My next original material-related gig was on Sunday December 2nd at the New Inn, Barwick. This time I had support from Matt 'Whiter Than' White and so I did one set straight through, just like the pros do LOL.
This has been one of my favourite venues all year, small but homely and a good listening audience.

The following Thursday was the final band gig of the year, and with big plans for 08 this was a fairly steady affair. The Plough at Warmfield is of course Ali's pub and he does more to make a band welcome than most other landlords put together. It's just a shame he can't get a few more people through the door. The night was ok for us though, and we bedded in some more well-rehearsed material (all true except the last bit) and can now look forward to 2008, when I attempt....one gig a week.

On Saturday I was out and about again. Paul came over in the daytime and we worked through some recordings for a new project. Yes, yet another new project. This time it's not my next album but an album of female-singer stuff. More to be unveiled in the near future. It's part of the masterplan to get all my tracks recorded, and there's a lot of them.
In the evening it was time to go out and look at some more local delights. I called in at 2 Bradford pubs to watch the bands. Both bands I saw were excellent, even if their surroundings weren't. The latter I'll say were really experienced players who deserve better. I chatted to their drummer who seemed to be in the same boat as me, looking for a gig wherever they can get one. It's a shame but at least made me realise I was doing the best I could.

By the following week I must admit to being a bit knackered. The weekend 14-16 Dec was hectic to say the least. The earliest night I got was 3AM on Friday (well, Saturday) and this wasn't self-inflicted as it sometimes is. Christmas can be a very hard time for musicians. On Saturday I drove to Boston, Lincs for a gig with Morris&The Minors, a 4AM finish to my night there. On Sunday, well this one was more my doing, going down to London to see Joe Cocker at the 02.

As you will probably know by now, Joe Cocker is one of my favourtie singers. And the thought of a tour with a 9-piece band was too much to miss. I couldn't do Sheffield because of the Boston gig, so London it had to be. The Spice Girls were on in the main arena, whilst music lovers could see Joe in the smaller Indigo Theatre.
I'm glad I made the effort. Great band, great voice. Again, truly an inspiration for me. I was too tired to appreciate it at the time, but it was a night I shall long remember. The journey back across London I hope to forget, a 4.30 finish this time.

My final gig of the year involving my material was on Sat Dec 22nd at the Old Vic in Bramley. This is the latest venue to spring up around that area and provides another night's work for musicians, which is good. I played a reasonable set, which was better received towards the end. It all bodes well for next year and with a few nights' decent sleep, I can't wait to get on with it. Merry Christmas.