An evening at the folk club

So, last night, I go to the pub with S and N. They are late (as ever) so we don't have time to rehearse. We squeeze all the gear into their car (with N squashed under my hard-case bass in the front) and head off. Left B playing on the computer - writing music (turns out he used Queen's 'another one bites the dust' bass theme and a traditional folk tune to create - a musical - hysterical - Frankenstein).

The conversation in the car was - bizarre. It went from TV personalities through to subjects I just can't write down in a very short time. Ended in laughter, of course.

Get to the pub, D is running the evening. D is 6' 4" - big, cuddly, lovely. He looks like my brother, does things like my brother, which is often disconcerting. But he's good for a hug or three.

Dan puts together the running order - he's left us till last. Which, complementary as it is, means we have the whole evening to wait through. But first, the evening starts with tunes. S and N eat their food (ordered on arrival), I play bass whilst Dan starts off some tunes with a recorder player. Pleasant, easy start. Then the individuals go on, one by one. A trio with fiddle, mandolin and guitar, singer/songwriters with their guitars and angst, tune palyers, singers, a pleasant evening. Oh, yes, and the awful saxophonist (well, her playing), but its a free country.

Richard plays his usual sixties type stuff, his body swinging and rocking whilst he plays like he is in the hands of a mad puppeteer. But he's a nice chap. He was good for plenty of hugs too - even with his wife there.

The evening goes on - with us chatting in the bar or back room (very smoky in the pub, does me in). Relaxed, fun. I had two pints of cider - relaxed, fun. Not pissed.

Then we played our two numbers - one of mine and one of Shani's. In between I mentioned that I'd written a new song 'The Spanish Lady' and got the audience to guess the subject. "The flu" piped up one chap. Correct! It's my first pandemic song! Knowing me well, and my penchant for death, doom and destruction, everyone laughed.

Then we finished the evening with tunes again - and this is where my sense of mischief took over. S played guitar, Dan played guitar, Mel on flute, me on bass, Ted on melodeon.. a few other guitars and whistles and bodhrans and the like. We were all squeezed up together, so I started to push D with my back. He pushed back. I talked to S - lots of musicians can't talk while they play. I started to tell jokes, putting S right off. D joined in the joke telling. All this whilst playing. I undid his guitar strap, he shoved me a little, I twisted a peg on S's guitar so it went out of tune. Her look of horror! D did the same to my bass - laughter all round. Then I just carried on playing - but one semi-tone out from everyone else. Dan, Shani and I were collapsing with laughter (it sounded horrendous) but Ted, bless (76) thought his melodeon was out of tune.

Anyway, needless to say the evening ended very happily and when I came home, B had written his masterpiece.