Langford Budville ...
As with Bishopstone last week, this was our first return to Langford Budville (wasn't he the last of the Great Victorian Actor-Managers?) since before Covid, and very pleased we were to be back in this fine Village Hall - an enjoyable club gig with its promotional organisation rooted in many a great session at the old Cotleigh Brewery in Wiveliscombe. This is a great venue with a good acoustic and a most enthusiastic and supportive audience - we were certainly hoping that the audience would be as glad to hear us again as we were to see them at last!
First, by way of an aside, mild-mannered drummer John Coad proved to be a veritable wolf in sheep's clothing when, to a friend in the audience, he blamed a fellow band member for the bad cold from which he was still suffering. This outrageous denial of his own culpability simply has to be called out! The truth is that last week at Bishopstone he spread his noxious germs far and wide with no prior warning, and callously infected Pete Middleton with a wide array of flu- and Covid-like cold symptoms. By the time we were due to play at Langford, Pete could barely play without coughing, and ended the gig exhausted and with very sore ribs ... no doubt John's very own 'Bandemic' will yet cause further suffering for us all ...
Further drama was caused at this session by the initial non-arrival of the luxury coach bearing Mike Denham, Trevor Whiting, and Hamish, not to mention their 'roadies' with all the equipment. Faced with their absence, there was nothing for it but to shrink into the Sunset Cafe Quartet and do our best to entertain the large crowd. This admittedly very fine quartet was eventually interrupted by the breathless and clattering arrival of the missing artistes, and we were able - reasonably seamlessly - to resume our normal level of service. A fine session was thus enjoyed by all - both band and audience - and it is worth noting that Hamish ("Papa De Da Da - He's a ladies' man!") was roundly applauded before he had even sung a single note ... how does he do it?!