A Spellbinding Weekend in Cornwall....

What a weekend!I have to say, touring the country with State of Undress, we've stayed in some amazing places and met some extraordinary people none more so than this weekend. We spent Easter weekend playing three gigs in Cornwall and staying 3 nights in the flat above the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle! What a place this is. A little white-washed old stone building right on the harbour side; a wooden stand outside where visiting witches can leave their broomsticks; a metal ring in the wall for tethering your 'familiar' whilst you have a brew; then in the flat, touches of magic and mysticism everywhere from the huge green cauldron in the corner of the sitting room to the pentangle soap holder in the bathroom. Having said all that, the vibe in the flat was friendly and welcoming and cosy as we all slept in one big room. Well, I say slept, I definitely heard some strange noises off in the early hours but there was no way I was going to investigate ...! But,if you're ever in Cornwall, the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle is definitely worth a visit. Fascinating, a little macabre at times, but so informative and everything beautifully presented, paying tribute to and offering insights into our ancient folkloric traditions. It also houses the largest collection of books, letters and other documents on witchcraft and folklore in the world. Thought we'd lost Malcolm in the library permanently. He was completely engrossed. I think he was looking for a spell to bring us fame and fortune! Still, enough of the Tourism promotion bit - and no, I'm not on commission! - and back to music! We had one half-decent gig, one completely rubbish gig, and one mega-fantastic gig! The best thing about our gig on Friday was a surprise visit from two of our favourite Undressers. Couldn't believe it when I walked out of the flat and there, standing on the quayside, were Tony and Angela! I thought they must have been magicked there!Well, what could we do but have a glass of wine to celebrate? They joined us at the gig later and even though we had a very small but select audience we had a fun time, met some more great people including Jack and Faye who run a beautiful little B & B just along the harbour from the museum and who really loved our music. Tony and Angela came back to the flat for yet more wine after the gig and joined us for breakfast the following morning - was lovely just to spend some time with them and the rest of the band in such incredible surroundings. We'll pass over the Saturday night gig other than to say we really thought we'd gone through the stage of gigging in venues where they don't have the courtesy to switch off the multiple screens whilst the band is playing! Best thing about Saturday night was my friend Katie arriving bearing gifts of chocolate for all the band! Just what we needed! And so, on to Sunday and the beautiful sea-side town of Looe with its sparkling harbour and narrow, winding streets. We had a good feeling the moment we walked into the pub - The Ship Inn. Just a great atmosphere. The bar manager said they'd had lots of interest in the gig and people had been popping in and phoning about it over the past few days which was really encouraging. And sure enough, the place was packed! We played one of our best gigs ever and just brought the place down. The audience was brilliant. So warm and responsive. We had a group of little children who danced and twirled their skirts; another guy said his aged grandmother was almost jigging - the liveliest he'd seen her in years. I always said we had broad appeal! The organisers of the Looe Festival were there and booked us on the spot; oh, and just loads of lovely comments and hugs and kisses all round. Wonderful. Wonderful. The sort of gig that makes this whole mad music thing worthwhile!Perhaps Malcolm did find a spell...?
Here's wishing magic and music to all.

Charlie
State of Undress
www.stateofundress.com