A LoGOz free weekend meant another solo gig opportunity for moi! So as Paul chilled out and walked his dog, Harry continues to recover at home and Carl immerses himself in Metal, work and gaming, it was time to for me to make my debut in the idyllic surroundings of Warkworth. The Sun Hotel to be precise, with the imposing Castle overlooking proceedings. Cool.
As we pulled up around 8:30pm there was already a wedding bash in full swing in the main room. As we passed by the window we could see and hear the familiar strains of cheesy pop songs, as kids slid on their knees, tables of food left untouched, and some seriously bad Dad dancing by men in kilts uncomfortably bopping the night away! We were greeted warmly by Mel Allen from Acoustic Magic who informed me I'd be playing second slot out of 3 acts at 9:45pm. Nice one. With it being a busy room as Mel set up we asked if there was anywhere I could have a quick warm up? I was ushered upstairs to one of the vacant hotel rooms. Very hospitable I thought. Until I realised the downstairs bogs were knackered and this room was also the emergency toilet! Call me what you will but as people queued up to relieve themselves I couldn't really relax and concentrate as a stranger defecated only yards away from me! So me and Clemmy popped outside, with my guitar strapped on for some alfresco warm ups! As we chatted and I strummed away we were joined by a wedding reveller, a well dressed gentleman who could've walked straight off the Godfather Film set. With a cigarette in his mouth and violin case nowhere to be seen we chewed the fat all things musical as he ripped apart shows like The X Factor much to our amusement. Using more swear words than necessary he told us how The fucking Jam were his fucking favourite fucking band, and how he thought my guitar sounded shit hot in the car park but I needed more bass bollocks to beef the bastard up! Glorious. We could've talked all night but he was beckoned by his nagging wife to go back inside for some curry! Nice.
By this time, opening act Tinny started his set with a note perfect rendition of 'Here Comes the Sun' the George Harrison penned classic by The Beatles. As we were about to head inside to enjoy this we were collared by a group of refreshed locals who were coming to the Acoustic event. As more great banter flowed with these colourful characters I loved this place already and I had a crowd on my side before I'd even played a note!! Although one refined lady did remark "If ya fucking shite I'll let you kna". Charming :)
Before I knew it was time for my set. As l plugged in, within seconds I was kicking off with standard set opener 'The Ballad of the Disenchanted'. The rooms reaction to the first song was great but something didn't sound quite right to me from where I was standing! I cant quite put my finger on what it was! Maybe l hadn't adjusted my onstage guitar settings correctly or the unfamiliarity of a new venue I don't know. But hey, I'm not complaining, and by about the 4th song in I hit my stride and I was rolling :) Tonight I debuted 2 songs with 'A Way of Life' and 'Internet Best Friend' getting their first run outs, and I'm pleased to say they both went down great :) By the end of the set strangers danced, clapped and sang along to songs they were literally hearing for the first time! It doesn't get much better than that really. A very rewarding performance, and as flyers were snapped up and CDs were purchased, the night just got better. After the set Clemmy and myself took a stroll outside again to the top of the road, and to the foot of Warkworth Castle. As we stood in awe of the cool eeriness, we were joined by 2 young lasses who had just come out to chat and say how much they loved the gig. Cool. We headed back inside to catch Gary Spalding's polished set of covers including the popular 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls. All in all a successful return to the solo gig circuit and to a place l/we very much look forward to returning to in the future. Thanks as ever to Auntie Mel at Acoustic Magic and everyone at The Sun Hotel. Cheers to Tinny and Gary for great sets, and to Leanne for tattoos and drinking! Last but not least special mention to Jill Bee and Clemmy as always!
So onto Monday again as I find myself at Song #39 out of 52 in this mammoth AcoustiCalendar project! The weeks are just flying by! This weeks song is 'THE LiFE & TiMES OF ViCTOR SHELDON'. The song is again from personal experience and the loss of one of my oldest friends who sadly died in 2001 aged just 27. The name Victor Sheldon comes from a mix of daft nicknames he had at school. I wont give out his real identity but some very close to me will know who I'm talking about. Its a sad tale of a lad who had it all in terms of looks, ability, popularity etc. But he willingly got in with the wrong crowd of people in a life of crime and drink and drugs etc from an early age. The fact that it was no surprise when I heard he had died made the inevitable even more tragic. As ever you can download this song for Free at www.logozworld.com/52 and will be available for 7 days until the next track is uploaded.
Cheerz
Peesh x
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