ROGER & FRANS PAGES

 

Monday 28th April we visited Windsor to The Theatre Royal to see a set of three half hour plays written for radio broadcast by Agatha Christie.  The set was a 1930/1940 BBC studio with Sure ribbon microphones in a row and chairs in a row, plus a sound effects table.  The cast were all in evening dress - as was de rigueur for the BBC in those days.  There were seven in the cast including lead roles played by Susan George and Simon Shepherd.  The plays were running for a week with the basic cast of five working with different actors playing the lead roles each night. The first play was called Personal Call, originally broadcast in May 1954, and about the entrapment of a serial killer by a police subterfuge which may just have had a little ghostly help. This gave lots of opportunities for steam train, telephone and party scene sound effects.  This was followed by a November 1937 offering called The Yellow Iris - an Hercule Poirot story set in a nightclub. One of the cast, Elizabeth Price, sang nightclub songs - an excellent voice.  This story was about a murder prevented by the deductive capabilities of our Belgian hero. The final play was an outright horrific murder story called Butter In A Lordly Dish which was originally broadcast in January 1948. In this story a philandering barrister gets his come-uppance at the hands of the pretty widow of someone he has sent to the gallows. The sound effects here culminated in a nail being hammered into the victims head - emulated by the sound effects man hammering a nail into a cabbage !

 

Sunday 27th April 2008 The Jackie Lynton Band appeared at Scratchers, Godalming.  The place was crowded as usual, but Vanessa Lynton had saved me a seat so I was OK. I had missed the bands Saturday night gig - a private party in Staines - which according to the band hadn't been very good.  So it was nice that tonight's gig was extremely good.  Jack was on form both in his tuneful voice and his wit and ability to entertain the audience between songs. Although it was an excellent gig, Chris looked a bit unhappy throughout. He told me afterwards that he has given up alcohol and is suffering with mouth ulcers. During one of his interludes of talking (rather than singing) to the audience Jack pointed out the band is generally very unhealthy and it's a bit of a miracle they were there at all.  Jack has prostrate problems, Colin has a hernia, Mike and Chris are both diabetic and Greg needs a haircut - what hope have they got?

Mike and Colin in heaven - while Jack sings

 

Top Left :  Julian Carter; Mike Windus; and Ray Phillips Bottom Left : Mike Windus; Jack Lynton; Paul King; and Chris Bryant.  Jules Carter and Colin Pattenden in the background. Monday 7th April  Not a formal gig - but the funeral wake for the late great Grahame White - guitarist extraordinaire.  More than three hundred people had turned up to Grahame's funeral - where Jamie Marshall played a tear jerking folksy rendition of Stand By Me.   The evening at Hare Hill Social Club was much more of a celebration of Grahame's life.   There were so many bands wanting to pay tribute, that each had to be limited to three or four numbers.  The evening opened with The Jackie Lynton Band, with Spud Metcalf (Nashville Teens) on drums because Greg was away on holiday.  Grahame was Jack's lead guitarist for over twenty years and Jack made an emotive speech before he started singing.   The Lynton Band were augmented by Jules Carter (Blind Drunk Jules, and Grahame's Brother-in-Law) and Paul King (Mungo Jerry) on harmonica.  After a few numbers Jack stood down and Ray Phillips (Nashville Teens) took over to perform a couple of numbers.  This was followed by Jamie Marshall, who in turn was followed by Julian Carters own band,  Blind Drunk Jules - which for the first time ever on stage featured Grahame's twelve year old nephew on bass guitar.  This version of the band also included Paul White - Grahame's son - as guest drummer.  The next band up was The Retros' - Grahame's own band - who performed half a dozen sixties classics. They were brilliant.   The evening continued, but unfortunately we had to leave after the Retro's because it was getting late and Tuesday was a working day. It was great send off for Grahame - after the grief of the afternoon, we all went home with memories of the good times with him.

 

Nutcracker

Friday 4th April  Fran and I went to The New Victoria Theatre, at Woking to see another Matthew Bourne ballet production.  This time it was The Nutcracker.  This was actually my Christmas present to Fran - I had secured a box for four, so she could take whoever she liked - luckily she invited me as well as Jacky & Colin! The ballet was fantastic - full of Matthew Bourne's verve and fantastic ability to twist the classic story into a modern choreography for the famous ballet music.  The story was not so different from the original dream setting around Christmas, but was set in an orphanage and had a clearly humerous twist.  The dancing was energetic, fluid, fantastic, mesmerising and occasionally erotic.    Matthew Bourne is the Russell T Davies of the ballet - everything he touches seems to be blessed with a bright new feel, although I'm sure that in reality his success is the product of extremely hard work. Another great ballet - I would really like to see it again.

 

Sunday 30th March Deja Vu - I found myself back at The Seacourt Bridge Inn, at Botley.  This time to see The King Earl Boogie Band.  I got there about 4pm and watched some of the Liverpool/Everton football match until Dave Peabody and Les Calvert arrived.  None of us much care for football so we took our drinks out into the sunshine of the forecourt, where we were soon joined by John Coghlan and Ian Campbell with Julia.   Shelley brought us out some sandwiches, cakes and a huge plate of scones with clotted cream and jam !  I've never had a cream tea with beer before.  Eventually Colin Earl appeared and we set up the instruments.  The event was a christening, which had reserved half the pub space; hence the early start of about 6:30pm.   The band played two sets and were in "Boogie" mood rather than "Blues" mood.  George looked very ill and had a sore throat, but managed to sing quite well despite that. The second half was very lively with a lot of dancers on the floor - quite a challenge in such a small pub. They ended just after 9pm with In The Summertime, because this weekend the clocks had indeed gone forward to mark the beginning of British Summertime.

Colin Earl - In the Summertime

 

Chris playing a solo

Saturday 29th March I felt much better and we went to Oxford, to The Seacourt Bridge Inn, at Botley.  This is Michelle Earl's gig and tonight she had booked The Jackie Lynton Band, so we were there in force to see both her and the band. Jack used to appear regularly at a pub called The Corn Dolly in Oxford - about thirty years ago! But they remembered him and the Seacourt Bridge was packed with "Jack Fans".  The gig was a roaring success playing to a packed house.  Jack was in a real Rock'n'Roll mood so neither Delbert McLinton or Ray Charles got a look in and the whole bar rocked to Chuck Berry,  Elvis and Tommy Tucker numbers.  Greg and Chris raised their game even higher to impress Greg's sister and Chris's brother, who were in the audience.   At the end of the first set Jack dedicated a number to Grahame White (who died the previous Friday) which really cut up those of us who loved him.  Both Colin and Chris looked tearful during the number. The bands version of Chuck Berry's Let It Rock was tremendous - it's almost becoming the bands Anthem - and Jack left the crowd baying for more as he finished with a medley of some of the songs he'd written for Status Quo.

 

Friday 28th March I didn't go to a gig because I had a bad streaming cold associated with regular evil coughing fits !  But I did take Spud and his drum kit to The Wheatsheaf at Bramley and helped set the rig up.  Greg Terry-Short and Chris Bryant were there, both with bad colds. Pete Cowl was the only healthy specimen there !    I didn't stop for the Free At Last gig, but having actually gone to the place at all sort of counts for a mention in this part of web site.

 

Sunday 16th March was a big nostalgia day for me. The Jackie Lynton Band were playing at The Blueharts Hockey Club in Hitchin. I was at school nearby in the sixties and played hockey at this club back in the Autumn of 1965.  It took me a long time to regain my bearings, but soon all the old familiarity flooded back.     Colin Pattenden and I arrived at 4pm to set up the PA and check the sound - which enabled me to get quite a lot of reminiscing done !The event was orchestrated by Ron - landlord of The Sir John Barleycorn pub in Hitchin - assisted, supported and abetted by the great Tony Phillips.  A whole load of my "local" friends came along to support, I counted twelve paying guests there because of us, in addition to the WAGs. First act up was Mickey Flynn, a great looking character who had a set of racks, pedals and amps which looked quite surreal.  They turned out to contain a lot of pre-recorded backing, to which he applied a handy lead guitar overlay in a variety of styles.   He looked the piece, had all the movements, and could handle his guitar well - all the ingredients of a good evenings entertainment.  His sound quality was a little fuzzy and distorted when he turned it up too much - probably a function of the strange mix of equipment - but very acceptable for a pub environment, which -judging by his giglist - is where he plays most of his gigs.  I liked his act and will add some of his gigs to my giglist - and go to see him if I get a chance.  The only complaint was that he was supposed to be on for an hour and stayed almost two. The main attraction for us and our friends was The Jackie Lynton Band.  Chris Bryant and Mike Windus were joint lead guitars, Colin Pattenden was on bass, and Greg Terry-Short had injured his arm and therefore brought his son along to dep on drums for a few numbers.  Sadly they only had time for two short sets, but they played them brilliantly.  At the end almost the whole audience was up dancing to Jack's Status Quo Medley.   Although he was on good form with jokes and audience wind-ups, Jack was in one of his rare ballad modes, and sang several Delbert McLinton songs - perhaps because Vanessa was in the audience. During Jack's act he wound up his old friend Tony Phillips, and eventually went and sat out two numbers which he let Tony sing.   Tony was in one of the original skiffle/rock groups which merged to form The Nashville Teens, adding yet more evidence that it really is a very small World we live in.

Jackie Giving it everything                                       Tony Phillips - Teddy Boy Rock lives on                         Mickey Flynn - One man band

 

Greg Terry-Short = Paul Rogers tribute

Saturday 15th March we visited The Silver Birch pub in Bracknell to see Free At Last, the Paul Rogers tribute band which Greg-Terry Short has formed with Adrian (Spud) Metcalf, Chris Bryant and Peter Cowl.   It was great to see Jacky & Colin Pattenden there too, Colin was providing the sound system. This was the second major appearance of this new band and their rehearsals are paying off - the band were really tight and the few mistakes that there were could probably be blamed on the fact that this was their first venture through a proper big sound system and because Colin P isn't particularly a Paul Rogers fan he missed some cues to turn Chris Bryant's microphone on.  I don't think the audience noticed too many (if any) of these minor glitches.  The band were extremely good and extremely loud. It's really difficult being critical of friends, especially when I know that I cannot play or sing anywhere near the standard they achieve - however I want to record that this band is improving noticeably.  Peter played a mean bass solo during the first half and throughout the show he worked well with Spud to provide a driving and very "Free-like" powerhouse for Greg and Chris to play into.  Greg was excellent - looking the part and since the last time I saw him perform he has begun to master the art of using his microphone as an instrument, and not merely as a device for amplifying himself.  His voice was occasionally stressed with the huge range and the volume, but he acquitted himself well and is improving every time I hear him. Chris kept the show together with his awesome lead guitar work.  Just to make a break from the Paul Rogers theme, the bands tab number (encore) is the old Spencer Davis standard, Gimme Some More Lovin' - and in my humble opinion Chris played better than I've ever seen Spencer playing - he was great.     If I had a real complaint it was simply that the rig they were using was far too loud for the environment they were playing in.

 

Saturday 8th March saw The Nashville Teens at The Reading Conservative Club in Kings Road.   This was a "free" gig - no charge to get in, but I guess the Club took quite a lot of money at the bar because the place was heaving. Colin and I had been there since 3pm setting up and sound checking - for a 9:30pm start !  The sound quality was great though and the band well supported not only by club members, but by friends and family.  The club was soon very crowded and when the gig started at about half past nine the dance floor came alive.  Ray had been quite concerned about his voice, which has suffered colds and coughs over the Winter, but he sounded great - especially on the long slow bluesy numbers like Red House and Put A Spell On You.     There was a fairly long break between sets (the Club had a raffle to draw) and then the band were on again.  Sound quality was great and the dance floor was full most of the time. After Tobacco Road they encored with Born To Be Wild before making tracks to the bar !  The band were mostly gone by half past midnight, but Colin and I soldiered on till 2am to strike the stage and pack the vehicles.

The Nashville Teens - Salisbury Club

 

Saturday 1st March we went to The Silver Birch pub in Birch Hill, Bracknell; to see The Jackie Lynton Band.  This pub isn't the best gig in the World, but it has its moments.  This time there were at least some people in the audience, which was encouraging.  The band were good in the first set and great in the second.  Mike Windus had a "new" guitar, which was supposed to be a hybrid of some good pieces of equipment, but Chris assessed it and declared that it wasn't what Mike had been told it was - watching Chris work on it was just like watching an expert on TV's The Antiques Road Show - he was observing how the under body colour was slightly wrong where the paint had worn off... it was fascinating.  The guitar sounded good though - which may be a feature of Mike being an excellent guitarist.  It was good to catch up with the rest of the band, particularly Colin and Jack whom we haven't seen for ages.    The audience were appreciative and the band were clearly enjoying themselves.

 

Saturday 9th February we visited The Stables at Wavendon, a lovely theatre in the grounds of Johnny Dankworth and Cleo Laine's home.  We were there to see The King Earl Boogie Band playing. When we arrived we immediately ran into Colin Earl, Ian Campbell and George Leslie Calvert in the bar (surprise!) and eventually Dave Peabody and John Coghlan also emerged so we all had a good chat and catch up of news before the show.   I had lots of problems with the theatres fairly intransigent "no photo" policy. This was annoying as I had phoned several times and been told there was no problem if the band agreed - but eventually the management gave me a photo pass and I was able to take pictures in the second half even though they stipulated "no flash".  Most of the pictures were poor quality without a flash, but I turned it on for the finale bow and the tab number - and the manager didn't get to me to tell me off until I'd taken a fair quantity of pictures.   The performance was great - the sound quality and presentation in a civilized theatre setting really add a polish to the act.   They were all on form - Ian did some blinding solos, including Drifter Blues - which Dave kindly dedicated to "Roger in the audience". Dave P himself was also on terrific form, his guitar was ringing clear in the theatre quality environment and it showcased very clearly why he is held out as one of Britain's greatest Blues guitarists. After the gig the band sat at a table while people queued to get their autographs.  They'll be wanting stars on their dressing room doors next !

 

New fans - like dressing up The Teens on Saturday night

It was midnight on Saturday 2nd February 2008 when Ken Osborne struck those brilliant first chords to The Nashville Teens version of Chuck Berry's Workin' On The Railroad.  I was standing ten feet away in the wings of Red Stage at Butlins Minehead - wearing my earplugs.    It had been an interesting day. The bands adrenalin was up because Simon couldn't make the gig, and they would have to work harder to compensate for lack of keyboards - but they were also quite surprised to find that of the two live stages at the event, they were top of the bill on the "Red" stage.  The other bands on during the day had been "tribute bands" of various sorts, and we were the Real Thing for the days climax.  As usual at Butlins gigs the main attraction for the bands is meeting their mates backstage.  We all managed a brief chat with Chip Hawks and Colin went out of his way to find  Mike D'Abo because they have both played - at different times - with Manfred Mann.  Chip and Mike were jointly topping the bill on the other stage.  We also ran into loads of other old friends backstage including Cliff Bennett and Jess Conrad , who is looking even younger than ever! Adrenalin was also high because there had been a fairly major cock-up between the agents.  We have been booked since the middle of last year for this gig, but at about ten o'clock The Dakota's  turned up all the way from Manchester, saying that they'd been signed in just two days ago because we had cancelled !  Clearly we hadn't cancelled because we were all lying about in the dressing room drinking beer and the programme clearly had us listed;  so they had to go home again, presumably to have strong words with their agent. These Butlins sixties events are always good fun, and over the years the audience is perceptibly changing. There is still a core of genuine sixties fans,  most of them now in their own sixties;  but there is a growing proportion of younger "thirty-somethings" who are there for the buzz of the party and the excuse to dress up in sixties style clothes.  They weren't disappointed, The Teens gave a really brilliant show and the audience loved it.    Sadly at 1am the compere shut them down without an encore after Tobacco Road  - so Ray didn't get a chance to announce that we were selling CDs and consequently the gig wasn't as financially good as it might have been - never mind we all had good fun.

 

Sunday 27th January we were at The Wheelwrights Arms near Reading to see  The Ian Campbell Blues Band.  It was great to see the lads again;  Keith Allen on vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica ;  George Leslie Calvert on bass guitar ;  Simon Baker on drums; Simon Spratley on keyboards and, of course, Ian Campbell on lead guitar. Earlier in the day I had watched the fire brigade extinguishing a blaze in the old outbuildings of Peacock Farm near Bracknell.  Ian used to live at Peacock Farm in the sixties, when it was much more remote from the town than it is now and it was a fairly well known hippy commune.  In fact his most valuable recordings, with a band called Levee Camp Moan, were made at Peacock Farm.  The band played very tightly and mesmerised the audience - despite the heat !   This is an old country pub and they had the fire burning all day to warm the place up.  Sadly the drum kit is positioned immediately in front of the fireplace, so poor Simon was sweating away from the start. The band played a brilliant couple of sets - they were really tight, not too loud, but clearly all enjoying the gig and playing from the heart.   A wonderful end to the week.

Ian Campbell Blues Band

 

Mike and Fran Fran on bass

Friday 25h January we drove into Covent Garden to visit The Poetry Cafe in Betterton Street to spend an evening with the London Poets Society.  Not our usual cup of tea, and in retrospect we were both surprised at how much we enjoyed it, and how much it reminded us of our misspent youth in the sixties at the Hitchin Talisman and Soho's Les Cousins folk clubs.   There were nine "floor poets", who each stood up and read one poem each. All were good, some were very good.  The "headline performers" for the poetically minded audience were  Charles Bennett and Rosemary Norman.   Charles was a very entertaining presenter and Fran really liked his poetry;  Rosemary blew me away with her quite dark poetry, and her fascinating delivery - she looks like a skinny meek little librarian but with absolutely barking mad hair and eyes ; she gave a brilliant delivery straight from the heart.  I shall certainly buy some of her books. The main attraction for Fran and I were two performances by Fran McGillivray and Mike Burke who were playing in between poets.   We saw - and briefly met  - Mike and Fran in St Mary's Church in Hitchin during last summers Rhythms of the World weekend.  We were both really impressed by their performance and discovered that we have a common friend in Dave Peabody.  Since last summer we have bought some CDs and been in touch by e-mail, but this is the first of their gigs we have been able to get to since then.   We weren't disappointed. They played two spots and were every bit as fantastic as we remembered.  Mike plays a mean guitar and sings well to accompany Fran.  Fran sings with a rich and tuneful voice while playing her Fender jazz bass.  Her fingering on I'd rather drink muddy water and sleep in a hollow log was mesmerizing.  She's obviously a clever girl musically and also played the flute in the closing bars of Reynardine.  My favourite number of the evening was their great rendition of Willie Dixon's Spoonful - The song has been recorded in many styles ranging from Dixon's original blues through Creams ear splitting rock/blues to Bob Dylan's recent version which I think verges on a boogie production.   Fran and Mike managed to combine the best of all these and somehow put just an edge of jazz into the mix - I hope they record it soon.  Fran and Mike (link to their website) are also part of a band called So Long Angel, and our next mission must be to get to see them perform.  The Poetry Cafe is at 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden. It has a bar licence and a reasonable looking vegetarian menu. The event is called Fourth Friday (website) and they run this club on the fourth Friday of each month.

 

Saturday 19th January we went to the Windsor Theatre Royal to see a performance of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.  This excellent story is set in the 1930's in an isolated art deco mansion on an island off the coast of Devon.  While clearly based on the real life hotel on Burgh Island where Christie herself stayed in the thirties,  the island in the play was called "Soldier Island".    This is all terribly politically correct - when I first read this particular story in the late nineteen fifties the book was called "Ten Little Niggers", after the nursery rhyme of the same name - which has now been changed to be politically correct in our current day and age. The story was good, the actors excellent, and the casting brilliant.  Gerald Harper led the cast and was supported by ten others, among whom was Mark Wynter - whom had once been the pop star responsible for such brilliant hits as "Venus In Blue Jeans".    A very entertaining show. The story - briefly - is about ten strangers isolated on an island and each being accused of getting away with murder.  Then each of them gets murdered in turn - clearly one of their number is the murderer;  but who ?   A good, gripping, Christie thriller.

 

Saturday 12th January I found myself driving to Bramley, near Guildford, for the debut performance of a new band called Free At Last.  I took Trish and Spud (Adrian Metcalf, Nashville Teens) to The Wheatsheaf Inn, which was to be the new bands first public performance.  The other band members were already there when we arrived.  In addition to Spud on drums, Chris Bryant played lead guitar,  Peter Cowl played bass guitar and Greg terry-Short fronted the band as vocalist.   Peter usually plays with Men Behaving Sadly - a local covers band, while Greg and Chris usually feature with The Jackie Lynton Band.     The group were specifically a tribute to Paul Rogers, and although Greg is an accomplished drummer, this was his career debut as a lead vocalist.  The band have been rehearsing for about three months and - quite understandably - were fairly nervous before the gig. The rehearsals and the nervous adrenalin paid off - they were great.   They played two sets and were thoroughly entertaining, very loud, and completely passionate about their music.  They played twenty nine numbers in all. The first set being from Free and the second set being from Bad Company and other Paul Rogers projects.  While I very much like Paul Rogers' voice, I'm not generally a fan of his music, and my motive for attending was primarily to support my mates.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the whole gig and how similar Greg was to Paul.  The only variation from "Rogersmania" was the encore, which the lads didn't really seem to have planned for and so briefly they became a Spencer Davies tribute band. The quote of the evening has to be "They aren't really loud. They just look loud."

 

Wednesday January 9th We saw The Jackie Lynton Band again at The Eel Pie Club, which meets at The Cabbage Patch Pub in Twickenham.  We arrived early to help carry the kit in and set up the stage, and when the doors opened at half past eight the club quickly filled with people, including several familiar faces from the history of British sixties Rhythm and Blues !  The Eel Pie Clubs is a well known haunt of muso's and this was the first gig of 2008. Jack has always been a favourite among his fellow musicians, and his band were the headline of a fairly interesting programme set out for the new year. Everybody was in up beat mood and the quality of the audience spurred Jack to deliver an excellent performance. He delivered a very well balanced set - drawing on (and announcing) examples of many different musical styles , all interspersed with jokes and anecdotes from his colourful past.  To be honest, the band were a bit ragged in places, but they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, laughing at each others mistakes - and judging by the applause the audience were impressed with the overall presentation, which was undeniably excellent entertainment.   The gig overran by about ten minutes, and even after that Jack was still called for an encore.  His motto is "Leave them wanting", but tonight he did return for a rare encore, and got an enormous ovation.

The Lynton Band having a great time

 

The Lynton Band with Tim Wheatley

Saturday 5th January 2008  I went to The Pyrford Sports and Social Club to see The Jackie Lynton Band.  When I arrived the place was quiet, the largest group of people was the band and their friends.  Jack, Chris Greg and Mike were all there, plus Tim Wheatley who was depping on bass for Colin Pattenden who had a previously engagement taking his grandchildren to a different pantomime from the one we saw this afternoon. (see below). It was an interesting mix. Tim uses far less volume on the bass than Colin which meant that the whole performance was at a quieter level. Some of the audience were even talking to each other through some of the numbers, which could never happen with the normal volume level of this band.   The place soon filled up and there were a fair few couples on the dance floor.  Chris Bryant and Greg Terry-Short were very tight (they had spent all day rehearsing for their first gig next weekend as Free At Last); Mike Windus was on great form - I love his solos, especially on the Chuck Berry numbers ;  and Tim Wheatley was steady and tuneful, and performed a neat solo in the last number.  Overall a very good show.  I had arrived fairly tired and feeling a bit jaded after the excesses of Christmas, but left feeling much more buzzy and singing Let It Rock to the inside of my car all the way home.  Thanks for the wake up.

 

Saturday 5th January 2008  Fran and I took our grandson James (age 4 next Friday) to Windsor Theatre Royal to see the matinee performance of Cinderella. The old people we recognised were Ed "Stewpot" Stewart (Baron Stoneybroke) ; Wayne Sleep (Buttons) and Jan Leeming (Fairy Godmother).  I'm told that Prince Charming and Dandini (Chris Crosby and Johndeep More) had both been runners up in the recent "Joseph" show on TV and the rest of the cast were extremely talented kids who danced and sang their way through the two hour event to the delight of the kids. Stewpot and Wayne Sleep both looked very tired; Ed showing his age by regularly shouting "Crackerjack" and Wayne being every bit as camp as he is in real life.  At the end he had four kids up on stage to sing The Wheels On the Bus, and one tall ten year old was actually taller than he is !  He can still crack a very good tap dance though - a good show.   It was apparently Jan Leeming's birthday, so we all sang Happy Birthday to You. James' favourites were the Ugly Sisters, (Christopher Beeny and Martin Sharvell-Martin) who stole the show with their outrageous costumes and by winding up the kids with "look out behind you" gags and by getting booed every time they bullied poor Cinders.   Never mind she had a friend - Rupert The Bear - who kept giving her motherhood advice.

Surprisingly the poster doesn't have a picture of Cinderella on it.    She was quite fit !

 

Lord of The Rings

Friday 28th December Fran and I drove into London to The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane to see The Lord Of The Rings - the musical.  I have been in two minds about this show.  It seemed a difficult story to make into a musical, yet all the critics reviews were positive.  We soon found out why.  Sure, the story had been abridged in places, and the songs - original Tolkien refrains - were not particularly memorable,  but the special effects and costumes were mind blowing !   The Black Riders were awesome creatures - black things on stilts with skeletal horses ; the Orcs were evil, swinging like demented apes, but with absolute menace.  The Elves were a bit naff - could have been a troupe escaped from the Cirque De Soleil - but they were entertaining; while the Ents were very tall and spindly on amazingly long stilts; and Gollum was - well, he was Gollum. The lighting and stage effects were spectacular. The stage was circular with contra rotating sections and sections which rose or fell according to the effects - overall made to look like a huge tree stump.  The theatre walls and proscenium arch were a tangle of tree roots - but with special lighting could also look like rock or snow.  Best of all was the flame from the Balrog when - at the end of the first half - it fell into the pit of Moria with Gandalf.  There was blinding red light of huge flames, black smoke billowing across the audience and "ash" (grey confetti) raining out across the auditorium.   Although three hours is a long time to sit in cramped seats when you have crap knees, I wouldn't mind seeing this one again.

 

Sunday 23rd December  We went with Jackie & Colin to The Royal Albert Hall to see the annual Carols by Candlelight concert.    The principal entertainers were The Mozart Festival Chorus and The Mozart Festival Orchestra; ably assisted by Sarah Tynan (soprano), conducted by David Hill and supported by prose readings from Christopher James.  The orchestra dressed in seventeenth century costume;  tights, tight knee breeches and fancy silk frock coats - topped off with powdered wigs.   This was the first of three shows they were doing on the same day !  It was an excellent production playing to a full house who revelled at participating in some of the more boisterous carols.  The chorus sang excerpts from Handel's Messiah;  Sleepers Wake;  In Dulci Jubilo and many other seasonal classics.  Sarah Tynan was brilliant, with a full soprano rendition of Or Let The Merry Bells Ring Round more reminiscent of the Last Night of the Proms than of a Christmas service.  The audience participated in half a dozen carols, climaxing with Once in Royal David's City, during the last verse of which the organist let rip with the mighty Albert Hall Organ.  Awesome.

 

Saturday 22nd December We had a difficult choice to make.  The King Earl Boogie Band were playing at Fat Lil's in Witney and The Jackie Lynton Band were playing at The Jolly Butcher in Laleham.    It was a hard decision, but we ended up going to Laleham to see Jack. It was a good gig - the band were very together and Jack was enjoying himself.  Mike Windus and Chris Bryant both played fantastic solos and Colin Pattenden gave us a great show, especially on Blue Suede Shoes and Matchbox .   The Jolly Butcher is a great little gig - always packed and extremely appreciative of Jack and the band.   Greg had a good night - nearly deafening the rest of the band, and Jack sang like an Angel.   Well, an angel with a deep voice anyway ! The lads played two full sets, ending with a Status Quo medley which went down really well with the audience.

 

Wednesday 19th December I paid an extremely brief visit to the 3 B's bar in Reading to see Jason Manners, George Calvert and Mark Hill  (most of Boothill) playing.  Indeed Tami Roberts was sitting in the audience, so all of Boothill were in the room. I was en route home from work - with a passenger en  route for Didcot - and I was still wearing a business suit.  So I didn't stop long.  Apart from a quick kiss from Tami  I didn't get to speak with any of the guys.   I saw three and two halves of numbers and it was clear that Jason was in stunningly good form - I wish I could have stayed for more.

 

Saturday 1st December was a very local gig (walking distance) at The Silver Birch pub in Bracknell.  It was a late booking for The Jackie Lynton Band.   We got there in good time and helped the band get their gear in.  The Birch was surprisingly quiet - apparently they have been in a rut with the same band every month, plus they got a new landlady five weeks ago - so she is trying to revive custom by changing things a bit. I remember the place being so packed that it would take five minutes to squeeze your way across the room; tonight there were only about twenty of us in the audience - so I kept moving about to make it appear more crowded ! The band were on extremely good form - this was partly because Chris and Greg had been rehearsing all day , but also because they were all clearly having a good time and enjoying the music.   Both Chris and Mike played brilliant solo's and Colin Pattenden's bass line through High Heeled Sneakers (not the original Thomas Higginbotham - aka Tommy Tucker - arrangement, but the Lynton Gangs own jazz-funk arrangement) was phenomenal.   Jack was in particularly good form, jovial and in good voice and although the "half time" gap was quite long, they performed from half past eight all the way through until half past eleven.  Great appreciation from the small audience - let's hope the venue grows stronger over the coming weeks.

Mike Windus - JLB

 

Jason and Tami in duet

Saturday 24th November Fran and I made our way over to The Seacourt Bridge Pub at Botley, on the edge of Oxford.  This is Shelley Earl's pub (eldest daughter of the lovely Colin Earl) and tonight she was presenting Boothill - featuring  Jason Manners (guitar and vocals); Tami Roberts (vocals);  Mark Hill (percussion); and George Leslie Calvert (bass guitar and vocals).  They were amazing - an excellent evenings entertainment. George and Mark provided a power house backing - embroidered by George's jazzy rifts on the bass (has Stephanie been making him listen to too much Polar Bear recently?).  Although Tami told me before the gig that she was worried about her voice, it sounded great. She is not only a very good blues singer, but she has a vocal range which easily enables her to move around different genres of music.  Jason was superb - that man has an amazing ability with the guitar - well worth seeing if you've not heard him before.  He is not only technically good, but he plays with his heart - very moving.  I discovered tonight that Boothill is named after an Elmore James song - which surprised me because EJ is one of my favourite blues artists* and I didn't recall that as a title which I recognised. However, the song was familiar and a bit of post gig checking out revealed that Elmore recorded it as Look On Yonder Wall.   It was renamed as Boothill when Johnny Winter covered it and a friend tells me that Stevie Ray Vaughan has also produced a seminal recording of the song under that title. I shall have to search them both out. *The first record I ever bought was in 1962 and was a secondhand copy of Elmore James' 1947 version of Dust My Broom on scratchy old 78rpm - it's in terrible state of quality, but I wouldn't sell it for the Earth.

 

On Saturday 17th November 2007  I drove over to Scratchers at Godalming to and back to see Mike Windus (aka Billy Hill in this line up) playing with Cryin Out Loud.  I got there just as the first set was starting.  I had only seen this band twice before - once at Scratchers and once in Mal Dann's back garden - and I really like the style of music they generate. A great big dose of Chuck Berry influence and a decent dollop of Delbert McLinton in the middle. I was on nursemaid duty so I couldn't stay right to the end, but I watched through the first three numbers of the second set before setting off for home.   A nice gig and well worth the forty mile round trip to drink a couple of pints and listen to their music.

Cryin Out Loud

 

Blue slate bow for the KEBB

Saturday 3rd November 2007  I drove to Cornwall and back to see The King Earl Boogie Band playing at The Carnglaze Cavern  - a wonderful gig deep in an old slate mine, with the most amazing acoustics.   480 miles driving in sixteen hours - well worth the journey. It was the annual Guy Fawkes bash at this wonderful venue - an old slate mine deep in the Cornish countryside.  It wasn't quite as crowded as previous years - although there was still a good sized audience. There seemed to be more "outsiders" groups than I had noticed before; a load from Portscatho (a KEBB enclave even further down in Cornwall) and a noisy Status Quo supporters group from Shilton in Oxfordshire - the village where John Coghlan lives; as well as the regular "WAG"s It was a brilliant gig. the band are excelling themselves each time they play.   They started with an acoustic set (Ian on guitar because he'd forgotten to bring his mandolin), after which everyone emptied out of the cavern to eat hot dogs and burgers and to watch the firework display - which was very impressive.  Then we all returned to the depths of the mine to see two more sets - this time electrical.  The band are developing away from their core boogie and blues and moving perceptibly further into Rock'n'Roll. There were several Chuck Berry numbers and the finale was a Status Quo medley !

 

Sunday 28th October 2007  I thought I was going to see Dave Peabody and Colin Earl at The Jolly Farmer pub in Hurst, near Reading.  But when I got there I found Mr Peabody in the bar with George (Les) Calvert watching another band whom I had never seen before.  Their keyboard player was exceedingly good.  After a few numbers Dave joined the band to guest a few numbers.  I only stayed for a half dozen songs, but the band were quite tight and performed well with Dave - I don't know if they had rehearsed, or had played with him before. The un-named band were, however, badly let down by the totally ropey state of their PA equipment !   Most of the time it was emitting a low hum - although this rose to be a quite loud buzz at times just to remind everyone it was there. The vocal reproduction was very muddy and (for me anyway) quite spoiled Dave's vocals. Never mind - the audience were enjoying themselves and I had a beer and a chat with Dave and George, so it can't have been all bad.

Peabody guests

 

Ian with Simon

Saturday 27th October 2007  I took Fran to see The Ian Campbell Blues band at The Seacourt Bridge Hotel  at Botley on the western outskirts of Oxford. This pub is managed by Shelley - Colin Earl's eldest daughter and it was great to see her again.  When we arrived we found Keith Allan and Ian Campbell sitting out the front of the pub. Inside were George Calvert, Simon Spratley and Mark (don't know his surname) talking with Tami Roberts (Mark's partner).  Mark was standing in for Simon on drums.  They eventually got the show going soon after 9pm and sounded terrific.  Considering that Mark hadn't rehearsed with them they sounded extremely tight; and Ian's guitar solos' were as brilliant as ever.   Simon also did a couple of really nice solo's as well. We could only stay for the first half, but the band were on good form and the punters in the pub were really enjoying it.  Shelley is a brilliant hostess and produced a huge pot of Penne Bolognese at the half way interval to stop all her customers from dying of hunger during the second set.    I hope this gig grows and gathers a huge following - the bands Shelley has lined up for the future are quite amazing.

 

Wednesday 17th October 2007  I took my sister-in-law to see Matthew Bourne's production of  The Car Man at The New Victoria Theatre in Woking.   It was an exhilarating performance which left us feeling quite breathless and worn out !   Loosely based on Bizet's Carmen - and using all "the best bits" of the Opera's music with some strange, but lovely, arrangements. The action was set in a small American town in the fifties - with a tight knit Italian immigrant community fighting and screwing and generally just being folk - until a stranger arrives in town and takes a job as a mechanic at the local garage (hence "The Car Man").   He seduces the local garage owners wife - and also seduces one of the shy young men of the town - thus disrupting two of the relationships in this small community.  Sex and Violence reign - but in a beautifully choreographed way. Some full frontal male nudity (do all male ballet dancers shave or wax their pubes?); some passionate male kissing; a lot of teenage sex and two very bloody and shocking murders !    A brilliant story - and considering that it is all dance (no spoken words) it is extremely well communicated. The dancers have to "act" as well as dance.

 

The Jackie Lynton band at The North Star	Saturday 6th October 2007 I went to see The Jackie Lynton Band at The North Star pub in Staines.  Not the World's best venue - the band play in an area smaller than my living room at home and basically face a subset of the audience comprising about eight people and a wall !  The rest of the audience are off to the sides and not in direct eye contact with all the musicians.   However - this was one of the best Lynton gigs I have ever listened to - the band were extremely tight and loving the evening themselves.  Both Mike Windus and Chris Bryant were on top form - and both did the "best ever" solo's on Cocaine.  If I had to choose I think Mike might have been better by a whisker!  But I'm not the best judge and they were both playing brilliantly.  Later in the set Colin Pattenden wasn't the only band member to lose himself in ecstasy playing High Heeled Sneakers - the bands own "funk" version of this Carl Perkins classic.  The band all revelled in Women and Men - a great song which Jack doesn't perform often enough.  In the small room the floor was buzzing with the vibrations from the band and I think most of the audience were prematurely deafened by the wall of sound.    They ended with Chuck Berry's Let It Rock - an exceedingly good nights entertainment.
Pictured below are (left to right) :  Mike Windus being cool and professional at the same time ; Mr Bryant's guitar while he was playing slide ; Chris Bryant getting excited during Let It Rock ; Greg Terry-Short enjoying smacking his big brass cymbal.

 

Thursday 4th October we visited The Wilde Theatre at South Hill Park to see The Puppini Sisters performing.  They are a close harmony three girl group with a penchant for nineteen forties music not to mention war time looks - pencil skirts, tight bodice jackets, stockings with high heels and piled up hair. (I would have enjoyed it if they'd all had laryngitis !)  They had a very adept backing band (Double Bass, Drums/keyboards and electric guitar) and showed their virtuosity by also playing their own instruments, violin, piano accordion, ocarina and a strange little kiddies piano which made quite a tinny noise.  A very professional and well choreographed act, not quite following in the footsteps of Fascinating Aida, but certainly on a closely parallel path - they write some of their own stuff as well as the 1940's favourites like Chatanooga Choo Choo ; Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and Sisters.  They have also applied their close harmony technique to more modern songs, like Wuthering heights and Heart of Glass.  I will certainly go out of my way to see this act again - they are very entertaining.

 

Programme Cover

Tuesday 2nd October 2007 Fran and I went to The Theatre Royal at Windsor to see Tom Conti starring in a play called Romantic Comedy.  Not technically a "gig" - but live entertainment so I feel justified including a report.  It was an excellent story spanning twelve years of a relationship between two successful play writers in New York during the sixties and seventies.   Well produced and acted, the only deficiencies were that it started twenty minutes late because Mr Conti had got stuck in a traffic jam, and that he occasionally forgot to employ his American accent - not that it mattered much because it was set in New York and nobody there can speak properly anyway. The play was originally written in America by Bernard Slade - who made his name as script writer for the sixties TV series Bewitched and The Partridge Family.   The play was written in the 1970s and was originally a great hit on Broadway with Anthony Perkins and Mia Farrow in the main roles.  I haven't seen any other versions, but this one felt as if it was written for Tom Conti, which probably reflects the excellent acting, casting and directing. We've seen quite a few plays starring Tom Conti and he is a consistently great actor. The published programme was also one of the more memorable I have ever seen.  As well as the usual stuff about the actors, the play and the company it had some interesting articles about romantic relationships and an entertaining set of quotes from the great and good on the subject.  My favourites were: Marriage is a wonderful invention; but, then again, so is the bicycle repair kit.   Billy Connolly The trouble with women is that they get all excited over nothing - and then marry him.    Cher Women are like elephants to me; I like to look at them, but I wouldn't want to own one.   W C Fields

Saturday 30th September 2007 I went to see The Jackie Lynton Band at The Jolly Butcher near Laleham.   First gig for ages (been in hospital) and it was great to see the band in fantastic form.  It was Chris's birthday so there was plenty of red wine flowing and Jack has at last got his new CD published so he was happy to have something to sell.  It's called Rockin' In Cornwall, Rollin' in Surrey and features a lot of new Jackie Lynton songs.  All the photo's in the CD are by me (and there are quite a lot of them) although inexplicably they include several celebrities who aren't on the record !  The pub has a new landlord and a very appreciative audience who loved the music and the band.  Clair and Linda  were there as well and agreed it was a good gig.  We were well entertained by some of the more alcoholically challenged regulars who danced rather violently - at one stage tipping a very inebriated young lady wearing an extremely short skirt backwards over the foldback speakers and into Colin's microphone stand - which hit him in the face!  The rest of the audience was visibly relieved to be able to confirm that she was wearing knickers - although Jack did keep on about having seen an escaping hedgehog!   After a bit of a drought from live music it was a good refreshing performance and a very enjoyable evening.

Four Original Teens Ray Phillips, John Allen, John Hawken and Neil Korner

Saturday 1st September 2007 was day one of The Weyfest at The Rural Life Centre near Farnham.  A Mecca for local bands, and a load of friends among them. Fran, John Hawken and I arrived about half past four and quickly explored the front and backstage areas of the new venue for the WeyFest.  There were twenty bands appearing during the day, but our specific interest was for three of them.   I was intrigued by the programme,  most of the words describing "our" three bands were written by me and had been filched off various of my websites as were at least three photographs.  First up were Paul Kings Skeleton Crew, who now featured original guitarist Ian Campbell because Geoff Ward was in Ireland.  We greeted Colin Pattenden, Paul King and Ian - the latter of whom Fran and I had seen less than twenty four hours before at Addlestone. Paul's performance was great, and at the end he called up Pat and another girl to play zob sticks on stage.  Overall a great stomping performance with a great big dollop of Paul's classic showmanship.  While Paul was on stage,  Neil Korner and John Allen - both original members of the Nashville Teens - arrived; so we had a fairly robust representation from the nineteen-sixties.  Luckily the current cast of the band also turned up.

Paul Kings Skeleton Crew                              The Nashville Teens                                  The Jackie Lynton band

 

Saturday 18th August 2007  The Nashville Teens trekked down to East Prawle in Devon for a night at The Pigs Nose Inn. We took with us John Hawken - original keyboard player for The Teens and we all had a great - although very tiring - time.  Spud and Ken took Trish and Cola with them and had the foresight to travel down on Friday and stay over. Simon went on his own because he was acquiring a new car at Poole en route to the gig and didn't want our "help".  Colin, Ray, John, Wesley and myself crowded into Colin's people carrier and then took nearly seven hours to fight our way through the solidifying holiday traffic.  We arrived about six o'clock and were greeted by Dave Wade (Dave-The-Sound) who immediately provided me with a beer. What a lovely man !    The sound check quickly turned into a rehearsal, because tonight was to be the first public outing for The Joe Cocker Medley (see 21st July below) and nobody had thought to bring the written arrangement.  It was great to see Peter & Lesley again and all the staff at The Nose.  Pip was there on the door, with her new man. Val & Zippy were there and Stephanie drove down from Winkleigh to join about two hundred other people for the evenings entertainment. It was a great reunion for Ray, John and Pete Webber - landlord of The Nose - who used to be The Teens roadie in the good old days. Dave provided excellent sound as usual and tonight was showing off by working the lights as well.  The show eventually got underway at about a quarter to ten.  It was a great audience and the band rose to the occasion and played their hearts out.  John came onto stage to play Honky Tonk Women while Simon got a beer; and The Joe Cocker Medley went surprisingly well because only the professionals in the audience noticed the few little mistakes.  Ray got a tremendous reaction to Put A Spell On You.  We are trying to get Ray to do this as a duet with his daughter Vanessa (see 4th August below) for the next time we managed to record anything.  Toward the end of the show  Peter and one of his lady friends appeared on stage and joined in for the false tab and finale numbers - Tobacco Road and Born To Be Wild.  A wonderfully emotive end to the performance. We drove back overnight and I eventually hit the sack just before 6am.  Worth it for an excellent evening with good mates (not to mention ten hours squashed in the car with some of them!) and all  thanks to all the folk at The Pigs Nose.  Can't wait to be invited again !

Nashville Teens with John Hawken guesting on keyboards John Hawken - too tall for Simon's keyboard

 

The Lynton Band with Gordon on bass

Saturday 11th August 2007 I went to Laleham to The Jolly Butcher to see the Jackie Lynton Band.  Unfortunately I could only stay for the first set, but the band were extremely good at their music.  Chris wasn't so good on dress sense, and wore some baggy shorts which didn't do his pulling power any favours !   Colin was away so Gordon dep'd on bass guitar.  The band were very buzzy and tight - despite Gordon's inexperience of the numbers; a tribute to his skill at catching on quickly ! Mike had a particularly good night and played some stunning solo's' while Chris showed no sign at all of having fractured his wrist only ten weeks before ! He has a nasty scar along his left wrist where they plated his bones back together, but it doesn't seem to have reduced his dexterity.  Greg was solid on drums and Jack was in Elvis mood (this week is thirty years since the death of his hero).  The set was great, starting with Chuck Berry, winding through a couple of Jack's own compositions, touching on his Joe Cocker arrangement of Unchain My Heart, and ending with Mess Of The Blues - which is one of Jack's favourites.  I'm sorry I couldn't stay until the end because I'm sure they will have gone out on Let it Rock, which is one of my favourite pieces - especially Chris Bryant's interpretation of the Chuck Berry solo's.

 

Tuesday 7th August 2007 a gang of us took a hire car in to Putney to The Half Moon pub to see The Electric Strawbs with John Hawken.   The journey there and back is a story in itself - but the gig was very good indeed.   This must be one of the few currently performing bands who have the same line-up they had in the seventies.   Dave Cousins and Dave Lambert were amazing on vocals (and of course on rhythm and lead guitars respectively).  John was awesome on his array of keyboards and his moog - and he delighted in flying his damned seagull around the room for four bars longer than the record in the opening of Autumn.  Chas Cronk smiled to himself as he played his bass and from where I was standing I couldn't actually see Rod Coombes on drums, but his timing and tempo were impeccable. As well as being part of the band's warm-up for The Cropredy Festival later this week, this was actually a "last night" for the Half Moon, which has now closed down for refurbishment.  I got to talk with Chas and Dave C afterwards - Dave recalled that his daughter had told him of meeting me at a photographic course we both attended at Nikon.  I also chatted with John and met his son who is over from the States for a week or two.  I look forward to picking up with John when this tour is over. He plans to stay in the UK for a month and to come to a couple of Nashville Teens gigs.

Hawken, Cronk and Cousins

 

Vanessa and Peach

Saturday 4th August 2007 - we went to The Percy Lambert pub in Weybridge to see Peach  who are a tight little band fronted by Vanessa Phillips, Ray's daughter.  The band were excellent - very talented musicians with a very tight presentation. Vanessa was equally good - she has her fathers innate talents , not just for singing, but for public performance. Although we've known Vanessa since she was a schoolgirl, we've never seen her sing or perform on stage before and I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at some of the similarities to her Dad.  She has some of the same mannerisms. Although she doesn't do her Dad's famous pose of covering the microphone with her forearm  (which is a nightmare for the sound engineers because it causes horrible feedback).  Like her Dad she keep time by patting her diaphragm, and on the very rare occasions where she fluffs a line she flashes a stunning smile at her colleagues and then sticks out the tip of her tongue as if she had meant to do it!  She handled her act very confidently and - most importantly - she actually looked as if she personally meant all the words she was singing.  Her voice was good all round, but best on soul songs and on emotional numbers, like Ironic (Alanis Morissette's number). The rest of the band were great as well - they tackled a very wide range of music and had a very professional air to them.  The drummer kept very good time and bass player obviously had a flair for his instrument - he reminded me in style of George Calvert (who used to play with Alexis Korner, so he's pretty good). Lead guitar and backing vocals was a guy named John.  He was very proficient on the guitar, playing a variety of styles and apparently effortlessly throwing in quite complicated licks and riffs. I guess from some of his work that he might even be classically trained. We will certainly go and see this band again, so I hope I'll get a chance to ask him. A great little band - we'll certainly make space to go and see Peach again.

 

Saturday 21st July 2007 - not strictly a gig - but a private performance from The Nashville Teens at a rehearsal they had at Southhill Park in Bracknell on Saturday morning. I have attended a few rehearsals with the band before, but this was the first time I had seen them being overtly creative - even arguing about how songs should sound.   We had all resolved some time ago that they need to add back a few of their old original numbers into their standard set, and maybe a few new medleys.  Today was the invention of the "Joe Cocker Medley" - essentially a blend of The Letter and Unchain My Heart. Both in the same key so the main issues of joining them via piano and guitar solos were to do with timings.  A major problem was that haunting riff from Unchain My Heart - which most of the guys play with other bands they appear with - but in different places - so this took a bit of getting used to.  After three hours with only a short break for the two smokers,  the medley was done and sounded wonderful.  We just need to keep practising until the next gig !

Colin, Simon, Ken and Ray - Spud was off camera to the right

 

Fran McGillivray & Mike Burke Bloco de Carnaval

Saturday 14th July / Sunday 15th July.  Fran and I visited Hitchin in Hertfordshire and the Rhythms Of the World Festival which was being held all over the town on Saturday and Sunday. The whole town is closed to traffic and there are a variety of stages around the place. Fascinating for me because although I went to school there until 1967, I have rarely ventured back into the town since then.  Most of the performances are by local bands and are - as the title of the event suggests - multicultural.  A bit like WOMAD used to be in Bracknell and then Reading. We saw many interesting performances, and I'm sorry to say that many of them didn't impress us too much - but I guess all bands have to start somewhere.  Before I confess to grumpy old man syndrome,  I should state that I actually do like modern rap and hip-hop - provided it is musical and presented professionally.  However at this festival two performances stood out for me personally. One was the Bloco De Carnaval - a group of about a hundred performers who created a Brazilian type of street carnival procession.  All dressed in red and white with about forty women dancers leading sixty mixed sex drummers.  There were four conductors that I could count - making hand signals and blowing shrill little whistles - who controlled the incessant, but tunefully variable drumbeats.  Ahead of then were forty or so ladies who "processed", in a synchronised gyration, through the street to the rhythm of the drums.  It was spectacular, well choreographed, and looked a lot of fun ! The other amazing performance was by Fran McGillivray & Mike Burke, in the hallowed echoes of St Mary's - the medieval church in the Town Centre.   They performed some classics, including an amazing rendition of Willie Dixon's Spoonful, as well as a lot of excellent songs of their own.  When introducing her songs Fran seemed to know a lot about blues roots history and I found out later that she knows Dave Peabody (As well as doing stuff for The King Earl Boogie Band, Dave also lectures "The Blues" at the Royal College of Music).  Their music was good and we played their CD all the way home (three times through!).  I strongly recommend them to anyone who likes jazz/blues/folk fusion and I have started adding their gigs to this webs gig list and to If The Devil listings.

 

Backstage view - The teens Rock

Sat 16th June The Nashville Teens appeared at a private party at Titchfield in Hampshire.  The venue was a huge marquee set in a beautiful garden miles from anywhere which might complain about the noise!  It was Naomi's wedding and Colin, Spud and I arrived early to set up the stage and test the sound.  We were joined by Simon and Ken about half past four, so we managed an instrumental soundcheck before the wedding party arrived for their dinner and speeches. As the bride. Groom and guests started to arrive we made ourselves scarce and headed for a local pub, where we rendezvoused with Ray and we all had some food and drink before returning to the wedding party just after nine in the evening. The band was loud, the band was tight, and the sound was exceedingly good (despite being in a marquee) - we all had a wonderful evening.   The audience were extremely receptive and the dance floor was consistently packed. When the gig was eventually over (all too soon) Spud and I struck the drum kit, loaded them into my car and raced for home - leaving poor old Colin to strike the rest of the stage by himself. I decanted Spud and his drums about 1:30am and then raced for home in time to catch an early morning  taxi to the airport.

 

Sunday 10th June - An unexpected gig while surveying the current Antony Gormley art installation at The Hayward Gallery on the South Bank with my friend Stephanie.  There was a weekend carnival going on to celebrate the opening of The Royal Festival Hall after two years refurbishment.  There was plenty of live music. We saw/heard dancers, choirs, and a jazz band - but most memorable was a half hour concert by Billy Bragg.   All very green and third worldly - but excellent despite the political overtones.

 

No pictures, but we paid good money to see Polar Bear at Southhill Park on Saturday 9th June.  A memorable performance, we went with George and Stephanie.  The guys who play in this band are part of a contemporary jazz collective and a favourite with Stephanie.   The music was exciting and as well as traditional instruments - drums, double bass, and tenor sax's - there was a good mix (no pun intended) of electronic music from a skinny guy with the enigmatic name of Leaf-Cutter John  who was sampling the other instruments and a few of his own and playing them back through his laptop and a small mixing deck.  His instruments were a bazuki, a cymbal played with a rosined bow and something which looked very much like a games console).  I am not a natural fan of modern jazz, but I enjoyed this performance very much.  There was one very long number where I lost track of the theme (and started to clap when it wasn't the end!) but even then, although I perhaps didn't appreciate the music - I could see, hear and appreciate the virtuosity and togetherness of the ensemble. Meanwhile we shall never know whether Leaf-Cutter's name refers to his drug habits, or perhaps his green heritage. Or perhaps his parents were hippies ?  Whatever the reason - he's damned good.

 

On Friday June 8th  we went to The Jolly Farmer pub at Hurst, near Reading to see Boothill play.   Les Calvert provides the driving bass for this gutsy blues band which is fronted by a great singer named Tami Roberts.  Tami cut her teeth as a backing vocalist for Adam & The Ants and Mungo Jerry (which is where George met her).  The band also featured Mark on drums and John  on lead guitar.  It was John's swansong as he is about to emigrate to Spain.  Their gain, he is a very good lead guitarist.  The band were supported for about half their numbers by Jason Manners - who is an amazingly good guitarist.  As well as being very professional and awesomely fast fingered, Jason connects with his audience with passion and soul.  I really look forw