Tag Archives: fan

20-01-2020 – Chicken Man Exists

Ahoy there shipmates!

And, after a week of no gigs due to illness, it was deeply marvellous to be back out again making fools of ourselves in public.

A vastly entertaining Friday was had at the dear ol’ Railway Tav on Friday, we met a lovely couple who’d come over from Bath just to see li’l old us, which was rather sweet. I’d tell you their names, but I forgot to ask – I’m generally rubbish with social niceties.

In fact, I recall a while ago, when I was explaining to some of my colleagues at work how “I’m really not a people person”. READ MORE

06-01-2020 – Health Y’all

Aloha!

Well, enormous apologies to anybody who came out to see us last week – we weren’t there, due to a particularly nasty medical complaint contracted by one of our number. Much as we hate having to cancel gigs, in this instance it really was for the better, there are some things that no audience should have to witness…

I shan’t say who our victim was – if you like, you can have a guess – after all, there’s only four of us to choose from (you can summarily discount our Chief Financial Officer, who is (a) not really needed at gigs, and indeed very rarely attends them, and (b) a cat). READ MORE

06-01-2020 – 1920 in 2020

Happy New Year to you all!

And, if you’re reading this, it means we all survived, which can only be a good thing.

Well, to round off 2019, we played what turned out to be a twenties-themed New Year Eve gig at the Three Brooks in Bradley Stoke – where I learned, whilst we were setting up, that the twenties music they were playing through the pub tannoy is exactly like ska, in that it sounds rather jolly and fun at first; but after a while you realise there are only actually three tunes, the incessant repetition of which slowly begins to alter your brain chemistry, leaving you in a fit of barely controllable suppressed rage. Or maybe it’s just me… READ MORE

31-12-2019 – Thitherto

Ho ho, and, indeed ho.

We hope that Santa brought you everything you deserve – all I can say is that I must have been a very naughty boy indeed this year.

Anyways, just to catch up on a recent couple of hitherto (and what a magnificent word that is, I do so enjoy the archaic use of a spatial metaphor to describe a temporal condition – but whatever happened to its logical companion term, “thitherto”? – answers on a postcard, please) unreported gigs: – 

A full couple of weeks ago saw us in sunny Caldicot, for a most acceptable evening at the Cellar Bar, about which I can remember very little. READ MORE

09-12-2019 – Election Suggestion

Top o’ the mornin’ to ye!

And this week, we have to report on a rather quirky gig, up in Wotton Under Edge, a charming little town just south of the Vale of Gloucester, and a slightly east of the 18th century.

We were playing at the Star Inn’s Christmas bash; as we pulled up there, there is a brass band (I think) just packing down under a gazebo outside.

Emma looks at me in horror.

(There’s nothing unusual about that in itself, but this time she was looking at me in horror, wondering if we were supposed to playing outside in the cold). As it turned out, we were in fact appointed to be inside the nice warm cosy pub, in a space that looked a little cramped, but – considering it was indoors – we decided was entirely satisfactory. READ MORE

09-12-2019 – Mumsy (late edition)

Yowsa!

Well, a jolly fine evening’s entertainment in the Crown yesterday….It was lovely to see some old pals turning up, including Ben’s mother – who has now been officially adopted as the band’s mum, meaning that we are all entitled to call her “Mummy”, and she, presumably, is entitled to wipe grime off our faces in public, using a hanky laced with spit.

I’m not sure we really thought that one through…

Still, a sizeable and friendly crowd made the evening cheery enough, despite a handful of minor technical disasters for your favourite homegrown axe hero – firstly a duff battery mishap in my wireless, rendering me silent midway through the fourth song; but after a bit of frantic scrabbling for spares, I was back online just in time for the loud crunchy bit. A little later, one of my strap locks snapped – we had to call a halt to that one, while I swapped over to spare guitar as the alternative – paying the rest of the night sitting on a chair – didn’t really seem viable (for one thing, it would make me the same height as Emma). Finally, my amp went mysteriously quiet – inevitably, after pulling up the levels, it cut back in again on full power, which cheered me up immensely, although I don’t think the chap standing directly in front was quite as happy about it. READ MORE

27-11-2019 – Water Adendum

Hi all

Late news coming in this week – Friday’s gig at the Lamb in Cadbury Heath is unfortunately CANCELLED.

Apparently the pub has issues with their water end electrics.

This is a highly undesirable combination; I can personally attest that mains is ouchy if you get it up you.

There are unconfirmed rumours that what actually happened is that, having heard we’re coming, the captain deliberately opened the bilge doors and scuttled the pub to avoid it falling into enemy hands.

In any case – we shan’t be going back there until things have dried out somewhat. READ MORE

18-11-2019 – String Plank Frenzy

Greetings, my little peccadilloes.

And a warm welcome to this week’s missive, keeping you updated with all that’s good in the world of rawk’n’roll. And as I don’t know what happened there this week, I’ll tell you instead about what we did.

Saturday night, and a lovely jaunt to the Golden Fleece in Bath, where we met most of the usual regulars there (including their resident uncanny Michael Palin doppelganger), and also the delightful Louise, for whom we played a birthday party last year, who had come out especially to see us (and not even to ask for her money back). READ MORE

11-11-2019 – Whippets

Aye up!

Right, then, lad, wi’ no gigs t’report on, this’ll be a short’un.’Appen.

Er – I’m afraid that’s my entire stock of cheery Northern witticisms used up, except that there’s something about whippets, but I really don’t recall the details.

Never mind. Although somebody did mention this week, whilst idly gazing at a box of Yorkshire tea while the kettle was boiling, that despite having been to Yorkshire several times over the years, she “never did recall seeing any of the plantations”, which rather made me chuckle. READ MORE

04-11-2019 – Just Like Ranulph Fiennes

Hello my darlings!

And a fabulous welcome to this glamorous edition of Angel Update, the weekly blog charting the adventures of perhaps the most fashionable rock outfit in the South West.

Of Narnia.

I’m sorry, I have no idea where this is going, shall we just carry on and pretend that last bit never happened?

Friday, you may have noticed, was a Wet Day. So was Saturday. Nonetheless, it takes more than intemperate weather conditions to halt your rawk’n’roll heroes, so, undeterred – but slightly damp – we made our way to the Trident in Downend. READ MORE