Tag Archives: live

Gig Log

24-09-2014 – Snot

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Top o’the morning to ye!

For once, a relatively quiet weekend; no banding, as young Louisa is in sunny Italy gorging herself on pizza and pasta; so just the one outing with young Lily, up at the Clothiers Arms on Friday. Now, poor little Lil has been suffering from nasty coldy fluness this week, and by Friday was absolutely hanging before we even started. But there’s no sick days in rock’n’roll, you get beaten for saying you’re ill, and you have to be on a stretcher before you’re allowed to miss a gig (we learned that approach from Jackson senior, and it didn’t do his kids any harm, did it…?). READ MORE

Gig Log

15-09-2014 – Pirates Ahoy

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The blog version:

Ahoy there shipmates!

Well, we certainly had a suitably silly weekend; kicking off at the dear ol’ Railway in Fishponds for an evening with young Lily; we’d thoughtfully brought along a few new backing tracks to try out; the final verdict was that some are okay, some will be okay once the idiot guitar player has remembered the format (ahem) and some, to be honest, didn’t sound too great, and probably won’t see the light of day again. And it wasn’t even my fault. But, since there was at least one Slade song in the former category, that’s all right then! READ MORE

Gig Log

08-09-2014 – City Dolls & Slackers

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Evenin’ all!

Hope you all had a spanktastic weekend; we certainly had fun a-plenty on Saturday at the ‘Cullis in Fishponds. We managed to catch up with several old pals, recruited the loveliest roadie in Bristol, and we managed to play a Blondie number all at the same time, and even all in the same key for a change.

We even got free half-time entertainment, with Lou and her City Dolls singer Kirsty providing half-time entertainment, while the rest of us slackers got on with some serious lounging about. So nice to let somebody else do all the hard work for a bit; even nicer to actually be able to listen to Lou’s singing without having to concentrate on where to put my fingers. READ MORE

Gig Log

01-09-2014 – No Ram

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Yo homeys!

Just a quickie this week; no change there then.

Firstly, apologies to anybody who came along to see us on Friday at the Ram on Park Street; we weren’t there. Due to a pub management change-related booking cockup hilarity, they had no idea we were coming; until mid-afternoon, when somebody phoned them to ask what time the band was starting tonight.

“Band…? Tonight…?”

So, the pub called us, explained they actually didn’t need us that night, but rather kindly said they’d sort something out and promised to book us in again some other time. READ MORE

Gig Log

26-08-2014 – Wot Cheeky Girls

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Ahoy there, shipmates!

After a rather nice week off work, which involved a merry couple of days recording (huge fun, apart from the rather impressive number of stairs that we had to lug heavy amplifiers up to the aptly-named Rooftop Studios), I spent a happy few whiskey-sodden days with Da Family at nice relaxing (but, to be fair, musically fairly rubbish) festival.

For both events I had to leave before the end; so sadly I can’t report on the final results of the recording, and nor can I tell you what the Cheeky Girls’ live act is actually like. On the plus side, I was back in a nice cosy house when the rain started plummeting apocalyptically from the heavens, so on balance I think it was a good call. Besides, my liver was starting to ache… READ MORE

Gig Log

11-08-2014 – Gazeboid Bubble Experience

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Hello, my little damp squibs!

Anybody else been on the receiving end of Hurricane Bertha this weekend?

Well, things started off ordinarily enough for us – despite a “road closed” issue that stopped me just 200 yards from the gig, and led to a four-mile detour, I arrived just in time at the Live and Let Live in Frampton Cotterell’s Summer Fun Pub Day to catch the last number from the band playing under a tenty gazeboid thing in the garden. After making a few enquiries as to arrangements for using PAs, playing times, etc., it became apparent that nobody knew quite what was going on. So, once the incumbent band had packed up and cleared out, we hauled our kit in under the gazeboid, and set about setting up. Since we were quite close to home, and my youngest Jimi had been nagging for another gig (despite, apparently “still not having found a proper guitarist yet”), Dem brought the whole mob along so they could have a crack at it if there was time. READ MORE

Gig Log

04-08-2014 – Imposters Special

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Ahoy there shipmates!

As previously announced in these pages, your favourite rawk’n’roll band is taking a well-earned rest for most of the month of August, at least in part because it’s too damned hot to be humping heavy amplifiers around.

However, a couple of last minute bookings have turned up, and so it was that last Saturday, we found ourselves up in Dursley, at the Kingshill Inn; which turns out to be a rather fine venue, with a nice little stage area, and even a special Flying V hung over the bar, which every visiting band is required to use for at least one number. The place (although apparently usually rammed full) was half empty – and this time it wasn’t our fault, because nobody knew we were coming! – but the folks that were there were pleasantly jolly and bonkers. Although not without a sinister side; within minutes of meeting us, the very nice-seeming young lady who served me at the bar (despite, it turned out, not working there) had cheerfully confessed to electrocuting hamsters for a pastime… Well, this is Dursley, after all, you never quite know what to expect. READ MORE

Gig Log

28-07-2014 – The Kids Are All Right Edition

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Well, as the song goes; Summer’s here, and the time is right, for drinking in the streets…

After a very Scorchio week away in touristy wallet-molesting London, we were back in time on Friday to take diva daughter Lil over to the Rolly in Swindon for a jolly evening’s acoustic fun, before slinking away off to bed, in order to get up early so I could go and set up for the next day’s wedding gig. And a mighty fine wedding gig it was as well; the groom and his chums actually played as a band (the wonderfully-named Astral Toasters, if I heard correctly); thus after our first set they hopped up and played a few numbers, which got the dance floor packed. After that it was easy for us, and we just kept the ball rolling, while the merry crowd danced, jumped, caroused, leaped, and in some cases just drunk, the night away. Alas, there were no small children doing the compulsory wedding “sliding along the dance floor on your knees” routine; but happily there were some drunken alleged adults, who filled in for them nicely. READ MORE

Gig Log

21-07-2014 – Gina & Lil Inspired

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As Alan is away this week, this is a recorded message…

No band action this weekend, but the diva Lily was out twice; Friday, we rolled up at the Messenger in Swindon, a busy estate pub (that’s like a normal pub, but with a bigger boot), and were delighted to see our buddies Gina and Lucy roll up. Once a few lager-fuelled undesirables had been snarled away by the landlady, we were all settled in for a nice cosy fun night, and had to decide at the end whether to upset the punters, who noisily demanded more, or the landlady, who quietly asked to stop for the sake of her licence. We decided in the end to go with the landlady, because she was paying us. Rawk’n’roll sellout I know, but we live to gig another day! READ MORE

Gig Log

14-07-2014 – Potentially Embarrassing Social Faux Pas Special

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Good morning campers!

Well, it was another busy week in rawk’n’roll; young Lily’s first gig for ages on Thursday, over at what turned out to be a very friendly pub in Ludgershall; they helped carry the kit in, they danced and sang in all the right places, they bought some of her CDs, and they even paid us more than the agreed amount. We’ll be back!

Friday and another outing for Lil, this time to our beloved Queen Amy’s to fill in for a late cancellation; not being sure of a crowd, we brought our own, including about half of Da Family and some good ol’ mates as well. Very nice night indeed. READ MORE