After the inspiration of Tp& HB at the Superbowl, my next gig was on Wednesday Feb 6th at the not quite so inspirational Shepherds Rest in Sowerby Bridge. That's not to knock the place though, it's a lovely pub, turned round from a rumoured hell-hole just a few years ago. Being a Wednesday, it was on the quiet side, but the sets went fairly well, and there wasn't a scrote in sight!

On the Saturday (9th) I was out and about scouting for gigs (could be a good bandname) (plus I have more luck scouting for gigs than scouting for girls).....I visited 3 in the Huddersfield area, one that the band will be doing in the future, and a couple of fairly old haunts. The latter, which I will mention, was the Bay Horse at Lindley. I was staggered at how busy this pub was, and they had a band on! Who says all pubs are struggling and that live music isn't very alive?? If only half this number turn out for our gig, it'll still be a great night. Fingers crossed for May 10th, for that is when we shall be there.

After a fairly succesful receeing session the following day was band day at the Bridge Tavern in Bradford. This is yet another old pub revisited and I'm pleased to say it hasn't altered at all since 2005, and was just as welcoming to my new band. We had a pretty good night, so I'm looking forward to going back there in June. Indeed, there was a champagne moment when we veered into a bit of Bob Marley halfway through 'So Lonely', a West Indian man suddenly rose from his seat near the back and began to dance! It was quire funny to see!

Wednesday the 13th was my 3rd visit to the Wardrobe. I'm always happy to play there, and even though it wasn't too busy, the songs did get across to the audience enough to convince me they were listening!

The following night was Valentines Day, which is fast becoming the biggest commercial rip-off since Christmas. And every pub seems desperate for your trade. Indirectly because of this, my gig at The Primrose was cancelled, pressure to take girlfriends out had forced bands to cancel. I of course don't have this pressure, which probably explains why I don't really like the day anyway!
So instead I ventured into my birthtown of Wyke, Bradford to go to The Crown open mic. This is a pub I played at once in 2002, and it's changed a great deal since then in its layout. They're making noises about becoming a bands pub and to be fair there is a small stage and some enthusiasm for this. I played 3 of my own songs. The PA is brilliant for open mic, plenty of power...they just need a few more musicians to give it a go. Having said that, the regular crowd didn't seem to know much about what was happening, so there's still a little way to go.

A similar description could sum up the band's gig at The Bridge on Sunday 17th Afternoon. It wasn't overly busy to be fair, but a biker's pub is a biker's pub. It was a reasonably good response, but I got the feeling we weren't really heavy enough for them. It's still to be confirmed if we'll be back there but I'm growing a beard just in case.

The Band played also on Tuesday 19th at The Junction at Queensbury. Here we hit some diabolical weather, (a common feature in Queensbury) which really killed the night off. It was thick with fog, so I think everyone must have figured they'd have trouble finding the place. We played the set therefore to a handful of hardy souls, and that was that. No problems from the staff though, we'll be back in June when the weather must be better, even for Queensbury!

The weekend just passed brings me fully up to date. I played at the Railway 'will it sell or won't it' at Berry Brow on Saturday night. This could possibly be the last time depending on who takes over the place, as it's currently To Let. The band gigs have always been better than the solos there, but it wasn't a bad night. Some listened more than others but at least it wasn't a very long drive home.

On Sunday afternoon it was Fernandes Brewery Tap in Wakefield. Wow, what a great pub that I'd never even seen before! This was the 3rd and to date best of the Ossett Brewery pubs. The audience was more attentive and I was able to give a bit back. It went down very well. I have this theory developing that Wakefield and district audiences are more into live music than Huddersfield and Bradford. There seems to be more enthusiasm and interest in what musicians are doing, and more of a willingness to listen rather than be ignorant. In fact, most of the pubs I've played there remind me of more local venues 8 or 10 years ago. Could it be that Wakefield is going to save live music from an untimely death?? I hope so!!


Just a quick upadate on the studio/songs situation. 'Seven Shades Of Grey' is now fully available online at cdbaby. Also my new female singer project Paradise Street is progressing. This is a studio only project that will eventually result in an album and a me spending even more time on myspace!

Monday 28th Jan was the Priestley gig. There's something about this place that I like, there's a good vibe. I think the acts are always good quality and it's such a pity that the place is in administration and the gig itself seems to be constantly under threat. I played Shadow, Chains Around My Heart, Gods n Angels and These Eyes. I was chuffed to bits by Naomi filming the set, so hopefully there will be some film footage I can put on the myspace site.

Owing to the loss of O'Donoghues as a band venue, I had an extra night to play with. I decided to go to the Old Vic open mic at Bramley. I hadn't had chance to plan anything so took a late decision to throw in some covers I hadn't learnt fully! Norwegian Wood, Just Like A Woman, Listening to Levon and Hey Jude. I have to confess to not playing them all brilliantly, but it was good discipline to do them. The crowd there was the best its been so far, busy enough to generate an atmosphere. The local crowd is a bit 'clubland' and seem to treat the night a bit like a cabaret audition night-getting free entertainment for nowt. The highlight of the night was my 2nd encounter with Ian Wingate who played at the Priestley back in September. He has some great comedy songs, a potential genius in my view....so I asked him to support me at the New Inn on Sunday night!

I had a brief receeing night on Friday. During which I was offered a booking, saw a band set up to play to nobody, and saw an old long-standing venue long since boarded up. Again, all useful trips which go to show how commited I am to doing the right gigs.

The weekend was all about the solo covers+ a few originals set. On Saturday 2nd Feb I was at the Abbey Inn at Bramley. The first set didn't really draw people in, and the 2nd was a lot better. Encours followed as people finally got into the swing of things. I really like the venue and was pleased with some of my set.

The night after was the New Inn where Ian Wingate did the support slot. He proved me right by coming up with even more hilarious material from his repertoire. I'm told he's off to play some shows in the US soon-they'd better be ready-I think he's got a fantastic act. I played 2 shorter sets and with all my favourite people in the crowd I was able to perform more originals and look back on an excellent night.

After the drive home I hurridly switched on the TV for the Tom Petty superbowl performance. I was interested to see him looking slightly nervous in the first song, but thereafter looked totally cool as he usually does! The following day I got to see it again and it moved me so much, particularly in Freefallin. All week since I've been inspired by that show. It's moments like that that leave me inspired. I'd so love to be in something remotely like that position-it keeps my ambitions burning.

So until next week, it's goodbye from him....