London Calling

So Spriggan Mist marched on London .....in fact contrary to my last blog ..this was the 3rd time we had ventured into the Smoke! Percussionist Andy Wilkin bowed out at a semi acoustic gig in Mortlake last year. The other was a private party in Ruislip where we had Armen Gevorkian guesting on the drums.....ah memories......quickly crushed ....as this London adventure was a different kettle of frogs! This was for The 40th anniversary of the Pagan Federation at the Archangel in Kensington...this was with the new band and in the great company of established folk prog rock band Magic Folk who were headlining! The stage was small but the event huge!..and after suffering threats of having our mixing desk ceremoniously shoved up my nether regions from Rie the Sprigs manager after I remarked how nice it was to get a professional on the desk (she reliably does our desk usually) we finished our sound check and scoffed some food as all sorts of Witches, Druids and teddy bears (yes there was a man in a teddy bear outfit ...said it was a druid thing....??!?!?!) soon filled the club.
The wonderful Kate and Corwen kicked off proceedings ...now I’ve seen them before and they do melancholy medieval atmospheric brilliantly...but on this occasion they went uptempo and had the dance floor packed with robe clad peeps dancing making the whole area look like a medieval banquet....Corwen plays this instrument which looks like a She –wee in fact hands up... Kate referred to it as a she –wee and I didn’t make the connection as to what a she- wee was or is...so I had the honest and genuine belief that he was playing an instrument called a she –wee. Corwen if you are reading this let us know what your she –wee is? And how Maxine can get her hands on one...instrument that is not a she-wee.


I actually wondered if Spriggan Mist’s brand of folk inspired Rock was going to go down quite as well as Katem and Corwen ...and I have to admit during the quiet bit of our set I did wonder as I saw a few gaps in front of us that maybe ...we were the wrong music ......but then Gary looked at me...I looked at Max and there was that face of lets sock it to them... and then we did.... full tilt....Gary teetered on the edge of the stage his remote guitar bug allowing him freedom to get into the crowd ...I could see he was itching to go in so I helped him with a knee up his backside then he was away the crowd were back on the floor (they had only gone to refill their glasses!!!after all they were all Pagan)

it was hot it was sweaty but they were there bouncing up and down with me and the Fluffmeister as Max belted out electric life.......Colin was spanking the kick drum like he hated it Bex with her Cello turned up to 11 bowed away as the closing notes of the song rang out the cheers and whistles got louder ....then on it went... jumping and stomping right to the encore of Gypsy Witch! A great night ....job well done....we sold some CDs and got a few more gigs off the back of that performance so we were all very happy. Even Magic Folk bass player...Ben Glover commented on the set and “What a finish” Magic folk were brilliant I hasten to add, love their music however i just felt they went on a bit too late and after Kate and Corwen and us had got that party vibe going their prog rock brilliance was rather misplaced I did however enjoy their set, Heliopolis a favourite of mine at the moment...must play some on my radio show.

On the way home we had the pleasure of Rie and Fluff in the back of the Sprig mobile and it was about 0045 when we reached the rather rough suburbs of London ...we were all thirsty so Wifey directed me to a garage which was on a night service from the hatch jobby. So out Fluff and I climbed both of us in stage gear me in my black kilt Fluff in his knee high boots, bandana etc...At the hatch were two black Hounslow type geezers buying their rizlas ....

One of them had the trademark jeans around the thighs bases ball cap slightly a skew more bling than Mr T. He took a double take at the pair of us.....
“Hey Man what’s dem den!”
He pointed his ringed finger down at the kilt”
I replied “They is legs innit”
He replied “Yeah you like Vikings or summink.?..it’s like wid da kilt an all dat?” Didn’t want to really correct his lack of history knowledge kilt? Vikings? Etc?
I said “ No we are in a band just been gigging in London...innit” thought get down with the lingo less likely to be rolling around the floor with the chap.
“Awlright like wid da pipes innit ?”
“No I play bass we are a rock band” trying to look as rockstar as I could possibly could.
“Respeck man you is looking cool innit ya I like dat ..looks like Vikings innit...where you like headin now?”
I was going to say to an after gig party full of drugs and page 3 models but checked myself....
“Going home innit....”
He smiled as he strutted off he said “You ave a good one ..”

I jumped back in the Sprig mobile and headed for the safety of the Berkshire border...before you knew it we were home...innit!
Photos on this article were taken by John Steane with whom many a hug was had ....and the chorus of "We love you Johnny "belted out from the Sprig mobile everytime he and Bex drew level at lights in london's streets

Anniversary

14 years!!!!! ………………..Been married 14 years today …blimey how time flies…..I’m not going to do the …….”you get less for burglary” joke as that would imply that being married to wifey is a bad thing and would also wind me up in casualty probably. Well today unlike 14 years ago it is sunny. We have Folking live to look forward to tonight and Uiscedwr are playing which is going to be a fantastic gig. We’ll probably have a curry tonight too. So happy days…..especially as Wifey bought me another first account WW1 book (I love them books) and a 3 disc David Gilmour live in Gdansk cd/DVD…which I had on at breakfast this morning as Rockstar sat howling to “Comfortably Numb” I whipped out my acoustic bass and mimic’d Guy Pratt’s bass line (well Roger Waters really but you know what I mean…you don’t? …oh well means I’m waffling again) I often wonder whether in about 30 years time our kids will tell their kids how their Grandfather would whip out his bass at 7 O’clock in the morning to prance around the kitchen.

Wifey actually made me laugh …..as we stood watching Gilmour sliding his fingers up and down the fretboard , he was making that familiar Gilmour pout he does. Wifey said “ look he’s really having himself isn’t he”….”A real guitarist I’m digging this face” reminded me of Eddie Murphy on his stage show demonstrating facial expressions at other enjoyable moments……but maybe that is for another day……(the subject of Eddie Murphy that is…..not….well…….you know….I’ll stop digging.) Yesterday though was not such a good day …..my PC was giving me grief and I emailed our IT kind of people who look afer a particular database I work with……so the emails went like this ……



“My computer crashed again ,when I logged back into the database it thinks I 'm still logged in ??!?!? can you help?”

“You will have to ring 69555 and report the fault to them...Let me know how you get on as I am sure you will require a new password.”

“The last time this happened I was told to do this, and they told me to email you
It's because the computer keeps crashing (I have a techy coming out for that today )
do you reckon a size 12 boot will work right on the monitor?....no? .......ok ......bare with me……”

So I phoned the number as told

“OK…I spoke to the nice lady on 69555 and guess what? yes!....... she asked i contact you to reset my password
now just in case you think i'm telling porky pies (the shame of it ...being an upstanding member of the firm I wouldn't do such a thing)

she gave me a call number 1938486

please please can you reset my password before I completely loose the will to do any work today and go home sit in the corner and chew on my golden retriever's hide bone

thanking you for your time”

“You clearly have had enough of that database..computers etc etc......as for your size 12 boot????......maybe not! I am happy to help you once your techy has been to see you!!!!”

“But I need that database I only have this one computer i can work on .........this computer has been crashing for about 5 weeks now and i have had the techy out about six times .........

they won't give me a new computer.....they change this and that and the other but it still isn't working .........rather like me really ….but I can't do anything without that database today. Unless I leave the civic centre and go to another office.......but then i don't have the council system to update my findings from that database......I could sit hear emailing you all day as pleasant as it is but i really do need to do some work now

please reset my password...my dog's hide bone is really starting to appeal.”

An email was sent with my reset password

“I thankyou ,size 12 boot was poised you saved a poor hapless computer from certain death
nice doing business I feel sanity returning”

then I sent

“It was truely a great thing!...my database ...open ...ready to use........I did my search that I'd been trying to do for the last hour typing it with a great smile on my face waiting to see what the search would give me.................like searching for eggs left by the bunny in the garden at easter......a beautiful moment ....the search came back............

No hits returned...........typical...an anti climax!”



“LOL.............I feel very sorry for you.....but i haven't laughed like in ages...and because of my loud laugh i had to tell the rest of the office.....They too are now in stitches (thank you).....I feel your pain re that databases

I take it there will be no update for me to read??....Sorry i'm being cheeky now!!”



I was so pleased to have brightened someone’s day up………inadvertently mind ! All I wanted to do was my job!!!!! I don’t know why people call me a clown especially when I’m being serious….hey ho….