What a Great Weekend!

Hi everyone. Just had to tell you what a great gigging weekend we've had! We played Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Friday we were at our local pub The Salisbury Arms - it was fine, nothing spectacular but fine all the same. Then Saturday evening found us winding our way through twisty Dorset lanes to the most amazing venue - The Square and Compass in Worth Matravers. I am ashamed to say that even though I've been living in Dorset for years and think of myself very much as a Dorset Lass I had never been to this remarkable place. And yet people - and musicians - travel from all over the country and in fact from Europe too - just to be there. Set on a high, windy spot a few hundred yards from the clifftop with breathtaking views over Dorset countryside to the sea, the garden is scattered with fossils and Purbeck stones to sit on. Enter the 'bar' - well, actually there isn't one - you get served through a hatch or doorway - not a sniff of plastic or reproduction refurbishment anywhere - just wood and stone hundreds of years old. We played in the 'big room' which is tiny - it's just slightly bigger than the small room! Our audience was fantastic - warm, responsive and listening. In the first half, where we play some of our more mellow thought-provoking numbers, they sat on the floor listening to every note and every word. By the second half, they were hanging through windows from out side and squashed in the doorway. By the time we hit Morning Glory with Keith completely inspired on African Drum we just took the roof off the place. Then with shaky eggs abounding, they were all dancing and jigging and singing along - all to our own stuff. As one person said, it was great to watch people 'just melt into our music'.What a fabulous night! How could we follow that? we thought as we drove along yet more windy roads on Sunday lunchtime to play in the garden of Ye Olde Two Brewers at the base of the famous Gold Hill (of Hovis ad renown) - another beautiful Dorset pub with stunning views across rolling fields and with some friendly Al Pacas at the bottom of the garden! As you all know, the forecast was rotten - predicting rain and gales and there was no doubt there were some rather dark glowering clouds hanging over the area. But it was a beer and music festival with all the real ales and local ciders set out in their casks under a marquee. So we crossed our fingers, took a chance and set up on the decking in the garden. And the sun came out, really warm and strong and locals and visitors started to drift in and we played, and played, and played some more! And lots of little children came up on to the decking and played bells and eggs and followed me round the tent singing and dancing and I swear I felt like the Pied Piper of Hamelin! How magical can a gig get? And the town crier who also plays bodhran in several traditional bands said that we as a band and our music were 'delicious' and that our own songs were so immediate you felt you knew them even though you knew you couldn't possibly do so. And we and all the audience had such a great time, we're going back for a repeat performance August Bank Holiday Sunday. I tell you, gigs don't get any better than that!

Charlie xx