Whoops

New faces and lots of talent at The Navy.  Words by Dave Whiteman, Pictures by Laurence  Gale


I’ve just returned from a holiday in Luxembourg, one of Europe’s best kept secrets. The hiking in the border area with Germany is outstanding, with caves and fairy grottos as well as incredible views of the Saure. Then just last Sunday as summer made a very welcome return, we had a fabulous day out on Shropshire’s diamond, The Long Mynd. Even just walking around the Newport canal, particularly now that the leaves are turning into Autumn colours, is every bit as impressive. Where is all this going? Well it occurred to me that sometimes you cannot see something when it is right under your nose. Music for instance. Ticket prices for the Fleetwood Mac tour start at around £75, which would get you admission to The Navy Open Mic for the next 18 months or so. OK, you may not get the same musical quality but I know that there is something for everyone and think of the cash you will save!


 Sound check this week was a new band, Enigma, put together by club regular Roger Clark, With Al Middleton and Spence Pollard providing a the rhythm section, vocalist Karen Jackson gave us a great opening, with ‘Steamy Windows’ the Tina Turner classic and the Snow Patrol anthem ‘Chasing Cars’ mixing well with covers from Bryan Adams and Guns & Roses.


 Mike Collins, all the way from Perton had the difficult task of following and a mighty fine job he made of it. Songs from David Gray and then The Levellers were very good, but his finish, Kings of Leon’s ‘Sex is on Fire’ done with just his trusty Takamine to accompany, was excellent and received a great reception.


 Haven’t seen young Zak Christie in a while, but he has been very busy playing gigs in the area including an appearance at The Pheztival in August. He really is an exceptional talent….a soulful voice married to a simple and solid guitar style. Opening with a Jimi Hendrix number he then completely changed tack with An Old Country Song from Jake Bugg before pleasing the 60 or so audience with the Ray Charles classic, ‘Georgia’. Watch this space…this young fella is going places and will not be playing small clubs for very long.


 Olly Flavell has been running his own Open Mic for a good while now and it continues to go from strength to strength. Check it out at The Bridge, next one on 10^th October. Here at the Navy he gave us a couple of his favourites, ‘Valerie’ and ‘Sunday Morning’ performed in his own inimitable style, before we welcomed newcomer Lizzie Hogan to the stage.


 I caught her act at the Bridge just last week, was very impressed with her piano/vocal and persuaded her to come down to the Navy. She has been living in Cornwall for the last three years and although she only looks about 14 and is often asked for ID in the pubs, she is actually 21. Playing all her own compositions she completely silenced the large crowd, who seemed to welcome the change from an evening of mainly male singer guitarists. I am sure that if she chooses, a musical career awaits and until then, equally sure that she will be in great demand around the live music circuit as her reputation spreads…..brilliant stuff.


 Gaz & the Tones played at the Navy last week and received a very good reception for their debut self-penned set. This three piece, Gaz Attwood on vocals and brothers Tony and Andy Collister on guitars, make a very nice noise despite having no drummer, and it is good to hear a 12 string guitar filling out the sound. Interestingly, after a five song set of their own compositions, a couple of people commented on the lack of percussion. Step forward experienced drummer Matt Miles, who, after a little chat, joined them back on stage to reprise ‘Around the Sun’ and ‘This too Shall Pass’. No doubt they are a good young band with real potential, but in my opinion the songs were more powerful with someone driving the beat. Applicants for the vacancy should turn up at the Navy for an immediate audition!


 So another brilliant night of live music with a couple of great bands and four or five solo performers….where else can you get such value for a quid?


 Please remember the last Tuesday of this month, 29^th October will be a little different. We are going to have an acoustic evening, ie no bands. There will still be a PA system and mikes etc for guitarist, keyboards or whatever you wish, but the atmosphere should be very intimate. Get there early to be sure of a seat!