The Bizniz!

OK. It’s been a little while since a blog arose from this wandering, mendicant existence so read on as I pick out the peaches and throw away the stones, alright? March definitely had some highlights. We opened up for two-tone heroes The Beat at East Quay, a great music and comedy venue in Whitstable. A full house to play to and top backstage hanging with a genuinely nice bunch of guys. Off to Stroud for an atmospheric acoustic set at The Prince Albert. Then into Kent and the White Horse Chilham. A small but very appreciative crowd including a radio 2 folk award winner (He’d come along specially, you know? For our music. Not the beer!) and Spy Genius – clandestine popsters from Canterbury (way cool). We filled a last minute cancellation at The Morden Arms in Greenwich on a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon. Convinced that everyone would be in the park, we expected an empty pub so hadn’t exactly planned a show. But a guitar here, a shruti box there, some stamping and clapping: it went great. A really matey bunch gradually filled the place and we finished up just as they cleared the cheese board. Excellent. April, eh? I understand that it’s been the wettest in living memory, or something, but it’s been showery hasn’t? Proper. We have seen the sun, a bit. Gigs were mostly inside the M25 this month. The Hob, Forest Hill is always good but we’ve just started to notice that it really does get better each time we go back. At Ron’s request (He’s the boss. He gets what he wants) we opened with an acoustic set and finished all electric (with Mr. Bob Kelly on bass) which gives a tremendous dynamic range to the music. We made out like bandits on the merch table which is very gratifying. The following night it’s The British Oak, Blackheath – another of our fave venues. Fully acoustic and folk tinged as this evening was always going to be, we took the opportunity to try out some brand new songs. It all went so well that we picked up a manager, an agent and tours of Germany, Australia and The US before we’d finished packing up the PA, though we did think that maybe the beer was talking by that stage of the night – and we thought right. Our one trip to the country this month was a dash down to Glastonbury, a slightly odd gig (just as one wants in Hippy Heaven), and straight back in the car to be home in time to get up and play again the following lunchtime. No narcotics, no booze, a tank of gas, a bottle of pop and a single pork product. That’s the way we roll here. Ron’s Speakeasy at The Duke, right on the Greenwich/Deptford border, is becoming fabulous. The pub has a real musical history but, until a few months ago, it had gone quite. Now, with a stylish new backdrop, glitter curtains, lights and a new PA the place looks and sounds The Bizniz! We played an arty mix of electric and acoustic. Cool. Ever spent a wet week in Wales, drinking martinis, eating beef and feeding a log burner - in a yurt? Then back to The Morden. A return date and very much the same relaxed behaviour as before. Many thanks to Dave Sutherland for the booking, Luke for the drinks and Alice for taking the jug round.

chiming, singing, ringing and roaring

Ah February: Valentine’s day, Ash Wednesday, Shrove Tuesday, all the highlights of the calendar packed into one of nature’s showiest months…. No? Not going for that? Well you’re no fools. Bruise, however, made a concerted effort to brighten up this dark, flu ridden, month with shows all over the place, only a couple of which were cancelled due to snow! Sorry Kent, sorry Skeggy. We were game but we took advice from venues and promoters and these pleasures have been postponed until later dates.

So, unbowed by a flake or two of slush, The Duke in Deptford is a little legend in South East London. Back in the day, greats such as Squeeze, Jools, Dire Straits and you-bloomin-name-it electrified audiences on a weekly basis and now it hosts Ron’s Speak Easy on a Sunday night. We’ve played there a few times now and we do love it. Ron and Rankin create a top atmosphere and the audiences are a stylish, lively bunch. We played some tracks from ‘Little Victories’ that have never been aired live before and even stuck our necks out on a brand new, as yet un-recorded track. It went…er…well, we think. You shoulda been there. I swore like a pit-worker and can only blame the smallest of malfunctions with my guitar. Pretty much every one laughed at my petulance, and another top night was had.

Then, for us, a trip West and South West. When we arrived at the Cwmaman Institute it was sadly on the brink of closure and it may in fact actually be closed by now. Bruise feels privileged to be one of their final bookings and we’re hoping it rises, Wickham style, from the ashes of it’s former self (etc) cos it’s a great place to play. The hardy locals who supported the place to the end know us by now so there were requests and encores and everything that lets a band know they are valued or FABULOUS, as they put it. On to The Globe at Hay, a proper arty art centre where there wasn’t an empty seat in the house. My amp was having a sick day but I dug deep and performed without the full range of tones and we pulled it off . Thank you to the dancers, thank you to those who came from as far afield as Sussex to see us, and for all the support under difficult circumstances. Next to The Britannia, Crickhowell, a favorite of ours and this gig was a real stormer. We had done a temporary fix on my amp so it was back on form; chiming, singing, ringing and roaring (as required) and we were sublime (Oh yes). Heading for Bristol, we stopped off at Maplins for parts and Severn View Travelodge for soldering then “ho” for The Horseshoe, Downend for the final gig of the trip, yeah? It was an odd one for us. We only got to play Excuse Me once (usually it’s three times at least).

Thanks on this trip to Huw and Marion in Cwmaman and Ashley and Pedro at The Dragon, Crickhowell, for accommodating us in such fine style. Back home now and gearing up for the treats that March has in store. Gig details are available at www.bruiseuk.com. Come ON!

Photo curtesy of Gary Davies www.dpiction.co.uk

Folk, more Folk then Rock. Marvelous!

it’s been a magical week for Bruise. 3 gigs, the first at Eltham Folk Mob which was a RARE traditional folk set. These songs normally get sung in the privacy of our own living room, for our own pleasure, but very occasionally we get together with Gary Southwell to perform a traditional folk set and this is where Jim and I show our roots. Unfortunately Gary was unable to make this short tour at the last minute so Jim and I fulfilled the bookings with our hearts in our mouths, and what a reception we got. The crowd roared their appreciation as we sang songs of sailors and ramblers and maidens in distress. I played the ukulele primarily but picked up my guitar to accompany Jim as he sang lead. (Yes, that’s a surprise isn’t it! I’m sure you can imagine he has a beautiful manly voice and delivered ‘The Fair Flower of Northumberland’ admirably.) Also my new toy a ‘shruti box’ made it’s first appearance. I loved singing ‘The Humpback Whale’ along to it’s strong throaty drone. We were blown away by the reception and truly touched when for an encore the crowd demanded ‘Silvertown’ an original tune. It was a privilege to perform one of Bruise’s songs in the company of such historical material and I was moved to hear the Folkmob crowd singing along.
The next day we drove down to Burnham on Sea’s Ritz Acoustic Club. They had booked A Murder of Rooks (our traditional folk spin-off) on the strength of last years appearance at The Brunham on Sea Folk Festival. We were all loved up after Folkmob and a beautiful drive, where even the Stroud/Reading stretch of the M4 lifted our hearts with bare black trees full to bursting with mistletoe in the fading winter sun. Sound check in the refurbished art deco cinema was a breeze courtesy of Graham and his solid sound set up, and when Jim and I arrived all duded up for the performance we were greeted by a full room and quality floor spots. A generous reception from this room, we were grateful for the memory of the night before and we performed many of the same songs. I felt a genuine rapport between us and the audience, and my favorites from the night were, again, ‘The Humpback Whale’, our encore ‘Jock Stewart’ but particularly the last few songs ‘Cam-Ye-Oer Frae France’, Erin-Go-Bragh’ and ‘Hal and Tow’ which raised rapturous applause. Thank You Burnham on Sea! We’ll see you in September :o)
We concluded our weeks travels with a trip down to Whitstable and despite being 4 hours early for our appearance and the ensuing confusion we were itching to get on. A fairly full room quickly filled to bursting as we played our first set. It was glorious to be behind my Stratocaster again and to be standing tall next to Jim and his drum kit. We had crammed in a rehearsal the day before so we were crisp and sharp, feeling great, sounding great. Some folks had made the trip from London to catch this set (thank you Keith and Jacqui) and we were warmly welcomed by the Whitstable posse. It was bliss, it was sublime. The bloody joy of Jim’s drumming and my rhythm guitar, the utter pleasure of singing, with the notes of gentle folk concerts in the back of my mind, we tore the place apart. Couples agog at the sounds we were creating, individuals dancing unfettered. The songs reigned supreme and I glowed with joy and perspiration. 6 encores, count them SIX. This was glorious, for all the appreciation, for all the applause I bow my head. Whitstable you rock and it is our pleasure to Rock You! X

The Highlights - Fast and Backwards

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…!

BAR KEEP...!

The British Oak is our local pub. If you do the maths it’s not quite the closest pub to our house but the other pub involves a prohibitively steep hill on the way back home - yes I do mean STEEP! After a couple of (overpriced) pints it looks like the Matterhorn, consequently The British Oak is our local. It also benefits from being home to The Blackheath Folk Club, which is a favorite Tuesday night kicking back opportunity for us. Last Saturday night at 8.45 there were a few faces there: Pat + 2 and Woodsy. Jim was deep in conversation with some Prog-Rock fans who had to leave imminently and I was wondering if all this time on tour meant the discerning local music audience had found another band to get behind. But in the next 15 minutes, all the tables filled up. We started big with The Game and Coldburn , then sucked it in a bit with some downbeat numbers, a slightly wobbly version of Silvertown and came back up for a trad folk/folk revival medley of Erin-Go-Bragh-Hal&Tow-Painting Box, this is a new bit of folk indulgence in our set we played it a few times in Guernsey and I love the energy. I get great pleasure from Jim’s lead vocal on Hal&Tow and Painting Box is a beautiful song that gets all The Incredible String Band fans out of the woodwork – and I like that! The audience was amazing throughout this gig. The attentive atmosphere and the huge cheers after each song, I was massively moved and rather humbled. Jim was on excellent talkative form and the whole night was a welcome celebration of original music. Thank you all, special mention to Felix, The Manilows and the Prog fans who stayed all night and stumbled home.

If you’ve been following us on Twitter you’ll know that we didn’t tweet once while we were on our Guernsey tour. I’m somewhat ashamed but you’ll understand I hope when I tell you our days were full of cliff-top walks, catching up with friends and our nights were full of music. Just a few hours on a ferry and I felt like I was on holiday. The fact that we were playing 2 electric gigs, 2 acoustic gigs and a live radio session on BBC Radio only contributed to my holiday spirit. Jenny Kendall-Tobias was presenting The Late Show, on BBC South West, it was a news heavy night as the riots had kicked off so we talked about difficult social subjects interspersed with live acoustic songs and tracks from the album. We had a great evening with Jenny, a great personality, and I was delighted she did dig what we do. OhYeah!

JIM TAKES OVER…
Gigs one, two and three were at the Doghouse. The Doghouse was the first venue I played on my initial trip to Guernsey about ten years ago, brought over by Dave Fuller; a wonderful musician and songwriter and great friend to us down the years. Wednesday was acoustic night and we had a great one. We opened up to the late diners. Heads were chomping and nodding in time. Second set, we’d gathered the drinkers who’d wandered up the hill from town. A nice bunch so, all good, and the boss plied us (well, me) with scotch. Thursday night off (to wine and to dine – thanks Andie) then back on Friday to rock it up a wee bit. Toj the sound (that’s his name) worked well with us to get the sound we wanted and it was showtime. It was a good night. We had, maybe not a mosh pit but, a gang of twenty somethings groovin’ about up front from about the second song and that set the tone for the show. Saturday was even better, with Isobel and I locking right in with both grooves and dynamics and Toj getting jiggy with the effects to expand the soundscape. We blew a few minds that night, I can tell you. Thanks to Nick Windsor and brother Mark for walking out on The Hamsters to come and see us. Sunday, we filled up on Champagne and Ribs at a dogs birthday party (island life, innit) and headed for the Cobo Beach Hotel. Acoustic again and this time we couldn’t help throwing in a folk song or two – well it was Sunday afternoon. We played outside on the terrace and the view there is sublime. The sky was ablaze as it set into the sea, framed by Napoleonic remains and tiny little boats, and the crowd gathered under heaters and wrapped themselves in blankets provided by the hotel – we froze our arses off but played on regardless. Professionals, see? A few friends had left the dog party to come and catch our second set so when our blueing fingers began to frighten the children we knocked it off and drank tea with them til the gas gave out. There was just time for another evenings wining and dining (thanks Louisa) and we’re back on the ferry. Big thanks and love to Andie Fuller for putting us up. We had a wonderful time.

We squeezed a quick one in at the Wickham before we left town. I’m starting to struggle a little with ways to describe Bruise gigs at the Wickham. They are fantastic musical experiences for us and they seem to get better and better. A properly attentive and responsive crowd who are really into the music and are very happy to fill the jug before they go home. It really doesn’t get better than that. Brilliant!

Back in July we had a gig here (Sidcup, Seven Stars – rowdy, and a laugh) and a gig there (The Neptune, Whitstable – pretty special with Bob on Bass and quite a posse come to see us) but we were very much looking forward to playing the Latest Music Bar in Brighton where we’d stuck our necks out and curated the night. It was a slightly odd one, to be honest. Everything was fine: the numbers, the support we’d booked (thanks Cate) the soundcheck. But, disappointingly, we didn’t quite take off. I think we’d let the sense of occasion get to us a bit. Next time I’m going to insist on Jäger shots all round. Sometimes it’s just gotta be done. BAR KEEP...!

As if by Magic

We’ve really been riding the highs and lows of it this month, let me tell you…and so we took us into East Sussex. The Queens Head in Rye is a cosy pub with a twist (go and check out the psychedelic paintings) in a very picturesque little estuary town. All the beer is called Freedom, the pies are big enough to share, the Scotch is delicious, and the conversation is so high-brow that we avoided total exposure and humiliation by such a small margin that it’s possible we didn’t avoid it at all…but we didn’t notice. We played to a select audience of VERY brainy people and went down very well luckily, because if they’d hated us we might not have understood that they were taking the piss. Next stop the MENSA Christmas party.
Next morning we took ourselves to a fine shingle beach and got sunburn in under an hour but, pink as we were, it was nothing compared to the regulars at The Plough, Reading. They’d just been on a Beano to the seaside on a charabanc (!) and some outdoor drinking had obviously occurred – all day! We’ve played The Plough a couple of times before and made a notable success each time, but not this time. They rolled off the bus and straight into the back room to watch the boxing. We saw neither hide nor hair ‘til we’d finished playing, when they emerged to chat with us as we packed up the gear. They’d missed a pretty good gig, as it goes. Yeah.
Off to Glastonbury next and I’d like to say right now that the A303 has never given me any trouble - I’ve heard people use bad words about that road. We played two belting sets to a largely empty room – do you see the pattern emerging here? However, this was different. The air that evening was as nectar so Leah, the landlady, had sensibly left the doors to the terrace open. It was packed with happy smokers and they were all very into it. So we dug in and entertained the invisible. Very Glasto..
Then we made our big mistake – Cornwall, more specifically, Falmouth. Dear me. We played to Tash and Hellen (Hi Tash, Hi Hellen), who were working the bar. Every now and then someone might wander in, spot the gear – and leave. Two whole sets and not a soul at any time as the long, long evening wore on. Sigh. Then to cap it all, owing to prevailling traffic conditions (eh?) we had to come home via the M5 and M4, and everything was messed up so we didn’t even make it to Woodsie’s birthday drink.
Then, as if by magic, it’s Sunday – and you know what that means? Yes, it’s Ron’s Speakeasy at The Duke. New to Deptford’s music scene, they’ve made a good start. Now, I will say that the place was not packed. But as it turned out this was not so much a gig as a concert. Really! People listening and responding. Not talking. In return we played what I feel was a blinder (and I have been agreed with in this respect – by people who know.). It was exactly what we needed after a testing time out West.

Legendary Hope, Cool Colchester and Gig Heaven in W1

After an amazing 22 gigs in May, June is come and we’ve got some time to enjoy the drought inducing sunshine.
And where better to do that than the, now legendary, HOPE weekender: Deptford goes to the country and kicks its boots off. When once we might’ve picked hops, now we put up tents and make music all day and, yes, all of the night. Bruise were asked to play at the Piano Bar. It’s always the coolest gathering place at the festival and, since this was Thursday and things hadn’t official kicked off yet, we played an acoustic set (and I mean NO amplification) to the select bunch that’d arrived early enough to bag the best pitches. It was a velvet night, the campfire crackled and we kept everything very calm – “Don’t Make Me Wait”, “Alright”, “Someone Else’s Garden” – that sort of thing. We played and sang for about an hour then gave over to HOPEs biggest supporter, Glen Tilbrook, who’d brought his entire vinyl collection (maybe) and a couple of decks. I’ve never heard such a genuinely eclectic DJ, and we hung out with the bars fabulous hosts Jerry and Chris and nodded along to the tunes ‘til our tent lured us to bed.
Friday morning: we scorched a full English over camping Gaz and looked forward to the arrival of the wonderful Bob Kelly who was coming down to play bass at our full electric gig on the main stage that night. The weather was glorious so killing time ‘til our – YES, headline! - slot was easy. Wander the field, meet everyone we know, take a beer, take another beer, take a lie down. About ten-ish we went up to catch the band playing before us and, hey, it’s Dodgy; Cool Britannia’s best band, then hit the stage ourselves in full festival mode – “Excuse Me”, “Mr Rat”, “The Game” – a major ROCK experience. Pardon my cliché but, the crowd went wild! WILD! (Check out Anton French’s footage at http://vimeo.com/25311031 )
). Post show, Isobel got caught for an interview by a passing camera crew so Bob and I had a few with Matt and Nigel (outa Dodgy) then off to the Piano Bar for a few more before falling down. Many thanks to Dave, Maxine, Ed, Jerry and Chris for giving us such a great time. Frankly, Glastonbury can eat their shorts.
Throwing Bob out at Framlingham Wimple railway station, we headed home for pain killers and to change our suits, then off to Colchester for a gig at the Bull. This is a brilliant pub with a real commitment to live music. It’s always heaving with an admirably mixed crowd and they give us a big welcome. It was just the two of us, electric, and as challenging as you like – “Three Ravens”, “Stranger In You”, “Little Victories” – and the room gradually filled up as the evening progressed. There’s always a covers band in the back bar at the Bull so it’s doubly encouraging that people should chose original songs over familiar hits. Big up Essex, I say.
The following Friday we’re back in town to play for the very wonderful Substance Music at our favourite West End venue, The Spice Of Life. Substance (Shaun, John, Terry and Jay) have been supporters and friends of Bruise almost from the beginning. They always book a cool and cohesive evening of bands then give us the top slot, so feeling like ROCKSTARS we give our best, and that night was no exception. The three piece (Bob’s back – hoorah!) sounds massive in the cellar bar and Jay’s attention to sound brings out all the impact and all the dynamics that we put into the music. Gig heaven W1.