothing fancy, just doing your thing and waiting for approval or apathy. We were welcomed massively and loved playing a part in this grass roots event, the gigs were good and it was a total pleasure to join the throng massing between the 6 venues enjoying all the musical action. Long Live Cwmaman Music Festival!
Belushi’s, Greenwich is a smashing acoustic gig. Rutland Beer festival, a joyful family friendly Sunday afternoon with tiny children dancing and running around with all the energy pop and crisps can supply. The Spice of Life: all eyes riveted on the stage, folks moving around to improve their line of sight, as ever a lovely musical experience.
79 gigs so far for us this year and I love touring, revisiting communities that have welcomed us before, meeting new people in new places and being shown in such warm terms how much you people appreciate our music. Every flippin time there is something good to take with us, and though I am a self critical sort even I understand that this is amazing and we are ALL coming out of these gigs with tears & sweat pouring down our cheeks and life coursing through our veins. More More MORE…!
