Return to The Warehouse ...

A year ago - almost to the very day - we played at the 2018 edition of this splendid event, and we were all delighted to be back in this wonderful little theatre, with its welcoming team of volunteers and amazingly enthusiastic audience. Once again, the Chains of Office (stretching right across the front row!) positively dazzled us with their glittering splendour, and, once again, Hamish Maxwell was provided with the same comfortable armchair as on our last visit ... incidentally, if you spotted him nodding off at any point, please email Mike Denham via this website's Contact page ...

Currently, we seem to be playing many more concert gigs than we used to, and we all seem to enjoy the experience very much. It certainly concentrates the mind wonderfully well, as there's no room for 'hiccups' in such an exposed situation! Sometimes, dyed-in-the-wool jazz club audiences can be just a tad blasé about performances, as they hear so much of the music they love, but playing to a large theatre audience, many of whom are perhaps fairly new to our music, and maybe haven't heard us before, gives us all a real buzz - especially when we can chat with our new fans over a drink during the interval, and hear so many flattering comments! In our previous lives with 'proper' jobs, it was rare indeed to receive praise for one's contribution in the workplace, so a visit to the Warehouse Theatre is a morale boost indeed!

A word of praise for John Noddings on banjo and guitar is certainly due - he stepped in quite recently to cover a few gigs for Eddie Edwards, currently convalescing from a spell in hospital, and has been helping us out most handsomely. However, it was - as is often the case - Hamish who seemed to steal the show, despite seeming somewhat reluctant to vacate that comfy armchair ...

Thanks to all those responsible for inviting us back to this event for a second year running, to the friendly and welcoming staff of the Warehouse Theatre for looking after us, and to the numerous members of the audience who were kind enough to heap on the praise during the interval! We enjoyed ourselves immensely, and hope the event raised a tidy sum for the Mayor's charity!