When Phineas Fogg set off to get around the world in eighty days, he left from the Reform Club on Pall Mall in the heart of London’s club land.
And this is where we played a gig last night.
It is a very grand building that reeks of history, and the many distinguished people who have passed through its doors.
As it’s so grand, we had to dress up. The pre-gig refreshments was also a cut above what we sometimes get.
And this is what we played in one long set:
|
|
We had a great time playing the New Cross Inn earlier this month.
Thanks to Studio Brixton we now have video of almost the whole set.
The whole gig was live-streamed using a number of cameras, but unfortunately there were some technical issues with the stream, which meant that our part of the gig often went dark.
But video and sound from one of the cameras was saved – and here it is in three parts.
[Youtube_Channel_Gallery feed=”playlist” key=”AIzaSyAAR4lFQolLD5edCllyqjWlBVRWb25WqEw” user=”PLLbEFC3cwPjaWxaPxRSSttJAEsKF85M0f” feedorder=”asc” videowidth=”300″ ratio=”16×9″ theme=”light” color=”white” quality=”default” autoplay=”0″ rel=”1″ showinfo=”1″ thumbwidth=”90″ thumbratio=”16×9″ thumbcolumns=”2″ maxitems=”20″ title=”1″ description=”0″ thumbnail_alignment=”left” descriptionwordsnumber=”10″ link_window=”0″]
A great time was had by all at the New Cross Inn ska night yesterday. It’s fair to say that we were the closest to ska’s roots, but each band had an interesting take.
The gig was livestreamed on YouTube – and we hope to have a copy of the video so we can share the best bits.
As Leah had a family funeral, we were lucky to get Mari to join us on tenor sax for the evening. Despite the short notice, no-one would have known that this was the first time she was playing with us.
This is what we played:
We had a great time playing a sixtieth birthday party in Southgate last night.
It was a bit special as the party was celebrating the birthday of Chris’s mum – so we put him centre stage.
We got to play a full two sets, and as a special request, we slotted in some Stevie Wonder tunes – only one of which has any relation to the ska, rocksteady and early reggae that we play, so we made Chris play the tricky bits.
We don’t have any photos, but this is what we played.
|
|
A year ago we were asked to play at the opening of a country pub near Andover.
We were delighted to asked back to play at their first birthday party.
This nearly turned into the gig from hell as the car carrying Veronica, Frank, Nigel and the PA system got stuck in in terrible traffic despite having left what should have been more than enough time to get there well in advance.
Even on the last ten miles they got stuck behind a tractor for most of the way. This does not happen on the way to gigs in Camden.
We were due to start playing at 8pm. The rest of the band were therefore more than relieved when the PA turned up at 7:20.
With a little bit of luck, a lot of organisation and a 3 minute sound check we were still able to play our first song by a few minutes past 8. It was good that we were playing in a marquee as they help prevent feedback.
And once we were playing everyone relaxed into a great party atmosphere and we played two hour long sets to much appreciation. Everyone seemed more chilled about our late arrival than we were – as we pride ourselves on a professional approach. But you can’t plan for that many accidents on the M25 and M4.
This is what we played.
|
|
We were delighted to play for Roger’s 60th on Saturday in Greenwich.
This is what we played:
|
|
This was the first time we’ve played Egyptian Reggae for many years (and in a new arrangement).
We were also happy to do Midnight Hour (not as ska or reggae) so that Roger could join us on the vocals, as he used to be in a band with members of the Skams.
And here are some pictures from the soundcheck.
We are playing The Crystal Palace Overground festival for the Vintage Up at the Palace day on June 29th.
We are on stage at 3pm. And it’s free.
It’s at Crystal Palace Park Gardens beside the bus station.
We played a private party gig on Saturday – in fact a significant birthday for our bass player Nigel.
We managed to video and record the gig, so after we have had the chance to do some mixing and editing, we should have some reasonably good quality live video of the band.
This is what we played.
The Earl Haig is an old British Legion social club in Crouch End now converted into a pub and social centre for the area.
We like it because it has a good stage, and great sound.
We played two sets last night, with special guest Jackie Grant making her debut on tenor sax.
It was too dark – and a bit too much of a rush – to take more than a few snaps.
But this is what we played:
Thanks to Elliot for being a great sound engineer.
Our next public gig is next Thursday when we return to the Earl Haig Hall Elder Avenue, London N8 9TH.
We had a great time when we played there before. There’s a good stage and a great sound system, and a lovely relaxed vibe to the place.
We will be playing two full sets – and it’s free to get in.
And if you want to invite your friends, here is the Facebook event.
