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Music

Glee Club UK at Abbey Rd Studios Feb 2016

Glee Club UK at Abbey Rd Studios Feb 2016
I recorded an album at Abbey Rd Studios!!

I'm a member of Glee Club Uk - community choir ( think Military Wives ) and 230 of us went along on Sunday 7th Feb 2016 to record a Christmas album for 2016, just because we could! We'd been rehearsing for several months and it was finaly time.

The original plan was that I was going as a passenger in someone else's car along with a couple of others. We were going to drive to the O2 - ( 1hr or so from home in SE London) park there and get the Tube to Abbey Wood (half hr by underground train to NW London) however middle of last week the Tube staff announced a strike for the weekend ! Getting buses from the O2 wasn't practical ( 4 changes of bus and over 1 1/2hrs assuming we could actually get ON the buses as they would be extra busy) so, major rethink required. In the end the strike was called off but we carried on with our newest plans.

The original driver had already said she didn't want to drive across London so I hatched a plan. Mike would drive us in our car,- myself in front of car and the other 3 in the back, right to a car park close to the studios that I managed to find. £20 to park for the day - not too bad for London prices.

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Luckily it was a dry, cold, sunny but windy day in the gap between two major storms. We left home at 7.15am to go and collect the others. Mike knew he wouldn't be allowed in, so he left us at the studios and went off to walk round the nearby Regents Park for the day.

We took some quick photos on the crossing made famous by the Beatles - risking life and limb in the traffic,( one photo downloaded from the Abbey Rd webcam) signed the walls and then went into the studios.


The corridors are lined with signed photos, posters etc of all the famous people who have recorded there but we were told not to take photos except in our studios. There we too many staff around to risk sneaky ones.... there are no tours or anything like that so the only way you can get into the building is to be doing a recording.

Went downstairs to the cafe with its courtyard garden complete with Abbey Rd street sign on the wall and had a quick coffee and a bacon sandwich, left our coats etc in Studio 2 ( that the Beatles used) few quick pics in there where we went upstairs and snuck into the control room and saw the mixing desk, then into Studio 1 for the recording.

The choir had been split into 2 parts of 115 people each with one lot doing the first session (us) and the others recording after us in the later afternoon and then the two recordings will be merged together.

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Studio 1 is the biggest purpose built recording studio in the world, usually used for orchestras and film scores. We had one eared headphones so we could hear our music and still hear ourselves singing and microphones everywhere costing we were told over £60,000 set up to catch every sound we made. We had two Abbey Rd sound engineers in a big glass fronted control room at one end which we weren't allowed into running the 72 channel mixing desk. There was a mic RIGHT over my head (gulp ! ) I've read the biographies of the two engineers - all those famous people, huge musical events and then recording us! We also had a video crew filming us, so no pressure !!

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Anyway, we had 7 songs to do in 2 1/2 hrs. Our Glee Club leader / arranger / conductor Richard wanted it to be perfect so we had to re-record various sections until he was happy with it all. Standing and singing pretty much non stop the whole time was surprisingly tiring! It was over all too quickly then back to Studio 2 to get our stuff out before the 2nd group could start.

We went next door into the official shop to buy a few stupidly expensive souvenirs, had to be done - it was so busy with all of us we had to queue for an hour to pay!

Short walk back to the car park to meet Mike then the drive home through central London. Made a bit more "interesting" when the sat nav decided to stop working ! Back home at 6.30pm.

Anyway, not many "ordinary" people, especially us non musicians can say "I made an album at Abbey Rd! "

Certainly a day to remember!
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Secret Kent

Local places

Local places

Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve in winter

Mike and I live in the extreme South East of England, in the county of Kent, which is known as The Garden of England.

We are surrounded by glorious countryside, cliffs, beaches, castles and historic buildings.

I have added some photos of some of the less well known places so that you can see for yourself - just go to the Photos section and look for my Secret Kent Galleries. You may also need to look in the Archive section at the bottom right hand side of the page to find older galleries.

Currently there are photos of:

Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve in winter (latest photos added Jan 09)
The Grange at Ramsgate ( designed by Augustus Pugin)
Reculver near Herne Bay
Conyer Quay and Oare Marshes near Faversham
Deal Beach
Botany Bay near Margate

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Family

A new branch of the family tree

A new branch of the family tree
May 25th 2008 was quite a special day for the Gifford branch of my family. It saw a reunion between my Dad - Roger Gifford, ( seated right, second from front ) and his long lost cousin Norman ( seated front right ) after 57 years.

Dad was brought up knowing very little about his mother or father's families, and we were somewhat surprised, when out of the blue I was contacted by a young lady who thought we may be related.

Alex had been using the Internet to research her family tree and came across our details. After a few emails to compare notes we realised that we were indeed related - my father ( Roger) and her grandfather (Norman) were long lost cousins.

It turns out that Dad and Norman had met perhaps a couple of times when they were young, the last occasion being 57 years ago when Roger was a guest at Norman's wedding to Marion. We have a photo to prove he was there, but Dad says he hardly remembers it!

So, with some trepidation, a meeting was arranged between the two strands and 3 generations of Gifford clans, firstly at Alex's parents ( Ralph and Sandy ) house, followed by a meal at a local restaurant.

Those present were:

Norman and Marion Gifford,
Norman and Marion's son Ralph and wife Sandy Gifford, their children Alex and Robert Gifford.
Roger and Iris Gifford, ( my Mum and Dad )
Roger and Iris' daughter Sue ( me ! nee Gifford ) and husband Mike (Holton) with son Ross and girlfriend Laura.
Roger and Iris' son David Gifford, girlfriend Colleen, and David's daughter Annie Gifford.

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Within minutes everyone was chatting away as though we'd known each other all our lives. River Valley Golf Club Restaurant was the setting for a great meal, and everyone very friendly and all got along really well.

As we talked we discovered all kinds of parallels between the two sides of the family. Earlier Gifford relations had lived in Walderslade, near where David now lives, and there had been another Annie in the Gifford family ( Norman's aunt ) The coincidences continued - Norman and Marion, Ralph and Sandy still live in Medway, near to David, and both Robert and Annie were keen on ski-ing and ice skating often both using the nearby facilities, and now hope to meet up. Also, everyday, Ralph drives down to Manston, to work just a couple of miles from where Mike and I live in Ramsgate. Mike too works in Manston, although for a different company.

Anyway, the whole day was voted a great success, and since then we have kept in touch with our newly found extended family.
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Music

Blue Angel Orchestra Putney 22nd Oct 08

Blue Angel Orchestra Putney 22nd Oct 08

The Half Moon, Putney


A trip of 80 miles to Putney turned into something of a marathon for Mike and I, the drive there taking 3 hours through rush-hour traffic. Despite a low turn out for the event, the sound was superb and I think this has to be the best yet performance by the BAO and what the audience lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm.

As Pete says in his review below, the addition of steel guitar was something that seasoned fans were a little unsure about before the music started, but I'm sure every single one of us was won over by Melvins playing.

Since the evening was being filmed I only took a few pictures, but those can be found in the Photos section.

Review and set list by Pete Bradley



Sadly, a fairly low turn out last night for the Blue Angel Orchestra. Only around thirty people were there, which meant that the Half Moon had set out tables. Think that the last time that the BAO were at Putney the place was heaving, so I guess it's a worrying sign that recession is beginning to bite.

Last time we saw the Strawbs at Putney, there were some fairly serious gremlins with the sound. Happy to report that there was no re-occurrence of any of that, and the sound was brilliant. In the second set, Chas's bass was turned up beautifully loud, which meant that you could feel each note.

Like an episode from a soap opera Anderson (Miller not Pamela) was replaced by Duffy (Melvin not Patrick) and everyone was interested to know how the BAO would sound with such a major change. This was not just a guitarist being replaced by a different guitarist, (which itself could be quite radical), it was a rock guitarist replaced with a steel guitarist. There was quite a danger that this would not work

To prolonge the anticipation, the first set comprised a duo with Melvin and Dave. They played six songs all from Secret Paths. This was the first time that the two had played live on stage together, and the sound was as good as on record, despite the engineering, mastering, mixing etc that goes on in the studio.

Really fabulous to hear so many rarer Strawbs songs. Made it quite difficult to keep a set list, as I'd heard so few of the songs live before. (This was the first time that Canada had been played live in the UK).

First half - Dave Cousins   Melvin Duffy
  I Turned My Face Into The Wind
  Ringing Down The Years
  I'll Show You Where To Sleep
  Song Of A Sad Little Girl
  Canada
  Beat The Retreat

Second Half - Blue Angel Orchestra
  Never Take Sweets From A Stranger
  Skip To My Lou
  Shepherd's Song
  Mellow Moon
  Lonely Days, Lonely Nights
  Orange Blossom Special
  Hellfire Blues
 
Encore
  Falling In Love Again


The steel guitar was really relaxing. If we'd got any more laid back we'd have fallen off our chairs. At the end of the first set, I don't think anyone would have complained if it had been announced that the second set would be more of the same.

Clearly, the steel guitar fitted well with these slower, gentler songs, but it was hard to imagine how it was going to work with the bluesier, rockier BAO numbers. Happy to report it worked really well. Normally, I'm not a fan of the steel guitar, but must confess, I'm warming to it.

Sadly, I didn't get a chance to talk to Melvin, but I really enjoyed watching him play. You could read his expressions like a book. The Blue Angel songs were all very new to him, and you could tell he was nervous. Before playing anything he looked terrified that he was going to get it wrong, then he was wrapt in concentration looking for a cue from Dave or Ian, then his expression switched to pure pleasure as the notes poured from his guitar, followed by a naughty school-boy grin afterwards as if he was thinking, "Got away with it this time", followed by more terror as the realisation that there was another verse hit him. Not only did he "get away with it", he stormed it. Have to say that the version of "Shepherd's Song" was way better than any previous version I'd heard before.

The steel guitar played as a rock instrument is a bit like a violin, so the Blue Angel Orchestra was even more orchestrated than normal. Momentarily I thought that Melvin might even take the lead during Orange Blossom Special, or that they'd play it as a duel. Maybe one day.

A real shame that there weren't more people there to enjoy it. Hopefully not the last time we see Melvin, so maybe next time they won't be playing under quite such a crowd-less sky.
Pete
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Strawbs Hailsham 7th June 08

Strawbs Hailsham 7th June 08
Mike and I had already been to one Strawbs concert that week, at the Half moon in Putney, where the sound was disappointing although the band gave their all as ever. We had reluctantly decided not to make the two hour drive to Hailsham on the Saturday, but after an email early on Sat morning from Calli Bradley offering us un-needed tickets in the second row, we rapidly changed our minds !! We didn't exactly need our arms twisting !

The great and good from the Witchwood had once again turned out in force to support the band on their final night of the English tour, the sound was excellent and the gig was a sellout.

Review by Pete Bradley



Not certain what the definition of a village is or that of a town, so can't say for sure quite where Hailsham fits on the spectrum between hamlet and city, but if it's a town it is not a large one. Not large enough you would have thought to run a theatre of any note. Considering that the nearest place of any size is Eastbourne, famed for being the human equivalent to the elephant's graveyard, there didn't seem much chance that many people would turn up to a rock concert. How very wrong I was.

Not only was the theatre sold out, but the audience was one of the most appreciative I've seen. Not only that, but this was just one of the rock events being staged in Hailsham that night! I now know where I want to retire to!

First hint that this was different to your run of the mill concerts was that the queue outside the theatre was being filmed. Once inside, an announcement was made over the tannoy that the concert itself was being filmed, with the hope that it would be made into a DVD for release next year. Apparently the DVD will be part documentary about the recording of the Broken Hearted Bride.

Presumably as a result of the filming, the stage was extremely well lit, which was fantastic for any photographers, but did look very hot for the performers.

The theatre does not have a bar, only a little cafe, so it has a symbiotic relationship with the pub over the road. At half time everyone pours out of the theatre and crosses over for a drink. Whilst there we discovered that the tribute band Deeply Purple were playing in the function room at the back of the pub from nine till midnight! That too was heaving. Hailsham was hosting two major rock shows in one night.

On return for the second half they'd put a fan on ths stage as the lights were giving out so much heat. Dave Lambert stood in front of it, and his hair blew in the breeze. Dave Cousins joked that the Strawbs had their own personal supermodel..

As to the concert itself...
I had thought that the Southampton performance could not have been improved upon. I was wrong. The boys put in the performance of their lives. A truly stunning show. So pleased that it was recorded. All I can say is that America is in for a real treat.
Pete

See my gallery section for pictures from both the Half Moon and the Hailsham Pavilion gigs.

The afore mentioned filming at Hailsham meant that I was unwilling to take flash photographs, hence I have included some pictures that are a little blurred and not up to my usual standard, but are a record of the event and the gathering in the pub afterwards.
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Holidays

Venice - Sept 2008

Venice  Sept 2008
In July 2009, Mike and I were booked to go to Venice for a weeks holiday. Unfortunately Mike was taken ill a few hours before our flight out, and the holiday had to be cancelled. Undaunted, we decided to re-book in Sept, albeit not at our original hotel - this time we opted for a lovely self catering apartment in a residential area of Venice a couple of minutes walk from the Fondamenta Nuove waterbus stops and five minutes from the Rialto. This gave us the opportunity to live as Venetians and experience more of Venice away from the tourist trails.

We arrived in brilliant sunshine and sweltering heat which lasted 2 days, we then had 3 days of rain, and experienced St Marks Cathedral in a thunderstorm and the ensuing "Acqua Alta" in St Marks Square. Our remaining days were much cooler and cloudier. None of this stopped us from exploring and enjoying this unique city that we had waited 27 years to return to.

As well as getting blisters walking miles through the backstreets of Venice itself, we visited loads of stunningly beautiful churches and museums, including St Marks Basilica, the Doges Palace, The Correr Museum and Naval Museum, not forgetting the Jewish Ghetto and the Synagogues. Other trips included the cemetery island of San Michele, Murano ( famous for glass making ), Burano ( known for it's brightly coloured houses and it's lace making ) and Torcello ( the first island to be inhabited in the lagoon, now home to only 30 people, a church and a cathedral )

The gardens at the southern end of the Venetian peninsula and the usually off limits Arsenale ( once the bustling shipyards, and now owned by the Italian Navy ) were hosting the Architecture Biennale, which gave us a chance to explore buildings and areas that can only usually be glimpsed from afar. The theme for the Biennale was "Out There - Architecture Beyond Building" and I must admit that the thought processes behind some of it just went completeley over our heads, but it was a very enjoyable counterpoint to the historic city. Even spending just over a week, there were still so many more places we wanted to visit but ran out of time.

With photography being one of our main hobbies, Venice was heaven - wherever you are, whichever way you turn, there is a photo opportunity. We returned home with around 3500 photos - there would have been more but the rain meant some days were less "camera friendly " than we had hoped.

I deliberated for some time as to how to select a limited number of pictures to put on my website. How do you choose from 3500 ?? I decided that most viewers will probably have seen numerous pictures of the city, and although mine are great, there is a limit to how many similar views of St Marks or the Grand Canal people will want to look at. I concluded that I would approach the subject slightly differently, and therefore I've selected predominantly the more unusual and quirky shots to show you. If you would like to see any of my more "standard" Venetian shots, please email me.

There are 4 galleries of photos here, including 2 just for photos of the Biennale.
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Music

Blue Angel Orchestra Chatham 27th Nov 08

Blue Angel Orchestra Chatham 27th Nov 08
It was a wet and chilly evening when Mike, Jason and I set off for the Brook Theatre in Chatham to see the Blue Angel Orchestra once again. The hall was busier than expected, with the raked seating being employed in addition to just the usual 'cabaret style' tables and chairs, and the faithfull had travelled from all parts of the country to see the show. Les and Sue from Lytham St Annes, Nigel from Dorset, Ali from Middlesbrough and Lindsay and Judy from Southend to name but a few. From our group, this made us the most local at a mere one hour drive !

An initial power failure delayed the start by 30 minutes, but then Dave Cousins and Ian Cutler provided their own 'support act' for the evening, with the duo treating us to different arrangements of a selection of well loved Cousins classic tracks.

After another short break, the Blue Angels took to the stage, straight into a rocking version of 'Never Take Sweets' however, the gremlins were in charge tonight..... PA cables and mikes repeatedly failed due to a loss of mains power and even when working, there were popping noises a-plenty. Such a shame, as the band were on great form, but several set piece numbers such as 'Orange Blossom Special' were ruined. Luckily for the theatre, most of the audience were already staunch BAO fans and nobody walked out, but everyone was left feeling disappointed on behalf of the band who were so badly frustrated despite their valiant performance.

One special moment during the evening for us, happened when Dave was introducing the band members and announced that he had first met Ian about two years ago, when they were introduced by his "dear friend Sue Holton" I am just delighted that I was able to bring about the meeting of two such great musicians, and highly honoured to be considered a dear friend.

You can see my photos from the night here

Review and setlist by Lindsay Sorrell



Terrific to see so many long-distance Witchwooders there, but there were unfortunately some really bad PA problems right from start to finish which did detract quite badly. Even when things were going well there was always a niggly expectation that Dave Cousins' mike would fall silent again or whatever, lots of crackles and so on. Oh well, that's what makes live music live and unpredictable. Everyone still seemed to enjoy the evening a great deal despite the sound problems.

In the first set (Cousins and Cutler) I was absolutely blown away by "Ways and Means" – always a favourite of mine, I love the lyrics and the whole feel of that song, and it was highly evocative of listening to "Two Weeks Last Summer" in my teens. Have to say I'm not that keen on the "jaunty" rendition of "We'll Meet Again Sometime" though – maybe it's because of the subject matter, I don't know, but I'm just not keen.

The Blue Angel Orchestra set still rocked despite the sound difficulties, and everyone in the band gave it their all.

First Set – Dave Cousins and Ian Cutler

On A Night Like This
Grace Darling
The Shepherd's Song
Song of a Sad Little Girl
Ways and Means
The Call to Action
We'll Meet Again Sometime

Second Set - The Blue Angel Orchestra

Never Take Sweets From A Stranger
Skip to my Lou
House of the Rising Sun (Miller Anderson lead vocals)
Mellow Moon
Mother Luck
Lonely Days, Lonely Nights
Orange Blossom Special (Ian Cutler)
Hellfire Blues



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Strawbs Xmas Party 2008

Strawbs Xmas Party 2008

I counted them out and I counted them all back again !



To borrow Brian Hanrahan's phrase, this time refering to my organising the transport for the "Travel Lodge gang" - despite delayed arrivals, unexpected additions, and a motley collection of "Fools" plus equipment to be transported, I managed eventually to get everyone safely to the NPL and back again. Thanks to our "taxi drivers" Paul, Jane, Lindsay and Mike.

With a Blues Brothers theme this year, scope for fancy dress was somewhat limited. I decided to go for the only obvious female character " Sister Mary Stigmata " expecting to be one of many. As it happens I was the only one who opted to get in the habit, so to speak. Despite being extremely hot, I was determined to keep the outfit on for the whole evening, only changing back into civies on arrival back at the Travelodge.
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It appears that certain members of the Fools had a strict Catholic education, and for them, my costume proved somewhat of a memory jerker. I also discovered that the sight of a Nun can have strange effects on a surprisingly large number of the male of the species - I don't think I should go into details here though !!
(Picture by Kate)
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As for a review of the party itself, I've cheated once again and taken the text lower down the page from my regular correspondents, Pete Bradley and Lindsay Sorrell.

The "after party party" as usual, took over the cafe / bar at the Travelodge, with a bulk order of alcohol to set us up for the night before they closed the bar and a couple of boxes of chocolate biscuits, we were all set. In keeping with tradition, the assembled musicians ( and I use that word in the loosest possible way ) played a variety of instruments - out of tune guitars, kazoo and even more out of tune voices ( including mine ) to try and bring a little Strawbs culture to the wilds of Feltham.

I'm not entirely sure we succeeded, as the increasing quantity of drink consumed had an inverse effect on the amount of right notes and correct words produced, but we certainly had fun trying !!  Participant umbers began to dwindle as the hours passed, with the last few hardy souls finally departing for bed at 5am - after all, we'd paid for rooms, it seemed a shame not to use them for an hour or two !


You can see my photos of the official party and the Travelodge party afterwards here
Review by Pete Bradley

DC, wearing his bright orange jacket, introduced the Xmas festivities by apologising for not having had time to prepare any fancy dress. Sadly he had been too busy recently. This was, of course a ruse. Our Master of Ceremonies had a little plan in store.

He opened the show by introducing Wychwood, a folk duo who come from Banbury, in the Midlands. They comprise Lyndsay Hemphill, and Kevin West. Kevin has always been a Strawbs fan, particularly the more folkier songs back in the Sandy Denny days, but Lyndsay, was not brought up in the UK, and knew nothing of Britisk folk, so Became a convert recently. The first folk song Kevin taught her was "Who Knows Where The Time Goes".

They played two songs, one of their own, called Icons and Imagery, (you can hear it on their Myspace ) and, of course, "Who Knows Where The Time Goes". Lyndsay has a remarkable ability to hold a note. The last "goes" she hung on to for a full twenty seconds.

After that, DC announced the Strawberry Fools. Apparently they had been big back in the seventies, but had split up and had only recently, and unwisely, made the decision to reform. I'd chatted to the guys beforehand, and they had all been very nervous. Surprisingly I had never met Pete, Ralph or DC II, before. Really odd as we have all been to so many concerts over the years. If there's anyone else out that who hasn't yet met them, have to report that they are all really nice guys.. Dick and Les too, though I have met them many a time before.

Their nerves were unfounded. Their performance was brilliant. The odd tuning glitch was brushed over with humour. Dick, Dave and Ralph were sitting in the front of the stage, with Les slightly behind on stage left, and Pete slightly behind on stage right. Sadly, from where I was sitting I couldn't see Les, and I think Ali, who was on the other side of the stage probably didn't have too good a view of Pete. Hopefully Sue could see all of the band. We all recorded the performance and will pass the film to Dick who hopefully will be able to edit some of it together to get something on Youtube.

Dick introduced the band, "so that you know that we're not a naff tribute band", and admitted that he'd stolen that joke from Dave Cousins.

Their set list was:

Nothing Else Will Do
When You Were A Child
Here It Comes
Forever
Tell Me What You See in Me

Dick and Dave shared lead vocals and guitar, with Ralph taking the lead guitar, Pete on keyboards, and Les on bass. Not sure whether Dick's microphone got accidentally turned down, or off, or whether Dick was a little too far from it, but, particularly on Tell me, thought that Dick was a bit too quiet. No other criticisms, though. My favourite was When You Were a Child, with some beautiful slide guitar from Ralph.

Chas, dressed in white shirt and black suit and tie, then took over as Master of Ceremonies and thanked the Fools, and announced that they needed a few minutes to sort the stage out but that there was plenty more music to follow. Good to see Chas taking centre stage, but we all wondered what on earth DC was up to. Being Master of Ceremonies is in his blood, right back to the White Bear days. What on earth could he be up to that he couldn't come out and take the microphone?

Chas and Ian Cutler (also black suit and tie), took the stage ready for the next act, and announced that they were to be joined on stage by none other than Ray Charles.

Where on earth do I start. OK, he was weraing a straw hat, probably what is known as a fedora, but fashion was never my strong point. To emphasise the fact that Ray Charles was blind, he was wearing spectacle frames, comprising a light pipe full of blue fashing LEDs. And to top off the effect, his hands and face were boot-blacked!  DC can hardly be accused of being Politically Correct. Although Chas and Ian knew what to expect they were still cracking up.

Because Ray was blind, DC blundered about the stage eventually stopping with his back to the audience, before being helped to the microphone.

Saw Cousins, Cronk and Cutler before at Chatham. I remember it as being for more of a laid back acoustic affair. This time there was a lot more high energy. Yes, they played some softer quieter numbers, but "Call to Action" and "On a Night Like This" were much heavier. Pretty sure that this was only the second time that CCC have played as a trio, and amazingly, more than half of the songs they played had not been played in their last gig.

Set list this time was:

On a Night Like This,
Grace Darling
The Shepherd's Song
Song of a Sad Young Girl
Call to Action.

Next up was Dave Lambert, solo, (hair swept back in a pony tail, and dark glasses). He started by saying that he was going to do something he hadn't done for thirty years, play a brand new track. He started by playing "If the Lord Don't Get You the Devil Will", a great blues track. I've searched on Witchwood, and can't find any record of Dave playing this track solo since February 1972. Hopefully it will be played again a lot sooner than another 36 years.

Dave's new song was based on two events: A fan letter he received from a guy from Nairobi back in the 70's and a story that John Hawken told of a drummer who wouldn't leave Grimsby. As DL said, a bit of a challenge for a song writer. Musically, this track was beautiful, I could hear overtones of Stairway to Heaven, but lyrically, I think I'd need to hear it a few times for it to grow on me.

Dave had only planned on playing two songs, so he unplugged his Blue Dean and prepared to leave the stage, but the audience refused to let him.  A Dave Lambert solo is a rare thing, so there was no way he was going to be allowed to get away with just two songs. His encore was, in my opinion, the highlight of the evening. Dave felt a bit of audience participation was called for, so he played "The Wild Rover".

Set list was:

If The Lord Don't Get You Then The Devil Will
The Man Who Wouldn't Leave Grimsby
The Wild Rover.

Those of you who have attended one of the Strawbs Xmas parties before will remember Tony Grimmer's legendary snacks. Sadly, since his departure, the fare wasn't quite up to his standard, but it was a tough act to follow. We had all been spoilt.  But still, whenyou think about it, there aren't many bands or venues that you can go to where there's food included in the price of the ticket. Had hoped that Tony might turn up at the NPL to see his old haunts, and to finally get a chance to see the band rather than just hearing them from the bar, but he was working that night, so the prognosis didn't look good.

The evening closed with The Good Old Boys. I have to confess that Rock 'n' Roll isn't my thing. I can't really tell one song from another and all of the instruments seem to blend together into a monotony. I started trying to take a set list, but I'm afraid I failed. Not every song was introduced, and the sound wasn't good enough to always distinguish the words when there was an introduction. I don't think it was a problem with the microphone, because when Dave Lambert joined them for a number, I could hear every word he sang with crystal precision. I just think it's "rock 'n' roll" to play as loud and distorted as possible.

Although I didn't really enjoy the Good Old Boys, there were a couple of highlights, both of them blues rather than rock 'n' roll. Highlight one was when DL joined them to sing (and play harmonica) for Hoochie Coochie man, and highlight two was when Dave Cousins (thoroughly scrubbed clean of boot-black, but still looking well tanned) joined them for Hellfire Blues.

Amongst the songs they played that I did know, or could hear were "Lucille", "Shaking All Over" and Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well".  (Despite myself I did really enjoy "Oh Well"). They played two encores, and during the first I noticed that outside, peering in through the window was Tony Grimmer. Like Hans Christian Anderson's little match girl, he was outside in the cold, whist everyone else was partying in the warm, trying desperately to warm himself from the heat of  his last few matches - oh, OK he was having a cigarette. Afterwards, Tony joined everyone in the bar. Really good to see him again.

Brilliant evening, despite the fact that there was a little too much rock 'n' roll, and not enough Strawbs. All in all though, a triumph for the Strawberry Fools.

Seems to me that Dave would have seen more through his pyrotechnic glasses if he had taken the UV rating sticker off the lens !!
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Review by Lindsay Sorrell

Another year, another Strawbs Christmas party...and what fun it was too. First up were Wychwood, who warmed up the strawberry crowd nicely with a song of their own followed by "Who Knows Where The Time Goes"
sung beautifully by Lyndsey. Next up, The Strawberry Fools, who confessed to being a tad nervous before their debut appearance, but it didn't show and they went down a storm. Apart from the songs which they performed beautifully the major highlight for me was between songs when David Fool looked over at Pete Fool, who had turned to look at his monitor screen which was next to him and facing out into the audience, and quipped "oh he's on Ebay now". Completely cracked me up!

Tons of highlights, Cousins, Cronk and Cutler brought tears to the eyes in the best possible way - the sounds they created were stunningly beautiful. Chas and Ian's playing complemented DC to perfection. For "Song of a Sad Little Girl" Nigel and I were standing with Hud in between us, and he joined in on the "she wakes up, like a
bird, and she feels fiiiiiiine" harmonies just as on the original recording, which was a magic moment. "The Shepherd's Song" was delectable. Pete B. has already described DC's get-up which was amazing - I cracked up once more when he sang "you have shone your brightest lights" in Grace Darling (all will be revealed in time with
photos, I'm sure!).

Dave Lambert, up next, absolutely excelled himself and again as Pete B. has beaten me to saying, the crowd were not going to let him go without a third song. His new song, which ties together "Lucky" - the fan who wrote to him years ago from the most unlikely of places, a place far from the nearest city in darkest Africa, and the drummer who wouldn't leave Grimsby, is terrific. I remember Dave once telling me about Lucky's letter in the past - obviously a moving experience which has proved excellent inspiration for a song. Great choice of encore
too, perfect party fodder.

The Good Old Boys (the name of a Country and Western band in The Blues Brothers' film, by the way) definitely rocked. Again, like Pete, rock and roll isn't really my thing but it's nigh on impossible with a band
rocking as well as they do not to get into the spirit of things. Back at the Travelodge the general consensus of everyone I spoke to was of how impressed they'd been by them, and how they'd like to see them again. Highlights of their set for me are always the bluesy numbers, so of course seeing DL perform "Hoochie Coochie Man" and DC "Hellfire Blues" with them was brilliant.

And that was all a nice warm up for the debauchery which followed later at the Travelodge, but I'm afraid I haven't got time to write about that. I will just say how nice it was to meet Jody, and also Dirk and Angelica over from Germany again along with most of the usual bunch of sleazy suspects.

Lindsay
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Hot Rats Dickensian Xmas 08

Hot Rats Dickensian Xmas 08

The Hot Rats play at Rochester's Dickensian Christmas 7th Dec 08



Not content with entertaining us all at the Strawbs annual Xmas Party on 6th Dec, some 12 hours later fiddle player Ian Cutler was in action yet again.

Mike and I decided to stop off enroute home from the NPL to catch the Hot Rats performance as part of Rochester's Dickensian Christmas.

Luckily, despite being very cold, the weather was dry - just as well, since the Hot Rats were playing on an uncovered, outdoor stage along the main road. The crowds were out in huge numbers for the event, with many local residents and shop keepers in costume. I almost wished I'd worn my Grace Darling outfit from last years party - I would have fitted right in !

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The Hot Rats - Ian Cutler, Doug Hudson and Mike Peters, always attract a large crowd whenever they play in the Medway area, and today was no exception. Their music and fun is so energetic that the audiance find it hard to stand still, and folks of all ages were seen dancing. One gentleman in particular stole the show, explaining to Doug that "another band" had banned him from dancing. This reaction seemed a little extreme until you realised that not only did he dance, but he also carried on a running conversation with Doug while the band was trying to play. Ever the master in the craft of handling an audience, Doug chatted along and there was a great deal of good natured banter between them, much to the amusement of Ian and the watching audience.

A quick walk round to see some of the costumes and it was finally time to head home after a very fitting end to a weekend of good friends and great music.

More of my photos from the day can be seen here
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Cathryn Craig / Brian Willoughby at the BBC

Cathryn Craig  Brian Willoughby at the BBC
Arriving home from work a couple of weeks ago, Mike and I found a message from Brian on our answerphone inviting us to attend a special lunchtime event in London at the BBC Club. Plans were quickly put in place to take time off work and we were delighted to discover that we were among a specially invited small audience which made the event even more special as many were B & C fans with whom we were already good friends.

The performance was supposed to be 3 numbers, but finally ran to 6 - everyone was totally captivated by the pure emotion of Cathryn's voice as she sang a selection their songs from Calling All Angels their latest CD, most of which have incredibly personal lyrics and draw you in, leaving you with the feeling that you know the people in the songs. Despite having heard the words many times before this has to rate as one of the best performances by the duo that I've seen. Was that a tear in my eye ? No, of course not..... well......maybe...... ok.... I confess. Brian, as usual, said very little, prefering to let his guitar do the talking which it did to great effect.

All I can say is, I hope the the great and good from the BBC appreciated this lunchtime special as much as the rest of audience. Maybe we'll be hearing more of Brian and Cathryn on the Radio ? Fingers crossed ! ( Pun intended !! ) - don't get it ??? click here

I'm slightly ashamed to say that I don't yet own a copy of Calling All Angels - especially as I understand that Brian and Cathryn chose much to my delight, to use one of my photographs in the artwork - however this situation will be rectified shortly and I do have an excuse !! We were not expecting to see them before their appearance at Dartford Folk Club on 24th March and had decided to wait until then to get our copy.

UPDATE March 24th We are now the proud owners of Calling All Angels - a really excellent cd with a great booklet too !

For those of you who can't get to a date on the current tour, why wait ? Buy one now, direct from their website
Review by Nigel Bennett
On Wednesday 11th March at the BBC Club Brian and Cathryn, in front of various production teams from the corporation and the gathered throng well wishers, showcased a short set of songs, most of which feature on their recent album Calling All Angels.

It's fair to say that the set was extremely well received and what had I thought originally had been planned as a 3 song set, expanded merrily to 5 plus a much demanded encore of Cotton Fields / Window faces South which rounded off the afternoon session in energetic fashion as Brian demonstrated his virtuousity, whilst the audience participated themselves by joining in very enthusiastically on the chorus.

The afternoon had started with the Craig / Foster penned Two Hearts One Love, a particular favourite in their set list with Cathryn's vocal range demonstrated in a fine fashion. The song finished with yet another of those stunning guitar flourishes from Brian.

Next up the duo were joined by Antonia Pagulatos on the much heralded "Alice's song", which has certainly had a bit of a makeover and now includes Antonia's skilful mood filled playing which enhances the emotions within the song.
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Antonia continued on the next two numbers; the title track from their new album and Genevieve. Each song holds attention for the very best of reasons, strong story line driven lyrics and sheer musicianship. Those in attendance certainly let their feelings be known by showing their appreciation.

Accanoe is a song driven by the ethenicity of early American history and the percussive nature of the song stood out well alongside the melodies of earlier songs. The end of the song brought rousing applause and calls for an encore. Is this sort of thing allowed at the BBC I wondered ?

Well we certainly got one …an unaccompanied "River Deep …Mountain High" brought further audience vocal participation, before Cotton Fields and Window Faces South interspersed with some more stunning guitar playing brought an end to proceedings.

It was still early afternoon so plenty of time to chat, before departing homeward.

One final thought …. Calling All Angels has now been out for few weeks and have to say it is a disc that has the "feel" of absolute class. Why not have a listen.
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Luke Jackson

Luke Jackson

UPDATE 18th August 09

Sat 15th August saw Luke giving a solo performance at Broadstairs bandstand with a special guest - Martin Cox of EK1 -on sax. It was a lovely sunny day at the end of Folk Week, so made a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

See my photos here

Make sure you visit Luke's website http://www.lukepauljackson.co.uk , or MySpace page for news, videos and forthcoming gig dates.


Too Young to Tour ?

A trip to Maidstone on Monday 6th April to see our friends Cathryn Craig and Brian Willoughby had an extra bonus in store. Supporting the duo was a 14 year old singer / songwriter / guitarist from Chartham in Kent called Luke Jackson. I had not encountered Luke until a couple of days before the gig when I clicked on a link to find out about the support artist for the evening and immediately liked what I heard.

I wasn't quite prepared for the very confident, competent young man that I met at Maidstone. He is the perfect example of the saying "an old head on young shoulders". With a cheeky smile he owned the stage and greatly impressed the assembled audience of predominantly dedicated C & B fans. Once he starts to sing, he becomes engrossed in the music and the emotions of the lyrics shine through in his performance.

He plays guitar, (having started at the age of 10) to accompany songs of his own composition, and others that lyricists have sent to him for set to music. His own lyrics cover unexpectedly mature topics for a young lad: love, war and loss in 'Letter from Rose' as well as a description of his ambitions and frustration at being 'Still too young to tour' with roadies forbidden, and no expensive Gibson guitar, and the charming 'Bakers Wood' which talks about himself and his friends and how their lives are changing as they grow up. Luke says "The idea of the song came from talking with 2 of my mates recently about a time last summer when we were climbing trees in the woods near us, Bakers Woods, nothing special but a brilliant day. I then added to this, thinking about the future and what we would remember, and even whether we would even remember one another." See a video of Bakers Wood from Mondays Zebra Bar performance below.


His voice is strong with a wide range from the ocassional almost choir boy top notes to deep full bass, he can hold a note and sustain it as well as any more mature vocalist. He is a big fan of Martyn Joseph and is excited to have a guest spot with him in Whitstable on Sat 25th April - unfortunately we can't be there !

Luke is a young man who knows what he wants to do in life, and is determined to work hard to get there. He has full support from his father who drives him all round the country to play whenever school and homework allow, and he already has a gig list that many artists would be envious of.

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The main act of the evening, Brian Willoughby was very impressed with Luke and happy to let him loose on his own Gibson guitar after the show - something which clearly delighted both of them.

Luke has an 8 track cd out, which is well worth the £3, a MySpace page where you can hear more of his music and watch more of his performances from YouTube, and a website online shortly. I have no doubt that the name Luke Jackson is one to watch out for in the very near future.

See more of my pictures of Luke here
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1st - 3rd May 2009 What a weekend !!

1st  3rd May 2009 What a weekend nbsp
Well, as much as we love going to see Gordon Giltrap- he was in Portugal this weekend, a bit too far even for us - but we didn't miss out on our dose of music. Thought I'd share with you our fantastic weekend.....

We started Friday night as guests of Beyond the Barricade in Chatham for a wonderful evening of songs from the musicals ( GG link - Andy Reiss guested on Gordons show at the Symphony Hall in 2005 and in June the situation will be reversed as Gordon is the guest of BTB in the same venue for their 10th Anniversary Gala show )

Sat morning we headed up to Hampton Court Palace to meet with a group of our Witchwood friends ( Strawbs fans) to see Rick Wakeman perform his Six Wives of Henry VIII th live in front of the palace. The two night show is the only time this music has ever been performed live in its entirety, plus Rick wrote some extra tracks to add to it. We went round the Palace and gardens, ( To see my pictures click here  ) then picniced in the sun on the lawns before the show - all very civilised - and I was also presented with my prize from the Strawbs quiz by Cliff and Simone.

There was a huge stage, massive lighting rig, full orchestra, chamber choir plus Rick and his electric band, the ERE including son Adam. Brian Blessed was narrator ( Brian said it was the largest audience he'd ever performed to - almost 5000) Acoustic Strawbs were excellent as support, and were an appropriate choice considering they all played on the original RW Six Wives recording.

The Palace was all lit up with constantly changing colours and effects as the backdrop, with projections on to the west front. None of those large video screens surprisingly, which would have been nice as we could have watched Ricks hands. Will have to wait for the dvd for that I suppose - loads of cameras on huge booms etc, plus hand helds on stage and statics everywhere - they really did it all properly.

Twice during the show, a set of stairs rose out of the floor and a huge raised set slid out from the side to centre stage - once with a church organ, the other with a grand piano - so Rick climbed the stairs to play one track high up. Always one to make an impression, Rick sported 5 or 6 different capes during the evening but despite having the Six Wives on stage in full costume, and entering to a fanfare, he managed to resist dressing as Henry!  

As you would imagine it sounded and looked amazing, but not a cheap night out. We had mid priced tickets at £72 each with programmes at £10, but it must have cost an absolute fortune to stage.

Started 7.30pm finished just after 11pm - by 10 past you could buy a 2 cd live recording set of the concert plus a cd of photos, exactly as Gordon jokes about burning off cds in the car park ! All you need is a huge crew and loads of money and you're in business.

Pictures we not allowed, but some I took before and after the show and during the interval can be seen if you Click here

Anyway, we stayed overnight near Hampton Court and this morning headed in the direction of home - but the weekend wasn't over yet. Rochester was holding its annual Sweeps Festival, so of course we had to divert off there. Watched our friends Colin Reece and Ian Cutler from Bully Wee perform at lunchtime, then battled our way through all the Morris dancing displays to see Ian once again play with the Hot Rats in front of the Cathedral.

Click here to see my pictures.

The day concluded with yet another Witchwood gathering and this time an Electric Strawbs gig in the Castle gardens, featuring none other than Oliver Wakeman making his first English appearance on keyboards with them. Half close your eyes and you would swear it was Rick himself on stage. To be honest, what with Adam last night at Hampton Court and Oliver tonight, I think Rick had better watch out - he's got some serious competition ! Pictures from the Strawbs gig can be seen here

So, exhausted, broke but very happy we headed home.
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Strawbs 40th Anniversay Concert

Strawbs 40th Anniversay Concert



Strawbs celebrated their 40th anniversary with an amazing 2 day extravaganza show. It featured numerous line-ups and off shoot bands.

The whole thing was fantastic, but the finale with the Royal Artillery Orchestra was something else. We were sat front row both days - the bandsmen were 2 ft in front of us, Robert Kirby was conducting from a stool besided me on the right - the Electric Strawbs were rocking like you wouldn't believe, and when they played the last number "Where Silent Shadows Fall" I was in floods of tears for the last 10 minutes of the show !!

One of the bandsmen asked me later if they were that awful  as he was watching me with a huge smile on my face, crying my eyes out !!

There were loads of video cameras, so how they decide what to put on a dvd I don't know - the whole thing should be on there - you couldn't choose a best moment. The Heartbreak Hill lineup was stunning, but every set excelled and there were multiple standing ovations.

In the breaks between sets, all the fans and artists were together in the adjoining bar, and the music carried on long after the official show was over on both days.

Thanks to Dave, Geraldine, all the artists and crew for pulling this off from a very happy Sue ( still smiling )

Click here to see my photos from day 1 and here from day 2

Below is a full review by Dick Greener


Where to begin ... what a comprehensively wonderful occasion: two whole days of Strawbs' music and contributions from the Strawbs' extended family rushed by in a whirlwind of delight. Fantastic performances and splendid good company reported by all, both onstage, offstage and back in the various hotels.

Various locals and visitors started the social side of this splendid festival on Friday night, ahead of the main event, with a general gathering at Feltham pub, the General Roy, a good walk from the Travelodge where many of us were staying. A great night of chat and conviviality, followed by a late-night session on guitars and keyboard - Lord knows the Travelodge should be renamed the Tolerance for letting us stay up so late and be so noisy.

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DAY ONE
Getting to the venue, those of us on ticket duty, eventually finding the right door to go in through, set to the task of verifying the identity of voucher holders, checking them off, and then banding them up with the appropriate coloured band. A nice job because it gave us the opportunity to say hello to and chat to everyone attending, which, for me, set the whole one of the event: it felt like sitting round with a bunch of friends, with my favourite artists (also mostly counted as friends) booked to play exclusively for us all. A privilege and a joy.

Despite difficulties getting in on time, and a certain level of apparent tension, the show started off bang on time. This would be the case throughout, save for the big finale, where the complexities of getting the Royal Artillery musicians in place result in a half hour delay. People have commented that the show was one of the best organised events they had ever been to: it certainly ran like clockwork, all credit to those involved.

Veteran folkie, Fred Wedlock, a great mate of Dave Cousins' from his radio days, was an excellent choice of compere. Suitably irreverent, and extraordinarily funny, he could take the mickey without offending, and exercise crowd control with good humour.

Cousins and Cutler

First up, Dave and Ian, reprising some of the material from their US touring, which went down extremely well. Starting with a sprightly version of "On A Night Like This", they followed with a rather stately and lilting "Grace Darling". "Song Of A Sad Little Girl" was just lovely and mellow, and then to finish, two of my favourites from this duo's repertoire: "Ways And Means" (up there in my top 40 of Strawbs numbers I reckon) with choppy (DC tuning) guitar and fiddle and lots of dynamics and shifts.

Lastly, "We'll Meet Again Sometime", announced by DC as odd for this point in the programme, but somehow strangely appropriate (we would after all be meeting both of them again). This was a splendid version with Ian's folky fiddle to the fore. A marvellous start to proceedings.

Zeus

New kids on the block, Zeus, were the second act. A new project involving Dave Lambert with Feast of Fiddles' Tom Leary and guitarist Graeme Taylor and bass player Jon Davie, both with impeccable folk pedigrees, had been generating a good deal of speculation. Opening with a version of "Morning Dew", which married a brooding Strawbs feel with Lambert's gruff vocals and a great instrumental coda "Solway Dawn", Zeus quickly won over the Strawbs audience. An arrangement of Davey Graham's "Anji" by Dave Lambert, combining a jazzy feel with driving Lambert guitar, was followed by a Lambert original, "True Love".

Next up, Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well Part 2" followed by "Oh Well Part 1", which was well received. The last two numbers, "The Road To Maribor", fiddle/bass-led, followed by the Freddie King number "Going Down".

A fantastically talented bunch of musicians, playing with obvious enjoyment of each other's skills. Leary is an urbane and amusing host as well as a stunning fiddle player. Lambert and Taylor have different styles, but chop and change between them, Taylor taking very acoustic style solos over Lambert's rhythm or picking style; at other times Lambert gets to shine in his inimitable way. And Jon Davie lays down a solid bass throughout.

Their first live show (the first of a number of firsts and acknowledged by a huge response), but certainly not their last. An album partly recorded, we look to see more of Zeus in the future.

Strawbs (Heartbreak Hill)

For some the raison d'etre of their attendance, many were looking forward to the first ever live appearance of this line-up, which recorded this "lost" album in 1978 after Dave Lambert left the band to pursue a solo career. Jo Partridge (the guitarist who created in "heat ray" sound in Jeff Wayne's extravagant spectacular War of the Worlds) was brought in to play guitar and mandolin, and the resulting album, when finally released, was generally felt to be a return to form for Strawbs after the accident prone and slightly less stellar Deadlines.

Opening with "We Can Make It Together", the power of this line-up was immediately apparent - Partridge in fine form. Andy Richards playedthe set shoeless (apparently not being able to feel the pedals with his shoes on, rather than being overtaken by some Sandie Shaw obsession. He is truly a splendid player, and though I saw him once before at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1978, I wasn't prepared for just how good he is. Slightly hesitant (maybe nervous) on the first song, he came into his own on the title track, "Heartbreak Hill" which was just astonishing - can't really find words to describe it otherwise. "The Desert Song" (announced by DC as the result of waking up and finding that your wife was dreaming they were with someone else !) is one of my favourite, almost throwaway pop songs in the Strawbs' canon: on album with those wonderful little almost doo-wop vocal flourishes, it still bounces along live without them, to the ensemble's obvious enjoyment. Nice piano from Andy.

After "Let It Rain", the band finished another tour de force - "Starting Over", with some fantastic light and shade, stunning accapella vocal interlude. Just amazing, and one of my absolute highlights.

And Tony Fernandez just puts every ounce of his strength and passion for the music into every hit, whilst clearly enjoying every single second he was on stage.

Cry No More

For many it seems, CNM was one of the surprise hits of the weekend. Those who were unfamiliar with their sometimes flummoxing blend of bizarre humour, deeply intense songs and a sort of call and response approach as appropriate to the football terraces as their normal haunts in Twickenham, at first showed signs of bewilderment then grins of appreciation as Roy's inexplicably hilarious (but weird) monologues had the crowd in stitches, only to be taken firmly back to earth by some of the more intense material in the CNM repertoire.

Classic Roy Hill monologues emerged - "Sheep" and "Barber Jim", the wonderful "Tinkerbell" and "Joan" in turn baffled and delighted those in the audience who had never seen them before, and were old much loved friends to those who had. "Landslide" and "Sleep" were performed by the duo at Chiswick in 1998, and went down well again, as did the catchy "Jenny Takes A First Look At Life". Those in the know joined in and led the audience
participation on "I Love Roxy", which of course also featured Roy's effortless "guitar hero" playing.

On the bleak and uncomfortable end of the spectrum, the dour tale of the murderous "Marion Jones" and Hill's tour de force on madness and
isolation "Don't Leave Me Here", impressed and captivated.

They favoured us with some of the lighter numbers in their post gig Stage 2 appearance later that night. As a result, I'd guess, from the comments I heard, that a few more Strawbs fans just became Cry No More aficionados, and will be attending the annual farewell concert (date to be announced).

Strawbs (Blue Angel lineup)

This line-up surprised many as it punched well above its expected weight, partially due to the incorporation of not only Brian Willoughby on his trademark "effortless" guitar, but also Cathryn Craig on vocals, not just on "Further Down The Road", which was expected, but throughout.

She added a huge lift to "Benedictus" (nice to see the dulcimer come out to play), but the combination of her vocal and Dave's on "New World" was nothing short of a revelation - absolutely magnificent.

Blue Weaver, flanked by not one but two real Mellotrons, produced classic crashing Mellotron sounds, perfectly set off by Willoughby's guitar. And again, Fernandez excelled. A huge ovation for Dave's emotional epic "Blue Angel" with some great keyboards from Blue and super guitar from Brian.

After that, the band left the stage to Blue for a solo written for his daughter "070809". And Blue sings, rather well as it turns out. A very personal and touching piece, very well received.

John Ford

It's always been my ambition to get one of my trips to the US to coincide with a John Ford gig. Not happened yet, but I have a lot of respect for John's pop sensibilities and the string of solo albums he's produced over the last 12 or so years.

His set combined a few of his own recordings, with a trip down memory lane into Hudson Ford ("Floating In The Wind" and a medley including "Burn Baby Burn", "I Can't Understand" and "Pick Up The Pieces") and Monks territory ("Nice Legs" with some good audience participation).

His solo material started the set and later on, he brought out "Together Apart" (which Hud and he duetted on back in 2001) and his recent recording "Big Hit In India" - on disc heavily produced but which nevertheless works acoustically. To finish, he was joined by Blue Weaver and Cathryn Craig (along with Tony Fernandez playing tambourine with a similar level of enjoyment as previously on drums) for the hit single "Part Of The Union".

Rick Wakeman and Dave Cousins

And now to the headline act of the first day, Rick and Dave playing together for the first time in over 20 years. I say, play, but as much as half of the set was given over to reminiscing and sparring between the two, which gave the evening a mellow laid-back ending, which was just perfect. They covered some familiar ground from the old days, opening with "The Hangman And The Papist" (no paint roller to be seen). "Martin Luther King" had some choppy chord playing from Wakeman and Dave donned the banjo for a super version of "Witchwood". We also had Rick's favourite "A Glimpse Of Heaven" and to close, "The Shepherd's Song" with some soaring arpeggios from Rick.

A couple of numbers from Hummingbird were chosen, two of my favourites: the Russian folk tune-based "October To May", which ended with a fantastic Wakeman solo, and the beautiful "Can You Believe", one of Cousins best love songs in my view.

And, to the delight of many, Rick announced he was going to do the subtly renamed "Temperance Of Mind". Explaining its background, the Sheffield show where the power went off and Dave turned to Rick and suggested an acoustic piano solo: "What should I play ?" says Rick; "Whatever you feel like" says Dave, and history was made. And that is the point of TOM: it's not the same every night, so that after it was committed to tape at the QEH in July 1970 and released on Antiques And Curios, punters complained when they didn't get the same snippets. To prove the point, Rick went out into the audience and asked for some "notes" to incorporate into the piece, explaining for non-musicians that they could range from A to G and be sharp or flat. Wincing as he came back to the stage with a few odd key signatures to be going on with, he naturally then played a stunning selection of musical snippets (including a couple - the Keystone Kops car chase theme included - from the original).

Between all that we had some glorious stories and backchat: tales of hamsters in the oven and Salvador Dali; tallying up the number of wives they'd had between them, Rick came up with 11 (I think he was adding in the six he borrowed from Henry).

The day's formal proceedings were at an end, but more joy to come: Chas and Roy set up on Stage 2 and performed an impromptu Cry No More
second set (aren't they all impromptu ?). I wasn't writing tracks down by this point, but I know "George's Bar", "Piccadilly Lights" and "On Holiday" were included, along with "Taller Of The Two". There was some audience singing, led by Roy, and at Geraldine's request (she missed the first one) a reprise of her favourite Roy song "Don't Leave Me Here". A great way to finish off.

Those of us at the Travelodge had more partying to do, so off in Bennett Cabs (Nigel did a sterling - and difficult - job in organising the taxis to take us to and from the venue, many thanks Nigel!), to the bar at the Travelodge, where another late-night singalong ensued.

DAY TWO
Fred Wedlock


Opening up Day Two, Mr Wedlock, who, having done a cracking job as compere throughout Day One, now had his own slot (vice the Fools). An opening song about testing microphones "Testing" was followed by a tutorial on how to play and sing the blues. There was a song about the British barbecue, a skit on "Send In The Clowns", a song about the British on holiday in the Costa del Packet, and finally his hit, "The Oldest Swinger in Town", which Fred explained, with the passage of time had lost some its ironic bite ! Great set, with Fred's effortless humour getting the audience rolling in the aisles from the off.

Cathryn Craig and Brian Willoughby

Cathryn and Brian next took to the stage, opening with "That Ol' Guitar", the first of several songs which as well as featuring Cathryn's fabulous voice, allows that old show-off on guitar to stun the audience with a fabulous display of fingerboard dexterity, generally drawing the language of despair from those in the audience who fancy themselves as guitarists. The charming "Alice's Song" followed, played on a parlour guitar, then "I Will" with some nice flamenco style runs from Brian, alternating with chordal backbeat swipes.

A personal favourite "Mr Jefferson" was followed by their recent recording about Pocohontas and her fate, the strident and powerful "Accanoe".

The final number started with an accapella snatch of "River Deep/Mountain High" with help from the audience to sing the orchestral parts, segueing into the "Cotton Fields/My Window Faces South" closer, which again features Brian's impossibly stunning playing. Just towards the end of the song there was a huge bang: not quite clear what happened, but it was certainly a big bang ending - albeit unintentional ! Brian and Cathryn's main audience to date has been in the UK, so for many of those from abroad it was a first time, and many left thoroughly impressed with what they'd seen (as those of us who know them well could have predicted!).

Blue Angel Orchestra

After a fairly long lay-off it was great to the see the BAO again, in its Melvin Duffy variant rather than with Miller Anderson. Opening with "Never Take Sweets From A Stranger" with Melvin on electric guitar, before turning to the pedal steel for "Mellow Moon". He really is a stunning player. Then, a nice surprise when Dave announced "The Young Pretender", which I'd wondered about for the Wakeman set, but which fitted just perfectly here.

Ian Cutler's instrumental fiddle tour de force "Orange Blossom Special" was greeted with huge applause, before the band turned to their closing numbers "Hellfire Blues" and the driving "Skip To My Lou". Again, a well kept secret in the UK, and many overseas visitors seeing them for the first time were more than impressed with the BAO.

Acoustic Strawbs with Sonja Kristina

This, for me was one of the highlights - a performance which it would be difficult to imagine happening again (though I'd be delighted if it did!!). The Acoustics took the stage on their usual three stools, to play a cracking "Simple Visions", followed by "Josephine" from the current set. Then - only the second or maybe third time it's been played in public - the lovely "Copenhagen" from the new album, reminiscing back to the days when Sandy was in the band. Gentle, emotional and intricate, perfect Acoustics material. A rousing "Cold Steel" with Dave's banjo very prominent in the mix, finished off the first half of this set.

Then on comes Sonja, in a fabulously glittery sequinned jacket, to take up her place on the fourth stool. Some complicated fingerpicking takes us into "Sail Away To The Sea" (one can only guess how long it is since that song has had an airing). Next "On My Way" with all four adding the complex Mamas And Papas-style harmonies which graced the original. More of this on - to my delight - my favourite from that album, "All I Need Is You": finally, watching them do it on stage, I can understand how those harmonies work. I'm a great fan of the big harmony things that both Acoustic and Electric Strawbs do with the strong vocal line of the two Daves and Chas - but add Sonja into the mix and it's an even more magical sound. Finishing with a great "Tell Me What You See In Me" which owed something to the recent electric arrangement as well, this was an amazing experience, worth the price of admission alone, IMHO. Fabulous !

Fire

Dave Lambert came on alone at first, in a natty white outfit, playing a bright red Telecaster for a solo version of "Just Love". Joined bythe rest of the band, Bob Voice on drums and Dick Dufall on bass, we were then treated to a selection of Fire's signature numbers.

Lambert had the opportunity for some prog guitarist virtuosity to lead into "Treacle Toffee World" before switching to the blue acoustic for "Only A Dream". Neil Byford was kept pretty busy as Dave constantly switched guitars, next opting for the black Les Paul for "Flies Like A Bird".

A band that plays so infrequently, Fire nonetheless were as tight as can be and both the harmonies and playing of Bob and Dick are superb. The closing song was of course "Father's Name Is Dad", a great ending to an accomplished performance.

During the interval, the front of the stage was reset as an orchestra pit for the Royal Artillery Band, who would be joining the band for the grand finale.

Strawbs with the Royal Artillery Band

So finally the closing extravaganza: at first, just a "normal" performance from Electric Strawbs - showing just how powerful the current lineup is. A blistering start with "Sheep" (not the Roy Hill monologue of course!), followed by Dave Lambert's charming "The Winter And The Summer". The sound was superb throughout (Paul adding a perfect little echo on the word "suffer" in the driving "Hero And Heroine" which followed) and I don't think I've seen these guys play better than they did. "Autumn" had a huge big sound in the "Winter Long" ending.

Oliver's showcase "Where Is This Dream Of Your Youth" continues to develop - including now a passage in the middle where Oliver and Lambert play call and response over the solid rhythm section of Chas and Rod. The final number of the Strawbs set proper, as it no doubt should be, the classic Strawbs hit "Lay Down", was already beginning to draw some emotional responses from the audience and they could feel this unrepeatable two days drawing to a close.

Now, the stage reset for the Acoustics, the strings of the Royal Artillery Band file in, for a beautiful, poignant "Evergreen", conducted and arranged by Robert Kirby. Those of us who had bemoaned the lack of "Heavy Disguise" in John Ford's set (a curious omission) were placated by a stellar performance of the song with the Kirby brass arrangement which featured on Grave New World, but which of course has never been played live.

Next the full orchestra come on to play the stunning and majestic orchestral version of "The River/Down By The Sea" - some sawing strings, booming tympani and woodwind and brass made a forceful orchestral background for this classic Strawbs number. I know Dave has long wanted to perform Strawbs material like this with an orchestra, and it must have been a great pleasure finally to realise this ambition.

Last of all, a deeply emotional "Where Silent Shadows Fall" from the new album, to my absolute delight (probably my favourite track) Anthemic, poignant, pure Strawbs material, and with the added orchestral instruments the long instrumental coda was perfectly realised (although the audience started clapping - they just couldn't wait ! - before the final cornet theme played out the end of this astonishing bravura performance, and a full three minutes standing ovation saw Dave thanking those involved, so full of emotion he could hardly speak.

To finish things off of course, there was our own performance on Stage 2 (the three Fools present and Heather Malcolm and Joe Bruno) - Foolishly going on after the most impressive show we had ever seen: follow that!. And then to end it all, Vince Martin, who had manfully looked after Stage 2 on both days, stood up and did a set with various of the usual suspects - Chas on bass (getting in another stage appearance, as Fred repeatedly reminded us, so that he could equal and finally surpass the number of times Dave Cousins appeared on stage!), Blue on keys, Melvin on pedal steel and Jo Partridge (back from an Saturday night gig in Birmingham) on guitar. A great set, including some fantastic indigenous flute playing from Vince, before the closing of the venue and back to our hotels.

So many highs, an impossibly brilliant two days of stellar music, spent with many friends old and new - what could be better ?

DICK GREENER
STRAWBSWEB- www.strawbsweb.co.uk
"You'll scarcely believe all the pleasures inside..."
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Rick Wakeman Christmas Concerts 19th / 20th Dec 09

Rick Wakeman Christmas Concerts 19th nbsp20th Dec 09
As most of you will know, I run Gordon Giltrap's website. This often allows Mike and I privileged access to shows, and this weekend was rather special – the Rick Wakeman Christmas Concerts.

We were already worried if we would even make it to the event due to snow in other parts of Kent on the Friday ( we missed it here in Ramsgate) and then it started snowing here at 8am on Sat and we had trouble getting back from the town centre, but we made it all the way there without any difficulty once we got going.

Anyway, Saturday lunchtime we drove up to Swindon, to the Marriott hotel where we booked in for 2 nights. Then we headed off to Marlborough College where Gordon was the special guest of Rick for two nights of brilliant gigs.

These were not your usual RW gigs, the lineup included members of the English Chamber Choir – last seen on stage with Rick at Hampton Court for his 6 Wives Extravaganza, his children Oliver ( who plays keyboards with Yes and Strawbs - so we'd met him several times previously - as well as his own band ) Adam ( who has just finished a tour on keyboards for Will Young, and is rejoining Ozzy Osbourne touring later in the year ) and Jemma ( who plays keyboards and sings ) and the whole event is Christmas themed, so it included various carols.

We arrived at the historic venue - an exclusive public school - around 5pm and joined everyone backstage. They are all so friendly, and had their wives and small children ( Ricks grandchildren ) with them. The whole weekend is really a big Wakeman family / fan party. We were welcomed by everyone, chatting away like old friends.

The hall was packed both nights - about 400 people a time. Rick played some solo pieces as did each of his children and the choir and then there were various combinations. They were long shows as there was so much Rick wanted to include.

Gordon played 6 numbers in each show, - complete with amazing laser lights and superb sound system - his last number each night was a duet with Rick - Maddies Goes West, and then he joined everybody for the finale, "White Christmas " Although a lot of people present were familiar with Gordon, many knew his name but had never seen him play - he made a lot of new fans and went down extremely well with The Dodo's Dream being a high point.

Most of you will know Gordon and Rick are good friends and recently released an album "From Brush and Stone". At one point Gordon was asked to "spot" folks who weren't singing - they were marched on stage and made to join the choir ! Very funny - as were Ricks jokes, even if they were rather rude !!

Someone has already posted clips on YouTube here:



After the show we all went back to the hotel and carried on partying with everyone there until about 1.30am. Sunday morning was a leisurely breakfast with Gordon, Hilary and some other friends / RW & GG fans and crew, followed by the annual RW fan Club Christmas lunch. About 150 or so people joined the Wakemans for lunch, and Rick took charge of running an hilarious charity auction that raised over £925 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and with collections at the gigs the grand total came to £1136.98

Hilary ended up holding one of Adam's twin babies while he joined his Dad for a quick duet ( sharing one keyboard ) After an afternoon snooze Mike chauffered myself, Gordon and Hilary back to the venue for the second night. This show was similar to the night before, but ended with Gordon, Adam, Oliver and Jemma going round the audience with plates of mince pies !

You can view photos from the two nights here

Once again, back to the Marriott to carry on the fun until the early hours. Rick however drove home to Norfolk straight after Sunday's gig as he had a live radio interview at 9am Monday morning !! We on the other hand had another relaxed breakfast with G & H before leaving late this morning and driving to Avebury for a quick look round as we hadn't been there before. We could hardly believe our eyes when we encountered a couple in full Celtic costumes, cloaks, a deers head head-dress complete with antlers, horn drinking vessels etc and ( wait for this !! ) posing with a double neck Epiphone guitar by the standing stones !! Shame Gordon wasn't with us !

Our journey home wasn't so good as half way along the M4 it was snowing heavily and was quite scary when it was impossible to see lane markings etc. It was very slow from then until the M3 and we did wonder if we'd actully get home at all, but then the snow turned to rain and it was a little better for a while. More snow, sleet, rain, ice, fog and heavy traffic later and we got home about 5pm yesterday - tired but very happy !! Another excellent weekend - good friends, great music - thats what is all about for us.