17th July 2007 St Neots Folk Club

As Rob noted on the way home, the na-mara 'spring tour' had come to a close (I don't think the tour T-shirts can take any more venues, and the roadies are getting a bit tired. The Pan Technicon needs to go in for a service anyway.) So, we are taking a well earned rest for a few weeks - which will give us both chance to recharge batteries (and work up some new stuff).

St Neots was a very nice place to end up at. We liked playing at St Neots very much indeed. Patti and Roger who ran the evening were extremely welcoming. The venue has I think been restored from a more dubious glory earlier in the year - I think the pub in which the club operates had been closed down earlier in the year following a drugs bust, but had reopened and been cleaned up and, indeed, is in for further refurbishment later this year.

We had a night of 20 minute slots for around half a dozen acts. This gave everyone time to showcase what they could do and, without any doubt, there is a lot of talent going to that particular club. Ross, from Barton Le Clay, with friends Malcolm and Derek did some excellent sea-shanties and one of Ross' songs really got everyone going. Great to see three of the new friends we are making in Herts and Beds performing together. We have seen them all perform solo before, but this was great to see them as a unit.

Being on the M1 the club gets occasional visitors who are travelling with work and (sorry didn't get his name - but it wasn't Brian - a "traveller in plastics, not rubber") there was a very fine and funny mandolin player doing just that. We kicked off the second half and I think did 20 minutes of good stuff - the audience were very appreciative at least.

The evening was finished off by a very fine musical duo called Pillowfish, (cittern and violin/viola) who had driven down from York to perform that evening. We would like to wish them every fortune in getting gigs.

Rob tells me that we are to be invited back to do a further slot at the club later in the year and, as our most northerly outpost to date, we would be very pleased to do so.

So, Rob and I have a number of slots already pencilled in for the Autumn and when we are back form holidays and the like we will sit down and work out what else we would like to try and do in 2007. We are certainly building up a new repertoire with the French and Spanish material and 2008 might be time to go back into the studio and record some of it.