We Too Can Be Heroes, Just For One Day

Report Jude Paton, Photographs Matt Thomas

Two years ago, astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded a cover of "Space Oddity" whilst aboard the International Space Station. The out-of-this-world performance racked up an impressive 23,489,187 views on YouTube and got a "Hello Spaceboy" thumbs up from David Bowie.

Bowie brought us the soundtrack of our lives and the world was a sadder place with the news that he died of cancer on Monday just 3 days after his 69th birthday and the release of his 25th and now his last studio album, Blackstar, featuring the return of one of his most revered creations - Major Tom.

Radio playlists were rapidly changed and devoted to a David Bowie extravaganza and celebration of his music across the globe whilst hundreds payed their own tributes to him in his home town of Brixton. 

Our own musical heroes, young and old, braved a cold wet winter's night to return to the first Newport Open Mic session of 2016 at the Royal Naval Association to pay their musical tributes. Tuesday night and around 50 faces, some regular, some new and a few made a welcomed return to live music here in Newport. With a taster of what was to come Mr Bluesman, Dave Sanford, soundchecked alongside Steve Black on drums and Andy Clark on bass. Good to see you back Dave and "feeling a little rusty"? I don't think so.

Young Tom Lowe made his first solo outing at Tuesday's Open Mic and an excellent debut with Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over" and a lesser known song by Mac DeMarco "Chamber of Reflection" and delightful it was too. I'm sure he'll be back next week.

Never easy to read poetry to a crowded room but Jolene Modd managed to hush the audience with recitations from her 3rd book of poems called "My Journey". Jolene hails from Manchester but has obviously embraced Newport and its people as well as the surrounding countryside and talks of it as "My Home". On an observational level she also portrays the feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression in her poetry, feelings we all experience in our lives.

Jay Harris was up next and quick to tell me that he will be a teenager at the end of the month. Nonetheless he remains one of our youngest and most loyal supporters of Open Mic not only here in Newport but around the county. His infectious smile, passion for music and an uncanny likeness to a young Mick Jagger will stand him in good stead in years to come and as always he brings new songs to the Open Mic stage. The only one I new this week was Greenday's "Holiday"! A special surprise for Jay before he left the stage as regulars in the audience, Stuart and Lorraine, who both turned 60 this week presented him with a guitar pick from The Cavern Club in Liverpool. I don't know who was more delighted.....Jay or his mum and dad!

Background music during the evening included many tracks from Bowie's rich catalogue and Laurence Gale's first song of the evening was "Sorrow" originally done by the McCoys then the Merseys  in the mid 60s but later of course covered by Bowie in 1973.  Sorry we couldn't match Top Dogs Open Mic last night in Manchester with 14 Bowie songs performed! Laurence finished with what is becoming something of an Open Mic anthem and Darius Rucker's "Wagon Wheel".

"Black Andy Blue" (well that's what I renamed them) was the return of Steve Black, Dave "Blue" Sanford and the ever grinning Andy Clark with some great tried and tested vintage blues and pop. "Let's Work Together"  and "Hey Joe" both superb.
Upping the tempo and the volume 19 year olds from Shrewsbury, Miles Hammond and Louis Doran, were the duo PubNutz opening with their own song "Blow" and then a couple of well worked covers by Biffy Clyro and Beastie Boys. Refreshingly lesser known and original material from this pair who were obviously enjoying being in front of an audience.

Father of Miles, Steve Hammond, brought the evening to a close alongside cohorts Dave Sanford, this time on bass, and Steve Black on drums. Great musicianship by these three seasoned performers with "Mustang Sally" and "Crossroads" before lowering the decibels and a lovely gentle ending to the evening with Peter Green's "Need Your Love So Bad".

An evening of celebration of live music and remembering an iconic musical hero of our time. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust......RIP Starman.