So the results are in, the referendum is finished and we are back where we started ….more or less. With only eight months now to the General Election, the political conference season is upon us and the TV is full of professional politicians sidestepping every question put to them. I say professional, because it seems to me that most of them have never had a ‘proper’ job, going into politics straight from university. Apparently Ed Miliband ‘forgot’ part of his keynote speech…what’s the problem? And before readers think I am getting too serious I just wanted to say that this is nothing new……..We of a certain age call that a CRAFT moment….can’t remember a flipping thing!
Fortunately, more than 50 people did remember the location of
the Royal Naval Association Club in Bellman’s Yard, and helped turn this
week’s Newport Open Mic into a cracker.Haven’t seen Mike Collins for a while, travelling as he does from Perton, but he is always a treat. It is never easy to be first on stage, but Mike gave us a great opening set that featured songs from Stereophonics and The Fray liberally mixed with his own brand of self-deprecating wit. It is quite unusual to get the audience involved in a sing-along so early in the evening, but an acoustic ‘Sex on Fire’ by Kings of Leon did the trick.
Speaking of sing-alongs, great to welcome Ed Conway and his band Lost
the Plot back to the Navy. Their extended set featured everything you
want from a live band….great musicianship, brilliant stage craft
(there’s that word again!) and good choice of songs. With the rhythm
section provided by Paul Crewe on drums and Simon Mann on bass, the set
fairly thumped along with traditional Irish Folk/Rock, and then just
before you thought it was turning into a Ceilidh, a superb version of
‘Hey Soul Sister’ by Train brought it bang up to date. Keep an eye out
for local dates and go and see Lost the Plot….I promise you won’t be
disappointed.The band Ricochet have been regulars at the club for some time now and always impress with their energy and enthusiasm. Only two out if the usual three members tonight, so going out as the O’Chet’s, they alternated between self- penned numbers and a couple of covers from first The Holloways and then The Libertines. Sand Kumar on vocals and acoustic guitar has realised the value of throwing in a couple of good songs from established artistes……a very good set from these talented youngsters.
Taking us up to the raffle was John Minor on keyboard. John is a great supporter of live music and the Newport Open Mic in particular, but he is, by his own admission, sometimes a nervous performer. No nerves on stage tonight however, as he rattled through a selection of instrumentals including one of my favourites, ‘I Want to Break Free’ by Queen. A word here about the Open Mic audience. No-one knows what type of music to expect on a Tuesday night, but the welcome and the applause that each act receives is fantastic and certainly helps build the confidence of our lesser experienced players.
Another quite brilliant performer who hasn’t been seen for a while,
wisely recruited Lost the Plot as a backing band and the result was
terrific. Dave White….not to be confused with yours truly, goes by the
title of Dave the Barge, living as he does on his narrow boat. He pops
in to see us whenever he is in the area and always brings something new
to the table. He is an exceptional guitarist and singer, so it goes
without saying that if you put a good bunch of musicians on stage with
him, the result is likely to be outstanding. Using a borrowed guitar he
opened with the Waterboys classic, ‘Fisherman’s Blues’ before leading us
through a lively set that had the audience involved every step of the
way. Special mention here to Simon Mann, the bass player. Some songs are
easy to busk and some are not……Sting’s ‘Fragile’ falls into the latter
category, but Simon and the rest of the band made it look like it had
been on their set list forever. The crowd by this time were crying out
for more and the lads duly obliged with a bit of Rock & Roll from
Chuck Berry.
It must have taken around ten minutes to leave….so many people wanted to say what a great evening they had had. Remember, every Tuesday at The Navy…..at only a quid it’s the best value in town.
Till next time…keep it live!
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