I have just been reading about the imminent release of another charity single by the BBC. A rework of The Beach Boys classic ‘God Only Knows’ features more than twenty famous artistes from Elton John to Stevie Wonder linking up with Brian Wilson himself, to raise money for Children in Need. Unlike it’s charity predecessor, Lou Reed’s ‘Perfect Day’ in 1997, it also brings together musicians from the world of classical, folk, youth choirs and the BBC concert orchestra for a totally unique experience….check it out, it is truly superb. A little closer to home, Newport musicians have been doing something very similar for many years, with local acts making compilation CD’s in aid of our chosen charity, Severn Hospice. They may not have the grandeur of the Children in Need single, but are still well worth a listen….all available in Hey Jude’s.
Jay Harris hadn’t intended to play this week, but such is his enthusiasm, he was down at the Navy by 7pm helping to unload all the equipment. After a brief sound-check however, he was persuaded onto the stage to open the evening with a couple of songs from his favourite band, Beady Eye. Always good to play without word or chords in front of you…it sharpens the senses! Well done Jay.
Nice to see Perton’s Mike Collins back at the club. He always brings
something good to the table, this time songs from Amy Winehouse and The
Lumineers, and was warmly welcomed by the sizable crowd.For the second week running, Open Mic regular John Minor played an earlier slot and I do believe this is better for him. Waiting all evening to play can sometimes increase nervousness, but if the evidence of a note perfect ‘Yesterday’ was anything to go by, there was no sign of any stage fright.
Olly Flavell has been busy writing again and he showcased a couple of
his self-penned numbers tonight before playing a superb version of ‘You
Give Me Something’ by James Morrison. Whist sticking to the original
recording, he still managed to put his own unique style on it, which is
no easy task.
Over the last few weeks we have had two, then three members of local
band Bang to Rights. Tonight it was more or less a full complement with
Will Barton son of drummer Pete, standing in for Mervyn Williams. As
well has making a big contribution to their rocking set, he also managed
to lower the average age by at least twenty years! Don’t miss them at
the Halloween Party at The Navy on 31st Oct, they are well worth a listen.
Guitarist Steve Hammond once again put together a great Scratch House
Band, with Pete Barton once again on drums and Olly Flavell this time
on bass. Always good to see saxophonist Ben Garrott busking
away…..nothing seems to catch him out. Terrific stuff.It’s true to say that The Navy crowd can get louder as the evening progresses, and it can be quite intimidating if you are up on stage and can hear people talking. How do you get round that? Well, let the audience police themselves. Within ten seconds of Remynie Faiths self- penned opener, ‘Here we Are’ her soaring vocals and soft melodic guitar had them spell bound and any transgression was soon greeted with a whispered ‘Shush’. Keyboardist, drummer, guitarist and most of all singer song-writer, she truly is a remarkable talent.
The aim is always to send the crowd away happy and last up, singer guitarist Rich Evans and harmonica player Ed Sullivan, are experts in that field. I don’t know how they manage to blend Whitesnake, The Jackson Five and even Lonnie Donegan into their act but their uplifting performance kept the crowd there till the very end then sent them all off home, happily humming their set.
So when pubs in the town are crying out for mid-week customers, we
are still attracting a sizeable crowd each week. Perhaps it is the
superb range of music from around eight different live acts, or just the
great value at only a quid…including the raffle. Maybe we should think
about a live charity CD…what do you think?Till next time, keep it live!
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