Plenty to catch up on after a run of 4 gigs in the last 4 days. This started on Thursday (2nd) with the band at Zephyr Bar in Huddersfield, scene of the PJ Band's first ever gig!

Always a favourite venue, it was a pity the bar (and indeed the whole area in general) was quiet that night. Perhaps it's due to the exodus of students, or because it was a hot day(and a hot night). Perhaps everyone had heard we were playing and decided to stay out of the area!
All the bars on King Street were quiet, and you could tell this by the lesser than usual number of people wandering up and down the road. Whichever way, I thought the band played really well and were well-received. 15 minutes after we finished playing....the bar got quite busy, at just after midnight! Was this coincidence, or just bad luck-perhaps they were all waiting until we finished playing!

Next up was a new venue in Drighlington, the Malt Shovel. I think the band nights are a fairly recent thing there but it seems to be working for them as we had a good, enthusiastic crowd. As I've said before I'm always a bit nervous about a new venue, stepping into the unknown, but this one came up trumps and we're looking forward to returning in October.

Saturday was another new one, the Lockwood&Salford Conservative Club. The last time I played in a conservative club was in 2005 and it very nearly put me off gigging for good! I'm tempted to wind up the people I know will be reading this and say it was rubbish, but that would be a lie: We had a very good night indeed!

Again, not quite knowing what to expect can lead to a more exciting gig. This one went down very well and it was great to see so many people into what we were doing, just dancing, clapping, it all makes such a difference. By the end of the night the place was really buzzing and I think this is currently tieing with the Fenton for the best gig of 2009 so far.

Sunday afternoon rounded things off with my solo slot at the Abbey Inn Festival. The most notable change this year was the addition of a fantastic tent to host the event, not only covering the acts but also the entire audience!

I was the opening act for the Sunday, and it was pretty hot come midday. The crowd was still beginning to arrive but I really enjoyed the set. I got to give 'Brian Wilson' another go, as well as 'Learning To Fly' and several of my own songs. It seems the Abbey festival gets better each year and it's great to see live music supported. I'm told there are many non-regulars who visit the event and this can only be a good thing. I hope some of them come back to support the regular music nights in the area.

This week we have just the 2 PJ Band gigs, with the Puzzle Hall: another cult classic in Sowerby Bridge, on Friday then The Bridge, Huddersfield, on Sunday afternoon.

NEW ALBUM

Now I know even more people are reading the blog, I thought I should mention again that my new album is coming soon! If you would like to receive further news, updates and ramblings, please drop me an email at paul@pauljeffery.com to be added to the mailing list.