Getting Steamed up at Market Bosworth

 The first time I visited what is now "The Battlefield Line," a delightful Heritage Railway in Leicestershire, it had just a few yards of track restored at a semi-derelict station in Shackerstone. We had a brief, jangling ride in an open 12 ton wagon, along a bay platform, tugged by a tiny tank engine. Our ice creams were covered in soot. Both our late Mums enjoyed visiting the line as it evolved. My kids grew up looking forward to our visits there.

 

  Ever since, I've been back regularly, watching it grow. Nowadays it runs passenger trains between Shackerstone and Shenton, with the lovely little town of Market Bosworth as a midway point. When Black Parrot Seaside reformed in 2006, it seemed a natural place to do a promotional photo shoot.

An unexpected by product of that day was a super piece of film featuring us spontaneously performing  Dave Goulder's evocative Railway song, "Requiem for Steam." It remains our most popular youtube clip.   Eddie Jones, our fiddle player at the time, worked as a volunteer driver and fireman. (Still does). Hence his mucky dungarees in the picture above, taken on the signal box steps

 

    So I deemed it an honour to be invited to warm up the afternoon crowds at Market Bosworth Rail Ale Festival yesterday. Indeed, we all did.  My second love after steam engines (well since adulthood!) has been Real Ale. I knew CAMRA were putting the beer list together-and I was not disappointed. Steam, beer, good music, what's not to adore? The cavernous interior of the restored Goods Shed at Market Bosworth Station complex instantly became one of my favourite settings. We've played in Marquees and in the Open Air. We've played pubs, clubs, theatres, universities and colleges, festivals, Village Halls and School halls. But never in an ex-LMS brick building, with the sights, sounds (and smells)  of  steam engines just  beyond the doorway. Awesome.

 

  We'd put together a little music package for the Organisers. As an opener, the percussive guitar playing of Dave Parr provided the ideal background for Cyder Annie's distinctive vocals. Their rendition of "Copperhead Road " was particularly fiery. Our good friends Carole Palmer and Maria Barham took to the stage next and provided an absorbing hour of acoustic music. They did two of my requests-Dougie McClean's "Caledonia" and their own song," Lost and Found."  And I finally got to meet Oscar, as he wagged his tail in time to the set.

       Having sampled the Jaipur and Salopian Oracle, it was time for The Parrot to get back on their perch. We ran through an hour's worth of songs old and new-(complete set list to follow). By this time a large-ish audience was well warmed up, well fed and generally enjoying the day.  Our ex-fiddle player Eddie Jones joined us on stage for "The Whistler, "The Railway  Magazine"  "Black Velvet Band" and a few other songs. And we all stayed dry!    We made lots of new friends and renewed acquaintances with some old ones.

 

   Thanks to our fellow artistes, and to Dave and Danny Parr for doing the sound. And also  to Doctor Busker, for having put up a huge banner behind us saying "I love The Seaside". It made us feel really at home. All our whistles, tooters and blowers were snaffled by the audience, and to see hands in the air clapping in rhythm to the acapella  part of Vacuum Cleaner at the end-emotional, as Vinnie Jones once said.

Happy 10th Tump Day

Thursday 18th July saw The Tump Folk Club in Coventry hosting its 10th Birthday party. The club was originally based in Brinklow (where "The Tump"  is now all that remains of an ancient Motte and Bailey Castle. Later it moved to Coombe Social Club on the outskirts of Coventry, and currently, it resides at The Humber Hotel-also in Coventry. Karen Orgill is the driving force behind it, ably assisted by Rob Oakey, who strums a few tunes each week and comperes the evenings there in a 100% unique way.

I joined other celebrants  last night to commemorate this auspicious occasion. The Tump has been good to Black Parrot Seaside since we got back together in 2006. We've played all their venues several times, and have also put in a good few floor spots.

Last night my contribution was to sing solo, two BPS songs. I sang our most recent composition-" What a Folking Liberty", and one of our  oldest songs, "On Bedd'orth Bank," which dates back to our own days in Brinklow, where we hosted the Bulls Head Folk Club, (The Tump's Grandad?)  in the 1970's.  A packed show included songs from Dave Fry, Pete Willow, Justin Archer (and Claire)  Chris Tobin, Ian Bland, Rob Oakey, Sue Phipps, Gerry Bailey and Nigel Ward, Terry and Jan ,Cheryl, and various collaborations of the same.

   Justin kindly provided and drove  the P.A. and some twinkly lights. A buffet was laid on and we all sang "Happy Birthday Dear Tump." Not a dry eye remained.  Here's to the next 10.

Come and Get Steamy with us at Bosworth!

Market Bosworth Rail Ale Festival is this month. A three day festival of Love, Peace, Real Ale, Good Music and Heritage Railways. We've had a hand in planning the Saturday afternoon, as our ex-fiddle player Eddie Jones, drives engines for The Battlefield Line. He's on the right in this picture.

On Saturday 27th July we're hosting a few hours of folk music in The Goods Shed, Market Bosworth Station.  Black Parrot Seaside will be doing two sets. We've also invited along Dave Parr, Cyder Annie, and our good friends Carole Palmer and Maria Barham.  Entry to the Festival is £3. The bar in the Goods Shed opens at 11am and we reckon we'll  start about 3pm.

We've done Beer Festivals before-so we're bringing our own P.A. along!

Folk Apartheid?

At this time of year, those artistes talented enough (and privileged enough) to be invited to perform at certain Summer Folk Festivals begin to get rather excitable.  They seem to find some kind of perverse pleasure in crowing about how many Festivals they are invited to. And about how popular they are: about the pressures of endless public performance and about always being in constant  demand.  Which is all rather lovely for them, but is a little insensitive for the rest of us being kept permanently at arms length from such jollification.

Warwick Folk Festival, for example, starts next week. It promotes itself modestly as " A Folk festival of the very best in traditional and contemporary folk." Having viewed this year's  Guest List, I couldn't possibly comment. It is noticeable however, that only a few "locals" are involved each year. The rest of us  are annually excluded.

        Black Parrot Seaside won't be appearing at Warwick Folk Festival next week. It's been going for 34 years now, and it's a measure of interest in it that their Facebook page currently has 796 members. We weren't there last year, or in any of the years since we last reformed in 2006. We weren't there between 1978 and 1982 during which time we recorded our first album, ran Brinklow Folk Club and played support to bands like East of Eden, The Darts, Cosmotheka and Mad Jocks and Englishmen. In fact, we haven't appeared in any of the  Warwick Folk Festivals so far. We will be appearing (once again) at Bedworth Folk Festival this November. Also in Warwickshire. Also a three day event ,spread over several venues..

 

   We're not boycotting Warwick-far from it. We've just never been invited. It seems the odds are stacked against us ever doing it. However thick-skinned we may be, we've got the message.  Our contacts previously have been ignored and  we know  now, not to trouble the organisers annually by pestering them. We won't be appearing at any Warwick (or Alcester) Folk Festivals in the foreseeable future. Or apparently until Hell Freezes Over, as the Eagles once put it. If invited-we'd be delighted to accept. But we never are. We haven't a clue why, so if you need answers, you'll need to ask the organisers.

We can only hypothesise-conjecture is all we have, in an information vacuum. Maybe it is  one (or several)  of the following reasons:

1. not good enough. 
2. Not local enough
3. Not popular enough
4. Not experienced enough
5.  Not  talented enough
6. Unsuitable material
7.  Too old.

   1. Well, taste is an individual thing, and so we have to accept that selection committees and Festival organisers have the right to exercise their own judgement on grounds  1 and 5.  Some presumably can't stand us. Not a view shared by the majority of our audiences.
 

    2.  Would be nonsense. All three of us were born and educated in Warwickshire. (I can trace my roots there back to 1650!). We all still live there-we have done so virtually all our lives. We feel we have an affinity with the place. This is reflected in our own songs, such as "On Bedworth Bank" " Coventry Lullaby" and " The Wag of Shop 14."  But what WFF definitely isn't, (even though it's one of several Warwickshire-based festivals), is any kind of  showcase for the considerable local talent regularly to be viewed performing within a 20 mile radius of the area.  We know this, because we mix with many of them regularly. We play alongside them, and we watch and enjoy their acts. Only a few we know will  be at Warwick.

 

3. We always get a good round of applause. We get asked back to  venues.  We get to do encores. People bought our first and second albums. We've been on local radio, on foreign radio and on BBC Radio One. John Peel liked us. He said so,when playing our single on his programmes.  New Musical Express liked us. We can't complain about Press coverage and reviews of our last album. All very positive.

 

4. Just plain Stupid. 35 years with the same basic format. Two albums. Radio interviews and Airplay of our songs.  Folk Clubs, (OTHER) Folk Festivals, Pubs, Theatres, Universities, Colleges, Beer Festivals, Open Air Gigs, Charity Balls, Working Mens Clubs, Galas,Carnivals, Miner's Welfares, CND Benefits,Charity Concerts,  the Club Circuit and Arts Festivals? Come on! 

 

6.  We do Blues, Traditional Folk, Contemporary Folk and some Comedy. Around 40% of our current set list is self-penned. Our instrumentation includes acoustic,steel and electric guitars, banjo, mandolin, mandola, harmonica  and accordion. We also do some close harmony singing and some acapella. (That's actually quite versatile, isn't it? )

 

7. Besides being illegal to discriminate against people on the grounds of age-we are not the oldest band on the circuit. Though we've been together longer than many. (We suspect that this is what really grinds a few gears!).

 

  

 

 

Paco Bell's Cannon

    Albeit belatedly, a mention of the monthly gathering of Sly Old Dogs and friends last Sunday. Even though it's four days ago now, I like to record these events because they are different. And yet...they contain some similarities. A comforting combination of new and old.

    It had been an exciting day for me. Walked to and from Bramcote, bathed in warm sunshine,  for the excellent Barracks Open Day there. Traction Engines, Gurkha Costumes, every kind of food you can imagine available from Nepalese to a Hog Roast: a Dakota fly-past: a Tunnel Brewery Beer Tent-what more could one want? Well, as a Nuneaton Boro' season ticket holder--to win a replica shirt on their Tombola stall. Did that, too. Unfortunately it was XXXS-would just about fit a large teddy bear. Oh well. Most excitingly of all (we're easily pleased-we don't get out much) we had a helicopter flight over our village.

  How can you build on such a cracking day? How can you keep that kind of adrenalin buzz going? Well by nipping four miles  over the Wolds, from Wolvey to Monks Kirby and joining Sly Old Dogs and friends for their monthly bash in The Bell.

  Slightly more "friends" there than usual-with a bigger audience than last month, too. The SODs-Pete Willow, Richard Rider ,Paul Kenny and Bob Brooker were in good form. Amongst the friends assembled were Colin Squire, Martin Bushnell, Tony Super, "Banjo Dave" Evans, Sue Sanders, myself, Jaqui Lockwood, Lesley Tragear, Liz Rider-Grant and Mine host Landlord Paco, once again guesting on Spoons.

  As always- an eclectic mix of material from the gathered company. Traditional, Celtic, Instrumental. World music, contemporary, moody, jolly:unrequited love: awful tragedies at sea. Pathos, humour, local colour, allegory, parody and protest. Well that's Bob's contribution covered. On to the rest.

   Actually, Bob did seem uncharacteristically pensive. His first number was one of the 8,000 or so featured on his CD's-and it was a request. (I can corroborate this-I saw the transaction!). It was the atmospheric "Bridlington Quays." This featured a haunting whistle solo. Bob manfully played on, as something to his left appeared to topple noisily over during the quietest bit. Later on, we had another whistling incident, when a similarly poignant solo briefly went awol. Richard appeared to have something trapped in his. (oo-er missus!).  I reckon he'd got a peanut stuck in it.

   Bob shared with the audience his puzzlement over the "funny ads" appearing and scrolling on the right hand side of his Facebook Page. Well Bob, these are usually triggered by other sites which you have previously visited. Google et al snoop on us all and then pluck out of the cyber ether, (and post on your timeline), similar themes they feel might be of um, interest. Their logic is, well..odd at times. I haven't yet shared with Bob that I am an RSPB member and a Rail Enthusiast. (I'd never get home).  Perhaps he'd been looking at tits earlier on? Anyway, it was dating sites that were bothering him, and he was sick of it, he told us.

   Sue Sanders continues to bloom, with some lovely fiddle-playing.  She played a couple of solo instrumentals, and generally helped adding to the overall body of sound. With Martin Bushnell tickling the rosin right across the other side of the room, we had the luxury of two fiddles and two banjos (n stereo) at times.

  Pete trialled a new song with a rousing chorus about being bloody fed up. (I'm paraphrasing here). Combined with Pete's percussive guitar playing, it certainly got the message across. Then we were treated to not one, but  three different female singers.  Jacqui trialled a new guitar which looked like an Ovation, but I couldn't see the name. She has a strident but tuneful voice, and an amazing laugh. I would pay her to sit in a Black Parrot Seaside audience with a laugh like that. The ladies' women chicks  damsels girls (they might like that one?) treated us to several songs including Dylan's Baby Blue. Complete with that fabulous line containing the simile "Crying like a fire in the sun". What an image.  For me, the pick of their combined performances  was "Crazy Man Michael." A Fairport tune, and one of my favourite tracks from one of my favourite bands on possibly their best album. A brave and true attempt at a much loved Sandy Denny song. Ah...the memories.  

    Other gems continued. The whole room singing (and barking!) along with Paul's unique version of The Irish Rover. A typically frenetic medley including "I'll Tell  me Ma," with key changes coming so thick and fast, to make a musician's fingers ache. Colin Squire kept them on their toes further by announcing a few songs in what must have been fairly challenging keys. "F!" he shouted. " But it's Sunday Night!" One of the original Sly Old Dogs exclaimed,  plaintively. Just kidding. They could get a pure note out of a dinner plate on a stick. Tony Super warbled a couple- "Lizzie Lindsay" holding a significance for me he could not possibly know.

   Me? Oh, I went blatantly for safety. "Lakes of Ponchartrain," to start with. "Black Velvet Band," to follow. And a Black Parrot Seaside song to finish. Bob had earlier sung another sad song-"Beddorth Gold." This reflects on the mining and industrial heritage of this fine old town, and laments its struggles to replace old industries with new. (There's quite a few songs about Beduff!"

 

     It seemed apt then, to lighten the sadness of Bob's song with the extended mix of "On Bed'orth Bank." It's not strictly just about Bedworth-it maligns other Warwickshire towns as well! Here was another reason why I like going to The Bell. Singing unaccompanied, "Bed'orth"  is difficult. There is a musical bridge between verse and chorus. If I'm appearing solo I'll get a good singing audience to bridge it with me, using diddley diddly dum tablature. To my delight, as I was explaining this to them, Sue (a Beduff Folk Club regular) sitting behind me, picked out the "bridge" perfectly on her fiddle. So I had the enjoyable performance of  the audience laughing at all the jokes, whilst singing the chorus expertly, and the whole musical company fiddling, strumming and plucking away melodiously behind me. If we ever re-record it- we'll do a "live " version at Monks Kirby!

 

   Wow! What a day! I hurried home to catch the Final of The Conferations Cup. Brazil v. Spain at The Maracana. I managed up until the last ten minues, by which time Brazil's Total football had put them into an unassailable lead 3-0 against the hitherto unbeaten Spaniards. At this point however, the long walk, the helicopter, the singing, the adrenalin-all fused into  wavy line. When I woke up-the game was over. But only in a football sense.

Received Wisdom?

A postscript first today, to last Thursday's gig at The Tump. Afterwards, I was chatting to that well respected and charming guitarist Terry Wisdom. Who alas, had been without his companion Jan that evening. He'd still managed to do two lovely songs borrowing one of our guitars. Terry's been around on the Folk Scene even longer than us. For that longevity and especially for the standard of performance he still keeps up, he deserves respect.

   He looked at me rather suspiciously however, as I stammered rather nervously, " I've got a poster with your name on it on my toilet wall." It was potentially an Alan Partridge moment. (You know-that moment when Sir Alan accepts an invitation to his (only?) fan's house only  to find that he has been entrapped by a stalker who has converted one room of his bungalow to a Partridge Shrine).

   I sensed I was digging a hole here, but continued, gamely. Terry seemed particularly keen to deny it. In that polite but assertive voice, Terry eyeballed me and patiently insisted            

"  No, you are wrong. I was never there."

 

    I explained that it was a poster promoting "BRINKLOW 06." This was the event where Dave Sampson successfully re-united Black Parrot Seaside for a "one-off" charridee fund-raising event. After our (amicable) rest period, away from public performance for over nearly 30 years.  Totally appropriately, the poster marking such a momentous event had us Headlining, with several far more worthy acts (seriously!) featured beneath.
     " No," repeated Terry emphatically and conclusively. "That was not me."  I nodded, and politely agreed. I expect he still checked the locks when he got home?

   Far be it from me to contradict an icon. But in this case, Terry  is mistaken. The poster  was to promote a three day Folk festival in September 2006. And here it is:

   Trying to explain myself a little further, it is actually on the wall in a downstairs cloakroom where this memento is framed and hung. Other BPS posters, promo photos and press cuttings adorn the walls. It has a bookshelf, a wash basin, a carpet and some tasteful potted plants. A restful and ideal spot for some light reading and contemplation. It does admittedly also contain a toilet.  Given our brand of humour, it seems an appropriate location for BPS memorabilia somehow.
 

    It's an interesting artefact, isn't it? A fascinating list, with some sweet memories of people we have since lost, and some still performing. (As we are,too-though not in the format now that we played in on that Saturday). Here's some further proof. Recognise those beermats? That upholstery?

   In fairness, I remember a lot of those acts,but  Terry and Janet may have been on the original poster, and  then were unable to play?  Jane Llyod did not appear but that's a typing error? Jane Lloyd probably did. I remember Mick Stuart's set-who wouldn't?

   Anyway if anyone seeing this has access to Terry-show him the blog and tell him he owes me a pint. if he doesn't pay up, I'll be waiting in his back garden behind that privet bush.

"Nuts in June-" It's"Bedworth Night" at The Tump Folk Club

     Billed as "Nuts in May", along with Bill Bates, at Bedworth Folk Club last month, this title  seemed an  appropriate continuation. As Glastonbury STILL hadn't been in touch, we decided that last night we would ply our trade instead at The Tump Folk Club. Based in Coventry's Humber Road. Anyway, it was drier in there. Although like a "home" fixture, We enjoyed a slightly less whacky night than in May, with a mix of funny, wistful and downright poignant material on offer. Performed by a veritable tapestry of talented artistes. Even WE did one or two straight songs!  I thought I would set the tone for the evening beforehand by making a complete idiot of myself with a Chaplinesque display of assembling the music stand which is still on permanent loan from Eddie, our erstwhile Fiddle player. Classic stuff. Brian Phillips was filming part of the evening. Hope to God he missed that.

     It had been a torrid week for me, out of sorts  and bedridden Sunday and Monday. So I was just chuffed to be there. Mine Host Rob Oakey compered the evening, which would  feature three acts regularly on at Bedworth. Now: let me give you a typical Rob joke. " Which "Mine" am I actually host of, then? Keresley? Or Binley? " delivered deadpan, yet with a faint gleam of mischief behind those enigmatic spectacles. Rob was in classic self-disparaging mood. I lost count of all the adjectives he used to put himself down-but how can a man who builds his own guitars be as useless as Rob claims to be?   And he has more hair than I do, unless that ponytail's a hairpiece. So there are at least two positives, Rob. Just don't stand  too close to a magnet with all those inlays on the fret. He began talking about Irish ancestry, at which Karen did the pun of the evening by shouting " He's one of the O'Kee's." (say it aloud rather than reading it).

    After Rob had warmed our hearts with a tuneful intro,the cat made the first of many  attempts to come in. Then, it was uplifting to see and hear Brian and Marie Phillips back on form again.They did several of my favourites,with Marie's strong vocals and Brian's excellent picking complimenting each other. "Fairytale Lullaby", a John Martyn song off his first album. (The best album in my view).  That spirited, defiant Fleetwood Mac song "Never Going Back Again". Close your eyes and Lynsey Buckingham was plucking away in The Humber Hotel. We had a running joke all night with B. & M. over "Lakes of Ponchartrain," a song we now both do. Somehow  we mutually managed to leave it off the agenda. They also did "Lonesome Valley"-another favourite of mine.

 

       Then it was time for us to do our first slot. As our politicians continue to "not get it," we opened with "The Gravy Train." As long as they keep fiddling expenses and getting caught with jam on their chins, this song will remain topical. We felt the need to include at least one sad song  too and as Ponch was barred,  a (Nic Jones-inspired) version of  "Courting is a Pleasure" followed. We then lightened things up a little with "The Odeon," in which, I have to say the audience chorus singing was outstanding.

 

    Light and shade continued as we then rolled out the Dave Goulder song "Requiem for Steam," which features on our (and his) albums. Was that a WD 2-8-O getting a train of 12 ton mineral wagons loaded with swarf from the Rootes Factory moving up the grade towards Bell Green? Easing the clanking wagons along the Coventry avoiding line of the old LMS region and towards Nuneaton? Past the Gosford Green Goods Depot, which was once just up the end of the street? No. But the cat did come in successfully this time. Perhaps it was drawn by my flawless harmonica playing. Fantastic. I got the right key harp, AND the right three notes to simulate a locomotive  whistle at the end. Jon Harrington watch out. I own you.

    

    We finished our first set with a ribald version of "What a Folking Liberty," a song fast becoming an anthemic BPS standard.  Sitting opposite Gil Gilsenan wasn't a great idea at this point, as (not for the first time) Gil sang a wrong line in the chorus. Deliberately, I reckon. And whilst grinning straight at me. It's not an easy song to sing at the best of times, in a true "Pheasant Plucker" tradition. So  substituting the words  "folk  you " with, "folk me once and folk me  twice and folk me once again," was just downright naughty. At one point I was laughing so much I almost sang a mispronunciation which would have cost the pub its licence.

 

     The cat was escorted out again at this point, (paws over its ears) and Malc and Gil (the third of the Beduff regulars) finished the first half. Rob introduced them as "The Godfathers of Folk", which was so good, I just had to write it down. With a borrowed pen. (Thanks, Karen). I will do what I can to make sure that sticks, locally. Malc n' Gil were obviously feelin' kinda mellow. They did their less noisy version of "Blackleg Miner." They did a Sydney Carter and a Kate Wolf song. And finished with an Eric Bogle one.  I found at this point, that I knew most of the words to all their songs and that I had been harmonising along with them quite uncannily. Be interesting to try that out one day. I suggested as much to Malc during the  interval. But he gave me what I can only describe as a very old-fashioned look. By this time my antibiotics were beginning to kick in, and I may have said to him, "The cat is wearing a pair of gaberdine trousers."

 

     Post-Raffle and wee-break, the second half began with Ian Bland, over from Oz. The sad theme continued with an opening  song called "Hour before Dawn." Exiled temporarily from Melbourne, Ian couldn't stay quiet about beer for long, though. He did an excellent cover of a Slim Dusty original- " A Pub with no Beer." In which a bunch of drongos in a flyblown Outback booser lament the drying up of their staple diet.  Tables turned here, as Ian sang "Beer with no Pub" lamenting many of the Coventry boosers lost over the last few decades. He still has family here so it was a very thorough list. I found I'd visited every one he mentioned. And that as a band, we'd played in The Cheylesmore, The Bear, (and "Vacuum Cleaner" was on the jukebox in there!), The Climax, The Alhambra, The Cedars, The Barras Hotel, and  The Mercers. To name but a few. 

    

     Terry Wisdom then followed, shaking his head and saying "This is the only club I've ever heard where most of the banter is from performers heckling each other. Usually it's audience members heckling the performers!"  Shouts of "Come to Beduff!" were thrown back instantly at him. Terry performed with his usual flair, borrowing Arnold's Martin. " Nice machine," mused Terry, before stroking magic from it. "See Arnold! " I said," I told you it wasn't broken."    Terry and Ian were the only floor spots, despite there being a few more decent singers present. Phil Benson, Sue Phipps and John The Growly Man-for example. 

 

    Back came Brian and Marie for a second slot. The cat likes them. It went after they'd finished. So it missed us doing the long version of "On Bedworth Bank," which seemed rather apt given the way the event had been publicised. By this time I'd ventured the first pint I'd had since Nuneaton Beer Festival last Friday. It was Shepherd Neame Spitfire-and very well kept. But it went straight to my head. Later I told Terry Wisdom that I had a poster in my toilet, with his name on. I got another very old fashioned look and a shake of the head. (one of those looks from Terry could fell a charging Ox). However-in a separate post-I will prove that I wasn't making the whole thing up.

 

   Malc and Gil wrapped things up, in typically professional fashion. Lovely songs, beautifully sung, in perfect Harmony. (And can we have another gig at The Black Bank?) The Spitfire was raging through my troubled bladder, and it was a challenging trip home through the humid mists and unlit villages of Warwickshire. Well done to Rob and Karen for the work they do at The Tump. And well done to the Humber Crew for keeping such a decent pint.