Burns Night, Three Crowns

I had a booking to play the pipes in the Three Crowns in Wisborough Green for their Burns night supper.

We arrived just before 6pm and after tuning up and testing the height we then waited until gone 6:30 for the first people to settle in.

Then played a welcome set - Kilworth Hills/ Scotland the Brave/ I See Mull/ Skye Boat song sets. I stood at the bar end as this gave height but also was not so loud for some of the participants.

When the Haggis came out I moved to the other end of the dinning room and piped the haggis through - it is just alight!

After the deserts started to come out I played a finishing set - Highland Cathedral/ Flower of Scotland/ Slaves/ and My Home sets. 

Finally I gave some intrepid people the opportunity to "have a blow" ...  a different blow stick and lots of wet wipes to sanitise after each go ...  we had 4 people try it ... Only one really go a sound out the rest I had to help ...  maybe next time I should cork up some drones to help out.

From the Jam, G-Live

 

We had tickets for "From the Jam" - a Jam cover band with a difference as they have Bruce Foxton playing Bass and used to have Rick Buttler on drums as well.

As a "home" show the tickets were sold out and I had bought them several months ago. We were in the last row at the back of the circle which was great until a person a whole foot taller than me sat in the row in front! I had to lean over to look around him.

The skids were the support act with only Richard Jobson from the original line-up. He was very energetic and bounced around the stage, as they ran through a number of remembered tunes. His chat between songs was really not very interesting.

1. Charade
2. Of One Skin
3. The Saints Are Coming
4. Working for the Yankee Dollar
5. Destination Düsseldorf
6. Circus Games
7. TV Stars
8. Complete Control (The Clash cover)
9. Masquerade
10. Into the Valley

They left the stage after the audience participation to the the final song.

1. Intro (Batman theme)
2. All Mod Cons (The Jam cover)
3. To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time) (The Jam cover)
4. Mr. Clean (The Jam cover)
5. David Watts (The Kinks cover)
6. In the Crowd (The Jam cover)
7. Billy Hunt (The Jam cover)
8. It's Too Bad (The Jam cover)
9. Fly (The Jam cover)
10. The Place I Love (The Jam cover)
11. 'A' Bomb in Wardour Street (The Jam cover)
12. Down in the Tube Station at Midnight (The Jam cover)
13. English Rose (The Jam cover)
14. Saturday's Kids (The Jam cover)
15. The Butterfly Collector (The Jam cover)
16. Lula
17. Town Called Malice (The Jam cover)
18. That's Entertainment (The Jam cover)
19. Encore:
20. In the City (The Jam cover)
21. The Eton Rifles (The Jam cover)
22. Going Underground (The Jam cover)

Very enjoyable and I even remembered most of the tunes!

Deacon Blue, Brighton Centre

I had booked to see Deacon Blue at the Brighton Centre for nearly a year! the way things are if you want tickets they are up for sale early and close out if not enough bookings.

We had first seen them in Brighton in 1988 in the top rank nightclub ...  with around 200 people, this was over ten times that number.

We left Bertie being supervised by Katie and Lloyd who were down for the weekend and set out for Brighton around 5pm. A good job we had time as there was lots of traffic around Worthing due to road closures, and we parked in the rail station car park - we knew where this was after the AAC walk earlier this year.

A stop at a noodle bar on the way down to the sea front for dinner, and we still had over 30 mins to wait in our seats.

We had seats just above an exit so no people standing in front of us, and a reasonable view of the stage.

they played three sets ...  an acoustic opening , then the main loud set, followed by a long encore set.

Acoustic

• Wages Day (acapella first verse)
• Queen of the New Year
• S.H.A.R.O.N.
• Chocolate Girl
• Delivery Man
• Cover From the Sky
• A New House
• Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)
• Homesick

Electric

• The Hipsters
• Wages Day
• Bethlehem Begins
• Your swaying arms
• Ragman
• Loaded
• Your Town
• On Love
• When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)/ Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)
• Twist and shout
• Real Gone Kid
• The Believers
• Raintown
• That's What We Can Do

Encore:

• Peace Will Come
• Dignity
• Fergus sings blues
• Keep Me in Your Heart (Warren Zevon cover)

Levellers Collective, Pavilion Theatre, Worthing

An opportunity to see the Levellers locally...  they were on an "acoustic" tour with some additional players (Hannah Miller and Ollie Austin from art-rock outfit Moulettes on cello, vocals and percussion), playing re-worked songs. These two were also the support act.

1. Carry Me (from tape)
2. The Game
3. Lowlands of Holland ([traditional] cover)
4. Liberty Song
5. Battle of the Beanfield
6. Wheels
7. Drug Bust McGee
8. Together All the Way
9. Sitting In The Social
10. Man O' War
11. Julie
12. Ghosts in the Water
13. Born That Way
14. Haven't Made It
15. England My Home
16. The Boatman
17. Didgeridoo solo
18. The Cholera Well
19. The Road
20. Far From Home

Encore:

1. Hope St.
2. Down by the River 'O' (Rev Hammer cover)
3. Just the One

Toby & Vikki's party, Eltham

 Played the intro at Toby & Vikki's ruby wedding party with one of their relatives ... we had only chatted on the phone and discussed set list, together with around 30mins run through.

A quick warm up in an outside tent to tune up and we were ready - pipes in tune but we were at different frequencies - 186 vs 181 ... c'est la vie

Inside and to start as everyone took their seats - well those away from teh playing that is.

Green Hills/ Battle's O'er 

Amazing Grace/ Highland Cathedral/ Flower of Scotland

Scotland the Brave/ Rowan Tree

It was a bit strange playing with someone else for the first time and it took some mistakes to get into the groove ...  especially with the tempo where I was starting slower  - however everything came together and by the end we were working well. Stops were good, starts less so - I blame the lack of count in.

No photos from my side

Fairport Convention, Connaught Theatre, Worthing

 The first local visit of the year ...  We went to see Fairport Convention at the Connaught theatre in Worthing...  a place we had been to before to see Cara Dillon, so kind of knew what we were in for.

The car park is next door to the theatre, however this time we had to pay by the hour in place of an evening charge that was in place last year, so some confusion over the ticket machine (and it did require topping up at the end of the evening as the show went on over the published time - which was very tight for us). We went in search of the noodle bar that we used last time, however it closed early on a Sunday so we settled for fish and chips and a bench over looking the sea front.

A trip down the pier and back the other side, before heading back to the van to wait for the doors to open - there was a fierce wind so hanging around outside was not an option.

Inside the demographic showed that the audience was keeping time with the band - most needed some kind of assistance to move around - we seemed to be in the extremes of the younger quartile.

The support was from a duo - Hanna Sanders and Ben Savage - acoustic with a shared mic...  at least it was original. She had a good voice but his appeared to be very strained.

there was no doubt as to why they were chosen as after their short set they stayed on whist the main act joined then to perform Reynardine.

Ric Saunders, Simon Nichol, Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie joined by Dave Mattacks, performed a mixture of tracks interspersed with a bit too much banter - everyone getting a turn to talk and tell stories (or lame stand-up as in Ric's turn).

Up to the intermission which provided a break.

After the break they sauntered back on for more of the same, ending with "Matty Groves" (definitely my favourite).

Then everyone back of for "Meet on the Ledge"

Then the mass exodus and queue to get out of the car park.

Set List

1. Reynardine
2. Walk Awhile
3. Cider Rain
4. My Love Is In America
5. Polly On The Shore
6. The Year of Fifty Nine
7. Steampunkery
8. Sloth
9. The Journeyman's Grace
10. The Banks of Sweet Primroses
11. Bankruptured
12. Portmeirion
13. Moondust And Solitude
14. Doctor of Physick
15. The Hiring Fair

Encore:

1. Meet On The Ledge

Cellar Darling, Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

 

A long break for Covid lockdowns and no shows.

We were staying with Katie in Nottingham and Cellar Darling were touring, so it was an ideal opportunity to go and see them. The rescue rooms was a dark cube of a room with the stage at one end and bar at the other.

We were there early, but I guess there were only a 100 tickets sold ..  so a good view without the balcony open and I could stand on a step.

First support were Kassogtha - Death metal..  very little melody behind extra powerful bass sound - moved a lot of air. They seemed to share kit with the next band. Never been a fan of grunting vocals though so was pleased when it was only some of the vocals!

They came from Switzerland as well so have travelled with Cellar Darling. Their best tune was a cover of Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine". 

Shame that the vocals were drowned out by the too loud and powerful bass (drum and bass guitar).

The tracks on their website have a much better balance though.

Second support - Black Orchid Empire, were slightly better but still this driving bass overwhelmed everything.

They did try the big "sing along" thing, however the room was a little too sparsely filled to carry it off well. 

I don't really remember much of the tunes.

Main event of the night ...  lived up to expectations, even dulling the bass push enough to actually hear the melodies. 

Excellent response from the audience.

Coved all the two albums, but I still like Avalanche the best.

1. Pain
2. Death
3. The Spell 
4. Insomnia
5. Freeze
6. Dance
7. Black Moon
8. Hullaballoo
9. The Hermit
10. Water
11. Fire, Wind & Earth
12. Redemption
13. Avalanche

Early Curfew ...  so not a late night