Saturday I spent busking with other
mates to help promote the upcoming Bedworth Folk Festival. It's good
to hear that tickets are selling so well for this event, but no
excuse for not getting together and slinging a few tunes out at the
startled diners of Beduff. This time, not from the Arctic wastes of
the Market Hall, but from the cosier interior of the Foyer of The
Civic Hall itself. Opposite the restaurant. Using a compact, (fully
working) and effective P.A. thoughtfully provided by the Centre. Nice
one.
There,
I joined Malc Gurnham, Gill Gilsenan, Des Patalong, Dave Webb,
Phil Benson Dave Parr and a still slightly jet-lagged John Meechan,
to demonstrate what the good citizens of Bedrock could be missing on
the 28th 29th and 30th November. In
clutches of twos and threes, we did our stuff, with some erm,
interesting collaborations. I sang
“Need Your Love So Bad,” “ Thirty Foot Trailer,” “The Old
Triangle,” “Over The Hills” and “ Shoals Of Herring.”
The whole company finished with a glorious rendition of the Tom
Lewis song “Union Miners Stand Together.” Which was both
poignant and apt in a town where there were once so many collieries.
( And where now there are none).
Last
night I joined Terry Oakley and Friends out at Beanfield Avenue in
Coventry. Tony Okehampton is the Sty Folk Club host who loves to
wind me up by pretending he can never remember my name. Possibly
because he so often appears to be changing his own. Anyway, Ray
Oaktree it was who led a small but perfectly formed company through a range of
mostly contemporary covers and self-penned songs. Accompanied at
various times by harmonica, keyboards, various guitars, percussion
and and an Industrial capacity hot air blower. So diverse was the
room temperature, that artistes performed in coats and scarves whilst
the heating was not on and got town to shirtsleeves rolled up when it was.No
one sang “ Leaving on a jet plane,” but with the back of
the stage sounding like a 747 nosing off a Heathrow apron, it would
have been apt.
Ramon
Oakshott himself had fixed some miniature runway lights to the sound
aperture of his guitar since I last saw him play. Whether this was a
tuning system, or just a device he had fitted to keep him awake never
became fully clear. But it was very pretty. Mahendra and Jan treated
us to some tasteful arrangements, including their own material, and a
nice version of the Carpenters' “Superstar,” Not to be
outdone, John Hancox gave us some Rod McKuen and Gordon Lightfoot and we even had a
Faces' cover from Simon Groves. (Nice axe, Si!). Rod Oakenshield
took us all over the shop-Dylan's “Blowing in The Wind” (very
clever, Reggie!), Country Blues, heating technology, the lot.
Caroline Horne spanked out a lively mix of creditable self-penned
tunes and covers, leaving Hilary Wilson to combine her lovely voice and
subtle guitar pickin' with some of her own wistful, fey numbers,
packed with imagery.
Me?
Well I was planning to air a brand new Canal song. One never
performed publicly before. But I lost my nerve and started instead
with “Between The Wars” and “ It's All Over Now.”
I felt we needed cheering up a little after that, and because Bobby
Oakfield had switched the Blower back on again during my stint, I
added two of my own, “Down Our Street,” and “ If I
were a Goat.” It was the perfect opportunity for me then to
get “ Tom Waits For The Waterways” out of the wrapper, but
I bottled it again and finished with “ The Old Triangle.”
instead. Mainly because I could remember the words, having done it
only yesterday, across the County Line.
P.S..
He's Rob Oakey. I knew that all the time. I took a photo of him last night to remind me. Surrounded by his admirers. ( Blimey, he's going to get me, now!)
