Category Archives: Blog

That was the week that was

Well well. Quite a week. A fracas breaks out at an SOH show. I say Fawlty! A mate of mine is being held in Russia. He was the duty engineer on the Greenpeace vessel. The storm didn’t quite materialise in the way it was supposed to. Can’t find the annoying fluid leak on the Landy. (Hate that)

My thoughts are with Ian Rogers who is alternating 3 month tours of duty with Greenpeace whilst sailing gradually around the world. Diggory Rose and I saw him off from Falmouth earlier this year when we sailed ‘Eve of St Mawes’ at the classic boat weekend. I hope he doesn’t end up incarcerated for months on end.

Iain Rogers, Greenpeace activist, in a cage in court

One or two folks haven’t liked the idea of us doing our own support on this tour, but the overall response has been excellent. It still amazes me when people come up at the end and say ‘I didn’t know you did that’. Next year is going to be loads of fun with the various projects we’re all involved in. I will be doing about 60 solo shows, touring with my band for the first time in three years, rejoining feast of fiddles for the entire tour and rebuilding the studio in a new location. Oh, and joining the Bully Wee Band on some of their january reunion tour. All that before the three months of sailing and music workshops! That should keep me out of mischief for a while. Looking forward to Portmeirion next week. There probably isn’t another location I can think of as interesting as this to run a residential bash! See some of you there.

Torquay tonight. Baring Gould Festival tomorrow.

Hope to see a few folks tomorrow at Okehampton. I’ll be doing an hour or so chatting about music in general for the Wren Trust at the Baring Gould festival about 4 in the afternoon assuming we all haven’t been blown to kingdom come by hurricane Sybil. (Torquay tonight!) Torbay is certainly looking a tad brisk as I type. No more Fawlty jokes. The locals are sick of them!

Countryside Restoration Society

Rather interesting show for the Countryside Restoration Society at the Royal Geographical societies base in Kensington. Very nice crowd indeed apart from the elderly member who thought it was tantamount to ‘Sacrilege’ to play music beneath such hallowed portals. Never been sacrilegious before! Ford help us!

Spiers and Boden

Very sad to note that Jon and John are doing their farewell shows. They remain, for me the most exciting folk outfit I’ve seen and heard for years. They actually knocked me out totally when I first heard them and have continued to do so ever since. Great musicians and good blokes. Just re-arranging my schedule so that I can actually see them one more time.

 

spiersandboden.com/live-dates/