The Holy Inadequate, Etruria

StringFing completed their June mini Etruscan tour with a gig at The Holy Inadequate. One of the most striking things about the pub (apart from the great beer and friendly staff, of course) is the huge mural painting. I thought that it looked familiar and that's because it's a copy of the album cover 'A Storyteller's Night' by Magnum.

We will be playing here regularly, so look out for dates on the StringFing facebook page.

Etruria Canal Festival

StringFing were back camping in a marquee at the Etruria Canal Festival again this year. Much better weather and a scorching sun meant that I was reluctantly persuaded to leave my woolly jumper at home.

During a break in playing I bumped into Mike Fisher who takes many of the photos at my Moody Food gigs and bought a mug with one of his canal pictures. It shows Cherry Eye Bridge on the Caldon canal and the horse Badger who used to haul a narrow boat on passenger trips from Froghall Wharf during the 1980s.

Keele Postgraduate Association, St Patrick's Night Eve

StringFing's Eve of St. Patrick’s Hootenanny at the KPA at Keele. We were otherwise engaged at our regular monthly gig at the New Inn in Hanley so Spike decided to inaugurate a new festival into the ritual calendar – long may it remain.

Gorton Monastery, Manchester

A little Sunday jaunt for StringFing up to the magnificent Pugin designed Gorton Monastery in Manchester. We were there for the annual poetry competition arranged by Adoption Matters Northwest.  As this year's theme was of 'belonging'  we performed a song of Terry's commissioned for the event – We Belong Together. We also played a set of traditional English tunes which made a pleasant change from the frantic Irish and bluegrass tunes I normally play. It was a joy to play in such beautiful surroundings with a huge natural reverb (makes a change from the pub).

The photo above shows StringFing (honest!) sitting behind a curtain of poets ready to launch into an encore of 'We Belong Together'.

Keele Postgraduate Association, Ghoulies Ball

 

'When the full moon shines

On the village green
And ancient chimes
Strike thirteen . . .'

It was a bit early, I know, but I celebrated Halloween performing with StringFing at the Ghoulies Ball in the KPA up at Keele University. There were lots of pumpkins, witches and skeletons abroad and Terry and Emily got into the spirit of things by blowing the gig money on face paints from the Pound Shop. Emily changed into a witchy thing whilst Terry resurrected his Heymaker persona. For some reason neither of them thought that I required any modifying to get into character and that a cheap suit and a general demeanour of melancholia was horrific enough. The lack of a camera protects us all from the judgment of posterity.

Spike was AWOL as his son Doug had a play, Life Support, being staged at the Royal Theatre in York and, unaccountably, Spike preferred to be up there with him rather than with us. If York is too far away, you can catch the play at the KPA on Wednesday 10 November.

These days Halloween is not so much a Celtic festival when 'the summer goes to its rest' but a triumph of consumerism as it is has become the third biggest money-spinning festival after Christmas and Easter. For a gigging musician the ritual year can be both a blessing and a curse – bookings on these feast days, like buses, tend to come in threes. Only a musician can truly understand the trauma of refusing a gig, and thus money, because you are already booked.

It was well past the witching hour when I got home but the weird sisters were nowhere to be seen.

StringFing at Neston Library.

A jolly jaunt with StringFing up to Neston library on the Wirral for a bit culture amongst the books. We usually play in pubs, so it makes a nice change playing for people who are actually listening.

We were supported on the night by the rather wonderful, and frighteningly young, Red Voix – a family band formed especially for a GMTV competition.

According to the poster in the library this was a "toe-tapping fusion of traditional Celtic, English rural, classical, blues and rock and pop to get you going on a late summer evening" – so pretty much all tastes covered there! Anyway, this was the set list for the night:

Champion of the World
Down on Poison Farm
Winsford Town
Ram Yer Spike
Ballad of Francis Adams
Sad Song (Something Wrong)
Priest and the Witch
Exile’s Song
On A New Years Day
That Love of Mine
I Want You
Pity the Poor, Poor Pig
Talking Revolution
Big Pearl

Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival

Woke up this morning and it was pouring with rain. StringFing back on the street at the Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival. We haven't played on the street since our busking days but we've moved on up in the world and now have a nice green gazebo thing to keep us dry. Thanks to everyone who braved the showers to listen to us. We're going to be inside next year!

NORSACA, Hanley

A short set from StringFing at the North Staffs African Caribbean Association (NORSACA) in Hanley as part of the artists' collective No Left Ear which promotes artistic and cultural projects between the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Gdansk and Le Havre.

Our rather surprising link with Gdansk goes back to 1995 when an early incarnation of StringFing (then called 'Set The Milkmaids Free') went to Gdansk for a week of gigs. As far as I can recall we were paid in goldwasser (Polish vodka with little bits of gold floating in it), so memories are a little hazy but I do remember playing at The Bohemian Club. To gain access you had to go up some narrow stairs and knock on the door at the top at which point the gate master would peer through a spyhole and if he thought you looked sufficiently 'bohemian' would let you in.

I don't remember playing on Radio Arnet during the 1995 election but the photo below says that we did. In spite of our best efforts Lech Walesa lost the election – probably because of this broadcast.

Etruria Canal Festival

Two days for StringFing in a marquee at the Etruria Canal Festival along with fellow musicians Andy Casserley and Michelle Martin. I love playing in marquees in summer – it's a bit like camping, what with the smell of grass and canvas, but without all the fuss of putting up a tent. A heavy shower on the Sunday afternoon ensured that we got a good audience for the last set as the entire festival sought shelter.

Keele Postgraduate Association, St Patrick's Night

StringFing plus a leprechaun – it can only be St Patrick's Night at the KPA up at Keele University. Back in my day it was called the KRA when much of the 'research' took place in the bar, so it's very reassuring to see that in spite of a name change a fine tradition continues.The leprechaun, by the way, is some local critic Spike brought in to review our performance and ensure the correct ratio of trad / WT Fox songs on St Pat's.

Winsford Library

Off to Winsford Town with an embryonic StringFing (this time under the name of Terry Fox's Bunch of Bardsters) to the library there and the book launch of Homage to Cheshire, and Terry's own collected poems, Dance of Fools.

I enjoy these civilised affairs, reverence to the artist from the audience and lashings of wine. Terry even managed to persuade the library to get a music licence for the night so that I could play my mandolin, along along with Chris Bingham on bass and James Berriman on guitar, on the final two poems – 'Owed to Paddy O' and 'Talking Revolution'.

A Bunch of Bardsters.

He was this tall.

The Swan, Bignall End

Ah – the joys of pub gigs. StringFing were booked to play at the Swan in Bignall End as part of the Christmas festivities. Unfortunately the landlord had also brought in a Christmas tree so large that there was no room for us to play in our usual spot (i.e.in front of people) and so we were demoted to outside the gents loos. Classy.

White Eagle Club, Stafford

StringFing playing for an Irish wedding celebration at the White Eagle Club in Stafford – well I suppose that's the significance of Terry's natty green kerchief.