Rock'n'folk'n'punk'n'roll.......isn't it?
Well, July is done and dusted now, and from a Headsticks point of view will be remembered with much fondness to say the least, for multiple reasons, all in their own right quite small reasons, yet as a whole, enough to give this Good Ship a massive boost as we continue on that voyage, circumnavigating this crazy world of folk'n'punk'n'rock'n'roll.....so here's not so much a review, but a collection of musings to help explain this veil of positivity surrounding the HQ!
So, we entered the month fresh in the knowledge that were to be included in our first Podcast, the excellent Celtic Punk website, 'Shite 'n' Onions' had deemed 'Are you Feeling great, Britain? ' worthy of AirPlay and for this we were grateful.....these guys have always been supportive, going right back to Jugopunch days when they included 'Black Heart'on their compilation album 'What the Shite!!!!' which sold decent quantities in The States and beyond.....and, now this accolade for our debut EP.....good start!
First up gig wise was a trip to The Express in Crewe, a decent little boozer venue with a reputation for good quality live music, and yes, I know what you're thinking.....and they booked Headsticks? Well, yes they did smart arse, and this gig presented us with another unexpected lift. We played a decent set, introduced new songs, but above all it was the first time people who we didn't know actually turned up wearing the T shirts they'd bought at gigs when last we played in the town, and where people we didn't know we're singing songs back at us, shouting requests for songs and so on.....so maybe the word is spreading, maybe we are on a roll.....time will tell, but time can be bloody cruel too!
A decent weekend on the horizon as far as gigs were concerned, and what do you know but another huge plus for us.....having being included on the aforementioned podcast it had made me think, made me realise, that though we seem to have been pigeon holed in the folkpunk genre we had always leaned towards the folky end of this spectrum, and with our raw and confrontational brand of folk were we maybe doing ourselves out some of our audience base, and depriving those poor punks of our company?...so I sent out a few EPs to various more punk orientated sources, and to our immediate delight/relief we were rewarded with a sensational review on 'punkonline', a web based magazine site for all that is punk and apparently folkpunky too.....check out the full review!
Second gig in the diary for the month was 'Parklive' festival in Congleton, Cheshire, an idyllic setting in the town's park, great set up and massive effort made by the organisers to create something a little inspiring to celebrate the British summer time......it had everything you could ask for really....decent stage and sound set up, stalls, fairground the whole shooting match......but where were the punters??? Well, if I tell you that it was a blisteringly hot day and that this park boasts one of the only outdoor paddling pools in the county, that might give you a clue....yep, anyone with the slightest amount of sense was sat over the other side of the park in the shade.....those with even more sense were basking, baby seal like on the grass embankment outside the pavilion, swilling copious amounts of over priced, pretentious European lager whilst waiting for the ensuing stewards to verbally club them for committing such hideous a crime of standing on the Tarmac whilst in possession of alcohol.....hoodlums!
Indeed, so hot was it that previous performers had struggled to compose themselves and one even managed to make an Elbow cover last just under an hour (or so it seemed) while the skins of the gathered masses actually began to shed....another offence I'm sure in the book of the Steward Militia.....eat your skins before they see you folks! Anyway, we did our stuff, sold a few EP's and got the funk out of Dodge.....
So, straight after the episode in the park, we headed northwards to Bolton....why would you do that? I imagine you are saying.....well, because we had been booked by the very lovely Merry Hell people to open for them at a boozer venue called The Dog and Partridge.....an all day-ish sort of affair or so we thought. We arrived well in advance of our ETA and loaded in much to the bemusement of the sound engineer who had no idea we were coming along to the party! In fact he didn't know nobody else was coming, in fact I'm not convinced he knew Merry Hell were coming, but they did, and so did their fans, bloody loads of them! We were fourth act on, our bassist Nick was in a bad way by this stage after being ill for several days and was beginning to flag a little, but he summoned enough energy to be part of an extremely well received gig.....you have a clue you've done a decent job when the band you are supporting, or most of them, are dancing in front of the stage and going a little bit mental to your stuff....and they did you know!!! , and when one of the members catches you at the bar and tells you that she was in the band minibus reading and relaxing as she normally did before playing a set until she heard the commotion and just had to see what the fuss was about....and was very glad she did.....so top result in Bolton,which is more than can be said for the search for enticing pre gig sustenance......chicken burger and Irish curry sauce.....what the f......Oh by the way, that sound engineer, yeah, well he was a frickin' sound maniac genius...the dog's danglies he was!!!!!
We managed to get some decent footage from the Bolton experience, (the gig, not the Irish curry sauce you understand), which we whacked up on t'internet and numerous people seemed to have taken the opportunity to have a gander at us....including the guys from 'punkonline' who made one of the tracks 'video of the week' on their front web page.......and coincidentally we received further airplay in the States on 'Punk Britannia' and also on 'Studs and Punks' podcast while Facebook 'fan page' 'The 'Church of Punk', with over 50,000 members around this mad world, promote our tunes and vids to a whole new mass of watchers/listeners.....there is a penny beginning to drop here!!!! Oh, and local punk promoter for 'punks not teds promotions' books us to play his birthday bash as part of a pretty decent lineup in Stoke, in September, at the areas most renowned alternative/punk venue The Green Star.....interesting eh? Nervous......not tellin you!!!!
At the same time we were also receiving continued support from local folk/roots show 'Dead Roots radio Show' and also 'The Quiet Revolution' dedicated to new local based music and also receiving plays on 'The Folk Hour' which is broadcast via several Yorkshire based stations and also on roots based presentation 'Anything goes....', but we'll come to that shortly......
The day after the Bolton gig was our 'Song Club' event at The Old Brown Jug, our second or maybe third home! We'd put together a decent line up, and most who were invited to play turned up, and those that didn't, well, we'll see eh! Not to go too much into this night other than to say it was a bloody good 'un and well supported.....inspiring Song Club debuts for Jim Mcshee, Trent Vale Poet, and Dave Dove who all did themselves proud, and welcome returns for the ever inspiring John Macleod and his band and also Cheshire's loved up troubadour Rich Clough.....and us, yep, we made some new friends, some new fans and enjoyed not only playing, but putting this gig on, and nailing it......and a special mention for our Nick, struggling like hell, but battling through to provide a grand sound again.....then off he goes to bed for as long as he is allowed!
Now, we've touched on a tale of two genres, sort of, and now to a tale of two festivals......We managed to get ourselves booked for two very different festivals, at two different parts of the country, but on the same weekend.....logistical nightmare or adventure in the making maybe.....
First up was Bug Jam at Santa Pod, Northants.....a gathering of some forty thousand Volkswagen enthusiasts, revellers, party animals and sorts! Forty thousand of 'em!
Now, we had been allotted a main stage slot, on the Saturday afternoon......The Hoosiers had headlined the Friday night, and Toploader were Saturday's creme de la creme so to speak, so we were in bloody decent company.....however it's fair to say that this is a festival not renowned for it's musical contribution, though the staging set up may have told you otherwise. Nope, this is a loud, boisterous, brash festival based around racing,showing and generally getting off on your prized VW.....but the emphasis on brash and loud!!! We managed to pull a decent little crowd in, fair to say not our usual clientele, but a good chunk of onlookers anyway..... The stage was massive! Proper job, on stage sound more than acceptable and judging by the enthusiasm of the few hundred gathered before us, it sounded decent out front too.....plenty of banter and participation, plenty of positive comments and bucket loads of the EP sold.....and subsequently loads of FB activity all on the plus side.....so against all odds, and with very little sleep the night before we made a non folk crowd have a bit of our brand of folk, or punk, or both.....oh I dunno anymore!!!
So, South West bound was the good ship Headsticks (well, four vehicles carrying us and our suffering loved ones) to the Dorset countryside and the sleepy old town of Tolpuddle for The Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival. For the uninitiated Tolpuddle is the home of the first trade union, the birthplace and Mecca for those of that very fine persuasion.....and for all the brashness and in-the-faceness of BugJam, well, this festival was the complete opposite....so chilled and laid back, uplifting and inspirational, this was nigh on bloody perfect this was!!!
Most of us arrived in time for Swill Odgers, the folkpunk Daddy's stunning set, all The Men They Couldn't Hang's classic numbers and plenty from Swill's cracking solo album too, 'The Godforsaken Voyage', a great welcome for me anyway and great to hear and see so many people joining in with the set both inside and outside the marquee.....but enough about this chap, back to us!!!!
We were to open the main stage on Sunday morning at the unearthly hour of 10.45, a main stage which would later see Billy Bragg enchant the gathered disciples of the left.....but it was our job to kick it off and to get things moving, so that's just what we did.....I've half a mind that we were employed almost as musical fog horns to wake the festival goers from their slumber, to let them know it was game on; we're not exactly known for our gentle approach are we?.....so we gave it our all, went down a storm, sold another bucketload of EPs and then relaxed for the rest of the day, enjoying everything thrown at us.....this was a really special day.
I can't recall being stopped by so many people, not just to let us know how much they had enjoyed our stuff, but also to discuss our songs, their messages and contents.....we had engaged a complete new audience here.....and the whole experience left us feeling damn good, it was impossible not to get caught up in the whole feel of this festival, the whole occasion and above all the positivity created in times of relative hardship.....the punters, the stewards, the organisers all deserve massive credit here for producing something really special....and despite late thunder storms, that vibe can never be washed away from our memories, except for Nick's because he was struggling like hell and unable to take in the later atmosphere as he set off homeward bound in search of more antibiotics!
From a gigging perspective that was it really, all good from our point of view, and more bookings coming in, festival interest for next year, and continued radio play on various shows, and interest on Facebook and Reverbnation going pretty mental.....and 6 months at number 1 in our area/genre on the Reverbnstion charts, but that's for folk, so are we being charlatans here? What the hell are we? Does it really matter anyway?, as long as people are listening and taking note, coming to our shows and spreading the word and putting up with our inane nonsense then we are happy bunyips....honestly we are.
The month concluded with a visit to play a live set, and chat a little on Simon Jones' 'Anything Goes....' show, on Moorlands Radio, a station that is punching well above it's weight and showing some of the more established local stations how 'it' should be done and that there is more to music than Lady Gaga and William Robbins or whatever his name is.....their support of local music, for want of a better description is unlikely to be surpassed....not for a good while anyway.
Great to take up the invite to play live, particularly as Simon is an esteemed music journalist and regular contributor to fRoots magazine which has a nigh on biblical status in the world music genre....and you know what, he seems to be on our bloody side!....unfortunately due to continued illness Nick was confined to barracks, so it was deemed that Andrew and Doon should be the ones to carry the torch, so they did, chatted, performed and received rare old praise 'We really enjoyed having Headsticks in........it came out as one of the best sessions we've done. Full of attack, passion and commitment.',again the FB page goes mad and the Good Ship continues on it's merry way, sailing towards the calmer August seas before facing the Autumnal storms.....bring it on, we're coming for ya! Rock'n'folk'n'punk'n'roll is going to getcha!!!
Various relevant (links in no particular order) for you lovely people:-
Shite'n'Onions Podcast
http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/shitenonions/id/2369004
Punkonline http://www.punkonline.co.uk/
Punk Britannia podcast http://www.studsandpunks.co.uk/podcasts
The Church of Punk https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Church-of-PUNK/147386228620900?hc_location=stream
Dead Roots Music Show https://www.facebook.com/TheDeadRootsMusicShow?directed_target_id=0
Moorlands radio http://www.moorlandsradio.co.uk/
Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival http://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/index.php?page=martyr-s-festival
Headsticks Reverbnation page (for our songs, our photos and our videos) http://www.reverbnation.com/headsticks
Videos From our show in Bolton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ObeTAcaFkI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_8g4Tr77jI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to55MtbJUZw
Merry Hell http://www.merryhell.co.uk/
'Swill' Odgers and The Men They Couldn't Hang http://www.tmtch.net/
Bug Jam http://www.bugjam.co.uk/index.php
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Alt-Folk? what's that all about?
So, we got the call from the organisers of Middlewich FAB Festival to host a day of Alt-Folk this year, at one of the premier venues of the festival, 'The Cheshire Cheese' , and also to headline the Alt Folk stage....good to be asked, and we don't let opportunities pass us by if we can help it...so we agreed of course, let's face facts, we'll play at the opening of an envelope if asked as long as it doesn't clash with anything else in the diary either for Headsticks or other commitments so to speak!!!.......but hey, what the hell is alt-folk I hear you say: well that of course depends on your view of what folk actually is if you see my point....and I don't really have a view which makes this even more difficult!
So, every year the Middlewich FAB festival comes and it goes and a good time is had by all,right!....the FAB by the way is an abbreviation for Folk and Boat, Middlewich being a canal side town in Cheshire, and a really welcoming, open minded sort of town generally (generally I say!). Our date was Saturday June 15th, and we were asked to provide a selection of acts between 2pm and 6pm and then have a couple of hours break before headlining the stage with a set kicking off at 8pm.....but well, I sent out emails, messages, pigeons to various folk and because the word 'Festival' was mentioned, well, loads of people wanted to come and play...and from all over the place too...so I let them, and this extended the line-up from 2pm right through to a 9pm finish..leaving time for a an hour or so of non alternative folk from local favourites Calico Jack, who do what they do, and do it very well....it's kind of set in stone that they finish the proceedings at this venue every year, so that's fine by us!
So, the stage is set, the weather pretty decent and plenty of punters beginning to assemble...the thing is with this festival is that the people from the town and surrounding areas do turn out in full force for a weekend of high jinks...drinking, dancing, cavorting, etc as you do....various venues in the town put on plenty of acts, and the acts cry out to play the festival, knowing full well, that they will be playing to a decent crowd hell bent on enjoying themselves...so it sort of works both ways see....a win, win situation for all. The stage itself is in the beer garden,and it's a decent set up too, good sound system and an outside bar to compliment the inside bars, all of which were jam packed all day but well attended by the staff who by mid afternoon were floundering in the hot, sticky atmosphere a little, though the landlord John, (a kind of rotund smiling machine) was not floundering at all...no, he was loving the sound of the till ringing, the sound of crumpled notes and the sound of punters urging him to serve them next...and why shouldn't he be loving it? The pub trade is hard enough at the moment so a weekend of respite is long over due for these people who work long hours and some times wonder why they bother!!! Cash it in John we say, and enjoy it...oh, don't forget a few free ales for the artists though eh? Nice one John, great work...aaaaaaaaaah!
So, far from it from the likes of me to comment on the acts that gave their services that day, to dissect their sets, their musicianship, their overall contribution to the world of Alt-Folk...so here is more a guide to my observations of these wonderful people, the reaction to them by assembled punters and then a quick view from the perspective of one of the acts (Headsticks that is to avoid confusion!)...so here goes:-
First up, Miss Elly Kingdon....what can I say of this crazy kipper that hasn't already been said? I have previously described her as 'The Ukulele wielding folk punk Princess', and I stand by that! she looks great up there on stage....a fifites vintage throwback, bright red hair, attitude a plenty and a baritone ukulele of course as you'd expect.....by the time she takes to the stage, a little behind schedule due to parking issues in the town, she is, by her standards a little flustered and rushed, but she's there, large as life and ready to make the assembled boisterous crowd have what she has to offer, and what does she have to offer? well, it's a commentary on the life of a fiesty, politically motivated, opinionated little minx...and I am a lover of this!!!! Her songs are delivered in a very modern style, the language is raw and honest yet delivered with a very quirky innocent style and each song quickly followed with a 'thankyouuuu' to further endear her to the audience. She some how coaxes words to fit into songs where they shouldn't, but they do as they are told and it works, it really does work! the gathered 'masses' accept Elly very quickly and she receives a very warm reception, a couple of wolf whistles (which she will frown upon to say the least) and off she trots.....a successful sortie and a fine opening to the afternoon's proceedings!
So, next up, is Jonathon Tarplee, well, that's who I originally booked for the gig, but as a bonus we got his full band 'The Blue Yellows' into the bargain! Now, folk police by this point of the day may well have been gathering to storm the building as Jon assembled more pedals around himself than Peddling Peddle McPeddle, winner of last years guitar peddle collectors competition...and electric guitars!!!!Oh, My God! (you can hear that lot at Dylans first electric gig all those years ago...'Judas, Judas').He took lead vocals...and the full line up included bass guitar, percussion of all shapes and sizes, keyboards and backing vocals. These guys had made this a bit of a come back gig having taken the best part of a year out to have a baby...not all of them you understand, just the young lady whose name escapes me, on the keyboards.....They trundled through their set, looking a little nervous, and played their greatest hits to the punters, who accepted what they offered, applauded generously and asked for more..and it's easy to understand why really, because though by Jonathon's own admittance this was a slightly rusty performance..it felt good, real feel good stuff and that's what you want at a fessie...you don't want some middle aged agitated, folk punkster raging on about the state of the world...oh...aaah....So, yes, another success and a chorus stuck in my head which would cause some annoyance as days unfolded through the following week...not to me but to my kids! (here's a little sneak at said infectious melody...enjoy these guys..they are good eggs, and I will allow them into my church of Alt-Folk, as long as they take their shoes off....http://jonathantarplee.bandcamp.com/track/big-low-copper-moon ).
Right, now then...The Portraits...all the way from London town don't you know!First of all I have to say that we were asked by the organisers to accommodate these very lovely people, and so found them a half hour slot as near to the time requested as possible...they were a duo playing piano and guitar and shared vocal duties, new to me, and genuinley very nice with it...but Alt-folk they weren't!!! The music they produced was of the very highest standard no doubt...sort of jazz infused folk...very middle of the road and easy on the ear...but to be honest it became back ground music as they did not engage what was basically a drinking, shenanigan seeking audience....they were very politely received to be fair, but they were never going to win over a noisy, transient crowd...and worryingly the atmosphere did drop a little. Now, put these guys in a seated auditorium, with an audience of listening folk music enthusiasts and these guys would have blown the best of them away...top drawer stuff, but a little passive for our army of thrill seekers! I've subsequently listened to their album which is polished, beautifully crafted and deserves to be highly regarded...check them out http://www.theportraitsmusic.com/home.cfm
The afternoon is heating up, metaphorically and actually...the sun shining down on the lawn, punters swilling merrily and the occasional torso being offered to the folk gods of Middlewich...so who better to take to the stage than the Urban Folkstress that is Clair Brennan? Well, let's see shall we? Up she crept to the stage, petite, unassuming and raring to go! Now, I've seen Clair numerous times since first she caught my attention at an open mic some 12 months ago...since then her confidence has grown beyond belief and so has her reputation...but I was a little concerned after seeing the previous act received only politely that Clair would be up against it a bit and would need to raise the mood again quickly...I'd only seen her play locally and generally with a large gathering of allies in attendance..so how would she faire amongst a crowd mainly oblivious to her journey thus far?...I'll tell you shall I...she grabbed 'em by the short and curlies and and made them listen, made them take note and made them part of her journey; even when confronted by bare chested, beer swollen, football style chanting riff raff she made 'em have it where others may have folded...she tipped them a wry smile and a wink and won them over, hushed them down and played the best set I've seen her play, lifting the mood again and showing why she is becoming so highly regarded!!!
https://www.facebook.com/ClairBrennanOfficial
At this point my ailing memory becomes a little hazy and the running order may be different in my head to what actually happened, apologies if that be the case.....no harm done I hope! I'm convinced next up was Jack Marshall, accompanied by (sister in law, I think) Becky Marshall. Jack plays guitar (to an annoyingly high standard and with a remarkably individual style) and stomp box and takes lead vocals (again to an annoyingly high standard and remarkably individual style) while Becky ,as well as sporting leg cast due to a very innocent injury (so SHE says) plays various percussive items and sings beautiful harmony vocals. They have a great confidence and take the audience by the scruff of the neck, playing mainly original, definitely, alternative folk songs...sort of a sweeter version of Nick Cave is how I hear their sound...very engaging, very uplifting, very inspiring too and received with enthusiasm by the ever growing throng of revellers. As the set progresses they throw in an outstanding version of Irish favourite 'I'll tell me Ma', which is delivered in a manner which takes it as far away from the usual hammed out drinking song as is humanly possible to something quite different...the punters love it, as they do the entire set and off the Marshalls go to a rousing reception, 100% deserved, and yes, you've got it a definite success...top stuff again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Av_9vQL1Y
Lucas Marks next up (I think)...all the way from Manchester to do a set for us...they had previously played as a duo at Folk and Foam at the Old Brown Jug a few weeks ago for us...and were polished to say the least. This time there was three of the blighters...two on guitar, one on mandolin and harmony vocals...bloody good ones at that!!!! I have to be honest here, having listened and listened to their album which is produced to the very highest standards and includes so many tracks which are addictive in an easy listening sort of way...sort of The Eagles playing English folk!!!, and having seen them a few weeks previous, I was worried that they wouldn't fit the bill here, that their stuff was too, well, nice....Mark, the singist assured me they would be a little more raw...and kept to his word, they didn't even shave before they came!!!! Lucas Marks were oustanding here, genuinley outstanding and had the audience, remember a transient, drinking, boisterous rabble, in the palms of their hands...demanding more and getting it too. These guys would grace any festival mainstage, no doubt, and could adapt to the audience make up...playing a polished, harmonious set where required or giving it some bollocks where necessary.....so why aren't they doing mainstage...well, you need to ask the folk God's for that answer, for only they know the answer to that (nothing to do with the folk circuit being controlled by the folk illuminate and so incestuous it beggars belief...)...any way take a bow Lucas Marks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bpvPc4573Q
Aye up now...it's only time for the John Macleod band, doing a stripped down acoustic set....Matt on accordion, John on guitars, Paul on Bass, and Angela on various drummy type implements....They had a slightly longer set than most and filled it with some absolute gems!!! John has an ability to write melodies that get right inside your head...and stay with you, like it or not...fortunately I do, so I'm al-right Jack! they were well received and the enjoyment they had on stage was so obvious to all..really uplifting despite some of the themes of the songs!!! Surely the mark of a great band is to be able to carry off songs about killing a flatmate and still make people feel good!!! I have to point out that John does not condone the slaughter of any flatmate and this is just a song...sing it, but don't do the actual deed please. It's difficult to pigeon hole the John Macleod Band into any genre or even genre within a genre it's sort of covers alternative folk for sure, especially when performed in this stripped down set up, but definitely crosses numerous musical stylees to produce something that is refreshingly different...that's good right? Yep, well played, well received and thank you very much The John Macleod Band...right get yourselves off now for an interview on BBC introducing why don't you eh? https://www.facebook.com/mrjohnmacleod?fref=ts
Giro Juuuuuunkiiiieeee! Yes, Rich Bloor AKA as Giro Junkie took to the stage next....the crowd had dwindled ever so slightly now, no one to blame...just a bit of inclement weather and coinciding with tea time I suppose...though to be fair, had the assembled crowd left there now been the most that there was in the venue all day I would have been more than happy with numbers..so no panic! Right then Rich what you got for us? About half an hour of sheer brilliance by any chance? Yep, thought so!!!! Young Mr.Bloor is probably one of Stoke's most loved singer-songwriters...fact, yet he gigs far too seldom, does not believe what people tell him and just won't step up to the next level when he so easily could. His songs are so well put together, melodies (I hate to use the term again) are infectious, stage presence so different to any one else I've seen and delivery so passion infused and sincere. Despite stage invasions by half naked ginger men, and the incoming rain, he engaged the audience, probably more than any one else up to this point, and received great plaudits from those so engrossed in this very different performer...quality, quality, quality Squire! the final number was beefed up dramatically with the use of the loop pedal and culminated in an almost orchestral cacophony...an alt-folk wall of sound! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11N3PnVZp8E
Right then Paul Henshaw, 'the Frank Turner of Shropshire' eh?...well, here's a chap who is no shrinking violet...6'6", purple moleskin trousers and a big voice to boot!!! Up he steps, kicks in and has the gathering in the palm of his hand before you can say 'David Cameron, you're a w***er'...a mixture of alt-folk covers, sing a longs and original stuff, delivered with gusto, enthusiasm and sheer unadulterated bollocks....100 mile an hour stuff, just man, guitar and stomp box going ten to the dozen. For me this is acoustic punk, definitely in the alt folk bracket and sure to cause annoyance to the folk brigade who for so long have had us believe that they are the keepers of the tradition...that, they are not, they merely keep the tradition on a life support machine instead of allowing it to flourish and grow... Mr. Henshaw is of similar mind set to me, bring it to the masses, make it accessible and nurture enthusiasm for it...and that's what he did for half an hour as the crowd began to grow again and accepted what he had to offer willingly. We look forward to working with Paul and his band in the near future and would willingly encourage you to cross the Shropshire border to check his shows out...if you can't, well, here's a snippet for you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9eo7AV7VeA
Someone who I nearly forgot about is the nearly legendary Trent Vale Poet, who joined us to yell a few of his punk poems at the assembled...to be honest young Mark struggled a bit to be heard...the natives were restless and in no mood to listen to poetry no matter how irreverent it was! With TVP, you either get him or you don't, and unfortunately the Middlewich drinking/cavorting posse were not up for him! He carried on regardless, did his all and sloped off to the shadows to regroup, not in the least bit discouraged....and why should he be, for, it's fair to say he's a bloody genius and has been there and done it, long before most of the whipper snappers intent on heckling to a ridiculous level, were ever aware of the meaning of the word Chav.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X6fpKRt4f4
So, it's eight o'clock and time for us to do our stuff...the crowd now is at it's largest of the day, and that's not down to us entirely if at all...it's Saturday night, it's a great boozer at a great festival and we just happen to be there...intent on giving our all and hoping that the Middlewich brigade would be as generous to us as they had been to our previous incarnations...so here we go!!!! We kick in, give it some nuts and do our best to encourage the bemused standers by to join us on our crusade, our crusade to say it like it is...and thankfully the majority of them take to us relatively quickly...though the others are a little slower to the fore until demanded to join in the assault on musical correctness!!! they go for it, clap hands, stamp feat, respond to chorus after chorus, demand more, and more still...but as we conclude a successful sortie on the eardrums the band to follow us is beginning to amass their equipment in front of the stage as if to say 'right, that's you're lot'....so we get off, pack up, load up, take a pat or two on the back...bid farewell to John the Landlord who has now become just one huge, round, walking grin! and set off for Headsticks HQ, content in the knowledge that the day has been a success all round and even more pleased to be part of this festival...a festival which has it's highs and lows, but is hopefully on the up!!! so 'til next year when we have been promised a main stage slot...that's your lot...thank you!!!!!!!!!!
So, every year the Middlewich FAB festival comes and it goes and a good time is had by all,right!....the FAB by the way is an abbreviation for Folk and Boat, Middlewich being a canal side town in Cheshire, and a really welcoming, open minded sort of town generally (generally I say!). Our date was Saturday June 15th, and we were asked to provide a selection of acts between 2pm and 6pm and then have a couple of hours break before headlining the stage with a set kicking off at 8pm.....but well, I sent out emails, messages, pigeons to various folk and because the word 'Festival' was mentioned, well, loads of people wanted to come and play...and from all over the place too...so I let them, and this extended the line-up from 2pm right through to a 9pm finish..leaving time for a an hour or so of non alternative folk from local favourites Calico Jack, who do what they do, and do it very well....it's kind of set in stone that they finish the proceedings at this venue every year, so that's fine by us!
So, the stage is set, the weather pretty decent and plenty of punters beginning to assemble...the thing is with this festival is that the people from the town and surrounding areas do turn out in full force for a weekend of high jinks...drinking, dancing, cavorting, etc as you do....various venues in the town put on plenty of acts, and the acts cry out to play the festival, knowing full well, that they will be playing to a decent crowd hell bent on enjoying themselves...so it sort of works both ways see....a win, win situation for all. The stage itself is in the beer garden,and it's a decent set up too, good sound system and an outside bar to compliment the inside bars, all of which were jam packed all day but well attended by the staff who by mid afternoon were floundering in the hot, sticky atmosphere a little, though the landlord John, (a kind of rotund smiling machine) was not floundering at all...no, he was loving the sound of the till ringing, the sound of crumpled notes and the sound of punters urging him to serve them next...and why shouldn't he be loving it? The pub trade is hard enough at the moment so a weekend of respite is long over due for these people who work long hours and some times wonder why they bother!!! Cash it in John we say, and enjoy it...oh, don't forget a few free ales for the artists though eh? Nice one John, great work...aaaaaaaaaah!
So, far from it from the likes of me to comment on the acts that gave their services that day, to dissect their sets, their musicianship, their overall contribution to the world of Alt-Folk...so here is more a guide to my observations of these wonderful people, the reaction to them by assembled punters and then a quick view from the perspective of one of the acts (Headsticks that is to avoid confusion!)...so here goes:-
First up, Miss Elly Kingdon....what can I say of this crazy kipper that hasn't already been said? I have previously described her as 'The Ukulele wielding folk punk Princess', and I stand by that! she looks great up there on stage....a fifites vintage throwback, bright red hair, attitude a plenty and a baritone ukulele of course as you'd expect.....by the time she takes to the stage, a little behind schedule due to parking issues in the town, she is, by her standards a little flustered and rushed, but she's there, large as life and ready to make the assembled boisterous crowd have what she has to offer, and what does she have to offer? well, it's a commentary on the life of a fiesty, politically motivated, opinionated little minx...and I am a lover of this!!!! Her songs are delivered in a very modern style, the language is raw and honest yet delivered with a very quirky innocent style and each song quickly followed with a 'thankyouuuu' to further endear her to the audience. She some how coaxes words to fit into songs where they shouldn't, but they do as they are told and it works, it really does work! the gathered 'masses' accept Elly very quickly and she receives a very warm reception, a couple of wolf whistles (which she will frown upon to say the least) and off she trots.....a successful sortie and a fine opening to the afternoon's proceedings!
So, next up, is Jonathon Tarplee, well, that's who I originally booked for the gig, but as a bonus we got his full band 'The Blue Yellows' into the bargain! Now, folk police by this point of the day may well have been gathering to storm the building as Jon assembled more pedals around himself than Peddling Peddle McPeddle, winner of last years guitar peddle collectors competition...and electric guitars!!!!Oh, My God! (you can hear that lot at Dylans first electric gig all those years ago...'Judas, Judas').He took lead vocals...and the full line up included bass guitar, percussion of all shapes and sizes, keyboards and backing vocals. These guys had made this a bit of a come back gig having taken the best part of a year out to have a baby...not all of them you understand, just the young lady whose name escapes me, on the keyboards.....They trundled through their set, looking a little nervous, and played their greatest hits to the punters, who accepted what they offered, applauded generously and asked for more..and it's easy to understand why really, because though by Jonathon's own admittance this was a slightly rusty performance..it felt good, real feel good stuff and that's what you want at a fessie...you don't want some middle aged agitated, folk punkster raging on about the state of the world...oh...aaah....So, yes, another success and a chorus stuck in my head which would cause some annoyance as days unfolded through the following week...not to me but to my kids! (here's a little sneak at said infectious melody...enjoy these guys..they are good eggs, and I will allow them into my church of Alt-Folk, as long as they take their shoes off....http://jonathantarplee.bandcamp.com/track/big-low-copper-moon ).
Right, now then...The Portraits...all the way from London town don't you know!First of all I have to say that we were asked by the organisers to accommodate these very lovely people, and so found them a half hour slot as near to the time requested as possible...they were a duo playing piano and guitar and shared vocal duties, new to me, and genuinley very nice with it...but Alt-folk they weren't!!! The music they produced was of the very highest standard no doubt...sort of jazz infused folk...very middle of the road and easy on the ear...but to be honest it became back ground music as they did not engage what was basically a drinking, shenanigan seeking audience....they were very politely received to be fair, but they were never going to win over a noisy, transient crowd...and worryingly the atmosphere did drop a little. Now, put these guys in a seated auditorium, with an audience of listening folk music enthusiasts and these guys would have blown the best of them away...top drawer stuff, but a little passive for our army of thrill seekers! I've subsequently listened to their album which is polished, beautifully crafted and deserves to be highly regarded...check them out http://www.theportraitsmusic.com/home.cfm
The afternoon is heating up, metaphorically and actually...the sun shining down on the lawn, punters swilling merrily and the occasional torso being offered to the folk gods of Middlewich...so who better to take to the stage than the Urban Folkstress that is Clair Brennan? Well, let's see shall we? Up she crept to the stage, petite, unassuming and raring to go! Now, I've seen Clair numerous times since first she caught my attention at an open mic some 12 months ago...since then her confidence has grown beyond belief and so has her reputation...but I was a little concerned after seeing the previous act received only politely that Clair would be up against it a bit and would need to raise the mood again quickly...I'd only seen her play locally and generally with a large gathering of allies in attendance..so how would she faire amongst a crowd mainly oblivious to her journey thus far?...I'll tell you shall I...she grabbed 'em by the short and curlies and and made them listen, made them take note and made them part of her journey; even when confronted by bare chested, beer swollen, football style chanting riff raff she made 'em have it where others may have folded...she tipped them a wry smile and a wink and won them over, hushed them down and played the best set I've seen her play, lifting the mood again and showing why she is becoming so highly regarded!!!
https://www.facebook.com/ClairBrennanOfficial
At this point my ailing memory becomes a little hazy and the running order may be different in my head to what actually happened, apologies if that be the case.....no harm done I hope! I'm convinced next up was Jack Marshall, accompanied by (sister in law, I think) Becky Marshall. Jack plays guitar (to an annoyingly high standard and with a remarkably individual style) and stomp box and takes lead vocals (again to an annoyingly high standard and remarkably individual style) while Becky ,as well as sporting leg cast due to a very innocent injury (so SHE says) plays various percussive items and sings beautiful harmony vocals. They have a great confidence and take the audience by the scruff of the neck, playing mainly original, definitely, alternative folk songs...sort of a sweeter version of Nick Cave is how I hear their sound...very engaging, very uplifting, very inspiring too and received with enthusiasm by the ever growing throng of revellers. As the set progresses they throw in an outstanding version of Irish favourite 'I'll tell me Ma', which is delivered in a manner which takes it as far away from the usual hammed out drinking song as is humanly possible to something quite different...the punters love it, as they do the entire set and off the Marshalls go to a rousing reception, 100% deserved, and yes, you've got it a definite success...top stuff again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Av_9vQL1Y
Lucas Marks next up (I think)...all the way from Manchester to do a set for us...they had previously played as a duo at Folk and Foam at the Old Brown Jug a few weeks ago for us...and were polished to say the least. This time there was three of the blighters...two on guitar, one on mandolin and harmony vocals...bloody good ones at that!!!! I have to be honest here, having listened and listened to their album which is produced to the very highest standards and includes so many tracks which are addictive in an easy listening sort of way...sort of The Eagles playing English folk!!!, and having seen them a few weeks previous, I was worried that they wouldn't fit the bill here, that their stuff was too, well, nice....Mark, the singist assured me they would be a little more raw...and kept to his word, they didn't even shave before they came!!!! Lucas Marks were oustanding here, genuinley outstanding and had the audience, remember a transient, drinking, boisterous rabble, in the palms of their hands...demanding more and getting it too. These guys would grace any festival mainstage, no doubt, and could adapt to the audience make up...playing a polished, harmonious set where required or giving it some bollocks where necessary.....so why aren't they doing mainstage...well, you need to ask the folk God's for that answer, for only they know the answer to that (nothing to do with the folk circuit being controlled by the folk illuminate and so incestuous it beggars belief...)...any way take a bow Lucas Marks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bpvPc4573Q
Aye up now...it's only time for the John Macleod band, doing a stripped down acoustic set....Matt on accordion, John on guitars, Paul on Bass, and Angela on various drummy type implements....They had a slightly longer set than most and filled it with some absolute gems!!! John has an ability to write melodies that get right inside your head...and stay with you, like it or not...fortunately I do, so I'm al-right Jack! they were well received and the enjoyment they had on stage was so obvious to all..really uplifting despite some of the themes of the songs!!! Surely the mark of a great band is to be able to carry off songs about killing a flatmate and still make people feel good!!! I have to point out that John does not condone the slaughter of any flatmate and this is just a song...sing it, but don't do the actual deed please. It's difficult to pigeon hole the John Macleod Band into any genre or even genre within a genre it's sort of covers alternative folk for sure, especially when performed in this stripped down set up, but definitely crosses numerous musical stylees to produce something that is refreshingly different...that's good right? Yep, well played, well received and thank you very much The John Macleod Band...right get yourselves off now for an interview on BBC introducing why don't you eh? https://www.facebook.com/mrjohnmacleod?fref=ts
Giro Juuuuuunkiiiieeee! Yes, Rich Bloor AKA as Giro Junkie took to the stage next....the crowd had dwindled ever so slightly now, no one to blame...just a bit of inclement weather and coinciding with tea time I suppose...though to be fair, had the assembled crowd left there now been the most that there was in the venue all day I would have been more than happy with numbers..so no panic! Right then Rich what you got for us? About half an hour of sheer brilliance by any chance? Yep, thought so!!!! Young Mr.Bloor is probably one of Stoke's most loved singer-songwriters...fact, yet he gigs far too seldom, does not believe what people tell him and just won't step up to the next level when he so easily could. His songs are so well put together, melodies (I hate to use the term again) are infectious, stage presence so different to any one else I've seen and delivery so passion infused and sincere. Despite stage invasions by half naked ginger men, and the incoming rain, he engaged the audience, probably more than any one else up to this point, and received great plaudits from those so engrossed in this very different performer...quality, quality, quality Squire! the final number was beefed up dramatically with the use of the loop pedal and culminated in an almost orchestral cacophony...an alt-folk wall of sound! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11N3PnVZp8E
Right then Paul Henshaw, 'the Frank Turner of Shropshire' eh?...well, here's a chap who is no shrinking violet...6'6", purple moleskin trousers and a big voice to boot!!! Up he steps, kicks in and has the gathering in the palm of his hand before you can say 'David Cameron, you're a w***er'...a mixture of alt-folk covers, sing a longs and original stuff, delivered with gusto, enthusiasm and sheer unadulterated bollocks....100 mile an hour stuff, just man, guitar and stomp box going ten to the dozen. For me this is acoustic punk, definitely in the alt folk bracket and sure to cause annoyance to the folk brigade who for so long have had us believe that they are the keepers of the tradition...that, they are not, they merely keep the tradition on a life support machine instead of allowing it to flourish and grow... Mr. Henshaw is of similar mind set to me, bring it to the masses, make it accessible and nurture enthusiasm for it...and that's what he did for half an hour as the crowd began to grow again and accepted what he had to offer willingly. We look forward to working with Paul and his band in the near future and would willingly encourage you to cross the Shropshire border to check his shows out...if you can't, well, here's a snippet for you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9eo7AV7VeA
Someone who I nearly forgot about is the nearly legendary Trent Vale Poet, who joined us to yell a few of his punk poems at the assembled...to be honest young Mark struggled a bit to be heard...the natives were restless and in no mood to listen to poetry no matter how irreverent it was! With TVP, you either get him or you don't, and unfortunately the Middlewich drinking/cavorting posse were not up for him! He carried on regardless, did his all and sloped off to the shadows to regroup, not in the least bit discouraged....and why should he be, for, it's fair to say he's a bloody genius and has been there and done it, long before most of the whipper snappers intent on heckling to a ridiculous level, were ever aware of the meaning of the word Chav.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X6fpKRt4f4
So, it's eight o'clock and time for us to do our stuff...the crowd now is at it's largest of the day, and that's not down to us entirely if at all...it's Saturday night, it's a great boozer at a great festival and we just happen to be there...intent on giving our all and hoping that the Middlewich brigade would be as generous to us as they had been to our previous incarnations...so here we go!!!! We kick in, give it some nuts and do our best to encourage the bemused standers by to join us on our crusade, our crusade to say it like it is...and thankfully the majority of them take to us relatively quickly...though the others are a little slower to the fore until demanded to join in the assault on musical correctness!!! they go for it, clap hands, stamp feat, respond to chorus after chorus, demand more, and more still...but as we conclude a successful sortie on the eardrums the band to follow us is beginning to amass their equipment in front of the stage as if to say 'right, that's you're lot'....so we get off, pack up, load up, take a pat or two on the back...bid farewell to John the Landlord who has now become just one huge, round, walking grin! and set off for Headsticks HQ, content in the knowledge that the day has been a success all round and even more pleased to be part of this festival...a festival which has it's highs and lows, but is hopefully on the up!!! so 'til next year when we have been promised a main stage slot...that's your lot...thank you!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, 1 June 2013
The Month of May-hem....or not......as the case may be! #2
So May continued, the month of May-hem as it were....and three shows remaining on the schedule, all prospective tub-thumpers and all with the possibility of lifting spirits after a few disappointments. But the fact of the matter is that maybe, just maybe we expect too much, and should be more realistic and be satisfied in the opportunities that come our way, as the band is still young and does not even have an album to offer yet, we should embrace the episodes that unleash themselves upon the Good Ship Headsticks as maybe they are sent to test the resolve of this band of ageing agit-folksters (Tom is exempt from this description as he is barely out of nappies and is a metal head type in all honesty!).
So part one of the three remaining episodes or part six of them all depending upon your point of view... in fact we'll run with part six just for the hell of it!.....Audlem Festival, The Bridge Stage, Saturday 25th May, 4pm....For those unsure of the geography and history behind this festival well here is a very brief synopsis, accurate as far as I am aware:-
Audlem is a very small Cheshire town, on the cusp of Staffordshire and Shropshire, but very proudly a Cheshire town with an overriding bohemian vibe: in fact you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in Devon or Cornwall after you'd consumed a pint or four, that sort of a feel. the festival has run for thirteen years and was the culmination of discussions between resident musicians and artists who felt that the town deserved it's own showcase event.....and so they created one, which grows from strength to strength as each year passes! Fair play people of Audlemshirestonville I say!
Headsticks were greeted enthusiastically by the organizers, welcomed and ushered stagewards! We caught several songs by Creature Comforts, a Manchester based post punk band, who received an extremely warm reception from those punters assembled beneath the canopies expertly assembled down by the canal car park....it's a lovely setting and the weather is doing its very best to behave for once;so far all the omens are looking favourable and we are raring to go!The audience consists of all ages from children to wrinklies and everybody seems in good spirits...so we take to the stage, and here we bloody well go....song after song well received and enthusiastic banter from both parties....the majority of folk seem hell bent on enjoying themselves which is half the battle won...and those that take the time and effort to put on this festival are hell bent on getting it right, taking particular pride in the output of the sound desk...and they succeeded with us... absolutely brilliant on stage sound, and by all accounts it sounded pretty damn good out front too...meaty, beatie, big and bouncy....much like a fair chunk of the onlookers to be fair!!!!
So through the set and onto the final number, which if I'm honest I can't remember what it was!.....but it went down a storm and was greeted with cries for more! more! more!...well, to be fair we don't need asking twice so decided to do a song which had been purposely left out of the set due to that weeks events shall we say! Tensions everywhere were high, and we had made a decision that some of our material could be misconstrued, maybe even be considered inflammatory....however the time seemed right and so we went for it, introduced Paper Flowers, dedicated it to Drummer Lee Rigby...and played out...very emotionally, in fact very close to breaking point........the response was amazing, and we were thankful that it was received as it was meant to be......
Subsequently we left the stage and sales of the new EP CD were overwhelming, and the comments so positive from people of all descriptions... particularly from a large group of ageing punks and skinheads who really took to what we stood for...I hope! unless of course they got the wrong end of the stick!!!! Well, if they did who are we to argue...they were big feckers for sure!
Next up, the following evening we headed to one of our favourite haunts, The Rigger, in Newcastle Under Lyme...home turf, and this was part of the towns attempt at a music festival...the Jazz and Blues Festival...though to be fair you'd be mighty hard pushed to find a great deal of Jazz,although blues was available to varying degrees. Anyway, we, obviously are neither..so we fit in along with numerous other bands pretty well!The Rigger itself is a much loved enclave for many, though misunderstood by those who have never entered the place...it's run by decent folk who certainly do give a shit about their punters, about the ales and about the music...generally! We played at roughly at 8pm, without a sound check, but thankfully Matt 'The Sound' was on tip top form and had us sorted PDQ....again a well received set of roughly an hour and a decent mob in to watch the proceedings....all quite understated and relatively low key, but good sales of the CD, T's and more positive comments than you can poke a stick at from a wide range of folk again...so job done!
Final episode in the Month of May-hem was 'Folk and Foam' on the following Bank Holiday Monday, based at the rear of The Old Brown Jug, again in Newcastle. For this one, we were asked to host as well as headline and also given free reign to book the bands and performers. All pointed to this being a bit special...the venue had given us a decent budget to work with and we had acquired the services of some quality acts, some local and some from further a field...all wanting a piece of the festival limelight and all more than willing to do their bit.....well, mostly anyway. This festival was a sort of subsidiary of the main Jazz and Blues festival, making it a festival within a festival and unfortunately as a result it received nigh on nil publicity!!!!! the producers of the main programme didn't list it at all despite the fact that headliners for both of the previous days were relatively well known artists, more established than many, if not all of the performers on the main festival, and receiving regular air play on the likes of Radio 2 etc....so quite bizarre that it was missed out!
Any way, that aside, we had called on the services of a total of sixteen acts....one couldn't make it due to illness or fatigue and was sorely missed as one of my favourite local singer song writers, but everyone else responded to the call and did their very best to keep spirits high and provide a sound bite for the forthcoming summer....then the heavens opened, and the stream of people wandering in to the tent became a trickle and that was about the size of it really......an abundance of talent playing to small numbers but giving their all!!! For everyone's effort I'd like to give thanks, but have to say, if I see another bloody music stand on stage I will scream...they are not necessary at this level, within these genres and should be banned...for goodness sake, it's been said a million times, if a song is good enough to perform , then it's good enough to learn...so please learn them!!!! Please, just for me.........
So, we finally got to play at around 10pm....it was cold, dark and wet, but there was a smattering of people around to listen...and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed playing for them...the banter was great fun from both sides I think, and judging by the reception, the merch. sales, and the kind words it was a successful sortie!....but that was it...the month of May-hem over and done!
Many friends were made, and new musical experiences had by all....the weather was generally poor but the spirit, though wavering a little, held out until the last and, yes, after all the comings and goings, all the ups and downs we have to look back with great fondness at this month of gigs...a learning curve in the life and times of a folk punk band....and , yes, we are more than thankful for the opportunities that came our way and will use the experiences to guide us as we attempt to continue on our crusade to say it like it bloody well is!!!!
Thank you so much to all who came, supported, sung, danced, purchased merch, cuddled, loved and above all believed in Headsticks..... thank you kindly people!
Monday, 13 May 2013
The Month of May-hem....or not......as the case may be!
The Month of May eh? Surely the month when we all begin to feel that Summer is around the corner and the festival season is well on it's way.....well, that was what we thought to as we looked forward to May this year or Mayhem as we decided to call it as we had aimed to cram so many high profile gigs from our point of view into this very month....bearing in mind we all have various other commitments (both within the musical world and the real world too), we aim to do 4 or so gigs per month and had doubled this for this period at the risk of being shot by our various partners/children/other band members etc.....our partners apparently do quite like us and hope to catch at least a passing glimpse of us from time to time, so the chances of really actually ever doing more than this amount of gigs is slim until we sign to Simon Cowell's wonderful Psycho label and become household names touring with such esteemed acts as The Saturdays, Rizzle Kicks and Little Mix.....maybe then and only then our music can make a sizeable contribution to paying our mortgages and sustaining our children and even keeping us in vogue clothing wise.......
Anyway all this nonsense aside....May kicked off on Thurs 2nd with a warm up gig for Audlem Festival (we're playing this on Saturday May 25th late afternoon), at The Lord Combermere pub on the main drag....an extremely well regarded hostelry both from afar and locally. So, were they ready for Headsticks? well, to be fair they are a well versed crowd there and very accepting of musical styles there due to the vast number and high calibre of acts that the festival attracts each year...so our brand of punk infused folk nonsense was not the least bit intimidating for the majority and we were well received, a couple of encores and positive comments a plenty....so bring on that festival and please bring it on soon to lift somewhat deflated spirits in The Headsticks HQ (all will be revealed!).
Next please! well, we didn't have to wait long for our next foray, a much appreciated invitation to open again for the enigmatic TV Smith (heart and soul as well as voice and major driving force of The Adverts, punk heroes famed for their major hit 'Gary Gilmore's eyes') as he made a swift and much anticipated return to Stoke on Trent's Glebe venue.....a packed house received us enthusiastically as we played a very up tempo 45 minute or so set of all the Headsticks favourites (if such things exist). It was one of those gigs you dream of, hot and sweaty and crowd up so close and personal lapping up every word, note, and if they got too close a bit of spittle too!!!! Comments and kind words in abundance and good sales of the various new T shirt designs so all we could have wished for, and topped only by the opportunity to watch TV Smith in his element, energy beyond belief and songs so relevant, honest, raw and truly acoustic punk at it's very, very best.......
So, on a high to part three of the schedule and the one to which we were possibly most looking forward too, or at least had the highest expectations for...day 3 of the first Lymelight Festival in our home town of Newcastle Under Lyme. Now this was the first live music event of any major significance to be held in our town centre since the demise of the Newcastle Carnival which used to attract thousands of folk into the town for a day of festivities, frolics and general harmless mayhem....bands played at various points to decent crowds including at the main stage on the market square where hundreds would gather to be part of the proceedings (two of us were fortunate enough to play the main stage with Jugopunch 3 or 4 years running and sold countless CD's and T shirts there....people queueing at the back of the stage for our merchandise!).....so how would this new fangled festival stand up?
Well, I had taken in most of Saturdays acts (we were playing on Monday evening) and was extremely impressed with the standard...all acts contributed so well and all so different in style and delivering their craft to a standard befitting the excellent staging and sound system...well done to everyone who performed!....though the number of people stopping and staring in bemusement at the sight and sound of live music in town seemed to far out weigh those who had actually come to be part of the event...to congregate and listen to what the mainly local performers had to offer....and so many people looked completely bewildered as if the music was some form of indoctrination into some strange religious cult, and so, they left...perish the thought of giving some support to a local artist or even clapping your feckin' hands.....
So, Monday night for us, and I have to say by the time we were to play, having witnessed other acts playing to so few people my heart had sank and disappointment had set in...however in fairness we had a small but enthusiastic Headsticks collective in front of us and swelled by the occasional waif or stray who passed we apparently played to 52 people (I was informed by a good friend who had taken upon himself to count up for us!)and a further 40 or so a hundred yards away in the bear tent, sampling the delights of the Lymestone Brewery who seemed to be one of few local businesses who had embraced the efforts of the organisers to try and make this special and bring their wares to the punters rather than expecting the opposite......oh well you get out what you put in!!!!
So we played for 45 minutes or so, and again, well received by those there, though, without dwelling too much on it, the common consensus of opinion of the band was that we were snubbed for whatever reason, by the local music shape shifters (they know who they are....I hope!) and we were left as bewildered as the people passing by the whole event.
Those who made the festival happen deserve nothing but respect...as do all the bands and artists who played whether on main stage or busking in shop doorways or any where else for that matter. The followers of the various acts deserve credit for doing there very best to enthuse those around them and for also supporting other acts who they had not necessarily turned up to see.........but what of those who were not there to offer full, no, any backing???? The local media (and I exclude the community radio stations who do more than their fair share to showcase local talent), well, where were they? too little too late again...yet if Robbie Williams farts it's on the front of the local rag, and the mainstream local radio stations continue to churn out the bilge that the fixers pay them to play and at the same time brain wash the next generation, as if Cowell and his army of music killers haven't already done enough damage.......oh and Status Quo are coming to play at a festival in Betley soon, hold the fuckin' front page!
Glad I got that of my chest....now, part four, and a trip up the M6 to play at Camp Frack 2......and don't you just know when British summer time is upon us....a waterlogged field, bitter winds and dozens of bewildered souls wandering around a field for a great cause, just searching for solace in the real ale tent and some conversation with like minded individuals...well, that was Camp Frack 2 for you............a huge field, a lot of water and an unplayable main stage thrown in for good measure!
When we arrived it was obvious something was a miss...we were greeted with the news that it was unlikely that anything would be happening that evening...but we drove to the main stage....not walking over the muddy field in white converse for anyone!!!! and, it was to pass that the electrician had condemned the equipment and that there would be no music....oh, yeah, well, they didn't count on the formidable qualities of our bassmeister and sound engineer Mr Nick '50 piercings' Bayes did they? he quickly set to work to rig up a small system to accommodate an acoustic set up...and so, yes, our show would go on, and it did......and the few score of people clapped and danced and sang and drank along to an hour of Headsticks...we would have played longer, but Doon and Nick both lost a couple of fingers as the cold winds took their toll on us and to be honest the wind was playing havoc with our strategically placed hair.....we are middle aged after all, and looking ones best whilst elevated on a chipboard /scaffold pole platform whilst being mercilessly hammered by the elements made keeping ones dignity nigh on impossible!
Again well received, and again plenty of kind words...which though gratefully received did not compare to a nice hot cuppa and a chick pea curry..........homeward bound, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, knowing we had done all we could to try and make the evening bearable for the poor bastards who had already pitched their tents and would spend the weekend cold and wet...but hopefully not too miserable.
So, now to part 5 of 8.....the final three instalments will follow in due course...............Westworld Weekend, The Box, Crewe.......a celebration of everything Spear of Destiny/Theatre of Hate/Kirk Brandon...and a guaranteed sell out every year as Kirk plays to what must surely be one of the most loyal followings out there! and bloody hell, to be asked by the management at The Box to part of this (having recently supported Kirk Brandon on one of his acoustic shows in Stoke) was another major coup for us and an absolute honour! however, things did not pan out 100% to plan, or any where near for that matter!...for when Nick had phoned earlier in the week to double check stage times etc he was greeted with an 'oh, shit', yes, we had been forgotten!!! and no room on the main stage for us......so we were posted (not literally put into an envelope by the way...) to the Corner Bar downstairs, where we would entertain the punters as they waited to re-enter the main venue for the evenings proceedings......
Now, we were to play 7-8 pm in the bar locally known fondly as 'The Star Wars Bar' due to it's incredible knack of attracting all of the strangest beings into one place come the weekend...but the cup final was on...and it was going to extra time wasn't it and then maybe penalties...but then bang...get in you beauty! and yes, it was show time...so we kicked of to a very small 'crowd' and as the songs went on, the crowd grew and towards the end of the set there was a sensible throng and they went for it...and again well received and again plenty of compliments...but unfortunately again a bit of an anti-climax...........but hey-ho, that's rock and roll, or is it?
So more a case of May? ahem! rather than Mayhem so far......but three dates left and it all could go chicken oriental and lets hope it does...and lets hope that these little disappointments are just sent to test our resolve before pushing us to a much higher plain........don't hold your breath though, for this is real honest music, and unfortunately those three words seem to count for little in this bloody world...real music, see Saturday night TV....honest, see the Government!!!!
Anyway all this nonsense aside....May kicked off on Thurs 2nd with a warm up gig for Audlem Festival (we're playing this on Saturday May 25th late afternoon), at The Lord Combermere pub on the main drag....an extremely well regarded hostelry both from afar and locally. So, were they ready for Headsticks? well, to be fair they are a well versed crowd there and very accepting of musical styles there due to the vast number and high calibre of acts that the festival attracts each year...so our brand of punk infused folk nonsense was not the least bit intimidating for the majority and we were well received, a couple of encores and positive comments a plenty....so bring on that festival and please bring it on soon to lift somewhat deflated spirits in The Headsticks HQ (all will be revealed!).
Next please! well, we didn't have to wait long for our next foray, a much appreciated invitation to open again for the enigmatic TV Smith (heart and soul as well as voice and major driving force of The Adverts, punk heroes famed for their major hit 'Gary Gilmore's eyes') as he made a swift and much anticipated return to Stoke on Trent's Glebe venue.....a packed house received us enthusiastically as we played a very up tempo 45 minute or so set of all the Headsticks favourites (if such things exist). It was one of those gigs you dream of, hot and sweaty and crowd up so close and personal lapping up every word, note, and if they got too close a bit of spittle too!!!! Comments and kind words in abundance and good sales of the various new T shirt designs so all we could have wished for, and topped only by the opportunity to watch TV Smith in his element, energy beyond belief and songs so relevant, honest, raw and truly acoustic punk at it's very, very best.......
So, on a high to part three of the schedule and the one to which we were possibly most looking forward too, or at least had the highest expectations for...day 3 of the first Lymelight Festival in our home town of Newcastle Under Lyme. Now this was the first live music event of any major significance to be held in our town centre since the demise of the Newcastle Carnival which used to attract thousands of folk into the town for a day of festivities, frolics and general harmless mayhem....bands played at various points to decent crowds including at the main stage on the market square where hundreds would gather to be part of the proceedings (two of us were fortunate enough to play the main stage with Jugopunch 3 or 4 years running and sold countless CD's and T shirts there....people queueing at the back of the stage for our merchandise!).....so how would this new fangled festival stand up?
Well, I had taken in most of Saturdays acts (we were playing on Monday evening) and was extremely impressed with the standard...all acts contributed so well and all so different in style and delivering their craft to a standard befitting the excellent staging and sound system...well done to everyone who performed!....though the number of people stopping and staring in bemusement at the sight and sound of live music in town seemed to far out weigh those who had actually come to be part of the event...to congregate and listen to what the mainly local performers had to offer....and so many people looked completely bewildered as if the music was some form of indoctrination into some strange religious cult, and so, they left...perish the thought of giving some support to a local artist or even clapping your feckin' hands.....
So, Monday night for us, and I have to say by the time we were to play, having witnessed other acts playing to so few people my heart had sank and disappointment had set in...however in fairness we had a small but enthusiastic Headsticks collective in front of us and swelled by the occasional waif or stray who passed we apparently played to 52 people (I was informed by a good friend who had taken upon himself to count up for us!)and a further 40 or so a hundred yards away in the bear tent, sampling the delights of the Lymestone Brewery who seemed to be one of few local businesses who had embraced the efforts of the organisers to try and make this special and bring their wares to the punters rather than expecting the opposite......oh well you get out what you put in!!!!
So we played for 45 minutes or so, and again, well received by those there, though, without dwelling too much on it, the common consensus of opinion of the band was that we were snubbed for whatever reason, by the local music shape shifters (they know who they are....I hope!) and we were left as bewildered as the people passing by the whole event.
Those who made the festival happen deserve nothing but respect...as do all the bands and artists who played whether on main stage or busking in shop doorways or any where else for that matter. The followers of the various acts deserve credit for doing there very best to enthuse those around them and for also supporting other acts who they had not necessarily turned up to see.........but what of those who were not there to offer full, no, any backing???? The local media (and I exclude the community radio stations who do more than their fair share to showcase local talent), well, where were they? too little too late again...yet if Robbie Williams farts it's on the front of the local rag, and the mainstream local radio stations continue to churn out the bilge that the fixers pay them to play and at the same time brain wash the next generation, as if Cowell and his army of music killers haven't already done enough damage.......oh and Status Quo are coming to play at a festival in Betley soon, hold the fuckin' front page!
Glad I got that of my chest....now, part four, and a trip up the M6 to play at Camp Frack 2......and don't you just know when British summer time is upon us....a waterlogged field, bitter winds and dozens of bewildered souls wandering around a field for a great cause, just searching for solace in the real ale tent and some conversation with like minded individuals...well, that was Camp Frack 2 for you............a huge field, a lot of water and an unplayable main stage thrown in for good measure!
When we arrived it was obvious something was a miss...we were greeted with the news that it was unlikely that anything would be happening that evening...but we drove to the main stage....not walking over the muddy field in white converse for anyone!!!! and, it was to pass that the electrician had condemned the equipment and that there would be no music....oh, yeah, well, they didn't count on the formidable qualities of our bassmeister and sound engineer Mr Nick '50 piercings' Bayes did they? he quickly set to work to rig up a small system to accommodate an acoustic set up...and so, yes, our show would go on, and it did......and the few score of people clapped and danced and sang and drank along to an hour of Headsticks...we would have played longer, but Doon and Nick both lost a couple of fingers as the cold winds took their toll on us and to be honest the wind was playing havoc with our strategically placed hair.....we are middle aged after all, and looking ones best whilst elevated on a chipboard /scaffold pole platform whilst being mercilessly hammered by the elements made keeping ones dignity nigh on impossible!
Again well received, and again plenty of kind words...which though gratefully received did not compare to a nice hot cuppa and a chick pea curry..........homeward bound, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, knowing we had done all we could to try and make the evening bearable for the poor bastards who had already pitched their tents and would spend the weekend cold and wet...but hopefully not too miserable.
So, now to part 5 of 8.....the final three instalments will follow in due course...............Westworld Weekend, The Box, Crewe.......a celebration of everything Spear of Destiny/Theatre of Hate/Kirk Brandon...and a guaranteed sell out every year as Kirk plays to what must surely be one of the most loyal followings out there! and bloody hell, to be asked by the management at The Box to part of this (having recently supported Kirk Brandon on one of his acoustic shows in Stoke) was another major coup for us and an absolute honour! however, things did not pan out 100% to plan, or any where near for that matter!...for when Nick had phoned earlier in the week to double check stage times etc he was greeted with an 'oh, shit', yes, we had been forgotten!!! and no room on the main stage for us......so we were posted (not literally put into an envelope by the way...) to the Corner Bar downstairs, where we would entertain the punters as they waited to re-enter the main venue for the evenings proceedings......
Now, we were to play 7-8 pm in the bar locally known fondly as 'The Star Wars Bar' due to it's incredible knack of attracting all of the strangest beings into one place come the weekend...but the cup final was on...and it was going to extra time wasn't it and then maybe penalties...but then bang...get in you beauty! and yes, it was show time...so we kicked of to a very small 'crowd' and as the songs went on, the crowd grew and towards the end of the set there was a sensible throng and they went for it...and again well received and again plenty of compliments...but unfortunately again a bit of an anti-climax...........but hey-ho, that's rock and roll, or is it?
So more a case of May? ahem! rather than Mayhem so far......but three dates left and it all could go chicken oriental and lets hope it does...and lets hope that these little disappointments are just sent to test our resolve before pushing us to a much higher plain........don't hold your breath though, for this is real honest music, and unfortunately those three words seem to count for little in this bloody world...real music, see Saturday night TV....honest, see the Government!!!!
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Something old, something new, something borrowed, but no jazz or blues!
Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival....from Headsticks' point of view!!!!
Sunday March 31st 2013 saw Headsticks' début at the prestigious Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival...a gathering reported to attract in the region of 45,000 music lovers(?) and revellers to the quintessential Cheshire town.....pubs and venues embarking on a frenzy of live music, to showcase bands and performers of all persuasions, in a bid to offer the ever increasing hordes an experience not to be forgotten! And from all accounts, they seemed to do the trick so to speak!
For Headsticks, it was an engagement at the newly opened 'The Studio' venue on Sunday apres dejeuner....a wonderful venue, a superb stage set up, superior lighting and lighting technician and a sound system that would be regarded as an absolute dream for your average gigging muso type...so, half the battle won!
We arrived at the venue an hour or so in advance of our destiny! caught the last few bars of the previous band who seemed to be politely received by the gathered throng, and as they packed their equipment away we surveyed the venue, partaking of beverages as we did, and chatting to the 'faces' we knew amongst the crowd......slightly panicked by the fact that the venue was slowly emptying! No concern necessary though...as we loaded on to the stage and set about our sound checking the crowd grew bigger and bigger, and amongst it were faces from the past...people who had followed our previous bands and incarnations (for Steve and Andrew Jugopunch and The Clay Faces, and for Nick, tower Struck Down).....and the feeling on stage, and amongst the punters seemed one of huge expectation.....oh God, what the hell were we going to do...I felt nervous for the first time in years, we had 1 hour and 45 minutes to fill for God's sake!
So, 4pm on the nose we kicked in to our first number 'A world away......' and it finished ..and the punters went mental for it....a response the assembled musicians on this stage could only of dreamed of....and then into the next tune 'Wishing' (if my memory serves me right!) and so on...and the reception got louder and more frenzied..........and the crowd swelled and on it bloody well went!!!! And choruses were sung and sung back, and banter was forthcoming from both parties, and well received too;this was actually a dream gig, a dream audience and we frickin' well loved every second of it!...tables moved out of the way to allow folkpunk dancing of the very highest calibre!!!!
There is something special about playing at even this type of festival...there is something about the word 'festival' that somehow encourages even the meekest of music lovers to get up there and shake their asses..to openly show their true emotions for the music they are witnessing...to actually become part of it, to actually morph into the band that he or she is there to see...and from our point of view, you are all more than welcome to do that at every single gig, festival, pub gig, support slot or even if we are playing at the opening of a bloody envelope.....please become part of it!!! We as a band absolutely thrive off our audience...we need your energy too lift us, and you can take it all back from our performance if you want too...but let us have it initially!!!!
So 1 hour and 40 minutes of pure energy from band and audience.....sing a longs, tub thumpers, ballads, love songs, drinking songs, protest songs, peace songs.....all into the melting pot of life eh? It's fair to say we were well received, the amount of comments after the show is unlikely to be surpassed...face book comments, messages, emails and even the first on-line review have all done so much to galvanise this band, to make three middle aged musicians and a much younger one very, very satisfied.......Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival, we gave you something old (a couple of traditional songs), something new (most of Headsticks set), something borrowed ('Two recruiting sergeants' borrowed from the Levellers who in turn have revamped a trad. favourite), but sorry, no jazz or blues....but you know something Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival? We frickin' well love you...... thank you so bloody much!!!!
My personal favourite after show comment from a punter 'that was like the Jam meets the Levellers'.....Happy with that!
On line review:-
A few copy and pasted facebook comments (FB link https://www.facebook.com/pages/Headsticks/394551363904079 )
you were absolutely fantastic. Best band I saw today
Great gig, first time I've seen you....best band at the jazz fest without a doubt!
Headsticks smashed it again!!! xxxx
Cracking gig. Good banter too!!!
Great gig, we spent three days at the festival and yours was one of the best shows,
Sunday March 31st 2013 saw Headsticks' début at the prestigious Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival...a gathering reported to attract in the region of 45,000 music lovers(?) and revellers to the quintessential Cheshire town.....pubs and venues embarking on a frenzy of live music, to showcase bands and performers of all persuasions, in a bid to offer the ever increasing hordes an experience not to be forgotten! And from all accounts, they seemed to do the trick so to speak!
For Headsticks, it was an engagement at the newly opened 'The Studio' venue on Sunday apres dejeuner....a wonderful venue, a superb stage set up, superior lighting and lighting technician and a sound system that would be regarded as an absolute dream for your average gigging muso type...so, half the battle won!
We arrived at the venue an hour or so in advance of our destiny! caught the last few bars of the previous band who seemed to be politely received by the gathered throng, and as they packed their equipment away we surveyed the venue, partaking of beverages as we did, and chatting to the 'faces' we knew amongst the crowd......slightly panicked by the fact that the venue was slowly emptying! No concern necessary though...as we loaded on to the stage and set about our sound checking the crowd grew bigger and bigger, and amongst it were faces from the past...people who had followed our previous bands and incarnations (for Steve and Andrew Jugopunch and The Clay Faces, and for Nick, tower Struck Down).....and the feeling on stage, and amongst the punters seemed one of huge expectation.....oh God, what the hell were we going to do...I felt nervous for the first time in years, we had 1 hour and 45 minutes to fill for God's sake!
So, 4pm on the nose we kicked in to our first number 'A world away......' and it finished ..and the punters went mental for it....a response the assembled musicians on this stage could only of dreamed of....and then into the next tune 'Wishing' (if my memory serves me right!) and so on...and the reception got louder and more frenzied..........and the crowd swelled and on it bloody well went!!!! And choruses were sung and sung back, and banter was forthcoming from both parties, and well received too;this was actually a dream gig, a dream audience and we frickin' well loved every second of it!...tables moved out of the way to allow folkpunk dancing of the very highest calibre!!!!
There is something special about playing at even this type of festival...there is something about the word 'festival' that somehow encourages even the meekest of music lovers to get up there and shake their asses..to openly show their true emotions for the music they are witnessing...to actually become part of it, to actually morph into the band that he or she is there to see...and from our point of view, you are all more than welcome to do that at every single gig, festival, pub gig, support slot or even if we are playing at the opening of a bloody envelope.....please become part of it!!! We as a band absolutely thrive off our audience...we need your energy too lift us, and you can take it all back from our performance if you want too...but let us have it initially!!!!
So 1 hour and 40 minutes of pure energy from band and audience.....sing a longs, tub thumpers, ballads, love songs, drinking songs, protest songs, peace songs.....all into the melting pot of life eh? It's fair to say we were well received, the amount of comments after the show is unlikely to be surpassed...face book comments, messages, emails and even the first on-line review have all done so much to galvanise this band, to make three middle aged musicians and a much younger one very, very satisfied.......Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival, we gave you something old (a couple of traditional songs), something new (most of Headsticks set), something borrowed ('Two recruiting sergeants' borrowed from the Levellers who in turn have revamped a trad. favourite), but sorry, no jazz or blues....but you know something Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival? We frickin' well love you...... thank you so bloody much!!!!
My personal favourite after show comment from a punter 'that was like the Jam meets the Levellers'.....Happy with that!
On line review:-
The formidable hard hitting Andrew Tranter is a full on experience, introducing songs by using their themes to engage the audience in front of him. 'Flatline Town', 'Are you feeling great, Britain' and 'Paper flowers' clearly do not hide their intentions, and the band, Steven Dunn, Nick Bayes and Tom Carter provide the plate that delivers the fayre.
Playing at the newly opened Studio venue, the sound and lighting add to the electric atmosphere that triggers the audience in to the performance when commanded by the maestro. A full on performance start to finish, a true sign of years of performing and working hard at their craft.
A few copy and pasted facebook comments (FB link https://www.facebook.com/pages/Headsticks/394551363904079 )
you were absolutely fantastic. Best band I saw today
Great gig, first time I've seen you....best band at the jazz fest without a doubt!
Headsticks smashed it again!!! xxxx
Cracking gig. Good banter too!!!
Great gig, we spent three days at the festival and yours was one of the best shows,
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Too Drunk to folk /Too Tired to think #1
Too Drunk to folk /Too Tired to think #1
Monday 18th March...the day after Headsticks hosted their March 'Song Club' at Newcastle under Lyme's wonderful Old Brown Jug Venue...an extra special gathering in honour of St Patrick's Day...where the wearing of silly hats and the spilling of Guinness was the order of the day for many of the assembled thrill seekers (loose term...I admit!!!)....and I'm feeling tired and at the same time thankful that I was involved...yet was able to resist the temptation of alcohol (Although I did partake of a cheeky pint of Guinness and Coke, underated is 'baby Guiness').
So this was about 16 acts coming together, to play (mainly) original music, of a folky-acousticy-rootsy nature...to entertain the gathered masses, and in fair, it was, from start to finish a bloody good turn out...though there were some bemused faces from various punters who may well have been expecting an onslaught of plastic Paddies and would be Wild Rovers taken to an even new low...but no, all concerned resisted the temptation to inflict this on the bleary eyed public!!!!, even hosts Headsticks (whose members include half the original Jugopunch line up) weren't drawn into this one!!!!
So a gathering of musicians from about a 30 mile radius....various styles, various genres within a genre, and various interpretations of the genre within genre if that be at all possible......one common denominator though, was the obvious enjoyment,enthusiasm and even delight in having the opportunity of what was immediately looking like a special evening, and this transmitted to the punters very quickly, and each and everyone embraced the differing styles and rewarded each performer with the warmest of receptions!!! Result for all concerned.....cheers!....
The day went 100% to time, an absolute miracle considering the diversity of acts...much of this down to the superb sound engineering of our own Mr Nick Bayes, Headsticks' Bassist and all round frickin' genius: now if I am feeling jaded, well he must be dead on his little size sixes.... There was a no nonsense approach, by him and by nearly all performers involved...all primed and ready for action, all waiting like the proverbial coiled springs to unleash their talents, their wonderful talents on the gathered music lovers.
Any way, we had singer songwriters delivering their wry takes on life, the universe and everything...we had dark and sultry folk tales, satirical skiffle meets shuffle, agitational cynics of a musical stylee, lovers, fighters, dancers, swillers, hecklers (I love hecklers...bring me more!)...we had songs of the building site, of love and loss, of murder and of course the most important of all we had drinking songs....good wholesome,banging on the table,stamping of the feet, clapping of the hands drinking songs.....we had delightful harmonies, vicious attacks on the ear drums (me), melancholy utterings and heart warming serenades...oh yes we had the bloody lot and very thankful were those in attendance by the look of their faces...or maybe this black stuff had taken a hold at this point and turned everyone into grinning buffoons?
I'm not for singling any one act out here...each one was well received though fair enough to varying degrees...but ain't that the way when something so diverse, so foreign for many is being brought to a mass(ish) audience? All performed to the best of their abilities and contributed to a great evening....the beauty of this night was that so many people had stumbled into the boozer expecting high jinks from some non de script, generic Oirish band....but what they got was sheer quality from start to finish...7 hours of sheer quality....and Joe Public lapped it up with a passion...so Joe and Joanne Public (not, to my knowledge, real people) why does it take a day in honour of the patron saint of a country far, far away to get you out to a venue to listen to an eclectic offering of some of the areas (and beyond) finest.....if Britain's Got Talent was on the box, just look what you would have missed people...just look what you could of won (enter scantily clad dancing girls by the dozen pushing huge shamrock covered trailer with lepricorn hat wearing musicians 'Lauren Luca, Simon Evans with Denisa, Bryn Mitchell, Frank Cerioni, Adam French, Ben Riley, Hornswaggle, Jack Marshall, Michelle Martin and Jez, John Macleod Band, Shaun and The Special Sauce, Phil Maddocks with Nick Bayes, Milk for the Cat, Giro Junkie and Headsticks'....take a bow, and another one and, and, go on another one...milk it for all it's worth!!!!!!!)......
TBC........
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