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.

A Good advert for music at The Navy!   Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Laurence Gale

This week saw a rather unusual anniversary…….it is exactly 60 years since the first television advertisement appeared on our screens. Yes, on the 22^nd Sept 1955 a black and white image of a toothbrush inside a huge block of ice morphed into a lady brushing her teeth with ‘New Gibbs SR ‘ and TV advertising never looked back.  My personal favourites were the Guinness advertisements, which always seemed witty and clever, but who can forget ‘Beanz  Meanz Heinz’ or the Cadburys Smash Martians? How then, would we advertise Tuesdays at the Naval Association? We would have to copy the Ronseal advert and say ‘It does exactly what it says on the tin’ ….which pretty much sums up our weekly Open Mic.

What better way to start than with a few crowd pleasers from Oasis, courtesy of John Minor.  Normally a keyboard player, John has been entertaining us on guitar for a number of weeks now and although relatively inexperienced, he is improving week by week. A nice start to the evening.

Another terrific supporter of our weekly Open Mic is Laurence Gale, who often provides the photographs for these articles. Without his usual musical partner Rob Bryon, Lol was persuaded to put down his camera and get up on stage….even though by his own admission, he hasn’t played in quite a while. Our audience at the Navy are a very forgiving bunch however and joined in enthusiastically with opening number ‘Let it Be’ before an excellent version of Harry Chapin’s ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’……good stuff Laurence, and great pictures also!

I have been away for a number of weeks and one thing that always amazes me when I return is the improvement that some of the youngsters have made in such a short time. It seems like just a few months ago….but is actually around six…. that an anxious looking Richard Heywood took to the stage. Visibly shaking on his first public performance, he gave an understandably nervous performance that was nonetheless warmly applauded by the crowd. Fast forward to this week and his improvement is there for all to see. The nerves are no longer on view and he is very happy to take on quite complicated numbers, from artists such as Noel Gallagher and Radiohead. Lots of potential in this likeable young man.

One of our more experienced vocalists is Alex Ash, normally lead singer with local band Vinyl Tap. He is a larger than life character who brings humour and fun to the stage as well as a wide repertoire of songs. His mixture tonight included covers from Lionel Ritchie and Chris de Burgh before finishing with one of his favourites, ‘Walking in Memphis’….complete with high kick which the crowd always enjoys.

Badly Drawn Boy, real name Damian Gough, was a singer songwriter from Lancashire who had some success in the nineties, but seems to have disappeared without trace. Around three years ago a bunch of musicians from Penkridge,  Perton and Wolverhampton got together and visited the club for the first time as ‘Badly Overdrawn Boy’….a great name for a band. Sadly that didn’t stick and they later re-emerged as The Nameless. Nice to see a few of the boys back this week, getting up on stage as ‘Tuesday Night’, to give us a nice variety of stuff from Neil Young, Bad Company and Green Day.

Just time to assemble a small Scratch House Band for the evening finale, and Alex Ash recruited bandmate and bassist Jude Paton and resident soundman Jonathon Newton to play us out with a couple of classics from Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Beatles, before  wrapping up the night with the ever popular ‘Mustang Sally’.

Deja vu? I have been away around six weeks and it feels as if I have never been away!  Sadly the attendance was only around forty; quite a bit down on recent weeks…..perhaps the others were at home watching adverts on the telly!  The Open Mic has now been running for around thirteen years, surely some kind of record, so if you want to see what all the fuss is about come down to the Navy on Tues night from 8pm.

 Don’t forget this Friday 25th September sees the increasingly popular Soul Nite at The Navy, from7.30pm-1am, £4 at the door. 

Till next time….keep it live!

Last week I went to The Robin 2, probably the best and one of my favourite live music venues in the West Midlands with a capacity of 700. I have seen many great artists there over the years, one of them being the late great John Martyn who sadly died of double pneumonia in 2009 just 60 years old.  My introduction to singer/songwriter and guitarist John Martyn  was at the age of 19 at Stirling University and he was  23.  

Last week's visit to Bilston was to see The Glorious Fools, taken from the title of Martyn's 1981 album Glorious Fool, a four piece band playing an eclectic mix of folk, rock, jazz and blues from John Martyn's entire catalogue. Great support too from 31 year old Matt Woosey to whom I had the great pleasure of chatting at the venue. An evening of nearly 3 hours of outstanding music from 5 talented musicians in front of a "crowd" of just FOURTEEN people!

A friend of mine went to see Arthur Brown (remember the Crazy World of and the hit single "Fire"?) at the same venue to find he was one of only 2 people there. Arthur Brown said "We have 2 choices.....we can all go for a curry or we can do our set." A select audience of 2 chose the 2 hour set from Arthur Brown......a curry they could have any time but an insight in to the music of the day could have been interesting.

A week later at the Royal Naval Association in Newport there were around 60 in for the Tuesday night Open Mic Session paying just £1 for a raffle ticket and free entry. A full board by 8pm looked promising for a great evening of live music. 

Malcolm Purvis drops in 3 or 4 times a year from Leeds when he is working in the area and is a very prolific songwriter of "urban love songs".  With good use of a harmony peddle new songs included "Awkward Day" and "Devastating Friend", a sarcastic dig at a relationship going nowhere. Always good to see Malcolm back in Newport and at our Open Mic where he started out.

Steve Davis had traveled from Manchester to join us tonight and accompanied Vinyl Tap vocalist Alex Ash with an "unplugged" set which included "Road to Hell Part 2" and "Mustang Sally" both refreshingly different with Steve harmonising and on guitar. Anything by The Eagles always guarantees great harmonies and we were not to be disappointed with the addition of a harmony pedal to "Lyin' Eyes".

12 year old Jay Harris was lucky enough to  see Foo Fighters on the Broken Leg Tour at Milton Keynes Bowl so "Times Like These" was a great opener. Jay however was greatly impressed by Iggy Pop as support so set to and learned "The Passenger" giving us a great interpretation of the 1977 song from the Lust For Life album.

Girl Power........and an all girl rock band, a first at the Navy Open Mic I believe, with Emma Woodhouse and Becky Hick on guitars and vocals and Lexi Jones on drums with some driving rock songs by Alanis Morisette, Suzi Quatro, The Undertones and The Kinks. A superb set from these 3 who have only practised together twice before their appearance tonight. A very polished performance too and a departure for Emma whom we have previously seen in the folk influenced band Driftwood.

Bluesman Trevor Rowley has recently got a new band together and tonight Elmore's Dog had their first live outing and an extended set here in Newport. Trevor on guitar and vocals was joined by Mal Brown on bass, Steve Fields on lead guitar and "Johnny the Drummer". Classic blues by T-Bone Walker, Robert Johnson, Peter Green and king of country, Johnny Cash as well as one of Trevor's own compositions "Keeping the Blues Alive". A great collaboration of musicians and an enthusiastic reception from the audience.

Steve Davis was up next for a solo set and proving the point that Newport Open Mic always provides an evening of great diversity as well as exceptional musical ability not just from experienced musicians but from those who are just starting out. Steve is a veteran and tonight's set from him was one of great contrast starting with Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter", then "Every River" from the hugely popular Scottish band Runrig, finishing with a lovely interpretation of Foo Fighter's "Times Like These" which had been performed earlier in the evening by Jay Harris. People often worry about repeating something that has been done previously but both Jay and Steve interpret and sing songs in their own unique style so much so that I don't think the audience even noticed that it had been done twice!

Left hander from Telford but originally from Essex, Paul Townsend paid his first visit to Open Mic last week to "suss us out" but this week he was back to perform in the closing Scratch House Band set recruiting Andy Clarke on bass, grinning from ear to ear as usual, Trevor Rowley on lead guitar and Johnny the Drummer both from Elmore's Dog. A terrific and completely unrehearsed closing set from these four included a couple of great songs by Dr Feelgood and Leiber and Stoller's "Kansas City" originally recorded in 1952 by Little Willy Littlefield but probably better known covers by Wilbert Harrison, the Beatles and Fats Domino.

60 people paying £1 for 3 hours of live music on a Tuesday night in Newport, 14 people paying £14 each last Wednesday at the Robin in Bilston! 

Whenever and wherever there is live music these venues need your support in order to KEEP MUSIC LIVE.

Report: Jude Paton

Photographs: Matt Thomas

Report Jude Paton

Forget the bran flakes, breakfast just got some serious bling as Queen Elizabeth at 89 is now the longest reigning monarch in history overtaking Queen Victoria and notching up 63 years and 7 months on the throne. To mark this momentous event Kelloggs have brought out a new cereal called "Queen Flakes". The royal mouthful comprises gold leaf cornflakes, Special K, edible diamonds and pearls and Her Majesty's favourite macadamia nuts. Sadly you won't find Queen Flakes in the new Aldi store in Newport, nor any other supermarket for that matter but travel to Manchester's Black Milk Cereal Dive and a bowl of breakfast bling will set you back £6.30!

Here in Newport at the Royal Naval Association and for only £1 you can enjoy  around 3 hours of live music at Tuesday's Open Mic session and who knows you may well hear an excellent cover version of a song sung by Farrokh Bulsara better known of course as Freddie Mercury who joined the band Smile in 1970 with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Freddie persuaded the band to change their name however saying "I thought up the name Queen. It's just a name but it's very regal and sounds splendid as well as being strong, very universal and immediate". They were to become one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world. Unfortunately our itinerant musician Dave Whiteman is still away on his travels but had he been at Open Mic on Tuesday I am sure he would have obliged with his superb Queen medley. 

After a 7 week break Tuesday is back to being a "school night" so many of the youngsters (or their parents) were polishing their shoes for the start of the autumn term. Nonetheless there were new faces in the audience once again and some varied acts to entertain.

19 year old Richard Heywood got the evening underway with some great covers by Bryan Adams, Oasis and one of my favourites from him, "Lady Madonna". A loyal supporter on a Tuesday night and growing in confidence every week.

John Minor this week brought his keyboard and demonstrated what an accomplished musician he is. No easy task finding the right effects on the keys whilst playing the melody. From Jeff Wayne's musical adaptation of H.G.Wells' science fiction novel "The War of the Worlds" John's  interpretation  of "Eve of the World" was outstanding. Followed by 2 further instrumentals by Greenday and Oasis John was note perfect.

18 year old Olly Flavell first appeared at Newport Open Mic at the age of 13 and has been prominent on the music scene ever since and is now a prolific songwriter. No surprise therefore that this weekend sees him off to the British Institute of Music in Manchester to embark on a 3 year degree course in songwriting. A great set of original material this week,  I don't think the ink had even dried from a couple of them. We wish him well and although he will most certainly be visiting us during holiday periods it will be interesting to see how his style develops over the next 3 years. Fortunately Manchester has one or 2 Open Mic venues for him to visit, not least the Top Dog in Ashton-under-Lyne. A good one to drop by if you are ever up that way on a Monday night. You could even combine it with a bowl of Queen Flakes at the Cereal Dive.

Laurence Gale has not played for some time and good to see him back this week with a varied set list which included The Strawbs "Lay Down" and "Here Comes the Sun" written and performed by George Harrison from the 1969 Abbey Road album. This classic album track has featured several times on Desert Island Discs chosen by Sandie Shaw, Jerry Springer, Boris Johnson and Elaine Paige. A great choice by Laurence too.

High Society was the next and final name on the board and a first visit for this four piece band to Newport Open Mic. We have heard the lead singer Glenys Roston recently accompanied by Alan Laneand this week Glenys once again had traveled all the way from Llandudno to be joined by Ian Wellings on upright bass and from Bridgnorth, Jon Tame from Wolverhampton on drums and our own Alan Lane on guitar and just a stone's throw away from Church Aston. Some logistics involved for these four to get together to rehearse but well worth the effort with a great bluesy swing band sound fronted by Glenys. Seasoned musicians and performers their extended set included a song by the Dutch jazz and pop singer Caro Emerald, Bobby Darin's number one hit from 1959 "Mack the Knife"and "I Wanna be Like You" from Jungle Book. "Blue Moon", a hit from the doo-wop group The Marcels went down really well and is one of my favourite songs covered by the less well known band Cowboy Junkies. Worth checking out on youtube.

Another splendid night of live music from Newport and a salute to nearly 64 years on the throne for Queen Elizabeth and to Dave Grohl who ruled the night last Saturday from his throne of guitars at Milton Keynes Bowl with the rescheduled Foo Fighters gig where they performed "Under Pressure", a great Queen cover, accompanied by none other than Roger Taylor and John Paul Jones.  And appropriately, keeping the royal theme going, the support band at MK Bowl was Royal Blood.  

More live music to look forward to next week at Open Mic, Royal Naval Association in Newport and an extended set from Trevor Rowley's band Elmore's Dog.

 

Until next time