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11th Dec 2011 I've spent the day making a video of my version of "In the Bleak Midwinter". This is my favourite Christmas carol. The tune (by Gustav Holst) is gorgeous, and the lyrics are based on a poem by Christina Rosetti, though I seem to inadvertently have changed one or two of them (sorry Christina!). I'm not religious and never have been but as a child I loved singing carols and this one has special memories: my sister (seen below aged 16) used to read poetry to me and I think her appreciation of lyrics rubbed off on me. I'm not sure I'd be a songwriter if it hadn't been for her, so thanks Alison! Thanks too to Dave Ellis, who recorded and filmed this clip. And Happy Christmas everyone! Click here to play video. |
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26th Nov 2011 Right: Here we are earlier in the month outside Ronnie Scotts after playing in Ronnie's Bar as a guest of jax saxophonist Renato D'Aiello. Far right: My Mum found this great photo of me with my sister Alison. I think it was taken around 1971: I would have been about eight and I have a feeling we were singing "Who knows how long I've loved you" by the Beatles. Great wallpaper! |
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20th Sep 2011 After a break for August we found ourselves on the Sue Marchant Big Night In on Radio Cambridge on Friday night (16th). Click here to hear the interview. Sue was really nice to us and put us at our ease. The next night we played to a full village hall in Ashwellthorpe thanks to all the efforts of Brian Mondin and crewe. Local band Tallis supported us and provided the PA and a lovely night was had by all... (Thanks to Paul Bowerin for the Ashwellthorpe photo.) |
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31st July 2011 I couldn't believe it when I realised we haven't played at the Club Tent at Cambridge Folk Festival since 2006. Thankfully Hitchin Folk Club were kind enough to put us on as part of their session this year. Ian decided not to risk his upright bass in the jostling crowds and went for the Table Football look instead. Warwick was wearing the same hat he was wearing when I first saw him play on the same stage several thousand years ago. I went backstage afterwards and asked him if he'd do a gig with me. The rest is history... (Photo: Jim Wenham) |
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9th July 2011 It was touch and go as to whether we'd have a bass player at Ely Folk Festival. Ian had been on holiday and was landing at Stanstead that afternoon. thankfully his flight was on time and he got the the venue in time.... (Photo: Pat Jones)
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19th June 2011 Had a great time at Redbourne Folk & Steam Day: rain threatened but never came. There was beer and barbeque, lots of good music and a lovely atmosphere. (Photos courtesy of Stuart Cumberpatch.)
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2nd May 2011 Went to see Clive Gregson at the Green Note Folk Club on Monday 2nd May with my friend John Harvey. It was a great gig in its own right but what made it even better for me was that Clive asked me if I'd like to sing something with him. I found myself up on stage singing "Touch and Go" which was the only Gregson song I could be relatively sure of remembering most of the words to without any warning. It's also one of my favourites. What a lovely thing to happen on a May night in Camden! |
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24th
April 2011
As usual we shared the evening with Dave Ellis & Boo Howard. We were all cheered by the news that Maureen, who runs the club together with her husband Keiron, is doing well following her liver transplant. |
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4th Jan 2011
Garboldisham Village Hall gig last November - or for those of you who did but could scarcely believe your eyes at the amount of talent on view when Dave Ellis & Boo Howard returned to the stage at the end of the evening for a supergroup rendition of Louden Wainwright's "Swimming Song" - here's a momento of the occasion!
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3rd Jan 2011: What DID members of the Liz Simcock band do over the Christmas break? Warwick just rang up and said pointedly "if you WERE thinking of putting a "what DID members of the Liz Simcock band do over the Christmas break?" entry into the news section, then I've got a good photo you could use..." So see below for Warwick on a grouse shoot (not really), as well as a pic of Ian partaking in a bit of skating on the Cambridgeshire fens (centre). There's also a great picture of Warwick with Del Boy (one of our most loyal fans) larking about on the beach in Wells Next-The-Sea in November which I've been meaning to put it on the website for ages... As for me, I had a great break at Christmas staying in Suffolk for a few days but the photos aren't really suitable for the website: I look far too glamorous in my walking anorak: we wouldn't want to attract the wrong sort of viewer to the website, would we? Happy New Year! Here's to some great music in 2011...
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2nd
Nov 2010 Too long since I added anything to the news page. Autumn has been relatively quite quiet from a gig point of view though there have been some good ones including two venues new to us: Readifolk and the Farncombe Cavern. The former is a long-running club where Warwick & I had a great time despite Ian's absence, and the latter a lovely new venue in Surrey complete with state-of-the art stage, lighting and PA. I've written a new song Friday Night Train Home which is due to have it's first outing in public in a week's time at Tudor Folk Club. The other news is that James McMahon has sent in this pic of some VERY tasteful pink & silver sneakers... thanks James! |
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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... |
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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...
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29th Nov 2009 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.
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25th Oct 2009 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. |
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  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!
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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.
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28 June 2009 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 unfortunately 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!
 
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28st Feb 2009
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1st Feb 2009
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. |
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11th Jan 2009 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!
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26th Dec 2008 Here are a few pics should have put on the website... Photos by Pat Jones. Below right: My turtle impression at The Hoy at Anchor Folk Club in August 2008. Below left: with Adrian Black on clarinet at Wattisfield. Below middle: Playing "Cromer Pier" ON Cromer Pier. Bottom left: having fish & chips on the beach before playing at the Red Lion in Manningtree way back in September 07. Bottom Right: soundchecking later.
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15th Sep 2008 The new album Beachcomber will be available from 15th September 2008. See albums for track listings. |
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Easter
Sunday at Hitchin Folk Club has become a bit of a tradition. 
For
those of you who didn't attend 
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 a
nd he's
agreed to make one for me. I've
added a 
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 
