Sun 26th Nov

Apologies for lack of blogging, no real excuses, though I was laid up with quite a severe bout of flu for most of last week. I did have the intention of blogging each and every gig, but I don't think that's gonna happen. The gigs have been going great by the way, though most have been marred in some way by a persistent cold that culminated in the above mentioned flu. All better now though - I hope.
Starting to look forward to Xmas, I've always been a bit of a 'bah humbug' about Yuletide season, but as my little girl, Rosie, gets older (she's 3 in May) it just gets better and better. More expensive admittedly, but... whatyougonnado!
I took her to see Jake and Bella from The Tweenies the other day, they were making a guest appearance at the local shopping center. It's just amazing how much these characters mean to kids, they were all in absolute awe. She met Santa for the first time today too, again overwhelmed with awe and fascination... Rosie was impressed too. ; )
I sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable, knowing that we're blatantly lying to our daughter. I'm sure it's an age old debate about whether to encourage children to believe in things that don't exist. I wonder if it's a purely selfish act of the parents, because it is such a wonderful feeling, and a sight to behold to see your childs (or any child) face when they meet Santa or The Tweenies.
What load of old bollocks! It's a typical trait of mine to start analyzing anything that stirs an emotion. Father Xmas is real, The Tweenies and Bob The Builder too, they are to my Rosie and millions of other kids as well - you try telling them different! It's a shame they have to grow out of it, stop believing; but we have to have to grow up I suppose, we're almost forced to. I personally would rather not, some bits are alright. Take the good bits. The rest of the time I think I'd rather live life as a Rubber Dubber.
I started this blog with an apology, but I'm not gonna end with one, I almost did, but NO!
Free the child inside you. ( I am taking the piss... sort of).
I'll talk about the music next time.

Seeya

The Cockroach Club, Peterborough Sat 4th Nov

Courtesy of The Surgens, The Cockroach Club, Peterborough. The same Surgens who have a 4 star review of their album in this months Mojo. A very cool club indeed, situated in the hull of an old barge moored on the river nene.
I don't really know a lot about Peterborough, I actually know more about the Surgens. I now know more about The Nightingales than I do about Peterborough. The Nightingales being the headline band whom I was supporting. The name of the band rang distant bells when I heard I was supporting them, but I couldn't claim to know anything about them - I do now!
Sat 4th was a fantastic night at The Cockroach, a night where you wouldn't want to be anywhere else, for me and a handful others anyway; for some they would rather be anywhere else, and made a swift exit to get there.
I started my set, as usual, with Soul Of A Man. From the very first chord I struck, I knew it was gonna be a good one. Even though I hadn't soundchecked, I was using a borrowed amp, and it wasn't my usual p.a. system. Everything was in it's rightful place - it was a full moon, the stars were aligned and the mojo was out and about in full force working it's magic on musician and spectator alike.
I played for about half hour, but I could've played all night. It was one of those gigs where you could do no wrong. No matter what I played, whether it was technically the right note or not, in tune or not, in time or not - it was always going to be right.
The plan, before hand, was: do my set, watch a few numbers by The Nightingales, then bugger off home. But, The Nightingales completely enthralled me, so we stuck around and ended up watching their whole set. Rob, the singer, is one of the scariest human beings I've ever seen front a band. It's the typical thing, I was talking to him before the gig, and I wouldn't have had a clue he was gonna perform like that. On stage he's the sort of bloke you'd avoid like the plague at a party or something, 'cause he just has a volatile air about him, like he could go off any second - a beefy, 6 ft, pissed up bloke with cropped hair dancing like your dad. Truly entertaining.
The best moment of the night though was when he was trying to get people to clap along, there was a few takers but not many, so he gave some bloke a fiver to join in. You had to be there, it was funny, believe me.
So, I still don't know much about Peterborough, Pete's Dad lost £200 there during the war; Steve Butler, and ex Gills striker, played for Peterborough United and there's a great club there called the Cockroach - and The Surgens are from there, who have a 4 star review in this months Mojo, as do The Nightingales. Bastards!