I have made up my mind and will not be swayed….I am not going to write about Scotland. The papers have been full of debate for weeks and I haven’t seen that much excitement on SKY since the last day of the football transfer window. Anyway, by the time you read this, the votes will have been counted and the decision made by Scotland, for Scotland. But whichever way the poll has gone, just remember, we English still love you and always will.
I did expect that, on the last Open Mic before the vote, the set list would be dominated if not by Scottish music, then songs by Scottish singers, but it was not to be. First on stage Lexi Tapley hasn’t performed for a while and she admitted to me beforehand, that she was more than a little nervous. ‘What for?’ I asked her after a superb opening set that not only quietened the sizable audience, but had them joining in with the Snow Patrol anthem, ‘Run’….a really lovely start to the evening. The soft guitar of Alan Lane left space for Lexi to display her stunning vocal range….don’t leave it so long next time!
Only one song this week from our youngest member, 11 yrs old Jay
Harris, but it was a good one. He has recently been to see Shed Seven
and as a tribute to them played ‘On Standby’….credit to Jay, he never
chooses the easy option. Great stuff from an incredible, young talent.
One genre that we very rarely see is folk music……..the Navy is often
not the quietest place to play at times, and to get up and sing
unaccompanied takes courage. Mitch Reynolds travelled all the way from
Kidderminster to play for the first time and judging by the audience
reaction to her powerfully delivered sea shanties, I suspect she will be
back.
Bang to Rights haven’t been around for a while and we were lucky
enough to have three quarters of them to perform a few rock classics in
their own inimitable style. Pete Barton on drums and Steve Smith on bass
provided the solid rhythm section, leaving Mark Langford on guitar and
vocals. His playing continues to impress…….. his solo to close Hotel
California was simply outstanding. You can hear some of their live recordings if you click on to www.soundcloud.com/bangtorights.
Time to welcome another newcomer to the club. Chris Ruddock had never
played in front of a live audience before, but encouraged by friend and
seasoned performer Sam Brizuela he performed a super set that featured
Micheal Buble and Paulo Nutini. Sam then joined him on stage for ‘Say
Something’ by American duo A Great Big World. Not easy to harmonise,
especially if you are a nervous first timer, but they did a super
job…well done to both.
Next up, new songs a plenty for Navy Club regulars, Vinyl Tap. Not
happy to introduce just one or two different numbers, they weighed in
with FOUR new songs. ‘Dock of the Bay’ complete with whistling finale
was very good, but their closing number Chris Isaac’s ‘Wicked Game’
featured both Jude Paton and Cath Butler on backing vocals….that is
surely a first?!
Olly Flavell has managed to carve a little bit of a niche….taking
established songs and then reworking them into a jazzy style that is
original and entertaining. This week a Beatle’s classic ‘Can’t Buy Me
Love’ was hardly recognisable, but very well done. Olly is another young
performer who is happy to tear the rule book up and sing well known
classics in a completely different way.John Minor had been sitting patiently all evening and it was he who brought the evening to a close with a selection of instrumentals that included the fabulous ‘Eve of The War’ from War of the Worlds. John’s confidence has grown enormously over the last few months, and although the stage can seem quite large to just one man and a keyboard, he carries it off very well. A couple of classics from first John Lennon and then The Beatles brought a lovely evening to a close.
Once again, many thanks to the helpers, before and after…we couldn’t do it without you. If anyone out there has an interest in sharing the duties on the sound desk…. the most important job of the evening… we would be really happy to hear from you. No specialist knowledge needed, just enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. Full training will be given, contact Jude or myself….go on, you know you want to! Thanks for your continued support….till next week, keep it live!
Dave
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