So, Friday 11th October, Nether Stowey Church Centre -
Friday Fun Night.doc (350 KB)
Glyn (
Nuffsed) and I went down to the hall in the afternoon to set up my small PA, tables etc plus a cold buffet/drinks etc for us and our guests, ably assisted by Mrs O'C and Mrs
Nuffsed plus my younger daughter Rosie, who had arrived earlier as a surprise for Mrs O'C, whose birthday would be the day after. (It was quite a complicated weekend!)
James (
jwdaubney) arrived first, having used the parental taxi firm to bring him from Swindon, - good to meet up with him and his parents again. Also good to see/hear Samhradh again - the guitar made by
davewhite that James won as first prize in the Forum's Young Acoustic Guitarist competition. Hearing James warming up acoustically showed not only what a fine guitarist James is, but what a superb guitar Samhradh is - sweet and sustaining, balanced and articulate. It took James a mere 5 minutes to set up and get a very natural plugged in sound via his AER Compact 60.
Charles (
tonywoods, one half of Men in Black) and his groupie Jan arrived next, with Paul (
scorpiodog) and groupie Sharon following some time later, having taken the scenic route from Wimborne. Men in Black's Bose PA went together very quickly and easily. We'd decided beforehand each to use our own sound gear for ease of quick set up, and familiarity helping to get a good and balanced result quickly.
Folks began to arrive as soon as doors opened at 7.30 and soon the tables were covered with bottles, glasses and crisps of every imaginable flavour. Glyn and I began with a short set -
and were followed by James, who played a stunning 30 min set of instrumental pieces, many of which were original compositions from his current CD and forthcoming EP (available on iTunes from 29th Oct). Here's one of my favourites, a Daubney original called "Downpour"
The audience was mesmerised - many of the people had not seen guitar playing quite like it before, and rewarded him with rapt attention during his playing, and enthusiastic applause in between the pieces.
Men in Black were up next with a superb set of classics, beginning with Sad Old Bastards with Guitars, and taking us up to the break.
Just love those beer glass holders!
Sadly, James had to leave at the interval, but not before many people came to offer well-deserved congratulations on his on his playing.
With James' gear packed and our glasses refilled, Glyn and I opened the second half -
- to be followed by Men in Black, opening with their special song that Leo wrote for them, and following on with another great set of mostly classic songs with audience singalongs - lovely, and very well received.
A well-chuffed audience disappeared after Glyn and I augmented Men in Black for a final stomping shout through 500 Miles. We put these events on with free admission, but ask people if they would like to leave a donation at the end to cover expenses for the next one. After such a great evening of music the donations were more than generous enough to ensure we can fund the next event. It took us a bit longer to dismantle our gear than it did to put it up, while our lovely ladies did a grand job clearing our buffet, washing up and generally making the place look presentable again.
Paul and Sharon were to stay with us overnight, and Charles and Jan at Glyn's, but before turning in we had a few "winding down" drinks at Glyn's house just a few doors down from me. We did eventually get to bed, and found ourselves all back at Glyn's a few hours later for a huge cooked breakfast courtesy of Mrs
Nuffsed. This was a lovely way to end the gig! Charles and Jan headed off to do some shopping on their way back to Wimborne, and Paul and Sharon left for the nearby West Somerset railway for a trip to Minehead.
As Paul and Sharon were leaving, my elder daughter Grace arrived for a very brief visit, again as a surprise, for Mrs O'C's birthday.
I've had a lot of very positive feedback on the evening, so thanks again to all who helped to make it happen - it was great fun!
I'm hoping that Glyn will be posting some video shortly too....
Keith