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Sunday 21st September - CISWO, Glenrothes (performing alongside "The Piggies" and James Devine)
I like the CISWO. I am always remembered, and always greeted with a smile from Charlie, the longsuffering commitee member who helps organise these "table afternoons" - an afternoon of music and entertainment, where members of the club and the general public can book a table for themselves and their friends for only £6, entitling them to two or three alive acts and five nips of spirit each. Not a bad deal eh?
Today's acts were (in running order) -
James Devine, a singer and trumpet player from Manchester, whose act was greatly enjoyed by the audience. They are always a little on the quiet side for the first wee while, but he did well, and got the party started.
Me! I did an hour of mixed music, from Shania Twain to Duffy and a bit of Shirley Bassey to finish.
The Piggies - An excellent, well polished, tight as a drum 60s tribute band who were the consummate professionals from start to finish, and most importantly were really nice guys. We weren't able to stay for their whole set, but we were mightily impressed! Performing hits by Roy Orbison to The Beatles, The Monkees and a whole lot more, they got everything right, from the authentic guitars and amps through to their outfits.
You can find their website here. They tell me they are going to be at the Rothes Halls soon, so look out for them.
Sunday 27th April 2008 - CISWO, Glenrothes (afternoon gig) with The Blue Notes
Wow. What a day. I rolled up to the gig around 12ish, thinking I was well early, to hear the sounds of Motown coming from the hall. The Blue Notes were there, and had set up and done a sound check already! I was amazed by the quality of their act - excellent.
The Blue Notes are a four piece Motown group, and their two sets were packed with all of Motown's greatest hits, including tracks from the Foundations, Temptations and many more.
Al and the band linked me into their sound system, and I nearly fainted with delight at the sound of a full show PA! The bass response was so good I could have sworn I was bouncing off the stage! I opened the gig to warm up the audience with the first of my two 45 minute sets (something I made earlier - lol). The audience were a captive one, as the afternoon was a "table" gig. This means that each person buys a ticket for the gig and receives so many free drinks (I think it was 5). Then they get a free gig and buffet too. Every town should have one of these gigs, I reckon.
The Blue Notes were the consummate professionals, and gave a slick, polished performance. Theo, AJ, Lewis and Neil are very talented individuals, and I hope to see them again. If you see them advertised anywhere, and like Motown, then get booking!
Sunday 9th December 2007 - CISWO, Glenrothes ( With Ricky Wilde)
I had originally been booked with a guy called Allan Boyle, but he was replaced at the eleventh hour by the very talented, funny and entertaining Ricky Wilde. His years of experience shone through as he performed songs from every conceivable style, from pop and rock to opera - his rendition of Nessun Dorma went down so well, I had a few of the crowd asking me if he really was singing it! I can assure you that he was, and I do not lie.
I was happy with my performance, but I must note that the measures in the CISWO must be 35mls, as I was feeling a bit the worse for wear by the start of the second half. Note to self - must have lunch before an afternoon gig....
The small but perfectly formed audience (I don't think you can call a dozen folk a crowd) seemed to enjoy the diversity and even danced!
I hope to meet and perform with Ricky again, as I've never enjoyed an afternoon at the CISWO quite as much as I did today.
Sunday 28th January 2007 - The CISWO Club, Glenrothes
What a gig! Sunday afternoons usually mean sitting down to Sunday lunch, listening to the family make fun of each other, and eating too much. So a Sunday at the CISWO is a bit of an unusual gig for me. I didn't have nearly enough breakfast for a start, and that mixed with the two Jack Daniels I had meant I was well `loosened up` for the gig.
I was absolutely delighted to meet a very talented young man called Jim Smart, who was performing alongside me. Jim's vocals are outstanding, and I would have liked to hear more of his tribute act to Freddie Mercury and Roy Orbison. That would be a treat!
He was very down to earth, a bit like yours truly, and I think that is so important in this business. There is no room for snobbery or one-upmanship in the singing and performance world. You have to be realistic about your job, and not let it go to your head.
He is also a licensed hypnotherapist, and he does a stage hypnosis act. This I would like to see.. I did comment that he could hypnotise me into not eating too much chocolate, crisps and sweets, but I guess I'll have to see him in a professional capacity instead.
Or, wait a minute! He could hypnotise me so I remember all my words!! lol
You can find his websites here -
Saturday 23rd December 2006 - CISWO club, Glenrothes
Well, its always good to work with other acts and I really enjoy getting a chance to see how their tracks go down with the audience. I'll always find a lesson in watching Janey Kirk, who was working with Stevie as The Bond. As usual their performance was excellent despite technical problems after having their equipment stolen. The audience will never realise how difficult it is to use someone else's mic, mixer etc. But after a shaky first track their professionalism shone through. Lots of thanx to Rab for his disco infills and crowd warming.
Sunday 22nd May - CISWO, Glenrothes (with another act)
I must admit I do enjoy having the opportunity to work with and watch other acts, and I was glad to meet both of the people I was appearing alongside -
"Wee Mac", a very versatile comedian, who gave us his Rab C Nesbitt, Bob the builder and ET impressions during the afternoon, as well as singing a fair few songs.
George Kennedy Jnr, an amazing young man whose energy and enthusiasm made me feel very old and tired! His professionalism and talent shone through. I hope to have taken some of his exuberance for the job, and will be trying to be more animated on stage. He filled the room with personality! You can check out his website at www.georgekennedy.co.uk