Cambridge Folk Club, 29th May 2009

We were honoured by another terrific night at the Cambridge Folk Club. We shared the bill with the extremely talented Richard Brown and Carl Hogsden, and the Marina Florance band. Marina played with four others and delivered a very beautiful, entertaining and upbeat session.

I am very pleased to report that our 50 minute set was very well received and there were strong calls for an encore at the end. We introduced two new songs into the set. The first was Broken in the Past - a homage to the suffering of refugees now and through the ages, which uses the tune from the traditional French Canadian song Le Vieux Cheval, first heard by the magnificent Le Vent du Nord, but with words penned by myself. The second was Nellie Torrence and Jeannie Waldie - a tale of the first known true body snatchers in Edinburgh, which is a na-mara original. Having remembered the words (! - through a lot of private rehearsal), both songs seemed to go down well.

We played some of our better known song, including When I Took my Horse to Water, and even had some in the audience singing it along with us - a great feeling.

We had a lot of very good feedback at the end of the night and were still talking as the last of the chairs were being cleared away. We were also very pleased to hear that Cambridge will be offering us a full booking in 2010. This is very generous - they have supported and encouraged us all the way through from when we turned up a long time ago to do two songs, then to do 20 minutes, then a couple of showcases, then to share the bill last night and, now, to give us a full slot! And, of course, they have asked us to play the Folk Club tent at the Cambridge Folk Festival which we are over the moon about.

The drive home flew by and, not drinking before we play, and the bar being shut by the time we had finished, I had a self-congratulatory bottle of beer when I got in. But, I was still home before my daughter, who came in and we had a nice long chat while I quaffed my Innes & Gunn beer (highly recommended!!)

Watford Folk Club, The Pump House, Watford, 1st May 2009

What can I say! This was an incredibly welcoming and friendly club. Carrie had liaised with Rob over a full gig for us - and, despite being from a neighbouring town we were a new act for them.

From the very first moment, club members were happy to come up and talk guitars, guest and musical preferences. We played in a small hall next to the Pump Rooms and it was very cosily laid out for a fairly rudimentary hall - soon to be given a facelift. The bar served excellent beer and, by the time we were due to go on, there was around 40+ in the audience. We heard some excellent floor singers and had everything from an excellent I am a Wee Weaver (from one of the member of the excellent Warp and Weft), through to a super Aria from Handel and wonderful renditions of a David Bowie and a Matt Maginn song. We were boosted as our friends Ruth and Dave arrived to support us.

If I say so myself, we played really well. We were focused, we were really enjoying playing and this clearly transferred to the audience who were extremely appreciative throughout. We were brave enough to through Les Larmes Aux Yeux in in a second half set, and probably did our best ever performance of Billy Don't You Weep for Me and the Asturian danzas. Very pleasingly, we were asked to do a double encore.

We were overwhelmed by the kind words after the show and sold a considerable number of CDs. When someone compliments you on taking them on 'a musical and educational journey', it really means a lot. We work hard to get things right, and to have listeners compliment the musicality is so rewarding.

Naturally, we were buzzing by the time we left and, on getting home, needed a decent bottle of Innes and Gunn beer before settling down for bed.

We very much hope the Watford Folk Club thrives - it certainly deserves to with such friendly and dedicated people - and are as keen as mustard to return.

Dartford Folk Club, April 28th 2009

This was a voyage of discovery outside our normal 'catchment'. We had long wanted to visit Dartford Folk Club and contacted them to see if we could do a singers spot. It was a long way to go to play a couple of numbers - but it was a good night out.

Home from work, quick munch of a sarnie or two and off round the M25. We arrived in good time to hear a Welsh band Bare Bones, who were very good. Then we did the Breton sea shanty, Three Matelots, followed by The Flower of Magherally. We played well, but tuning was a slight issue, and then the main act, Harvey Andrews, came on.

With a 6.00am getting up for work the next morning looming, Rob and I humbly made our excuses in the break and left before the second half began. A number of people were very complimentary about our playing, as we made our way out - which was very nice.

Then homeski with a can of Polish lager (ZUBR) for me in the passenger seat! (Rob naturally kept his can of WARKA for when he got home.)

We found Dartford a very friendly and welcoming club and it was obvious why they had won Folk Club of the Year 2008 - very well organised and wonderfully supported. We certainly aim to keep in contact and hope they might find a longer slot for us some time in the future.

6th April 2009 Waltham Abbey Folk Club and other bits and pieces

In line with our interest of visiting new clubs, Rob and I attended a singer’s night at the Waltham Abbey Folk Club. Jan Ayres, who runs this very friendly club, very kindly allowed us to double up and do a couple of numbers each round in what was a very talented room of singers and players. Resident duo Blue Harbour performed some excellent bluesy material, and there was some great fiddle music, excellent accordion playing and some very funny banter all night.
As Rob and I have been travelling in recent weeks, we have been talking a lot about the need for us to get back into the studio and do a third CD. We are acutely aware that the two CDs we currently have cover only a modest proportion of our current repertoire. I have now invested in some Cubase software and am slowly beginning to master it – and this might liberate us from making too much call on friends in St Albans and Suffolk. But, it will take some considerable time to master this complex software to a level that we could realistically make a quality recording – even if I have some decent mikes, etc. So, we are still working on what best to do. The real problem is, of course with full time ‘day jobs’ is simply finding the time. We are both active family guys as well as professionals in our own field, with jobs that require a fair amount of travel – so finding two or three days (or preferably a lot more) to do a recording session justice, is going to be hard.
Elsewhere, I am proud to say that we have been asked again by Marlene Sideway to play at the International Brigade Memorial in Jubilee Gardens on July 4th. It was a moving and stimulating event last year and I assume it will be so again this year.

Late March 2009, St Albans and a little bit of news !

We have a wee while now before our next commitment, so we decided to spend a Saturday looking at some new material. We are working on two songs in particular. The first is one that has its origins in Broadstairs last year. In our ‘downtime’ there, Rob and I investigated the second hand bookshops in the town. I’m afraid I can’t recall the name of the shop now but there is one in Broadstairs which is quite amazing, with books of all sorts and about anything and everything, loosely available throughout a very sizeable two storey building. Browsing in there, I came across a book called The Resurrection Men about the practices of the body snatchers. The book contains the tale of Helen Torrence and Jean Waldie, accredited as being amongst the first true body snatchers in Edinburgh – who murdered to get the corpses to sell to the anatomists. The fears and contradictions around the sale of bodies – wanting and needing scientific advances but clearly not wanting to have oneself or one’s loved ones operated upon – are really very interesting. So, I have written (and put my own tune to) a song about Nellie and Jeannie. I have another more general song in progress about ‘night gardeners’ and the strangeness of their crop. One of these days I’ll get chance to finish.
I have also been putting together a new set of words to a French Canadian song recorded by Le Vent du Nord. Having recently read Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky, a French authoress murdered by the Nazis in the death camps in 1942, I was deeply affected by her description of the travails of the refugees leaving Paris ahead of the German advance on the city, and the chaos, the comfort of strangers, the speed of unexpected violence, their doubts and concerns over loved ones, and their uncertainties about the future. There are probably too many songs glorifying heroes and too few relaying the harm that ensues from ‘the arguments of kings’ – an everywhere and every epoch issue.
The little bit of news we have had – well actually we have known for some time but were asked to keep it under wraps until the details were fully worked out – is that we have been asked by the Cambridge Folk Club to play their tent at the Cambridge Folk Festival. We are deeply grateful to the Cambridge Folk Club for this honour. This is an event of national significance and we are very very excited at being allowed to be part of it.

18th March 2009 Baldock and Letchworth Folk Club

The night after Bury St Edmonds, Rob and I were back on our travels with friends Tam Lin, to play The Headgate Theatre in Colchester and support Alan Prosser from The Oysterband – nice fella, and another wonderful guitarist .
Then, a few days later, we were back with Alan and Sue Hewson from Tam Lin to start the night as na-mara at Alan and Sue’s club in Baldock, and finish the evening as Tam Lin. This was a full night with plenty of singers in for the evening. Our good friend and excellent performer Malcolm Hobbs was there, and we managed to get a copy of his new CD ‘In for a Penny’, check it out!
With it being St Patrick’s night, Rob and I stayed to Irish material throughout – which is rather unusual for us as we roam across the British Isles and placed further afield usually.
Later that week we had two St Patrick’s night gigs – one in a pub in Little Wymondley in north Hertfordshire (? Or is it south Beds?), and a big gig down on the south coast at Selsey, where, with Tam Lin we supported the blues band The Commitments – great fun and, again, really nice people.
So, a pretty exhausting round of ‘gigging’ but we wouldn’t trade it for the world. What fun we have had over recent weeks.

13th March 2009 The Milkmaid Folk Club, Bury St Edmunds

I told you we were busy and so it was home from work early, soggy Morrisons sarnie snaffled in the car, a hell for leather drive across to Bury St Edmonds, three times round the one way system and into the club for a sound check just in time. Rob and I just love visiting new clubs. The previous night had been the intimate atmosphere of a front parlour, with the audience right up close and playing acoustically; tonight was totally different – a large room, c80-90 in the audience and a real pukka p.a. system, with a quality sound technician helping us out.
We were supporting the Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley – two musicians I was not familiar with, but I won’t now forget. Setting aside what a nice pair of blokes they were, very approachable and open to both of us, they were both very funny and (more importantly) very impressive and entertaining musicians. What I would pay for a teaching session with Denny - who is one of the best Irish guitar players I have ever seen. The fact that they hadn’t played prior to this night for some considerable time, just shows how good they are. They played a wide variety of music, including a wonderful rendition of a Voice Squad song The Sheepstealers.
Terry in his ‘Waffle’ (his term not mine) reviewed the night recently and Rob and I are overwhelmed by his kind comments on our performance which read “Support by The Duo Na-Mara was indeed quite lovely. Their performance nicely blended with the main act. These guys are really going to make a mark in the folk world and deserve to have success in clubs and festivals.” Terry (and all at The Milkmaid, who helped us and were so welcoming on the night), many thanks!! http://www.milkmaidmusic.co.uk/waffle09.html

12th March 2009 Redbourn Folk Club

The start of the busy season! Of course, with our friends at Tam Lin, we get a lot of bookings around the time of St Patrick’s Day. With our own bookings, it means that Rob and I have a couple of weeks with 3 nights each week playing – just like proper pros eh!
Jan Strapp at Redbourn Folk Club, gave us the chance to support George Papavgeris, at the new venue for the club, The Hollybush pub in Redbourn. I think the club used to be there some years ago, and they have now gone back. This is a very intimate club in an outhouse from the pub – so it is cosy and not affected by pub noise.
It was also the chance for us to meet with George Papavgeris who is clearly a legend in this North London/Herts area , but was someone whose music we had not heard before. Larger than life, George is a hell of a presence and, on saying goodbye to him at the end of the evening he was very kind to say how much our song ‘Solo Por Tres Meses’ had affected him.
Jan also seems to have enjoyed the evening because she has promised us a ‘full spot’ at Redbourn in 2010. This is a real honour and thanks to Jan for that. Jan was kind enough to tell us that we “just get better and better” – we couldn’t hope for a nicer comment because this is absolutely our aim.

8th February 2009 Readifolk, Reading Folk Club

As we have said elsewhere in this blog, Reading Folk Club has been incredibly generous to us over the years. They were the first to give us any sizeable slot on a folk evening, the first to give us a ‘full booking’ and the first to give us a second full booking.
So, after a January of working on some new material and getting ourselves properly rested, then properly rehearsed, we were very much looking forward to the evening – at Readifolk’s new venue, The RISC Centre in London Street in the centre of Reading (which is the third venue we have played at, and very much the nicest.) The Reading hosts were as welcoming as ever. Sadly, the appalling weather in the previous week and on the evening itself meant that the audience was lower than they usually manage.
We had some excellent floor acts on before us – including some excellent French songs and tunes. When Rob and I started our ‘project’ of taking French and Breton songs and making them more accessible to an English speaking audience, we thought we would be pretty much alone in this – but far from it. There are many players playing French tunes and even performing French songs.
We took the opportunity to introduce two more new songs to our repertoire, developed over the Christmas and New Year period. Of late, I have become very enamoured of the French Canadian band Le Vent du Nord (if you haven’t heard them, track them down!!) and I have translated their song Les Larmes Aux Yeux – which has a wonderful but tricky instrumental tune embedded in it, written by the superb Scottish fiddler Fiona Cuthill. Rob, in his inimitable challenging style felt that we definitely needed one of the verses sung in French – so, this is what we have done. So, this is a tricksy, full on, number requiring total concentration – but the song and the tune are great – and the Reading audience were very appreciative.
The other song we introduced was a song that I have been working on for a long while but really only got a grip on when it was converted over into a DADGAD version; it is The Child Mother - which is a translation of a La Bamboche song sung by Evelyne Girardon. In our quest for variation in the act, we always try and vary the combinations of instruments we play, and try and get different sounds. In this particular song, I play my Taylor in DADGAD, and Rob drinks a pint of lager – yes, it’s me on ‘me tod’. Nice to say then, that the Readifolk audience really appreciated this somewhat harrowing song about a girl who becomes pregnant and, in desperation, kills her newborn and is then discovered.
Thanks to all at Readifolk for a lovely evening and such a warm welcome. We very much hope to be back. Thanks also to Clare who gave us such a wonderful write-up in the (excellent and professionally produced Readifolk newsletter, see http://www.readifolk.org.uk/Readifolk_NL2.pdf

5th December 2008, Cambridge Folk Club

A trip to Cambridge is almost like a trip to a home club. The welcome is always guaranteed to be warm and the acts are almost universally of the highest standard. This night was no exception. We shared the evening with two other acts – local heroes - The Ouse Brothers – who, as usual, played some truly excellent blues material, mostly self-penned, intimate and exceptionally well performed – and Sunday Driver, who are a most unusual band, blending successfully Asian sounds from tablas and sitar with harp and other more conventional folk instruments, to provide a very interesting sound. Stimulating songs, very well performed – no wonder they are listed for the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2009.
We introduced some new material to the act –we like to do new things for Cambridge. The audience is sophisticated and demanding and so it is a great challenge to get things right for presentation there. So, we introduced ‘Billy Don’t You Weep For Me’ which Rob and I have fallen in love with after hearing the wonderful Nic Jones version. We are very keen to engender variety in our act and, as such, Rob plays this on mandola and I sing without guitar – very relaxing for me as it allows me to concentrate on the vocals (and getting the lyrics right!) We also gave the northern Irish song, The Flower of Magherally, its first run out.
Even more amazing, we were told that our friends Chicken Lickin, residents at Cambridge have decided to cover our translated French song, When I took my horse to water, which we took from the music of Malicorne. This is a great honour and we wish them well with it.

31st October 2008: Barnet Folk Club

A trip home to north London for Rob. The Barnet Folk Club, run by JJ Dunne, now holds its events in the Arts Depot – in North Finchley. A surprisingly warm venue this, given that, to all intents and purposes it is in the Lobby of the Arts Depot. But, with an array of cafe tables and comfy sofas, and an excellent p.a. system, well managed, the venue wasn’t intimidating or remote, but was very cosy and welcoming.
JJ had asked us to come along and finish the evening off for them with c50minutes of material. We had an evening of French poetry and some great blues guitar, by two of the resident members of the club, and then Rob and I did a mix of British, Asturian, Galician and Breton material. Overall, there must have been 30-40 people there, including some of Rob’s good friends from the da Capo foundation who have a school nearby.
JJ Finished the evening off with us with what seems to be a traditional rendition of Whiskey in the Jar. Photos can be seen at http://www.communigate.co.uk/london/barnetfolkclub/page49.phtml
I very much hope we will get a return invite to Folk in the Lobby at Barnet. We enjoyed ourselves and it appeared that those attending enjoyed what we did – we sold a pleasing number of CDs at the end of the evening which is always a good sign of how well we have done.

15th October 2008: Ely Folk Club

An early escape from work, this one - St Albans to Ely to be there for an 8.00pm! However, the night itself made it well worth munching a soggy Morrisons sarnie in the car on the way over. Rob and I had met Ruthie, who is one of the people running the Ely Folk Club, when she was calling for us and our friends from Tam Lin at a recent ceilidh. Very kindly, after hearing our CD, she invited us over and provided us with a wonderful support slot – namely supporting the wonderful Mawkin-Causley.
It is clear that Mawkin Causley are going from strength to strength and, I have to confess, prior to the evening, we were unfamiliar with their work – but class will out, and they were superb that evening. Our abiding memory is of a satisfaction that such a young and skilful band is there to carry on the tradition going forward. There was an excellent attendance of 50-60 to watch and, to our satisfaction, they were very much a listening audience.
We acquitted ourselves well and, unusually for professional bands with a growing reputation, it was nice to see (Gentleman) Jim Causley come in towards the end of our set and have a listen. Naturally, at the end of the evening, Jim was surrounded by well-wishers, but he still took the time to congratulate us a good set and wish us well for the future and a safe journey home. Since that time, Rob and I have heard more and more about the band, and we similarly wish them well.
A definite petrol station pee stop and a bar of Cadbury’s to keep us awake going home – getting up at 6.00am the next morning wasn’t too much fun.

Back in the Queen's Crescent studio, 7th September 2008

We are increasingly conscious that a lot of our current working material has not yet been properly recorded. The track that most people ask for and which fits into this category is 'The Bite' - our song about the experiences of George Wheeler in the Spanish Civil War. We also know that we haven't got enough video material either on You Tube or on our myspace site (www.myspace.com\namaramusic) .

So, we had a session with our great friend Andy who both video-ed us and made a recording of The Bite.

Various gigs lie ahead of us. A lot of these are with our great friends Tam Lin over the next few months, and we have a wonderful project to work with Rob's wife on recording an album (or two) of songs for toddlers. So, a busy time ahead. We are also moving new material forward. I think I have already menationed Le Vent du Nord and Nic Jones. I am also working on a La Bamboche song (which I am calling The Child Mother - a tragic tale) and a version of Annan Water - taken from the wonderful singing of The Voice Squad.

However, as na-mara we have gigs at some great clubs to look forward to, namely, Ely, Barnet (both of which are new to us) and Cambridge (which is something we always look forward to).

Recharging batteries - a wet week in Devon

Rob and family in Tenby and me and the family down in Devon, both drenched and pebble-dashed by the rain. However, rainy days meant a greater than otherwise focus on looking at new material.

Rob, who is not from a folk background, has just discovered Nic Jones and is absolutely blown away with his consummate skill and musicianship. He is very keen for us to attempt a version of 'Billy Don't You Weep For Me' - so, I've been working it through having worked out the basic chords.

Other material has been French Canadian. I have been paying particular attention to the work of Le Vent du Nord. If you haven't come across them, I strongly recommend their work. Occasionally they choose some odd material - but I don't know the folk scene they operate in - but they are superb musicians playing wonderful material.

12th August 2008, Broadstairs, Kent and home

A virtual day at leisure - what a luxury! The chance to soak up the atmosphere, do the bookshops properly, have capuccino in Morelli's and Fish and Chips later on. Our only commitment was the Tartar Frigate for a two hour Tam Lin gig, so we had a restful festival day just doing a bit of rehearsal and messing around with a bit of new stuff at Fiona and Rhona's.

The tartar Frigate gig went well - not quite as heaving as for Ian Cutler but still a very busy, sweaty night. The big drawback was that after the gig it was a two hour trip back to St. Albans and early into work the next morning. Thankfully, we were buzzing after the gig, Rob's son Ben helped us with the gear and we were on the road by 11.00pm and home just after 1.00am Wednesday.

Both of us were then looking at holidays coming up and we talked a lot about what we were going to do to get the new material moving forward. More of which later...

August 11th 2008 Broadstairs, Kent

Monday morning and a different sort of work day ahead of us. Furnished and filled with a couple of fried eggs on toast, we began Day 2 of our Broadstairs baptism. After a bit of a stroll round, a rummage in a couple of local book shops, it was back to the house, pick up our stuff and then down to the Charles Dickens pub for a one-hour session. As with the Sunrunner in Hitchin, Alan and Sue looked after us p.a. wise again, and as at the Sunrunner and the main marquee the night before, friends from Baldock and Letchworth came along to support. On arrival, Rob and I were a bit worried that the lively and busy environment of the pub might not be the best setting for our quieter oriented music. However, over time, a folk crowd entered the pub - some of them as a result of our gig being announced in the marquee the night before - and by the time we started, there was a really nice atmosphere conducive to mid-day music playing. We got a good reception and we played well, especially given the very tight space we had to operate in. Nearby Morris rhythms weren't exactly in synch. but hey that's festival life for you - as we were coming to learn.

Then Rob and I went off with the rest of Tam Lin to support Alan with his bodhran workshop - which acted as a nice bit of extra rehearsal for the rest of us - and we could sit back and enjoy Alan hard at work.

After that, we had a little time to ourselves before Tam Lin went for a sound check down at the bandstand, where we were doing a 30-minute slot later. Sound check over, we sloped off for a beer and then returned to watch the Morris men and the other acts. Again lots of friends came down. Rob's son Ben and Rob's brother in law Ian came over from Margate to watch and in a nice boost to 'Dad's street cred', Ben witnessed a middle aged couple passing by and pointing Rob out as being 'one of the guys who'd been on the main stage the night before'. It made Rob and Ben's night. It was then a windy and p.a. problematic set but very enjoyable. Fiona and Rhona and family came down to watch which was really nice of them.

Finally, after getting the instruments home, Rob and I wandered the pubs of Broadstairs, had a few pints, watched Ian Cutler and band on at the Tartar Frigate - where Tam Lin was playing the following night, and then stayed to watch the wonderful Morris-men song rounds at one of the town centre pubs. The atmosphere was very different but brilliant in each pub. Then it was a long march home up the hill, and then up the wooden hill to bed.

10th August 2008: Supporting Cara Dillon, Broadstairs Folk Week, Kent

This is it, this was what we had been looking forward to, and boy did we enjoy it!
Tam Lin have played the Broadstairs Folk Week for many years and Alan and Sue Hewson had invited Rob and I down to join them not only to play as Tam Lin but also to do some na-mara gigs as well. Indeed, Rob was also leading a mandolin workshop as well. So, we set off early on the morning of Sunday 10th August (me fresh back from holidays overseas and frantically hardening those finger ends up again) to join Alan, Sue and Georgina at Broadstairs for our first folk festival. As mentioned previously in this blog, the real na-mara highlight for the few days we could be at Broadstairs, was that we were going to be the first of two support acts for ...Cara Dillon in the main marquee on that Sunday night! To suggest excitement was high would be an understatement to end all understatements.
So, after a two hour drive we reported to the conference organisers, were given a key to our accommodation, where we went straightaway. Fiona’s sister Rhona welcomed us into the house and, it still being reasonably early, we took the chance to do an hour’s rehearsal before setting off to join Tam Lin for our first gig of the day, at a nearby pub. I think we all agreed afterwards that that was a swell as the new Tam Lin has played and the modest but enthusiastic sized crowd really lapped it up.
Then it was straight off to the mandolin workshop that Rob was running. Rob had decided to introduce budding (and as it turned out, some pretty experienced) mandolin players to Asturian music. I went along to just play some of the accompaniment. Rob did really well to engage 20 people of markedly different standards of playing, for a 90 minute session. (I’ve only seen one blog of the Broadstairs festival and to Rob’s credit, it mentions his mandolin workshop directly as one of the events the blogger had really enjoyed.)
Then it was time to grab a nice cup of tea and ready ourselves for the big one. So, we headed back towards the marquee area –we wouldn’t want to be late would we? – and found a nice little cafe to wind down a bit. And then we went over to the marquee to find Cara Dillon and her band doing their sound check. Alan and Sue had kindly taken the bulk of our stuff straight there from the Tam Lin gig.
The marquee had seats for c 550-600 as far as I could estimate and there, at the front of the then empty auditorium was Cara herself just watching her partner Sam Lakeman and the others get the sound right. This was great experience and I enjoyed watching the pre-show show. Clearly, we didn’t want to bother anybody but Cara gave us a nice smile and seemed very approachable.
As is usual in these circumstances, the top of the bill does the sound check first, the warm up acts then do theirs in reverse order. So, we were doing our check last after the other band on the bill – the excellent and phenomenally talented (and extremely nice and supportive) Skyhook.
Time passed and time passed and, of course, when it came to na-mara, there was already 500 people outside queuing up to get in. So, I think we might have had three minutes - but our needs are simple and we were done fine and luxuriously. One mixing desk for the front of house and another for the monitors....wow.
And then, fifteen minutes later, the crowd had come in and filled every seat in the house, Chris Sandler had introduced us, and we were on. Interestingly, the increase in numbers – this was by far the biggest gig na-mara had played – did not translate directly to an increase in nerves and I have to say we both felt pretty relaxed. We kicked off with Three Bonny Ships which we knew well and was a cracking starter. We followed that with Anada Pa Julia – to slow the mood down. We then played Solo Por Tres Meses, which we knew would go down really well with the sort of listening audience that would typically come to see the wonderful Cara Dillion. Then we finished off with Willy Taylor. And that was us – off we came. We felt we had done really well and the sale of CDs and the requests to have those autographed, and the insistence of one lady that we had been ‘fastastic’, were all huge fillips for us.
So, with a benign smile on our faces we proceeded then to watch the rest of the show for the ‘green room’ just to the side of the stage, behind the banks of speakers. Skyhook were hugely talented and did a lengthy and powerful set, and then Cara came on. Her band started with She Moves Through the Fair, the first atmospheric minute or two of which she stays off stage. So, Rob and I had the pleasure of her company before she went on - to give a sublime performance both of that song and many more. Interestingly, since we are now singing it in our Tam Lin (and occasionally na-mara) repertoire, she is now doing The Verdant Braes of Screen. I notice she doesn’t do the sixth verse that we do – I’ll have to research that one.
Then, it was time to go home (Fiona and Rhona’s) for the night. Thankfully Skyhook had organised transport to get themselves home and they very generously helped us shift some of our stuff. By the time we got home, the house was quiet and given Rob and I were completely knackered, it was probably a blessing that we just went straight to bed and switched the lights off. Usually I can’t get off to sleep after playing – but that night, I was straight out.

19th July 2008: International Brigade Re-union and memorial, Jubilee Gardens, London

As a follow up to the gig that Rob and I played at in London to celebrate the Spanish Republic, we were kindly invited by the organiser Marlene Sidaway, to play some music as people assembled for the Annual Re-union of the International Brigade. This year it was in Jubilee Gardens in London, near the statue commemorating those Britons who gave their lives to fight fascists in Spain in the 1930s.
Clearly, this was a great honour. Marlene had sent us a DVD of the event the year before and whose face should be on the front (and who were following in the footsteps of – none other than Billy Bragg. So, we certainly wanted to do something special and Rob worked hard to gather together some Spanish tunes to ensure that we did an entirely relevant Spanish set. So, we needed to rehearse pretty hard for this and I’m pleased to say that we played well. The place we were playing was right next to the queues for the London Eye and so we not only had the 200 or so people who had come to the memorial service but another couple of hundred people queuing up. The leading war veterans were there, including Jack Jones. The Spanish Ambassador was there and gave a brief speech, and some leading Labour politicians also spoke. Rob and I then returned to lead the communal singing with the soldier’s song The Valley of Jarama and, of course the Internationale.
We then returned to a nearby hotel and had a buffet lunch and, as we do find these days, Rob and I fell into an interesting conversation with an Irishman who had been passing the event and had got completely involved in what, for him, was a story that he knew virtually nothing about. This well read man knew very little about the Spanish Civil War, the role of Britons in that fight or that Irish fighters had fought on both sides of the conflict.
Marlene and the organisers kindly gave Rob and I a commemorative mug to thank us for our involvement. Amazingly, given that we had only met Marlene once before, it turned out that she had lived in my home town of Middlesbrough and knew my half-brother. It is indeed a small world.
Despite threats of showers, it turned nice in the end and was a boiling hot afternoon - and I’m afraid my thinning locks did nothing to save my emerging pate from a good roasting. Just what I needed before going off on holiday!

2nd July 2008 : The Sunrunner, Hitchin

Thanks to our good pals Alan and Sue Hewson, na-mara played a two hour set at the Sunrunner pub in Hitchin town centre. On a balmy night, the pub was packed inside and three deep outside. Alan and Sue provided the p.a. and many of our friends form the Baldock and Letchworth Folk Club came along to support us – which was really nice and gave us a wonderful lift. There were also some friends from my workplace who live in Hitchin, some people that I had met at a party a few weeks before who seemed interested in hearing us and had made the journey to Hitchin to do so and our very good friend Robert Taylor travelled up from St Albans.

Two hours worth of stuff is pretty demanding on the old brain cells but, again, allowed us to try out some new material . Rob has been working on a couple of Greek tunes which are real toe-tappers (and a sod to play). So, they had an outing. Thanks to Alan and Sue for an excellent job on the p.a. and, as they say, a good night was had by all. We hoped we might follow the gig up with a slot at the Hitchin Rhythms of the World festival but somehow, it never came to pass.

Late June - gorra lorra work on

Late June saw Rob and I doing a range of things. I'm working on a number of tunes and songs from the fabulous Canadian band Le Vent du Nord - if you haven't heard them, you are missing a treat. Take a look on the ubiquitous You Tube.

We have also been doing some recording with Tam Lin ahead of their and our trip down to the Broadstairs Folk Week in August. We have put together four more tracks to add to the four we have recorded with Tam Lin before and Alan has put these either side of some earlier recordings done with the now sadly missed Paul Gunningham, to create an album called The Bridge. Some of the output can be heard on the Tam Lin myspace site but will be available to buy by the time we get to Broadstairs.

I hit the CD shops in Paris in a lull on a recent work-based visit. It is increasingly difficult to keep track of all the material I have now assembled and which is my essential research materials - so some wet winter Sunday will need to be given over to sorting it all out and getting greater clarity on what my work priorities on it might be in the future. But for now Le Vent du Nord, and some work on a variety of new song ideas will keep me busy! Watch this space in the Autumn.

Finally, Rob and I are preparing to do some work with the da capo foundation on some music learning materials for toddlers. I have contributed some words to this project before, but now Rob and I are going to play some of the tunes planned for the kids. From what we know so far, this project will be great fun.

11th June 2008: Baldock and Letchworth Folk Club

A return to our old friends' Alan and Sue Hewson's excellent Baldock and Letchworth Club to support the excellent Vikki Swan and Johnny Dyer who were over from their Essex (?) base.

We started the evening off with some material that was new to Baldock which was very well received. We are making some real friends there now.

Vikki is of Swedish extraction and played a variety of instruments, including the nickelharper. Rob, polylinguist that he is, had some banter with her in Swedish and the audience was treated to some great ballads and some wonderful Scandinavian tunes. This was very opportune really given that I was off to Stockholm for the first time ever, early the next morning. In this regard, as per usual, I managed to find a few minutes in a busy work schedule to try and get into a record shop and check out more of this fabulous music. Sadly, the local information I was given was poor in that, having gone up five escalators in a major Department Store, found only workmen at work, refurbishing the floor and the music department was shut. By which time it was necessary to dash to the main station and get back out to the airport - sweaty and unsatisfied. But, so wonderful was the music we had heard from Vikki and Johnny, that I intend to pursue more bands and artist to hear more.

5th June 2008: Charity gig with a difference

For the fifth or sixth time, I played a role in the famous Party Near the Park event. This is an annual event raising money for Land Aid - the charity supporting homeless causes in the UK and developmental work in land in Africa. A semi-pro jazz-rock band supports a dozen or so acts drawn from well known figures in the property industry. Rehearsals are extensive - this is more than rock karaoke given that 1300 attend - and the night is fantastic because everyone at the sit down dinner in Old Bishopsgate fish market wants you to do well.

In the past I have been Tom Jones, Love Affair, Liam Gallagher - this time it was Otis Redding 'Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay'. Just a wee bit away from my usual, but fantastic fun being dressed up like a reject from 1970s Miami Vice. As ever, the evening was great fun, made more so given that, for the first time, my wife was able to attend.

A new baby - June 2008

Rob returned home from a family holiday in Spain with a very big smile on his face - a new addition to the family - the na-mara family! Whilst in Madrid, a city that he knows well and where he has many friends, Rob had been tempted into buying a bandourria - a ten stringed (I think) cousin to the mandolin, that is about five inches deep. It is a very sweet sound and something that we hope to build into our act in the coming weeks and months. The stringing seems very cleverly efficient but will require Rob to think in a different way when playing.

I am the indirect beneficiary of this since, space constraints at home have meant one in - one out chez Roberto. As such, my Irish Bouzouki has come home - giving me the chance to start learning it again. (Add that to the fifty things I would to be spending time on currently.)

17th May 2008 - Party Time

Up early after the late night trip home from Cambridge and, for me at least, a quick turn around to visit family in the north. After an afternoon catching up with family, it was party time for my sister-in law's birthday. Playing with my brother and his friends it was boozy rock and roll into the wee hours and then mu brother and I ducked off into another room and did an impromptu folk session - great fun. Another late night and another early drive all the way back to St. Albans.

16th May 2008: Cambridge Folk Club

Once again we had been asked to do a showcase set at the Cambridge Folk Club - always a pleasure and this was no exception. The club is starting to know is and our music better now and so we had a couple of requests we were asked to play. We also took the opportunity to try out some new material. We were extremely happy with what we did and got some excellent feedback from the modest but enthusiastic audience.

The welcome was as friendly as ever, and we began the evening. We were then followed by Samantha Marais who was described in the programme as having a voice that was 'lighter than a Malteser in a flotation tank'. Ethereal indeed and she is clearly going places, destined for an outing at Glastonbury this year! We wish her all the very best.

The evening was concluded by local club favourite Robert Brown. We had seen Robert before at the Cambridge club and looked forward to seeing him again. He has a terrific voice and a great guitar player - so, it is puzzling as to why he isn't better known than he is. He did a terrific set and included some traditional material in his set of self-penned songs and occasional covers. He was playing with a similarly talented guitarist and gave a great set.

26th April 2008 - Viva La Republica event, central London

What a night!

This was an amazing evening in a whole host of ways. The Yaa Asantewaa Arts and Community Centre in London hosted a splendid evening of poetry, dance, film and music to celebrate the Spanish Republic, 1932-1939. It brought together the extended families of the Basque children, evacuated from Bilbao in 1937, and members of the International Brigade who had fought fascism at that time, and their friends and families.

We arrived early as the organisers were still setting up. We secured a small room out the back, to tune up, etc. However, before the hubbub really began, we had the chance and honour to met with Jack Jones, the former trade union leader, and an International Brigader himself and had been wounded in the Spanish Civil War. Even at 95, there was no doubting this man's conviction and intellect. It was highlight of the evening to speak with him.

The evening began with the choir from the Spanish School in London. Then there was some superb dancing by an Asturian dance troupe based in London - with a bagpipe player of astonishing dexterity - and what a sweet sound the gaitas has. Jim Jump, Herminio Martinez and others gave some excellent readings of poetry and manged well to calm an audience of c300-350. There was a very interesting film shown on the rise of fascism and the fight against fascism in Europe through the 1930s - to help set the Spanish Civil War in its historical context.

Finally we went on to play. We naturally concentrated on a mainly Spanish related set. So, we did some dance tunes and Anada Pa Julia. We sang The Bite, which went down very well. Sadly, Jack Jones had left by this time - sad because he had actually known the man to whom the song is dedicated, George Wheeler.

We sang Ron Angel's Chemical Workers' Song as an expression of the industrial link that the North East of England had had with the International Brigade.

Finally, we finished the evening with Solo Por Tres Meses. I explained that theirs was a unique audience for this song in that, in most places we perform it, it is to people who don't know the story. However, it is this audience's story and a fair number of the children that had been on the boat to Southampton were in the audience. In this sense, it was a song that we hoped would meet their approval. I am pleased to say that it did and we were applauded to the rafters at the end and asked to do an encore. This was particularly pleasing for Rob -for whom this is a very important group of people. Many friends of his parents were there alongside many friends from the world of music.

Thankfully, the new pristine copies of the new CD, with Solo Por Tres Meses had arrived in time, and we sold a lot of copies afterwards - proceeds going to the Basque Children's committee of course.

A third night home in a week; dodging double-decker buses on their last run home on a Saturday night - no wonder I sat and had a quieting bottle of beer once the car was parked up and the kit bought inside.

Attention is now turned to some upcoming Tam Lin gigs and a return to Cambridge for us - before the Broadstairs festival.

More stocks of the CD will be arriving soon and we very much feel we are taking na-mara on to the next level. This is something we are both very excited about.

24th April 2008 - Bishop Stortford, new CD

Our second of three gigs in a single week! Heady stuff for those of us with day jobs as well.

This was our chance to return to fellow namesake's Jon McNamara's club. The Bishop Stortford club is a club with real character and characters, and Jon most certainly fits that bill! After our first visit to the club, Jon had been content to book us for a full slot - some thing we are always keen to do. There is something about getting the chance to settle into a performance and deliver to the best of one's ability. This date had arisen as a result of Jon having to reschedule his Spring programme, and we were happy to oblige for him!

The other really exciting news for the week was that our new 4-track EP CD had arrived from Rightback Records. Craig and the team had done a fantastic production job and the record looked excellent. Sadly, the first batch was missing the last 4 seconds of the last track. Distraught, Craig had rushed in a new order to the factory. However, so keen were some of those attending at Bishop Stortford to get hold of 'Only For Three Months' that they were happy to put up with this glitch!

Everywhere we go now, the audiences are falling in love with Solo Por Tres Meses. The superb tune from Javier Tejedor gives the words real pathos, and the tragedy of the story tells itself. At the end of the evening, we had the kindest of words and compliments from a number of people in the audience. It is hard to convey how important such feedback is - to help one through the hard work of turning raw materials into something that moves and excites audiences.

Still, we have our sternest test of the new song, and our other Spanish material on Saturday when we play at the Viva La Republica day in London

22nd April 2008 - St Neots

Owing to a late call off by a booked artist, the organisers at St Neots had asked if we would fill in and do a 40 minute showcase slot. This gave us the chance to again share the evening with Paul Cherrington and Pamela Ward, who had supported us wonderfully at Baldock the previous month.

It was lovely to hear them again and, with a bit more time available to them, they did an excellent and extended set bringing a lot more of Pamela's bluesy side to the fore. Excellent guitar work from Paul, as always.

We did an extended set with some new material. This included The Bite and some Asturian dance music, in preparation for our Basque celebration event planned for the end of the week.
It is always gratifying to hear people telling each other on the way out(rather than us) that they had had a splendid evening.

We managed to have a longer chat with organiser Roger than we had managed before, which was very pleasant. We are hopeful of doing more with the St Neots club - we have certainly enjoyed being there and, I am pleased to say, they seem to have enjoyed having us there.

8th April 2008 - St Neots

A long awaited return to St Neots Folk Club for us. Indeed, as it turned out, this was to be the first of two visits in quick succession.

We concentrated on letting Roger and Patti and the regulars at the club hear how our repetoire had changed since we were last with them. We did Three Bonny Ships, Solo Poor Tres Meses and Anada Pa Julia, and they were all very well received.

The main act was the American singer Debra Cowan, accompanied by the amazing Pete Smith on guitar - now that's what I call Taylor guitars! Hamish Currie was also there, getting a feel for the place ahead of his full spot there a few weeks later.

A very pleasant evening which set up our return visit very nicely.