Summer, the sunny bits...

Traditionally we start a blog with apologies for not having blogged for ages so…oh, you know… The formalities dealt with, here we go. Returning to London and to rude health we had the suits nicely pressed and packed lemon squash and sandwiches enough for a whole weekend under canvas. With the Hope Festival site at Biggin Hill as base camp, we’d planned to range as far afield as Hay on Wye for a couple of other events. We were thwarted in this on three attempts. Firstly, our aging Hewlett Packard had a nervous breakdown: I had to sit with it the whole of Thursday as it moaned on and on about the pressures of work, being under appreciated, its feelings of inferiority toward our Mac and finally how we never take it anywhere! Second, we spent all day Friday on the M4. After seven and half hours in the car we finally abandoned all hope of reaching the Hay Literary festival in time for our slot and all because, completely out of the blue, the Queen had a Diamond Jubilee and in celebration they’d boarded up Wiltshire. We got as far as Severn View services (home of our favourite Travelodge) bought coffee and headed back. Our Hope Festival appearance. Saturday night on the main stage. Great crowd, great sound and it didn’t start raining til we were driving Bob to the station. Result! Sunday afternoon found us at The Old Neptune, Whitstable – brilliant! Nothing can go wrong here. Convinced that our crowd would all be at Hope or with family raising arms to the Queen we expected a fairly quiet session, but not a bit. The rain was sheeting sideways up the beach aand gradually the pub filled up with wet hair, wet coats and wet dogs. All the windows steamed up and it felt fantastic to be part of such a warm happy atmosphere. Three glorious sets and much smiling occurred. The rain continued and put paid to any idea we may have had to pitch our tent that night – strike three! Wednesday, June 6th. The Transit of Venus. To celebrate, and as part of Brockley Max, we curated a gig at The Wickham Arms. Mr. Rock Loves Mrs. Roll – three bands consisting of married couples. Dune Lake (soothingly downbeat and sparse), We Ghosts (like sunshine in your ear) and Bruise (ahhhh). An uplifting night of music made of love and nothing like as cloyingly sickening as this makes it sound (ha ha). Thank you Jim, for your remembrances of gigs long gone. A nostalgic trip into the past when Summer was young and behaving like winter. Isobel here and it’s my turn now… 7th June we were down at Belushi’s on Greenwich High St, though sparsely attended Jim and I had a really lovely time, Julie and Rupe were two friendly faces in the ‘crowd’ and we played for them and we played for ourselves in the back room of a pub that used to be a theatre. No pressure, just beautiful acoustics and a distracting wall of spirits. When our friends Steve and Val invited us to play ”Someone Else’s Garden” Party we jumped at the chance. It was Steve’s birthday and just to prove that the sun does shine on the righteous, the sun did shine for the first time in ages. We played 3 sets, I had a couple of beers which gave a giddy glow to the whole event, and we finally stumbled into a cab in the company of Pychwood and Clamp in the wee small hours after a long and possibly genius jamming session in the conservatory, I’m not sure, I was a bit worse for wear. Hurray! 14th June we were at The Chambers in Folkestone, they had tempted us down there with the offer of money, food and by calling us phenomenally talented. Frankly they had us after the fee but all other perks were appreciated. On top of that, what a scene! Glorious audience who danced and roared, and laughed and body-popped, yes you heard me right. Any time you like Chambers because we had a great night. Still in Kent, a welcome return to The White Horse in Chilham. Imagine an idyllic village square, with an imposing country manor at one end, a church opposite and a proper country pub on the corner, then make it a Saturday night and put us in there, with the drum kit, the sampler, the works. Sounds a bit unlikely doesn’t it? Well let me tell you, odd as it is, these nights work really well. We love them, they love us. Deep in the heart of the bucolic Kent landscape lies a bohemian enclave well worth a vist. The Summer Solstice! The sense of anticipation for this gig was huge and the night itself was no disappointment, a free flowing, graceful evening of traditional folk in a beautiful church, with a pause in the middle for wine and sandwiches: what’s wrong with that? Nothing, that’s what! It was an utter pleasure to sing this midsummer repertoire in such great company. Gush. Gush. Cathy Lesurf and her partner were extremely complementary about our reworking of Derwent Water’s Lament, and I’m still proud to remember their words when they said I was “writing perfectly within the idiom.” I am Folk, hear me roar! Thank you, Isobel, for your impressions of recent triumphs. The Windmill is a funky, funky bar and venue practically keeping itself a secret in an uninteresting residential street off Brixton Hill. An outfit called, aptly enough perhaps, Group Therapy invited us to play but forgot to invite an audience. We entertained the sound man (Paul of Sound – great name!) and Tim who runs the place and they showed their appreciation generously. Watch this space for more gigs at the Windmill. It’s very funky. The Brasenose Arms in Cropredy, Oxfordshire. A wonderful country pub run by the very wonderful Karen and Alan. Music is properly important to these two and they book Bruise regularly even though they’re under tremendous pressure by major agents to fill their dates with famous people. We love playing a couple of sets here and on this occasion Africa Link was running an afternoon mini-fest in the garden so we warmed them up with a short acoustic set. Excellent! OK, now we’re really on the road – The Channel Islands! Major thanks to Andie Fuller for putting us up while on Guernsey. We couldn’t have made this trip without her help. Thanks, Andie. Thanks also to Mark Windsor for sharing his contacts. First up, an acoustic gig at The Captain’s in St Martins. As we loaded the gear in the locals were riffing on us in a “you’re not from round here” kinda way and very funny they were too. As the gig progressed we gave as good as we got but I have to say, they really were funny (one of them fell asleep standing up at the bar. Superb!). However, this gig goes down in history for the astounding dedication to the cause shown by Steve and Val Taylor who made the trip to Guernsey especially to see us play. We were just hanging out waiting for showtime and there they were. BRILLIANT! We were very moved. The following night, an electric gig at The Cock n Bull in St. Peter Port (the big city, eh?). A young groovy crowd and much appreciation from the young groovy bar staff. All good. The next day the weather was beautiful and we took the boat to Sark for the Folk Festival – quite a bouncy crossing but no disasters, if you know what I mean. Leaving the other passengers to be dragged up the hill behind a tractor (no cars on Sark) we walked up the scenic winding path to the village and found our billet. We were to stay with a cabinet minister and his wife in their gorgeous house ten minutes from the festival site. We were on at 2pm Saturday ish electric set and the grand folkies were open armed about the odd folk influenced prock…rop… we dished out. Next day we basked in the sunshine outside a café with our acoustic guitars, singing like angels, cracking jokes and developing lopsided tans, it was paradise, Paradise! Thank you Jim and all I have to say before I post this is, I didn’t get sea sick on the ferry home YES! And thank you and thank you and thank you!

Dry PO and other adventures

May was massive for us but started really tiny, about as quiet as it gets with a solo performance from me (Isobel) at the Greenwich Yacht Club Poetry night. A few songs without a PA and a ton of poetry, very cultured. Hope Fest Benefit gig is always a blast. It’s the people, great people create a great atmosphere. Held at The Hob in Forest Hill and boasting some of the finest acts booked to appear at Hope festival, we had a top time performing as the electric three piece with Bob Kelly on bass, a proper indication of the joy that Hope held in store. Then our first trip to Folkestone, The Royal George, right on the harbour. Thanks to Richard for the photos and mp3’s from that night. Not quite our kinda place but an interesting evening. Sunday the 13th May we teamed up with the Apache John Band for a double header at The Foots Cray Social Club, a honey sweet night of music and collaboration. We loved sharing the stage with these gentle folk revivalists and the finale of ‘Alright’ (a Bruise song) and ‘Buy Me Some Boots’ (an Apache John song) got everybody smiling. Up to Liverpool for the IPO. Ah but sickness, agew and lurgy brought a blight upon our usually merry group. There were three musicians with six gigs to play under various guises but it became clear pretty early on that powerful forces had other plans for us. I won’t go into details. Suffice to say, we all lost weight, gave the beer a rest (Bob the bass christened it DRY PO) and did actually play a gig or two. Straight back down the motorway to play a private party on the outskirts of London. Happy Birthday Stefan. 20th May we were at The Green Door Store in Brighton. It was our first time at this venue and we really liked it. Some of the funniest graffiti in the ladies that I have read. Directly underneath the station, set in old brick arches, a TOP sound from the engineer and a really great audience. Thank you to Roy Weard at the Real Music Club! Up to Edinburgh for a surprisingly short, but brilliant, set at Whistlebinkies. We had a room full of people really digging it and as soon as we stopped playing the venue emptied. We were astonished to see 3 friends from London had swung by all casual and cool to catch the gig and delighted to see Nifi from Honeybug had made the 1 hour drive to get there. Gawd bless ya! Glasgow was a special treat, to support Graham Skinner (Hipsway, Witness and a long time ago Bruise!). The Sounds in the Suburbs organization had taken over a sports venue and turned it into the coolest, it just was cool. A full room and an up-for-it audience who loved our set and sat spell bound as Skinner sang a blinding acoustic set accompanied by Douglas McIntyre. I found myself behind the merchandise table at the end of the night and we sold tons of CD’s Skinner sold tons of CD’s, everybody happy! Check out Skinner at http://www.grahameskinner.com . Up to Fort William and the Grog and Gruel, rowdy blighters who showed their appreciation (for the most part) by shouting over our set. However when we stopped for a break we were smothered by praise and bright eyed greetings, clawed at for CD’s, requests, odd but fantastic as it turns out. The only blot on this night were the midges, OMG the midges, they drove us mad! Thank you to Mark for opening for us, top stuff! Over a few mountains, along a loch or two and we were at The George, Inveraray for the Bluebell festival. On a stunningly sunny day, all day music. we played at 4 for a little short of an hour and caught some great local acts, folk and covers and generally a great atmosphere. It’s a wonderful place, I’d recommend it to anyone, rain or shine. On the way home we slotted in a rehearsal for the Celebration of Midsummer with a Murder of Rooks and Cathy Lesurf (Fairport Convention, Albion Band, Oyster Band). Though I was a bit fried after 1200 miles & 4 gigs in 4 days I am getting very excited about this gig. If you can make it to Hough on the Hill just outside Grantham on midsummer’s eve, I think it’s going to be magical.

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.

A Growling, Spitting and Snarling Stratocaster.

Friday 27th May saw day one of year one of London International Pop Overthrow. If you read last weeks blog you’ll know we were up in Liverpool playing the well established Liverpool IPO at the Cavern Club. So IPO had taken over the Bull and Gate in Kentish Town and it was a real pleasure to be back there. As always with IPO it was a rollercoaster of bands and Bruise were the last band on for the night, quite a privilege really. Jim and I were very happy to have Bob Kelly along playing bass, it’s such a treat for us and one we would enjoy for all this weekends gigs. We did what we do, we did it well, we took a bow and waved goodbye to the blurry eyed power pop fans as they stumbled onto their night busses home, aaaahhhh….
Saturday 28th Bruise returned home to The Wickham Arms. It was Champions Cup Final, or was it FA League finale, no no it was Premiership Celebrity Face-Off . I’m ignorant of the way football works but I was not ignorant of the fact that the game wasn’t supposed to end until 10pm, cutting into valuable playing time. So we decided, one long set, no breaks. We would start as the footy ended and play till the curfew. As it happens the match ended sharp at 9.45 and we were still setting up, by 10pm we were launching into the opening number. I felt relaxed and we were locked in from very early on. There’s so much I love about the heavy touring schedule; the travel; the people; but if I had to choose one thing it’s the impact all these gigs have had on live shows. We’re sharp, we’re dynamic, it feels great. So we went on a wild ride opening up with the baritone guitar with the mid pace ‘Girls Best Friend’ taking it up to ‘Coldburn’ ‘The Game’ ‘The Northern Line’ ‘I Don’t Like You’ and down again to ‘Silvertown’ all feeling good at this point. Swapped over to the Strat, this guitar feels a little harder, it doesn’t have the warm round edges that the baritone does, the Strat growls, it spits and snarls like a big cat and I love it. The audience was superb, a joyful mix of friends and strangers, a little bit of dancing, lots of craning heads it felt so good, a total joy to be back home. After playing for an hour and a half without a break I still felt good. We got a huge roar of appreciation as we closed the set with Miss Bigfish. Young, old, groovy and geeky all joined together and made us feel like small immortals. I am so grateful and proud to look into the audience and see the pleasure in peoples faces and I love the variety from grey hair or walking stick to skinny jeans or eyeliner. ‘Three Ravens’ was the encore and nobody was disappointed. A wonderful, wonderful night for Bruise. I’m so glad you loved it too. Thank you to Jonathon and Sarah for coming some miles to see us play, Bo for running the night, The Wickham for being supportive of Bruise, association football for keeping it short, and every blighter who was there. HURRAH!
Sunday 29th we were off to the final day of Meadowlands Festival, set in the imposing grounds of Glynde Place. Rubbing bumpers with the black tie crowd for the opera just down the road, it was a truly beautiful sight. It was however blowing a gale which took the shine off proceedings a bit. We were on the Radio Reverb/ Hutchins Guitars stage which had a warm well balanced sound and when we hit the stage it felt really good. Bless all sound engineers who do festival sound. Bless their sleepless, sandwich fueled weekends. Bless their bleeding ears and fried brains when it gets to the last few bands on Sunday evening. Our chap was holding up amazingly well under the circs, fragilely sipping from a polystyrene cup of tea ‘what’s the line up?’ he asks and gently slips away back to the sound desk. We delivered 40 minutes, all original and all solid and confident, there was a monitoring issue for us but halfway through the set a connection was made and the samples and vocals became audible from the stage and I started to feel like we were having a musical experience. Smashing stuff from all those bright eyed assistants recruited by Radio Reverb (everything a local radio station should aspire to be) and Hutchins Guitars (a total asset to the musicians of Brighton & Hove and beyond), special thanks to Jeff and Gary!

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!

Though we’ve only played there once before the welcome we got at the Cwmaman Institute has tattooed itself indelibly onto the hearts of Bruise. A super community based arts center, with a lively schedule of events which include a regular Thursday night gig. We had made our life a bit easier by borrowing a PA and we were being assisted by dear friends Peter, Huw and Pip so it was all very relaxed. The set started off on an up with ‘Nobody Else’ ‘Stranger in you’ then settled down with ‘The Prize’ which is turning into a wonderful and understated live track. ‘Silvertown’ ‘Coldburn’ ‘Little Victories’ ‘Alright’ and ‘Jennifer’ was the final track in the first set. This audience had doubled in size since our last visit and the applause seemed to have quadrupled, these lovely folks roared and clapped, I was swept away. The second set started with ‘Excuse Me’ ‘Mr Rat’ ‘3 Ravens’ Which felt monumental, it was a dream to feel the slow build as the track develops from almost unaccompanied vocal introduction to the huge loop, Juno, guitar and drums instrumental outro. And once again, as if performing the song had not been enough for us the audience wrapped us up in a wave of applause and appreciation, enticing Jim and I to better and better performances. At about this point we hit our stride properly. When Jim and I lock in it is the such a glorious feeling for me, my shoulders relax, the rhythm arm is effortless physical memory that builds and falls in a seductive way, I get to sing, really sing, explore the joy of having a voice and using it. And to feel and understand what class Jim has as a musician, how he manages to combine accuracy with emotionality and how this acts as a skeleton for the whole musical experience to hang off. Wonderful, WONDERFUL! So the rest of the set ran ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’ ‘Miss Bigfish’ ‘Blueline’ ‘Girls Best Friend’ ‘The Game’ ‘The Northern Line’ – much requested that night and received passionately, ‘I Don’t Like You’ and taaa daaa! The End, except for the encores, all three of them. Thank you people of Cwmaman we loved it and we’re looking forward to coming back!
The Musician in Leicester is a pucca venue that I feel deserved better from us, but that’s just my point of view and I didn’t encounter any one else who felt the same that night. A short set as part of a multi-band night, a delight for me to hear some wonderful guitar work, a young folk band trying out their chops and an accomplished songwriter presenting himself to a familiar crowd. The place was a bit on the quiet side and I was washed out after 2 days intensive rehearsals, so when I look back at our short set I see a low energy and uncommunicative front woman and though we delivered the songs with assurance I am having difficulty reconciling myself with what I brought to the night. Anyway, that’s my problem; I’d like to thank John & Snakeman for their wonderful support, Stevie for the opportunity and everyone who bought an album for trusting what they heard. Mark my words, next time there’ll be a show, Oh Yes!
The weekend of the 22 and 23rd April Jim and I were privileged to be playing an increasingly rare event, a completely unamplified performance, nothing, nada, not an amp, not even a microphone to sing into, Hot Gossip, Henley on Thames, WOW! Under these circumstances I go through a process of sounding out the room, sort of feeling my was around with my voice, getting some understanding of what resonates where and how quiet I can be before I get lost. It happens very fast and with Jim and I both on acoustic guitars we were offering up song after melodic song within minutes of arriving. Both nights were wonderful atmospheres. I was provoked by the intimacy of the set up to talk about the songs in quite personal terms, and that doesn’t happen very often at all. We felt so appreciated it was a delight for us. Thank you to Michael & Lorraine and to all those who came along to these two magical little happenings!
Easter Sunday saw us going back to old home ground in Canning Town and The Bridgehouse II and visiting old friends ‘That Legendary Wooden Lion’. The Bridgehouse II is set in an industrial corner of Canning Town, with a broken window or two, surrounded by pylons, sandwiched in between railway lines a middle class woman like myself might think twice about going in. However I’d be wrong, this venue is SET UP, a tasty house drum kit, all the amps you need, a lightshow that blows me away, friendly staff, tip top PA and a soundman who knows how to work it. We opened up with a short acoustic set on strong form after our recent acoustic outings, then we got to kick back and enjoy TLWL’s wonderful show, the costume changes, the time signature changes, the whole great big prog-ness of it all always makes me feel I’m watching them on a huge stage. After diverse hour long set from That Legendary Wooden Lion we took to the stage to close the evening with the electric duo line up, and frankly we kicked ass. Pumped up by what I’d just seen, pissed off because London Transport had made it impossible for the audience we just let go. Superb. Thanks for dancing, thanks for all the handshakes. We’ll take a bow XX

Little Victories Tour - the 3rd leg (?)

It’s only been a couple of weeks but tons has happened. There was the Hob in Forrest Hill, very satisfying and a really good musical experience for us. The venue likes us to open with an acoustic set and we like to do that too. It’s always a little quiet until 10.30 ish there so we crooned and chimed and the lovely audience listened attentively. Because we’ve been performing acoustically quite a bit lately there’s a lovely confidence and connection between Jim and I and the vocals are really intermingling so sometimes even I can’t tell who’s singing what. It was a lovely thing and we were really happy to play a tender set to those who had come specially to see us. It hit about 10.30 and we were ready to play the 3 piece electric set with brilliant Bob Kelly on bass. We kicked off with Excuse Me which feels huge in that line up, monumental, then ‘Mr Rat’ and I could feel the change in atmosphere, how the energy was rising and as the set progressed. It was a total delight, with complete confidence we roared through stocky and slender songs, lifting people up, shaking them around then dropping them back down again. There was dancing, singing along, everything I want. Thank you particularly to Stephanie who grabbed the mailing list and got loads of people to sign up, Roderick and Pete who traveled long distances to be there and the Scottish contingent for being such a great vibe! Alright!!!

We had a little advertised acoustic session down at Yellowfish studios in Lewes on the 30th March, just a couple of songs but in very good company, all filmed and due for release when the editors have done their thing. We were privileged to meet Arthur ‘FIRE’ Brown and he liked what we did, which is good because we like what he does! Also we loved hearing Mike Mayfield’s set and then basking in his guitar virtuosity (it’s a word!) as he accompanied Sophie Corbett (of the diminutive bespectacled king of comedy Ronnie fame) as she sang ‘Proud Mary’ and then collaborated, in front of our very eyes Mike and Arthur add-libbed a blues number about mostly hamsters I think, though other subjects were touched upon. It was a wonderful evening; we hung out with the talented and lovely Jo Harman and her slightly less talented and slightly less lovely but slightly taller PR manager Mark Ede. We left having had a wonderful time and would like to thank Gary Hutchins for being graceful host. As soon as I get the edit I’ll be posting it on our facebook sight www.facebook.com/bruiseuk

Thursday 31st we were in Swindon. It was our first visit to The Beehive but I felt sure we’d feel at home there just from their web presence which represents them as a venue that takes its music seriously, supports the visual arts too and has a good open mind. We were not disappointed; a friendly reception from the locals, a stunning pint of Speckled Hen on offer amongst other good ales, and something that was very welcoming was the landlord Andy bought it for us. By the time the PA was set up we realized how many people we had in common with the folks who drink at The Beehive and I felt thoroughly at home. We started with an acoustic set which we swooped through joyfully to listening ears, nodding heads and tapping feet, then we kicked off with an electric set and the place started to fill up and warm up. A very cool group of diverse folks made us feel so welcome there, from retired bespectacled types to long haired metal types and every thing in between. I’d like to thank Ross for coming from Bristol to see us play, we’re really delighted you’re enjoying the albums and we’ll look forward to seeing you again. As we were packing up a young man swayed out of the pub and started making his way up the hill, he turned and said “v’you enjoyed Zz Beehive?” and I’d like to say unequivocally ‘Yes, young man, we DID!’ .One more accolade to bestow upon this small creative hub, they have the best collection of tunes on their i-pod shuffle we have encountered.

Friday 1st found us re-visiting The Britannia in Crickhowell, a place which has gone out of their way to make us feel welcome and wanted and this night they had really excelled themselves. Ashley and Pedro at The Dragon Inn were putting us up in a beautiful room directly across from the venue, perfect! And Thank You. We loaded into the venue and were welcomed by a small group of friendly faces, (hello Dai, hello Jan!). We had planned to open up with an acoustic set which we did, but we’d hardly struck a note and a huge crowd of youths came through the door and started to exuberantly appreciate the music and atmosphere. After about 5 songs Jim and I gave up trying to sing over the buzzing crowd, downed our acoustic guitars and played an electric set, then another one. It was great to feel the room rise with us. This is what they had come for. I love doing what we do and I particularly love it when a crowd is as generous as these guys were. Totally a pleasure, and when we finally closed for the evening there were a few folks who were not taking no for an answer, so we grabbed them and our acoustic guitars and played traditional songs and romantic songs in the back room winding down in the most relaxed manner. A treat for us, this place has a warm place in our hearts.

The King William Inn in Glastonbury was our second new venue of the tour and we had no idea what to expect. What we got was a room with good acoustics and sight lines and a few people, a very few people. At the start of the gig there were maybe 3 people at the bar and a table of very music friendly types (musicians themselves gigging round the corner and spending their brake with us – that is top class behavior). The sound was good for us so even though the atmosphere was a contrast from the night before, we knew we could keep ourselves happy and put on a good show. The venue was on some sort of beer based route so people would come in drink a pint and move on, this is hard work for us. It’s really difficult to create an atmosphere and virtually impossible to connect with anyone. Once we got into the second set though things did pick up for us, there was a couple paying attention, then another couple, then there were 2 more couples, then 2 of the musicians from the band around the corner came back after they had finished their commitments (two thumbs up!) and Jim and I had a small but enthusiastic audience. These people made all the difference to our night, we left the venue knowing that we had been heard and that makes a BIG difference. Though I didn’t manage to get every one’s name thank you to Liz and Dan, Jakey and Hayley, the musicians (I can’t read your email address, do get in touch) all those who took the time to listen, and finally thanks to the warm and lovely Catherine and Jimmy. Cheers!

Our last date on this tiny tour was The Horseshoe in Bristol, we had been looking forward to this gig and rightfully so. A Lovely big pub with a small music venue, enthusiastic music lovers, friendly staff, just what we wanted. Familiar faces and a top sense of anticipation as we were setting up. The folks in Swindon had been spreading the word and we felt lucky to meet Ken Pustelnik the drummer from The Groundhogs who had been pointed in our direction. We were pretty tight by this stage, 4 gigs in a row is a wonderful way to sharpen up the show. So we did what we do and were welcomed like heroes in the break. We dived into the second set and the audience really got involved, there was much singing and hilarity as we played ‘I Don’t Like You’ and we got 3 encores, 3! Thank you to Linda and, ooooo now my brain fails me, but you bought us a pint and consequently you can have our first born. We really appreciate the support shown us by this venue and these good people, let’s do it again!

Thanks to all involved for a Tip Top tour!

Little Victories Launch

Gigs gigs gigs that’s what we’ve had, loads of them, all over. A quick mention for the Hoxton Underbelly (27th Sept) we played a half hour set which was a real pleasure. Mateo the Sound engineer did a bang up job with nothing but a line check and enabled us make a real impact grabbing the audience shaking them up and putting them down in a better place. It was an intimate little gig which was made even nicer for us because we met some longtime Bruise fans for the first time, Richie & Louise thanks for coming and thanks for bringing friends.
1st October, the day before my birthday we took our first trip down to Whitstable’s grooving Neptune, a serious music pub in a seriously beautiful location. On this night however it was pissing it down, waves blowing in off the beach, things were not looking good. By the time we were set up there was a happy smattering of familiar faces (Mr and Mrs McBride get special mention) and an expectant clutch of regulars. I really liked the space, Jim and I had room to ourselves, with great sightlines around the quirky boozer. And more importantly a wooden floor, with my amp sat on it letting the bass frequencies of my Laney really rumble. We built up a good momentum, balance was lovely and the crowd grew, and the rain fell and the wind blew. We rocked em, we soothed them then we rocked them again. Very nice rise and fall, both sets and particularly nice to have bar manager Darren come up to us after just one set and say, ‘we want you back, we’re loving it’. Feeling good, we loaded out in the horizontal rain and we’re looking forward to going back!
The new album arrived in the doorstep a few days later and we were ready to start Bruise’s Tiny Tour in earnest.
6th October we returned to one of our favorite venues The Latest Music Bar in Brighton for a very special night hosted by the charismatic full on talent that is Z-Star. It was a 6 band night everyone contributing a couple of songs, we played acoustically at the very top of the night then had the pleasure of listening to a collection of acts with Z-Star jamming in with percussion and vocals, the lovely Jo Harman taking a few impromptu tracks. I’m still singing some of the songs I heard that night. All preceded by a lovely session on Radio Reverb with Jeff Hemmings, always, always a good vibe. This was a great start to our involvement in this years Brighton Live festival.
7th October we were back at The Latest Music Bar to launch the new album ‘Little Victories’. Totally looking forward to this night and with very good reason, we’d hardly got through the door and were greeted by Stephen and the good news that downstairs were John and Jan from Folkmob. It was a great welcome and felt like the true beginning of this tour. Emberhoney opened up with an atmospheric set, then we hopped up and delivered half an hour of new material, songs from the new album, it felt good, it felt fresh, it felt sharp, then just for a moment it felt a little precarious. On the last song I was troubled with crackle, nasty ‘your amp’s about to die’ crackle, but it made it through. We sold the first copies of the new album and we were on our way home. It looked very much like the Folkmob contingent were going to continue a great night out in Brighton, we wished we could have stayed and joined in. Thank you so much to all who came along.
Saturday 9th October was the London launch at the spice of life, it feels very much like home territory and everybody there contributes, the guys at Substance Music and the crowd who show up, Katy, Johann, Peter, Gail, Leia, Frank, Jose, James and their friends and strangers and their friends, it’s just a good vibe, it just IS. The place was rammed Bob Kelly was on Bass we had a great time, 35 minutes of music, and an encore…or was it two? Whatever it was it was a treat, and coming off stage after a storming gig everybody was glowing. Late arrivals told us of bouncers saying ‘you’ll not get in tonight’ Sold Out signs on the door and the usual comfortable chatty mayhem slow dispersal, count out the money, hump the gear upstairs and swing off home. Aaaaahhhhh, Nice! Come on the rest of the tour!