Fife's Top Quality Singer

Saturday 30th October 2010 - USC, Aberdeen

Another good gig at the United Services was slightly marred by my not feeling 100%.  I had been feeling dizzy and sick for a couple of days, but I didn't want to let the club down. 

I think I managed to keep them entertained from the start, with my newly added Carpenters material and the like, and I was paying a bit more attention to my song order so that I could have one dance going into another and so on.  I'm still not sure of these dances (quickstep/foxtrot etc) so I try my best.  If anyone wants to give me a bit of info I'd be grateful.

It's a rare night when I am left with a crowd after the bingo flyer at 10pm, and I was amazed to see several tables still full when I started back!  Sometimes the second set is a very short one indeed.

I must thank all of the friendly people at this club.  They make me welcome from the get go, and always tell me they are looking forward to the night. I like a bit of banter, as you know, and I get some here....

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Saturday 29th May 2010 - Unites Services Club, Aberdeen

I must admit to looking forward to this gig - I know what to expect, and can take it relatively easy, getting out all my old favourites - Patsy Cline, The Carpenters etc.  I'm getting used to what song goes with what type of dance now, and I've added in a few new ones for good measure.  The sizeable crowd are very appreciative, and I always see a lot of feet tapping and singing along. Brilliant.

The only drawback to this gig (for me) is that it's a long day.  We set off from Fife around 4pm, and had to be set up by 7.30pm so the bingo could start on time.  Then there was a looooong wait until 8.55, which is when I was due to start.  I did my first set til 10pm, and there was the usual second round of bingo.  Then my second set went from around 10.30 til 11.30pm. I was booked to perform until 11.45pm, but after the usual exodus during the second set, the bar staff reckoned that 4 people didn't constitute a big enough audience to keep going.

We generally get home around 2am, and find we need to wind down for a while.  Tonight (this morning?) We got to bed around 3am, which means quite a long day indeed!

I may be sounding a bit negative, which I am definitely not when it comes to travelling.  We are delighted to travel anywhere to a gig, and Al is happy to drive any distance to get to a venue.  I just think it's important for non singers that they realise that the singing bit is only half of the job.  Mind you, I have Al to do all the donkey work! Thanks Al!

During my first set I had a wee bit of an allergic reaction to something on stage, and found it hard to breathe - cue a Piriton, and a wee cheeky Drambuie.  I do hope it didn't affect my performance.  My breathing was fine for the second set, though, so all was well.

Ooh and I must also say Hi to a lovely couple of musicians I met on the night - They are a duo called Blitzt, and they were taking a well earned night off to come and see me!  They told me they follow this site regularly, and that they enjoy my honest down to earth reviews of my gigs.  I've been told this before, but it's always good to know my reviews are appreciated.  Thanks guys.  They don't have a website yet, but they're very busy and always in great demand.

Saturday 13th February 2010 - United Services Club, Aberdeen

I was asked for by name for this gig, so that's got to be a good sign!  The crowd were more mixed this time, as there was a birthday party going on in one corner of the room.  Because of this, I was able to change the mix of songs for the night.  I'm not sure if some of the more modern stuff went down as well with the regulars, but it never does any harm to change things a bit from time to time, eh?

The usual exodus took place after the bingo, but I know not to take it personally.  The party stayed around til the very end  of the night, and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

All in all, I had fun and so did they, and I got paid!  Result!  The only thing is that it's a long day when you have to travel from Fife to Aberdeen and back, so a long lie was in order for the Sunday. And service station sandwiches are a bit dear!  Must remember a packed lunch next time...

Saturday 26th September 2009 - United Services Association, Aberdeen

I was very happy to be invited back to the USC.  I was asked for by name, so I must have made a good impression the first time. That's always reassuring.

This time I knew exactly what the crowd would be looking for, and I had prepared a good selection of older material, including songs from The Carpenters, Marie Osmond and a few jazzy classics.  The dance floor was filled for the better part of my first set, and I received a good bit of applause between each song, whilst the dancers waited patiently for the next number.

I had to stop for the second round of bingo (the first was before I started my first set) but I was surprised to be back on only 15 minutes later - what a quick 'house' call!

The club have brought their 'flyer' forward from 10.30pm to 10pm, so I was a bit disappointed when a good many people left during the beginning of my second set. I reckon more people stayed later when the bingo was at 10.30pm.  But it's important to realise that people have lives and have buses to catch, so I didn't take it personally when I was asked to stop at around 11 o'clock.  There were only half a dozen people left, so I can understand why. 

I hope to be invited back, and I also hope that more people hang around for the second set next time!

Saturday 25th July - United Services Institute, Aberdeen

This was my second gig for XS Promotions, and I was keen to make a good impression.  You never know quite what to expect when going into a new venue, so I was a little nervous.  Having said that, I know my set list is good enough to cover any kind of gig (more or less), so I didn't have to worry about that. 

The crowd were a bit apprehensive at first, but they quickly warmed to me.  I had been asked not to do too much banter, but I couldn't help myself.  I wasn't cheeky with it though - I just like to chat between songs.  The sets were a little longer than I usually do (my usual is 3 x 40 mins, and tonight's were 8.55pm - 10.30, and 10.45 til 11.45pm).  A few energy drinks helped me along and I got there in the end.  My Shirley Bassey songs went down really well during the first half.

I was told by Eleanor, Debbie and Denise (the lovely bar staff who worked tirelessly throughout the night - sorry I didn't catch the name of the young man who was serving too) that there aren't usually as many people left in the club at the end of the night.  As it was, I had around a dozen people who stayed to enjoy a bit of 21st Century pop.