Me, John O and Mal singing along to Sad Pig. (Photo: Gilly)Just for a change I'm doing this one in reverse chronological order, starting with the early hours of Sunday morning where you find us all ensconced in the cellar of Fort Perch Rock having a heavenly session. It took a bit of persuading to get Mal to come along because he had to up early the next day, but come along he did, and what a warm welcome we were given. I'm going to harp on for a moment here because this needs saying - I have never felt so welcome in a group as when I arrive at some of these sessions, and many of those there don't even know me. It's a fine feeling, and its led to us making many new friends, and it felt like they were all there this night!
We nearly didn't get in, the Fort's gates were locked and we had to make a bit of a din to attract anybody's attention, but it was worth waiting.
We enjoyed the usual round of songs and tunes, a great mixture with added spice from Ginger, Ian, Bob and the cajon crew, Alison with her 3rd Men, Brass Tacks, Shay, Mal etc etc. Gill and Jim made session debuts with the Bodhram, Gill getting a few encouraging nods from Shay. We had more from Jerry Lee's niece and we could have stayed forever. Thank you all.
Sea Shanties at the Baltic Fleet
A mad night of music mixed in with crowds and noise as the Liverpool River Festival Sea Shanty Festival drew to a close. Many of the acts dropped in to give a few songs, and some of them were outstanding - Four'n'Aft, Portsmouth Shantymen, and the Norwegians in particular. With this heady mix and the Wapping Ale, it was good fun, if a little cramped.
We were a little tired o "Bound for South Australia" by the 5th time (no kidding), but there were some other old favourites in there, some of which I recall being taught at Primary School from the BBC Schools Radio "Singing Together" series.
A side mention for the spring that seems to have chosen the basement toilets to rise in, something to do with the adjacent building works.
On the way out we witnessed a cameo that will remain with me for some time, the fiddle player from Cream of the Barley was giving a fiddle workshop to two or three others round a table in the street outside, with the backdrop of a large half built building - just surreal.
Fort Perch Rock - Afternoon
Sad Pig headlined the afternoon's proceedings with a mixture of popular music, traditional folk, and adverts for their own festival! I missed most of it on the phone, but Gill enjoyed it very much.
Third Man played- Alison Parker's band, sadly they couldn't hear each other's instruments because of a technical glitch,so Alison wasn't very impressed with the results, but whatever the problems, they still had us all listening and dancing, a sign of the professionalism and skill of this local band.
And then there was Bayou Rhythms -
a thrown together band of locals and ex-pats including Ginger, Bob on bass, triangle, accordian, harp and washboard, Ian on guitar and several others we didn't know, they played an infectious mix of songs that had us all tieing ourselves in knots attempting to dance.
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