16th July 2010

I played my first solo gig for some time on Saturday: it was at Acoustic Routes in Cambridge.  The audience were incredibly responsive and persuaded me to play my new song The Bouzouki and the W3 in public for the first song: I hadn't planned to do it.  It seemed to go down a storm: I felt like a stand-up comedian as the audience guffawed at every line and neither they nor I could stop laughing throughout.   You never quite know how a song is going to work out until you play it in public for the first time and this couldn't have gone better so thanks to everyone in the audience!   I can't imagine it will ever go so well again...                   

15th July 2010

Here are some more sneakers pictures.  The ones on the left are Sharon's. In the middle and on the right you can see Lizzie and HER pink and silver sneakers.  Lizzie is a runner and this is how much she loves her custom-made running shoes...  

Oh dear Clive and Robyn seem to have started something.  Here are some more pink & silver sneakers found by James McMahon (thanks James!).  The ones on the left are my favourites so far.  

Great to get back into gigging after too long away.  We had really lovely night at Orpington Folk Club on Thursday night.  My favourite bit was when Ted and Ivan lead the audience in Take Your Glasses To the Bar, which I remember as a rousing end to every Orpington Folk Club night I've ever attended.  Keep it up lads!  Then last night we played in Staffordshire at Colton Village Hall last night in a gig put on by my brother David.  We shared the evening with my neice Clare and her group Carita Dolche who sing show songs - completely different style from me.  The audience seemed to enjoy the blend and the event raised in the region of £800 for charity.  We played my new song The Chisel, the Plane and the Lathe which was fitting as it was written for David as a thanks for the beautiful guitar he made me.  Click here for lyrics.         

These pics of some amazing silvery pink sneakers were sent to me by Clive and Robyn who found them in a shop in Belgium.  They look as if they turn into a pair of pink slippers when you unzip them: very sophisticated!  If anyone else wants to send any pics of pink and silver sneakers I promise to put them on the website!

28 July 

2009

I've been spending the last little while trying to do something about the dismal state of my giglist.  I've had various promises of gigs for 2010 but the rest of this year is looking pretty terrible.  While I've been hard at work on the phone and internet trying to sort out some work, Warwick and Ian have been variously engaged serenading sheep (Warwick) and charting the English coastline in a canoe (Ian). Ian's the one in the distance on the right.  Warwick is the one with the long ears on the left.

Two very exciting pieces of news.  Firstly my beautiful new guitar made by my brother is finished.   See the New Guitar page for details.  It sounds and looks beautiful and had it's first public outing on Friday at Friday Folk.   There aren't any photos unfortunatley but I'm hoping to have some taken tonight at Twickfolk..

The other piece of news is that Warwick's potatoes won 2nd Prize in the Fakenham & District Horticultural Society Show!  Here he is with his mate Colin and aforementioned spuds.  Well done Warwick!

Some very exciting developments off stage in the last couple of weeks.  Firstly and most exciting is that I've commissioned my brother David Simcock to make me a guitar.   He's been making things in wood since he was knee high to a footstool and I've known about his talents as a craftsman for years.  I had failed to notice, however, that he has been turning into a master guitar-maker until I visited him a few weeks ago and fell in love with one of his lovely acoustic guitars.  This is it.   It sounds and looks beautiful and he's agreed to make one for me.  

I've added a new page to the website for anybody who's interested in seeing it take shape: David's sending me photos of each stage of the process.  The other exciting development is that I've bought a new concertina ALREADY!  Since I can only play about two tunes (with lots of wrong notes) this might seem somewhat premature but sadly the one I bought originally turned out to be pretty ropey so I've forked out rather a lot more and bought a refurbished Lachenal which is much better.  Just got to learn how to play it now!

Just back from a week in Norfolk spent trying to write songs and get to grips with the new concertina I've just bought.  Never played one before and it's quite a challenge.  At the rate I'm improving I'll probably be introducing it into the act in about 2012!  I came home only one new song: Blow Me Home, written on the mandola which I'm trying to start using more.  Click here for lyrics, though they may change as I'm not completely sure it's finished yet: might need a middle 8. (So that's two new songs since Beachcomber: the first was Walk These Blues Away which I've just started adding into setlists.)

The week started well with a support for The Churchfitters who yet again generously shared their 300-strong audience with us in what has become a yearly fundraiser for ME (Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).  We played a 35 minute set and enjoyed every minute of it.

Great gig at Acoustic Routes in Cambridge last night: lovely venue, great audience.  

I felt completely at home with the new red wall too: just like my kitchen!                      

Click here for earlier news