Seeing Christy Moore & Declan Sinnott at Bath Pavilion, May 26th 2013.

I have been a Christy Moore fan since 1985 when I discovered the album Ride On. I loved every song on that album. I liked the humour of songs like Lisdoonvarna and  I liked Christy's left-wing political songs. Until recently I bought all of Christy's albums. I saw him several times in Bristol and about four times at Glastonbury. It had been far too long since I last saw him live so I was delighted when I heard that Christy was playing locally at Bath Pavilion. I caught the 4.00 train from Westbury and arrived in Bath 29 minutes later. It was a beautiful warm summers evening as I strolled up Milsom Street. I made my way to the Huntsman pub and my brother Paul turned up, so we sat there for a while chatting and watching the world go by and taking photos of each other. At 7.45 we made our way to the Pavilion. I hadn't been to this venue for over 30 years but it is small and intimate, just perfect for a Christy concert.

I bought the most recent CD called Folktale, a beautiful album which I am listening to at this very moment. and we took our seats which were right in the middle behind the sound man. As usual Christy was ably supported by Declan Sinnott who is a superb guitarist. The first song they did was January Man which was a really nice introduction. Christy said it was nice to be playing in the city of Bath and to play a venue where The Beatles, Stones, The Who and Jimi Hendrix had played. Then it was the Yellow Furze Woman,  followed by Richard Thompson's great Beeswing. Christy got a few words wrong in this for which he apologised afterwards. This was followed by I'm Missing You another very moving song and then Christy sang a song for somebody called Julia. It was Butterfly which I think is a song by The Handsome Family originally. Its a beautiful song and it made Julia's night I'm sure.  Then Christy sang Bob Dylan's Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll maybe because it was Bob's birthday last week. Christy said it was nice to play to an audience that came to listen. This was true, you could have heard a pin drop during most of the songs. Next was a song for a lady called Rosaleen. It was Spancil Hill which Christy had first heard in 1963 and it had never left him. That song was followed by the great Does This Train Stop On Merseyside?. I found it very moving especially with the reference to the Hillsborough victims. I really enjoyed the next song as well The Dalesman's Litany written by Dave Burland. 

The very respectful audience came alive during the next song and clapped along to the very humorous Delirium Tremens which was great fun. The following song Christy said he first heard sung by Nic Jones who I am looking forward to seeing in a few weeks. He had also heard it by John Riley. I discovered it myself as Matty Groves by Fairport Convention but Christy calls it Little Musgrave. It is an epic song and a great one.  Then it was the great Ride On. One of the songs that first got me into the music nearly 30 years ago. This was followed by Jackson Browne's wonderful  Before The Deluge which Christy has made his own. Then a song I had never heard before, Sixteen Fishermen Raving written by Wally Page and Christy said he didn't know what it was about either. Nancy Spain written by Barney Rush was next and this must have been sung a thousand times but it is still very moving.

Christy handed over to Declan to sing a song next which I hope is called Let The Sunshine In. Declan has his own new album out now which I must check out. The following song was a joint effort with Christy and Declan taking turns to sing a verse. I'm not sure what it is called though. It is a story set in America about a woman called Sara McCrae. Maybe one of the experts will help me out. People started calling out requests so i shouted out Don't Forget Your Shovel which was the first song that came into my head and Christy sang it. The audience loved it. The next song was the sad story of The Contender Jack Doyle. The powerful Biko Drum was next, one of my favourites of Christy's political songs. Then there was a request from somebody from Kildare, Christy's home county and there was some banter to find where exactly in Kildare the person came from. Their reward was the funny Honda 50 written by Tom Tuohy (Thanks for that info Petra). I'm A Bogman was next which was written by Christy's brother Luka Bloom. followed by the beautiful Bright Blue Rose written by Jimmy McCarthy. Another very emotional song was Black Is The Colour which Christy encouraged the audience to join in with. Declan and Christy then left the stage but we knew they would be back for an encore. The first song was the great City Of Chicago and then the audience favourite Lisdoonvarna. During the part which mentions Van Morrison Christy said to Declan, "Did you know Van has a house in Bath?", "We'll stay the night then", said Declan. The song then segued into a rousing I'll Tell Me Ma to bring a great show of almost two hours to an end. 

Afterwards I bumped into Hilary from the Kingdom of Kerry. Hilary is a huge Christy fan who goes to all his gigs. She is also good friends with his stage crew which was very useful because she asked one of them called Mick to go backstage for me and he came back with my CD personally signed by Christy which really made my night.
I had to rush off to catch the 10.30 train. It had been a perfect night. It was great to see Christy and Declan in such fine form and obviously enjoying themselves and last night must be a contender for gig of the year as far as i am concerned. Thank you very much Christy and Declan.

Review: Cambridge Folk Festival 2014, Part 2 Van Morrison.

As ladysmith Black Mambazo ended Brendan and I made our move to get to the front. Hundreds of people poured out and we poured in. We tried on the left first and then on the right but it was so crowded it was impossible to rejoin Dail and Evonne right at the front, so we had to settle for a spot about fifteen yards from the front of the stage.  Van was due on stage at 8.25 for a seventy five minute set. The band shuffled on before that to tune up. It was the usual band of Alistair White, Chris White, Bobby Ruggerio, Dave Keary, Paul Moore, Paul Moran and Shana Morrison.

 I didn't recognise the first few notes and said to Brendan, "What's this?". Then Van came on and started blowing his saxophone and I  recognised Celtic Swing. The audience loved it, they were in party mood, out to enjoy themselves on the last night of the festival. The next song was Little Village with Chris White excelling himself on the euphonium. Then it was one of Van's hits Whenever God Shines His Light On Me with Shana singing the parts that Sir Cliff used to do. The crowd loved this. A highlight for me followed, Someone Like You probably the second best known of Van's love songs but in all my history of going to Van concerts of 35 years I can't ever remember him singing this before. It was splendid with Shana joining in on vocals. At festivals you expect a bit of crowd involvement and most songs you accept it but during a song like this you would think people would listen. During this song a group in front of us were not even listening to the music but just prattled away to each other. Brendan couldn't stand it and tapped the ringleader on the shoulder and asked them in no uncertain terms to quieten down and have some consideration. Another Van classic followed Queen Of The Slipstream Van played some great harmonica on this song. If the audience liked that they absolutely loved the next one which was Baby Please Don't Go/ Parchman Farm.  Parchman Farm is an autobiographical song written by Bukka White about his experience on an infamous prison farm in Alabama. It was later recorded by Mose Allison with a different arrangement which I guess is where Van became aware of the song.

 Then Van said, " As this is a folk festival, I'll sing a folk song". It was Dead Or Alive which is a Woody Guthrie song that Van recorded for The Skiffle Sessions album with Lonnie Donegan. Then it was Enlightenment which is a song I never get tired of hearing. Another great song followed Rough God Goes Riding. The next song though I could have done without which was Tear Your Playhouse Down which to me is one of the lesser of Van's lesser songs and in a time slot of only 75 minutes something like Here Comes The Night would have been a much better crowd pleaser.

 Days Like This delighted the hard core Van fans and festival goers alike. It was perfect with Van scatting along at the end and really enjoying himself. Next up was Moondance. The audience loved this when they recognised it. My only complaint is that when the time slot is so short there is no need to give all the band a solo. Precious Time was next and the Cambridge audience loved it. The whole audience sang along to one of Van's rare chart hits. They also loved Real Real Gone / You Send Me and Van seemed to be enjoying the party atmosphere because at the end he said, "One more time", and sang the last bit again. The Ray Charles Classic I Can't Stop Loving You followed with Shana trying to repeat the part that the Crawford Bell Singers used to do so well a few years ago. The audience went wild when they recognised the opening bars of Brown Eyed Girl which Van was almost obliged to do for this audience. He seemed to enjoy the audience participation and stopped singing at one point and let the crowd sing all the Sha La La's. I knew it was coming to an end now when Help Me began. During Gloria I was heading for the exit to avoid the crush but I did listen from the back. The crowd loved it and I think Van made quite a few new fans. There was no transcendental songs like In The Garden but I knew that wouldn't happen. It it was a most enjoyable evening in beautiful weather in a nice atmosphere and when I met up with Dail and Evonne we all agreed it had been a great day at Cambridge Folk Festival and the highlight had been seeing Van the Man.

The End.

Review: Cambridge Folk Festival 2014. Part 1

It had rained heavily on Saturday at Cambridge Folk Festival, but on Sunday morning when Dail, her friend Evonne and I set off from Dail's house in the pretty town of Stamford it was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky so I was relieved I didn't have to pack my emergency poncho. It only took about an hour to get to the festival site in Cherry Hinton on the outskirts of Cambridge. This was the 50th annual festival and I had never been before but this year I thought I would make the effort especially as Van Morrison was on. When we entered the arena where all the stages were I noticed  how crowded it was compared to the Village Pump Festival the week before. The arena was hardly any bigger than at the Village Pump but there was about ten times the amount of people which meant that it was packed. What made it worse was that everybody seemed to have brought fold up chairs.It said in the programme not to bring chairs unless you were elderly,disabled or injured but people had ignored that and placed chairs to claim their spot. It was just a sea of chairs. At the Village Pump there was room to breathe, but not here.

 That was the only thing I didn't like about this festival. Everything else was great. We took a walk up to the front and  watched a bit of Sarah Jarosz who is a young American singer-songwriter who was accompanied by a fiddle player and a cellist. She was quite good I thought. Then we went to the Club Tent where they showcase new young musicians and there was a really good young English singer-guitarist on. I think his name was Luke Jackson . Dail wanted to secure her position right at the front so we went back to the main stage and got a place right on the barrier and Dail and Evonne took turns keeping this place for the next eight hours. Evonne and I went for a stroll and got a drink and we listened to The High King's.

They are a traditional Irish folk band and their set was mainly well known Irish songs but performed brilliantly. This is just the sort of lively music festival audiences love on a sunny day and they went down a storm. After that we got some food and rejoined Dail. Jason Isbell was on next. I hadn't heard him before but I had heard great reports of him and I must say I thought he was great. Some of the songs were really sad and touched a nerve but it was a great performance. He was accompanied on vocals and violin by his wife Amanda Shires who I think you will agree is gorgeous (See photo).The Oysterband were on after Jason. Dail and Evonne were blown away by them and afterwards couldn't stop talking about them but I didn't see them. I had gone for a walk.

   Strolling past Stage 2 I heard a fair maiden singing a plaintive ballad. "I know that voice", I thought to myself and had a look. Just as I thought it was the one and only Kate Rusby making a surprise appearance. I think Kate is wonderful and I'm going to see her in Bath in December so I stopped and listened to the rest of her set. She brought on Sarah Jarosz as her guest and it was really nice.

 After Kate's surprise appearance I walked on and I met Someone I recognised. It was none other than Chris White who is one of Van Morrison's horn players. I shook hands with him and told him that we had met before. It was in the pub after a Van concert at the Albert Hall. He said that he remembered me but he might have just been polite. I said I was looking forward to seeing Van later. He was friendly. I think all of Van's band are really nice people. I should have asked for a photo but I didn't think. Never-mind. After that I saw The Rails on stage 2. I had seen them in Bath less than two weeks before. In Bath they were a two piece acoustic act but at Cambridge they were a five piece electric outfit and were great. I must get The Rails album because I really like them. Kami looked really cool in her shades and I filmed Bonnie Portmore which is my favourite of their songs (See video below) . Back at the main stage I tried to rejoin Dail and Evonne but it had become impossible so I listened to Julie Fowlis from a distance. Julie is a traditional singer from the Outer Hebrides. An internet friend Jez has often mentioned her so I had a good listen. She has an exquisite voice singing in the Gaelic. Very nice indeed.

I needed another drink and sat at a table outside the main bar. Who should I meet but Brendan from Dublin who I last met up with in Brighton back in February. It was great to see another die-hard Van fan. We watched Ladysmith Black Mambazo from a distance. I don't think Brendan liked them much and I wasn't all that bothered. I got a passer by to take our photo and we passed the time chatting about Van. Eventually Ladysmith ended and as thousands of people moved out we knew it was time to make our move. It was time for the legend they call Van The Man.

To be continued in Part 2, Van Morrison At Cambridge 2014.
                                                                                                         

The Rails Sing Bonnie Portmore At Cambridge Folk Festival 2014

Review: Richard Thompson & The Rails At Bath Forum, 23/7/2014

It was a week ago today that we went to see the great Richard Thompson in Bath but I have been so busy since I haven't had the chance to write a review until today. This is what happened.                                                       We caught the train to Bath at 2.10 because Jacky & Bill hadn't been to Bath for years so I thought it would be nice to show them around. We walked up Milsom Street and past the abbey and had a look at the river. Then we had a quiet drink under the shade of the trees at The Boater pub. After that we walked along the river as far as the cricket club. It was so hot that we sat down in a shady spot and watched a ladies cricket match for quite a while. It was really pleasant and quite appropriate because Richard Thompson is a big cricket fan. Later on we had some food at a pub near the venue and then it was showtime.

 I bought a Richard Thompson Acoustic Classics shirt at the merchandise stall and joined Jacky & Bill in our seats quite near the front of the nice art-deco style venue. The opening act were The Rails who are Richard's daughter Kami and her husband James Walbourne. They began with the brilliant Bonnie Portmore which I discovered via their appearance at Glastonbury and really like. ( See video below) They have an album out called Fair Warning and most of the songs from their 40 minute set came from that. I'm not sure of the titles of all the songs but I really liked William Taylor, Send Her To Holloway and a song called Lonely from a forthcoming Thompson family album featuring Richard,Teddy, Kami,James and Kami's mother Linda so that should be good. I thought The Rails were great and during the interval I had a quick little chat with them and they signed a flyer for me. They are on at Cambridge Folk Festival this weekend so I may get the chance to see them again. Also during the interval I asked a man at the door if there was any chance that I could have the huge poster from the foyer and he said he would find out.

   Then it was time for the main man. This is the second time I have seen Richard at this venue and he never ceases to amaze me with his skill on the guitar and his ability to sing brilliantly at the same time.This is the setlist. I hope I have the song titles correct.
Bathsheba Smiles
Saving The Good Stuff For You
Valerie
God Loves A Drunk
Johnny On The Sea
Fergus Lang
Vincent Black Lightning 1952
Sunset Song
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Genesis Hall
Good Things Happen To Bad People
The New Me
I Read About Love
Three short pieces about World War 1
Wall Of Death
Persuasion
Dimming Of The Day
I Feel So Good
Gossamer Wind
One Door Opens
That's Enough ( With The Rails)
                                                   I think you will agree that is a very impressive list of songs. I really enjoyed God Loves A Drunk which I first got to know on a Norma Waterson album. The three short pieces about World War 1 were letters from soldiers verbatim which Richard has set to music for a project coming out in 2016 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle Of The Somme. It was great to hear the Fairport Convention song Genesis Hall as well because I am a big fan of Fairport. The last song when he was joined by The Rails is also from the forthcoming family album and was brilliant. In fact the whole concert was brilliant.

                                                       As we left, the man on the door was waiting with my huge Richard Thompson poster. It will cost a fortune to frame it but I'll get it done in due course. We caught the train at about 10.45 and got home in time for a last drink in the Ludlow and a chat with my friend Jacquie the landlady.What a perfect day it had been.

The Blues Band at the Village Pump Folk Festival 2014

Review: Baka Beyond At The Crown, Bathford 10/7/2014.

 I had a wonderful evening at The Crown in Bathford last night. This is what happened. It was one of my internet friends Brian who told me about the gig. He is friends with Baka Beyond. I had heard the name but never heard the music. However i have always liked the Afro Celt style of music so I really wanted to go. I told my friend Jacquie about it and she said she would drive. As soon as Jacquie finished work we set off. It was a nice warm evening and as we drove through Sally In The Woods towards Bath the countryside looked really lush and green. How lucky we are to live in such a nice area. Soon we arrived at The Crown. I have passed this pub countless times but never been in. The staff were charming and our waitress had dressed up for the occasion. We both opted for the stuffed mushroom tartlettes and salad which was delicious. I think the pub gave some of the proceeds from the evening to Baka Beyond's charity which is good of them. After eating we chilled out for a while in the bucolic surroundings of the garden until the music began. Eventually we could hear the band starting up so we went inside. The bar was crowded by now with the cream of Bath's bohemian intelligentsia some of whom had cycled out from Bath which isn't far away. I'll just tell you a little bit about Baka Beyond. The band were formed after the singer Su Hart and guitarist Martin Cradick visited the Baka people in Cameroon in 1992. They founded a charity called The Global Music Exchange and the royalties from the music are used for projects to support the Baka culture and way of life.(Click on  picture at the base of the page for more details).

I think there were six musicians in the band tonight of various nationalities. Su on vocals, also drums, bass, guitar, violin and a cool dude on bongos and other drums.There were other instruments as well but I don't know what they are called. The music was great, really happy and infectious. As well as being a great singer Su is a great little dancer as well and encouraged the audience to join in. The place was jumping. Some of the songs were in French which is the official language of Cameroon.I really liked the African style guitar sound which reminded me of a band I used to like years ago called the Bhundu Boys from Zimbabwe.I can't tell you the names of the songs because this was the first time I had ever heard this group but I hope it won't be the last.I did film one song but sadly it came out a bit dark and didn't really do the group justice but the sound is good and you can see it below.

 During the interval I introduced myself to Su and said hello from Brian and she immediately knew who I was talking about.She said to say hi to Brian and tell him about the Canadian tour in August. She was really nice and I asked her for a photo and she obliged.I bought a CD from her called 'After The Tempest' which I am playing at this very moment and really enjoying. Highly recommended. Jacquie and I left before the end of the performance because it was getting late and I thought Jacquie deserved a well earned drink back in her pub The Ludlow Arms in Westbury after a long day and being kind enough to take me to Bathford. So thank you very much indeed to Baka Beyond, The Crown at Bathford, Brian for telling me about it and Jacquie for a most enjoyable evening.Lets do it all again soon.

Shelagh McDonald,The Lady Who Vanished.

A friend phones me up occasionally and we have chats about music. One evening I mentioned to him about Annie Briggs and Vashti Bunyan and he said ,"There's another great singer who disappeared as well, Shelagh McDonald,she used to live in Bristol and she was good, check her out". I looked on eBay to see if there were any Shelagh McDonald albums available and there were three, The Shelagh McDonald Album, Stargazer and  Let No Man Steal Your Thyme which was a double album comprising of her first two albums and other earlier recordings, demo's and out-takes, and that is the one I opted for. A few days later the CD arrived

 The first thing I noticed on opening the package was how nice looking she was, the elfin mystical looking long haired hippy chick of the early 70's. Opening the accompanying booklet I was amazed to see the list of great musicians who played on her albums, it was the glitterati of the British folk/rock scene of the time. Richard Thompson, Keith Christmas, Gerry Conway, Andy Roberts, Keith Tippet, Gordon Huntley, Pat Donaldson, Dave Mattacks, Danny Thompson and even Katie Kissoon on backing vocals plus lots of others. The notes told the  story of Shelagh up to 2005 when this compilation was released. Not a lot is known about her early life except that she came from the Edinburgh area of Scotland. She discovered a talent for singing and playing the guitar and when she left school in the late 60's she left home and headed for Bristol where she soon made a name for herself playing in the clubs of Bristol's thriving folk scene and she began an on off relationship with singer Keith Christmas. Soon her talent was spotted and she headed for the bright lights of London and a record contract. Her first album received lukewarm reviews but her second one Stargazer was a hit with critics and a growing following of fans. Karl Dallas one of the leading music journalists hailed her as the new Sandy Denny and she was compared to Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. Just when she seemed set for fame and fortune, her world began to fall apart. One fateful night she took a tab of acid and the experience left her a psychological mess. Even weeks later she was still suffering from horrible hallucinations. In desperation Shelagh headed back to Scotland and did not contact any of her old friends. For 33 years up to the release of this compilation cd and the sleeve notes being written nothing was heard of her. She had completely vanished.

The opening couple of tracks were not that impressive to me. They were early recordings from a radio series called Dungeon Folk. However, when the third track called Mirage played then I was really impressed. She had made the transition from folk singer to folk-rock singer. That whole side was good, but CD 2 went from good to quite stunning. It is a mini-masterpiece, As good as Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Nick Drake or any of the luminaries of the folk rock scene of the time. The production by Sandy Robertson is quite superb as well. Every track on the Stargazer album is brilliant. The lyrics of Liz's Song almost suggest she was planning to disappear but that could be just a coincidence. Some tracks like Odyssey and The Road To Paradise are like progressive rock. I would have loved to have seen her with this band in concert, that would have been really something. Sweet Sunlight is a beautiful song and her voice is exquisite. Stargazer, the title track speaks for itself . I particularly enjoyed Canadian Man which has a Joni Mitchell influence. Good Times has some great funky saxophone, Dowie Dens Of Yarrow would have graced any Sandy Denny album. Spin, and City's Cry are also great. The latter with the unmistakeable sound of Richard Thompson's guitar reminding me of Fairport's album What We Did On Our Holidays.

There is one final twist in the tale. When this album was released in 2005 it prompted an article about Shelagh in The Independent by Charles Donovan. This led to similar copycat articles in other papers including the Scottish Daily Mail. In November 2005 Shelagh read the article and turned up at the newspaper office to tell her story. She revealed that after her bad acid experience she had totally lost the ability to sing and she had worked in a department store till 1981. Then she met a hippy bookseller called George Farquhar and they adopted an itinerant lifestyle travelling around the Scottish Islands and abroad and eventually lived in a tent, camping wherever they could. She told the newspaper that her voice had returned and she had started writing songs again. Since that visit to the newspaper 5 years ago though nothing else has been heard from Shelagh and she has disappeared back into the mists of obscurity from which she had so briefly emerged.

 I'm not expected Shelagh McDonald to rekindle her career now but it would be great if more people discovered her music and realised what a great talent she was. I urge you to listen to the song 'Stargazer', the choral ending is quite brilliant. 


Postscript.
                There is a very happy ending to this story. I received a message yesterday from a fan of Shelagh's to say that she is playing her first official gig in 40 years next week in Camden Town. I wish her every success with that. I hope it leads to more dates. The gig is sold out apparently and I found out too late or I would have loved to have seen her live.

Shelagh McDonald

Otway The Movie, Review.

It was a windy and rainy day yesterday and I was trapped indoors and starting to get depressed. "How can I make today interesting?", I asked myself. Then  John Otway posted on Facebook that there was to be a screening of  'Otway, The Movie' at the Little Theatre Cinema in Bath that very evening followed by a question and answer session with the man himself. I knew I had to go, so I phoned up my friend Dave and he wanted to go as well I  booked two tickets. I spent the afternoon kicking my heels because Otway has been part of my life for nearly forty years ( See previous stories below). I met Dave in the pub and we caught the 6.38 train to Bath.                                          We had time on our hands so we went for a drink in the Grapes pub in Westgate Street until it was show time. In all the years I have lived in this area I have never been to the Little Cinema before and I must say it is a wonderful little venue, hidden away up an alley way off  Westgate Street and the seats are really comfortable.

While we were waiting for the doors to open Otway himself arrived and I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos with me and Dave. He also signed an album for me and we had a little chat. He seems genuinely interested in what people have to say and takes the time to speak to them. I think that is why he has built up such a devoted fan base over the years. I told him about previous times I had seen him. The first time was right here at Bath Pavilion in 1978 and he remembered it which surprised me because he must have played thousands of gigs since. I also told him about the time Kim and I went to his 50th birthday party at the London Palladium. Kim used to love Otway and it made her night when he gave her a kiss on the cheek at a gig in Frome a few years ago.

Then it was time for the film which Otway introduced. He said that we had to listen out for the one word that was the reason that when the film got its certificate it can't be seen by unaccompanied children under twelve. The film begins with Otway returning to his old school in Aylesbury to talk to the kids about how to make a career in the music business. It then chronicles his whole career which is portrayed as one disaster after another. There is a lot of footage of his legendary concert in Aylesbury market square in 1978. I was there on that memorable day. There is also the London Palladium concert where the fans conspired to give him a hit record as a birthday present. I'll never forget that night sitting in the pub listening to the chart being announced and 'Bunsen Burner' going straight in the charts at number 9. Then Otway coming over to the pub and standing on a table to the cheers of the fans.

 I won't tell you all of the film but it was really enjoyable and I know the rest of the audience enjoyed it because there was a lot of spontaneous laughter and applause throughout the screening. There is one thing that slightly niggles me though is because the film has the sub-title of  'Rock And Roll's Greatest Failure'. I disagree with that because John Otway has had a long and successful career and brought a lot of pleasure to many people. The other thing that is overlooked is that he has written some great songs and has a body of work to be proud of. I think his first  album with Wild Willy Barrett and the follow-up 'Deep And Meaningless' are great albums by any standard. I would put them in my favourite 50 albums of all time. Songs like Geneva, Gypsy,Josephine,Place Farm Way and many more are songs to be proud of and show that he is a great singer-songwriter.

After the screening there were questions and answers and I asked John if he was doing Glastonbury this year and he is. I can reveal that he is on in the Cabaret Stage on the Saturday and also the film will be shown in the Cinema Tent. Dave and I left before the end because we wanted a quick drink before catching the train. John did ask though if anyone noticed the one word that barred unaccompanied children from seeing it. I thought it might be Willy but actually it was Twat. Now that Otway has made a film I wonder what the future holds for him. I think he should definitely be given the freedom of the city of Aylesbury because through his songs he has put his home town on the map. Also if his fans can get together and give him a hit single why can't they start a campaign to get him in the Queens New Years Honours list for services to music. He deserves it more than most of them. Anyway, thank you very much John Otway for a great night out in Bath.

Review: Steve Earle, Colston Hall Bristol May 24th 2013.

I went to a great concert last night at the Colston Hall in Bristol. It was Steve Earle And The Dukes. I first heard of Steve about ten years ago because a lot of my internet friends were always going on about how great he was. A friend in Toronto sent me a double CD compilation of Steve's songs and a friend of mine from the pub Colin who is a Steve Earle fanatic burned me off two of Steve's recent albums, Washington Square Serenade and I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive. I was hooked, I liked Steve's voice, the great songs, Steve's socio-political left wing views, his campaigns against the death penalty in America, and other issues. I saw his wife of the time Alison Moorer in 2005 when she played the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury and she introduced her soon to be husband Steve Earle. He sang one song with her but I can't remember what it was now.

When I heard that Steve was playing in Bristol I knew we had to go and see him, so  bought a bunch of tickets for my friends and seven of us met up last night in The Crown. There was Colin & Sharon, Chris and Chrissie, Sharon's son Kevin, Dave and me. A quick pint in the pub and we piled into two taxis and caught the 5.38 train to Bristol. It was a cold and windy evening but two carrier bags of booze kept our spirits high. At Bradford On Avon my sister Margaret and her partner Wayne joined us on the train so that made a merry gang of nine of us. We soon arrived in the great seafaring city of Bristol and two more taxis zipped us to the Colston Hall. The building is named after Edward Colston a rich merchant who was pockets a jingle in the olden days through slave money which is an unfortunate part of Bristol's history. In recent years it has been been modernised with a brand new foyer and bar area which is where we hurried to. They have local bands playing in the bar area most nights which is a nice touch and we got chatting to an old guy called Clarence who had just come in to listen to the bar music. I had some spare tickets so I gave one to Clarence which was my good deed of the day. We went outside for a ciggie and  took some photos of our gang and Steve's bus which was parked outside.

Then it was time for the support band The Mastersons who were introduced by Steve. They are a married duo Eleanor Whitmore and Chris Masterson who have a brand new album out now called Birds Fly South and are also part of Steve's band The Dukes. I particularly like Eleanor's violin playing and Chris's guitar sound. I must admit though that before the end of their set I returned to the bar for another drink before the interval rush. Then it was time for the main man and his band. As well as the Mastersons other band members include Will Rigby and Kelly Linney if I remember correctly. There was a huge battery of instruments at the side of the stage for the band. The roadies certainly had their work cut out for the instrument changes. The first song they performed was the eponymous title track of Steve's new album Low Highway. I  regretted that I hadn't bought the album and familiarised myself with the songs because I had to concentrate really hard to make out the lyrics. 

This was followed by another song from the new album, the more upbeat Calico County. Another great song off Low Highway was called Invisible, a portrait of somebody living on the margins of society. I started trying to write a set list, but gave up because i soon realised there are vast gaps in my knowledge of Steve Earle songs. Songs I  remember include the crowd pleaser Copperhead Road, 21st Century Blues, Hear That Train a Comin', My Old Friend The Blues. The Revolution Starts Now, Warren Hellman's Banjo, and Remember Me. Steve talked a bit between the songs and he said some words about autism. I think he and Alison have an autistic son. Steve sang a song from a show called Treme, but I can't remember what it was called. The encore was the Stones song Mothers Little Helper , and as it was Bob Dylan's birthday he finished by singing Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues. During this song I left my seat and walked right down the front. Just as Steve was leaving the stage he was picking up his stuff right in front of me and I snapped the best picture I could.

After the show Steve came to the foyer to sign merchandise and I would have loved to have bought a signed copy of the new album but the queue was too long and we had a train to catch. The gang caught the 11.20 train and we got home tired but happy after a great night so thank you very much Steve Earle and The Dukes.

Review:Duke Special,The Louisiana Bristol 12.4.2013

The Louisiana prides itself on booking bands before they are famous.The walls are covered in pictures of people who have played there previously such as.Amy Whitehouse, Fleet Foxes, White Stripes, Corrine Bailey-Rae, Muse, Mogwai and Snow Patrol who were once a support band here.Whoever books the bands obviously knows their stuff.

We traipsed upstairs to see the show. I think it must be the smallest venue I have ever been in. The show was sold out so it was jam packed upstairs. The first act on was Nadine Shah and she was really good. I was watching her this afternoon on youtube and I think we will hear a lot more of Nadine in the future. The second act was Sadpaw and I think he must be a friend of Duke's because he played on a couple of Duke's songs later in the evening.

Finally at 9.30 Duke came on stage and by now the place was so packed you could hardly move your arms.The first thing Duke did was to invite twenty people to come and sit around him on the stage. That relieved the pressure at the front a bit and helped create a nice atmosphere. All evening Duke played the piano, sang and told funny stories.I think the first song Duke did was 'Slip Of A Girl' which is a really catchy song that I can't get out of my head since. Duke then told a really funny story that was inspired by a photograph he had seen of 'Rita De Costa' who made a career out of marrying wealthy men who died shortly after the wedding. Duke also handed out songsheets of some of the songs so the audience could sing along if they wanted which was a nice touch. Creaky Boat Blues is a great song for singing along to. I can't possibly remember all the songs.One song though i really liked though was Duke's version of 'I've Worn My Elbows Down To The Bone'by Ivor Cutler because I love Ivor Cutler's music. He is great and i'm really pleased Duke Special is into him.

Duke also sang a song I liked by My Bloody Valentine but i can't remember the name of it now. Another great cover version Duke did was 'Heart Like A Wheel' by Kate And Anna McGarrigle which was stunning. Duke has a great taste in other peoples music and I must say I like the way he sings in his Northern Irish accent which is great. A lot of singers from these isles put on a fake American accent, but Duke doesn't. Of Dukes own songs I am really impressed with'Last Night I Nearly Died, But I Woke Up Just In Time'. I can't get that song out of my head either. The song I liked the best of all though was the last song of the night called 'Condition'.The dark lyrics are brilliant. 'Sometimes its hard to make yourself think, its like the words are crawling back into the ink'.

Afterwards Duke kindly signed a CD for me. It is his new album called 'Oh Pioneer'.The title is obviously inspired by the book 'Oh Pioneers' by Willa Cather. I like it when people name drop books and things.Van the man is always doing that. I have been listening to the album while writing this and I urge you to check out Duke Special because he is a superstar. Its just that the world hasn't realised it yet. So thank you very much Duke Special, Nadine Shah, Sadpaw, and The Louisiana for a brilliant night out in Bristol.