Posted: 08 March 2010 at 6:05pm | IP Logged

Seagull, don't forget your hat ! 

Jenny, I prefer the laying to getting egg on my face !

But then again as it is coming up to Easter, I wonder if Rob will have any chocolate eggs in Cambridge !

I think you should be an Eggspert at the Cambridge show Jenny.

They are rather eggstraordinary !!

xx

Posted: 08 March 2010 at 9:42pm | IP Logged

He he!  Do hope to see you Zippy 

xx

Posted: 08 March 2010 at 11:38pm | IP Logged

My copy of Try this at Home's not yet there, but I'm not eggspecting such a delay as last time... There's quite a bit from previous years on Youtube to enjoy, so I could make up my own concert in a mean time.

Safe travelling, all. (I won't forget my hat, Zippy, 'cos I've had a haircut, and its blooming cold!)

Posted: 09 March 2010 at 7:24pm | IP Logged

Hi Jenny, I didn't get around to answering your question about the other acts at the Fair Trade Festival.

Fridays show - Those 2 fellas, whats their names...... oh yes, Rob & Gareth started off the evening, then a guy called Phil Beer came on (apparently one half of ' A Show of Hands', but I don't know them), he was very good, but I missed the first 3 songs he did as I had been upstairs recording Rob & Gareth, then downstairs during the break to sell the CD's, so needed a drink and decided to get a packet of cheese & onion crisps, bad move as Phil Beer came onto stage and I had to go out in the hall to eat the crisps !! Not to mention smelling of cheese & onion while people were talking to me!

Half way through his performance a lady called Miranda Sykes came on to sing with him and play her double bass, or as Gareth said a big guitar! She has a wonderful voice and the two of them together were great. Had to buy her CD.

After that the last act came on, 3 Daft Monkeys, 2 guys and a gal. Bass, guitar & fiddle. They had quite a few fans there as they were jumping around all over the place. Their music made you want to get up and jig about !

Sundays show - started off with Julie Hall, fantastic voice, and a very sweet lady. After Julie was a guy called Chris Wood. Now, do I need to be careful here.... Ok, I am going for it..... not my cup of tea, mainly because I don't think swearing on stage in front of a hall full of people (that were not teenagers) was very nice. Also chewing your finger nails while speaking into the mic and the spitting it out on the stage, was I think, a bit disgusting. But the audience obviously like him, well they paid to see him ! The final act were 3 people, can't remember their names, they sang typically folky stuff and the audience loved it.

Seagull, when are you coming over to England to see ATF or the Hooligan?!

If you ever do come over, I have 4 ATF shows from start to finish on DVD, also a solo Rob show, 2 Rob & Gareth shows, and by next weekend a Rob, Gareth & Banksy show. You are welcome to come over for an ATF viewing, already had an ATF viewing with an ATF fan (Richard), its good to watch the shows with other fans.

Jenny, you and John are welcome too if you want to come over.

Having ATF live show withdrawal symptoms at the mo. 

Bye for now

Zippy xx 

Posted: 09 March 2010 at 11:57pm | IP Logged

You have a generous soul, Zippy! Thankyou for the kind offer - I don't know if I'll be able to take you up on it some day. My family have so far been a bit non-commital about After the Fire (Radio Sessions & S.O.C.) -  although they don't actively protest, they don't actively enthuse as such...    I'm kind of hoping I can come in from the Halligan angle once I get the CDs (I'd like to get Best thing too), since they dont know him or Gareth yet.

If my wife or daughters spontaneously put on a CD during a meal time (we always have something on), its a good sign - a sort of tacit approval, so we'll see what happens. We're pretty catholic, musically as a family, but not necessariy all enthusiastic about the all the same things! I'll see what happens by August, when we're over for two weeks, including a week in the middle of nowhere by the Welsh border...

I had a look in at Three Daft Monkeys on the internet. I like the look of them!

I hope you were eating Fair Trade cheese & onion crisps! (probably not exotic enough..) I'm trying to get in the habit of regularly buying a few Fair Trade lines,  if it makes a difference to the small producers (presenly its mostly Hunny and orange juice.) Was there much focus on that side of things? Hope all your DVDs are organic and wholemeal to boot!

Love, Seagull

Posted: 10 March 2010 at 9:43pm | IP Logged

Hi Zippy

Thanks very much for telling us about the other bands at BH, very interesting. I don't know Show of Hands either. I've seen one clip of them on Youtube and thought Miranda was really good too.  I couldn't hear Phil Beer so well but liked the other half's voice (Steve Knightley).  Incidentally they were playing in Cambridge the night in November that ATF came to Foxton, so we didn't get to see them 

I can hear the music when you say 'bass, guitar and fiddle'!  A fiddle's always good for dancing isn't it? I'll try to look at the Monkeys on the web.  I guess there is lots of Rob on there too, Seagull.  (So the post to Germany doesn't usually take six weeks?  I'm glad to hear it!)  I've forgotten about Youtube at the moment because our computer needs upgrading and I've given up trying lots of things because they wouldn't play.  I have heard Julie's lovely voice on her website; Snowdrop Music, I think it's called.

Thanks very much for the invitation, Zippy.  It would be great to come over sometime and have an ATF fest!  Talking of withdrawal symptoms, I also seem to really like the services...

Anyway, have a safe journey and see you on Saturday 

Jennie xx

Posted: 10 March 2010 at 10:36pm | IP Logged

Well, we'll see! It trains the patience - a good excercise for Lent perhaps. But I don't think its overly long since I ordered Try This, and I don't want Banksy to start worrying about it again. By the way, I eventually sent the second SOC CD (which was really the first) back home, after giving it a rest and some milk. It got back to Mersea Island in days - it must be a homing CD! I played Halleluja to a friend - he said he thought it  was "maybe too much Hammond Organ,"(!!) although he did like it.

Anyway, have a good trip, you and Zippy both, and don't do anything too crazy...

Posted: 11 March 2010 at 5:51pm | IP Logged

Thanks, Seagull. 

Ah well, you tried to send the CD onwards.  Perhaps it was pining for the creeks!

...'don't do anything too crazy'!!  I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment!!  Are you casting nasturtiums, sir?! 

Anyway, no need to worry Seagull...