‘All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey’ sang the Mamas and the Papas in the 60’s and they might just as well have been singing about Newport this week. The temperature has dropped, Autumn is leaving us and now that the clocks have gone back, we are heading for winter.
Could be worse though….look at the East coast of the USA….there is always someone worse off than yourself!
If you are starting to feel the winter blues already, there is a simple remedy; take one large dose of great live music at least once a week and you will soon start to feel better. Like many happy converts who head for the Royal Navy Association, Bellman’s Yard, Newport, every Tues evening, there is nothing better to help lift the spirits.
A newcomer first on stage this week, Just Jimmy, otherwise known as Jimmy Bremner from Telford. A very sprightly 70 years old, he rocked the audience with a short set of rock & roll classics from Hank Williams, Buddy Holly and Kris Kristofferson, before another musician who we haven’t seen in a while,
Dan Corcoran. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to his countryman Bob Geldof, he delighted the room with a Bert Jansch blues number and then a touching ‘Letter from Syracuse’ before finishing with a little known Stones song, ‘Lady Jane’
Robbie Pilgrim and Ashleigh Husselbee, just 14 and 15 respectively, have recently auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent and tried out just one song tonight, an excellent version of Damien Rice’s ‘Cannonball’…keep an eye out for them, a huge talent at a tender age.
Open mic regulars Olly & Jake next on stage and these two lads continue to impress; reworking well known songs and playing them in their own style. ‘Valerie’ and ‘Ain’t no Sunshine’ were very good indeed, but their version of John Mayer’s ‘Gravity’ was outstanding.
Good to see 6th Sense back at the club with Roger Clark on guitar, Alan Middleton on bass and Spence on drums backing an ever improving Lynne Bradbury. A solid set featuring ballads like, ‘Mad World’ and rockers like ‘Squeeze Box’ showcased their versatility, but Amy Macdonald’s ‘This is the life’ still my favourite.
A bit of a change for Dave Whiteman this week…… a real softy ballad from Crowded House was followed by a little known song from World Party, ‘Is it like Today?’ before the man with the effortless voice,
Martyn Templeton wowed the audience once again with the Tom Petty classic, ‘Freefallin’ and a great version of ‘Better’ by Tom Baxter.
Good to see Harry Wooley back to rude health and although he intended to just come and listen, he was persuaded to do a couple of tunes, ‘House of the Rising Sun’ and ‘Reconsider Baby’. Great stuff from this Navy stalwart.
If anyone can quieten a room it is Zoe Pinchin. Her strong, pitch perfect vocals are guaranteed to silence any conversation, and she did again with songs from Marc Cohn and Adele. Even with a sore throat she still sounds fabulous.
Just time for a bit of busking before the end, with Ade Morris and Ed Young, who used to play together in local party band, Airbag. A couple of rock classics reworked for acoustic guitar rolled back the years and had the crowd joining in enthusiastically, to bring another great night to a close.
So our very own Generation Game in the Navy this week. Our oldest performer, 70yrs young and our youngest, just 14 years. There must be something there for you to enjoy and banish the winter blues?
Had a lovely evening last week at the Lion in Edgmond. The Open Mic has started again on Thurs evenings and it is excellent. There are no drums or amplifiers as such, so it is pretty much an acoustic evening and the sound quality and atmosphere are great. Don’t think of it as a rival to the Navy….the two definitely complement each other. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go.
That's all for this week, remember….keep music live!
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