Night of variety at The Navy. Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures by Matthew Thomas to follow!

Disappointing news this week as the BBC reported that live music venues throughout the country were folding at an alarming rate. Within the last ten years it is estimated that more than 40% of small music clubs in London have closed, and in other parts of the country that figure is even greater. Many venues like the Cockpit in Leeds, the Boardwalk in Sheffield and The Princess Charlotte in Leicester have all recently ceased to exist and these were the places that bands like Oasis, Pulp and Kaiser Chiefs started to make their name. Now of course, these superstars play stadiums, but would they have reached those dizzy heights without that all important first rung of the ladder?  On a much smaller scale, I sometimes make a similar comparison to our weekly Open Mic. Many excellent local performers, bands and individuals, made their first public performance in front of an enthusiastic Navy crowd, but it is very rare these days to see many of them back.…..is the lure of a paid gig the only reason?  

Malcolm Purvis from Leeds has been coming to the Newport Open Mic for a good few years now; every time he is working in the area in fact. He is a prolific songwriter…. it is very rare to hear him do covers… and tonight was another chance to hear his observations on life. A new song of his, Berlin was beautifully delivered. 

No Vinyl Tap this week, just lead singer Alex Ash on his own again…..are you looking for a solo career Alex? An excellent choice of songs in his performance tonight, with great covers from Elton and Queen but it was his version of the Oasis anthem ‘Wonderwall’ that brought the crowd to life.

Always nice to welcome a first timer to the stage, and although next up Colin Kirkby has been singing karaoke for many years, this was his first time ‘live’ and without a safety net! No need to worry Colin, this audience is not only generous but very partial to a country song, so your choice of, ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’ was a good one. Sadly, only the one song on this first outing….but I did hear one of our regulars comment that he would have been happy to hear another half hour of the same. 

Laurence Gale is more often found with a camera around his neck than a guitar strap, but it doesn’t take much to persuade him to get up onstage. Always nice to hear any Strawbs song, and ‘Lay Down’ has a particularly difficult vocal, but he did a fine job. New song ‘Road to Hell’ is another tricky one but Laurence stripped it down to bare bones and made it sound more like a folk song….nice version.

We have seen a lot of Richard Thomas over the last couple of months, not only coming to play, but getting there early enough to help with the setting up….thanks Rich.  He carries a vast songbook onto the stage, which is probably why he never seems to repeat too many songs, and there is always plenty of variety in his act. ‘Rasputin’ the 70’s disco song by Bony M received a complete revamp and was much more dramatic than the original……he even had the crowd joining in!  

Sad to report the demise of local band Darcy, who this week announced they have split up.  The good news though, is that three of the band have decided to continue as EBS…..Emergency Broadcast System and on this outing they look to have a fine future. Grabbing an experienced drummer at the Open Mic is always good advice, so the lads were delighted to see Paul Crewe in the audience and quickly pounced. Multi-instrumentalist Ben Garrott is an extremely talented musician, but it was a pleasant surprise to see him on lead vocals AND mandolin. Twins Andy & Tony Callister first made their mark with another local band Gaz & the Tones, but EBS is a different proposition altogether….. harder and rockier, as evidenced by their opener, a cracking version of Tom Wait’s ‘Cold Water’. Keep an eye open for these lads; they will be out gigging soon.

Just enough time for Richard Heywood to close events with a couple of tunes from The Monkees and Oasis, and send the crowd home singing. Our Open Mic is the only place in the town where you can regularly enjoy local LIVE music and our audiences certainly appreciate it. But the closures around the country are worrying and the implications are obvious ……if you do not use it you will lose it……and we don’t want that to happen in Newport. 

Don’t forget, Fri 30^th is the Halloween Party, with Robbie’s in Rehab….get there early!

Birthday surprise at the Navy!    Words: Dave Whiteman,     Pictures: Matthew Thomas

It does seem incredible now, that in these days of lightning quick internet, tablets, laptops and mobile phones, that  in years gone by families would gather round the telly and watch a ‘variety’ programme together. One of the most popular was ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’ which ran from 1955 right up to present day, with comperes including Bruce Forsyth and Jimmy Tarbuck  and more recently, Bradley Walsh, Alexander Armstrong and even Jimmy Carr. Television companies today can only dream of the viewing figures that this show used to generate, as shown when The Beatles made their debut in October 1963. Performing live onstage in front of an estimated 15 million viewers, the fab four  perform just four songs…..and Beatlemania was born.

A bit less than that at the Newport Open Mic this week, at the Royal Naval Association in Bellman’s Yard, well 14,999,950 less to exact, but the crowd certainly gave the impression that they enjoyed it just as much!

Jay Harris has been away for a while and I know he has had a great deal of success busking on the streets of Shrewsbury. He doesn’t fritter away his hard earned cash though, saving whatever he gets towards new musical instruments…….now that’s what I call sensible recycling. Jay took us back to the 90’s….before he was born…and the rivalry between two top bands, Blur and Oasis, the latter probably winning that particular duel. Sensibly though, Jay let us make our own minds up with a song from each.

We had a full portion of local band Vinyl Tap last time out but this week just a taster……vocalist Alex Ash. Alex is happy to take a chance and sing a song he has never done before, and as long as he can recruit a backing guitarist, this week yours truly, he is content. He had the audience in the palm of his hand with soulful renditions of ‘Yesterday’ and ‘Your Song’ before getting them involved in a brilliant Oasis singalong, ‘Wonderwall’. Not finished, Alex then invited the crowd  to join him in wishing club regular and great supporter of Open Mic, Cath Butler a happy birthday, before singing the traditional song.  Too many candles to fit on the cake, but it was, nevertheless devoured by the grateful audience!

Richard Thomas has been coming to the Open Mic for many years, and he is still very difficult to pigeon hole. Just when you think he is about to deliver a snarling punk/thrash number he comes out with his own version of ‘Gloria’….a Laura Branigan song from the early eighties. He also likes a crowd pleaser however, and had the audience joining in with his Monty Python mickey take, ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’

Robbie’s in Rehab played a great gig at Blists Hill last month and enjoyed it so much they are playing the Halloween Party at the Navy on Friday 30^th October; entrance just £3 on the door. With new drummer Richard Standley holding a great beat, the band obviously enjoyed their set, fusing Bryan Adams, Steve Miller and The Stones into an energetic performance. Get there early at the end of the month, these guys are popular.

I haven’t seen next up Graham Weir in absolutely ages, since the demise of the Lion Open Mic in fact, and he admitted to a few nerves before he went on stage. The occasional tremors in his opening number were soon overcome especially after a warm welcome from this generous Navy crowd. His next number was simply outstanding. ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ was from Bob Dylan’s album, ‘Blood on the Tracks’ released forty years ago and I think Graham put more emotion into that song than the author did into the entire album. Been too long away mate!

Just time to get Andy Chapman, drummer with Jan & the Noizy Boyz, onstage and form a Scratch House Band with guitarist Roger Clark and bass man Alan Middleton to play us out and send the crowd home happy. 

Open Mics come and go, but the Newport Open Mic has been around for many years now. It goes without saying that it couldn’t happen without all the help and support from regular volunteers, who lift the equipment down from the attic and put it away at the end of the evening. No good without an audience though and enthusiastic support from a regular audience ensures that the energy remains high. If you would like to help, sing, play or indeed get involved in any way, come and introduce yourself….you will be made very welcome. 

Till next time, keep it live!

Band fest at the Navy    Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Matthew Thomas

‘I never thought it would happen, with me and the girl from Clapham, out on the windy common, that night I ain’t forgotten’ Recognise the words? They are from the Squeeze song, ‘Up the Junction’ and I was lucky enough to see them perform last week in Birmingham. I am always amazed by lyrics, and the people who can write them, but their songs always seemed much more real…..like urban stories or poems put to music. It was this week in 1974, that a young Chris Difford put an advert in a shop window in Deptford, London, saying ‘lyricist seeks musician for co-writing’. This was answered by an equally young Glen Tilbrook and Squeeze were born. Clearly they still love to perform, evidenced by the gig at the Symphony Hall and the rapturous audience reception, so if you haven’t seen them play, I urge you to do so…..if you can get a ticket.

No tickets required at the Newport Open mic, held every Tuesday at the Royal Naval Association in Bellman’s Yard. A full board by 8.15 meant latecomer Richard Heywood, was destined to be disappointed, but such is the enthusiasm from this young guy, that we ‘squeezed’ him into the programme to provide two quick songs. Never one to shirk from a challenge his version of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ clearly needs a little bit of work, but come on….it is one of the most complicated songs ever written.

Newcomers to the Navy, Jan & the Noizy Boyz were next up and what a delight it was. I say newcomers, but guitarist John Cooper, sax Paul Mettem and bassman Andy Plant have all played here before in a band called Syatica. The addition of local drummer Andy Chapman and superb vocalist Jan Bagshaw, however, has taken them in a new and very entertaining direction……more jazzy and laid back. Opener, Buffalo Springfield’s classic ‘For What it’s Worth’ was understated and simply outstanding.

John Reynolds has been a consistent member of the audience for some time now, but this week he finally took the plunge and got up on stage to play a great Buddy Holly medley, ably assisted by Andy Clark on bass and Richard Thomas behind the drum kit……hope this is a regular item now John?

Haven’t seen Dave Blu, AKA Dave Sanford in ages, but it is always a delight to listen to him playing his particular brand of blues guitar…this week on acoustic. Not all blues though….a brilliant version of ‘Wind Cries Mary’ from Jimi Hendrix closed his set. Dave stayed on stage, this time on bass, to accompany another musician who we haven’t seen in quite a while, Steve Hammond from Shrewsbury, tempting Jon Newton to leave the sound desk for the drums and give us a lesson in busking with a Scratch House Band.

Nice to see a full complement of local band Vinyl Tap at last. Various members have performed over the last couple of months, with vocalist Alex Ash particularly busy, but this week we had the five piece band in full. New number ‘Listen to the music’ was the standout song of their set.

Not sure who Richard Thomas was aiming at when he sang his opener, ‘Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen’ but he was soon back to normal, displaying his punk background with great covers from The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Always entertaining, always unpredictable and always welcome…..he is a great supporter of Open Mic.

Just time for local band ‘Robbie’s in Rehab’ to play us through into the witching hour and it was new drummer Richard Nixon who caught the attention, forming a great rhythm section with bassist Alan Middleton…no relation to Kate.  Lead guitarist Roger Clark has always had a reputation as one of the best players around, but the band is now starting to sound really tight and clearly enjoy playing together.  Catch them at the Halloween party in the Navy club on Friday 30^th October when they will be playing their full programme.

Strange isn’t it? Some weeks we have a bunch of singer guitarists and no bands, but just like buses, you don’t see one in a while and then four turn up at once! But such is the variety of our Open Mic, we can more than cope with it. 

There are many Open Mics in the area….but ours is the only one where a full PA, monitors, amplifiers, drum kit and guitars are provided…….and a dedicated soundman. 

If you haven’t tried it yet, come on down and see what you are missing…..maybe like John Reynolds you will soon make the leap from audience to performer! Till next week, keep it live.

Wild Tales at The Navy!   Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures:  Matthew Thomas

Why the headline? Well, I am currently reading ‘Wild Tales’ the autobiography of Graham Nash, founder member of The Hollies and later Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young).  I always thought Mr Nash was a fairly clean living musician but this book has really opened my eyes to the rock & roll excesses of so many in the entertainment business. Autobiographies are a particular favourite of mine, and I have read quite a few, but if many of the tales are even half true, how could they recollect some of the things that happened so long ago?  As one social commentator said of the Sixties, ‘If you can remember it, you weren’t really there’ but it’s not clear who actually made the quote…..reports say Pete Townsend, Robin Williams, even Timothy Leary….it seems no-one can actually remember!

The only vice available to the regular Open Mic crowd at the Royal Naval Association is really a plentiful supply of cheap beer, so I hardly think that will merit a chapter in a future tome, but who knows…..some of our musicians may well follow into print!

A bit of a change tonight for resident cameraman, Laurence Gale recruiting a backing band to start off the evening. Lol admits that he is more confident with a camera than with a guitar…particularly in front of a live audience, but he soon got into the swing of things with songs from Eric Clapton, The Beatles and even Ronnie Lane. Practice makes perfect so they say Laurence…..keep it up and don’t forget to take notes for any future publication!

Next up Richard Heywood is now an established regular at the Open Mic, and as well as having boundless enthusiasm, he is also musically adventurous as his set showed this week. Oasis covers are pretty straightforward and a regular feature at the club, but I cannot remember anyone ever attempting any song by the Electric Light Orchestra! ‘All over the world’ is an ELO classic, and one section of the lyrics lists a number of cities; London, Paris, Rome…….and Shard End, which was the birthplace of the songwriter, Jeff Lynne, just down the road in Birmingham!

A couple of months ago, one of our popular local bands, ‘Robbie’s in Rehab’ reunited to play at a party at Blists Hill, and said gig went very well. Rumour has it that they will be playing down at the Navy very soon, so the band, or at least 75% of them, got together once more to try out some stuff. Their regular drummer wasn’t available so step forward resident sound man Jonathon Newton, no slouch with the drumsticks, to fill the gap. What followed was a great example of musicians listening to each other and communicating onstage to deliver a solid no frills, but very tight performance. None of it was rehearsed, some of it was new, but the end result was very enjoyable, fusing The Police, Stereophonics and even a busked version of the Lynyrd Skynyrd anthem ‘Sweet Home Alabama….great stuff.

Two members, ie 50% of another local rock band Bang to Rights turned up to play, hoping to recruit a couple more musicians to make up a Scratch House Band. The very busy sound man Jon Newton volunteered once again to pound the drums at the back and an excellent set followed. Perhaps it would have been easier to  have just formed a large ‘supergroup’  between Bang to Rights and Robbie’s in Rehab and played rock classics all night….I am sure the crowd would have been happy, but I am not sure if the stage could have handled it!  My particular favourite?  A cover of Peter Frampton’s ‘Show me the Way’ which featured a brilliant guitar piece from Mark Langford, replicating the original ‘talk box’ sound.

Unusually for the Open Mic, only four live acts this week. This is a lot less than the usual dozen or so, but some real quality…..particularly from the bands but also from the lesser experienced musicians. These are the people who keep the live music scene alive in Newport, willing to turn up and play without payment and entertain an audience just for the sheer pleasure of it. We would not have a club without you.

So no wild tales of debauchery, drunken or otherwise, to tell you about; no-one misbehaved, there were certainly no groupies, and the only evidence of pharmaceutical use I saw was the paracetamol taken by Jon Newton after all that drumming!  

Till next time, keep the faith and keep it live.