Fife's Top Quality Singer

Friday 3rd October 2008 - Partners, Cowdenbeath

I was initially a bit reticent to go along to Partners again, as it is often a hit or miss situation.  Sometimes the place can be packed but no one claps, sometimes there are only a few people in and they have a whale of a time.  It's a bit of a rollercoaster for me. 

This weekend was a mixture of the two.  The bar was full, then quiet, then full, then quiet.  I take it that quite a few people go from pub to pub in Cowdenbeath, and that Partners is somewhere in the middle for them. 

As a result, there were different mixtures of ages and tastes in throughout the night, and I think I managed to keep them all entertained at some point.  I am grateful Al was there though, as he invariably led the applause. I had an excellent quote from one guy in the pub -

"Naebody ever f***in' claps".  Glad it's not just me then.

My thanks to Anna for inviting me along, and I hope to be back soon.

 

Friday 9th May 2008- Partners, Cowdenbeath

I arrived at this venue to find a wedding party in full swing.  Had I known, I might have dressed a bit more appropriately.  As it was, I had a black and white shirt and trousers on, so I wasn't too scruffy.

The happy couple, Alan and Linda, had got married in the afternoon, and been invited to the pub for a party.  The party had been on for quite a while - most of the guests had had a merry time already by the time I arrived!

I went on and did two one hour sets of dancy and then rock music, which went down a treat.  The dance floor was rarely empty, and I must confess to having a good time. A few times previously I had been greeted at the end of a song by total silence, and I was thinking about not coming back.  But hey, I couldn't have been more wrong on this occasion.

I also got to meet the fabulous Jimmy Jack, another local singer/entertainer doing the rounds of Fife and beyond.  I hope to keep in touch with him and who knows, we may even work together at some point.  Watch this space!

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Saturday 20th January 2007 - Partners, Cowdenbeath

What can I say?  Once again I repeat myself.  Nice people, singing along and the occasional dance.  Unfortunately they all must have had a phobia of applause.  I pointed out at one stage that I could not figure out what kind of music they liked unless they clapped for their favourites, and that it would be their fault if they didn't enjoy the kind of music I was doing.

Friday 1st December 2006- Partners, Cowdenbeath

This should be an easy gig. There are always punters in and they do seem to listen and tap their feet, but this is probably one of the finest examples of the typical Fife pub crowd. They will not clap. I could probably offer money but I'm sure it would make no difference.

I sing a good song.  I feel I've done the song justice, I finish and am greeted with the applause of Alan, and if I'm lucky someone else will throw in a half hearted guilty clap or two.

WHY????!

I know that its not the material or my performance because everywhere outside of Fife, I get huge applause and lots of "when will you be back?" questions. But here in Fife it's deathly silence and one pi**ed off singer. I'm writing this after a night in Partners, but don't blame this particular pub. It must be the Fifers. I don't get the same trouble anywhere else. A shame, but in the end the crowd lose out because they have a disgruntled singer who really would prefer to be somewhere else.  Maybe at home waxing her legs?  It would be less painful.

A note to the owners of the venues - tell the agent if the acts you are sent aren't good, then your punters might come in to see the good acts you get, and may even show some appreciation to make sure that they always get a good performance.  if I had a penny for every time I heard "Ooh that guy they had last week was chronic".

If you own or visit a venue in Fife and feel my comments are unfair, I will say sorry to you, but you are in a minority.

There are a few diamonds in this sea of pebbles. As for Partners, nice people, good management and staff, but I need a board that says CLAP for next time... 

Sunday 30th July - Partners, Cowdenbeath

Sundays are strange days.  Everyone wants to relax and have an easy day, with no hassles.  Unfortunately this meant that this cheery, friendly crowd couldn't be bothered to clap!  They were singing along to every song, and seemed to be having a great time, but there was a deafening silence between songs.

I won't take it personally.  it's that Fife thing again.

And previously..

Saturday 15th April - Partners, Cowdenbeath

This was the second time I'd been here.  The first was a Friday, which was relatively quiet until later in the evening (there is a club upstairs).  This time there were quite a few people in from the start, and I enjoyed a bit of banter before I started. 

Al enjoyed himself immensely - the main reason being that he was being chatted up all night!  Bless him, he didn't realise until I told him, then he was a bit embarrassed.  I was ready for a fight! lol.

Hi to Anna, the owner, who has made me most welcome both times.

Friday 10th March - Partners, Cowdenbeath

This was my first time in Partners.  There had been a wee mix up regarding advertising, and the local paper had listed Janey Kirk as appearing that night.

Friday nights can be a bit of a hit and miss nowadays, with more and more people working at the weekend, saving themselves for Saturday night instead.  It was quite quiet that night, but the people who were there were very appreciative.  It's a strange shaped room, which poses a few sound level problems, but Al came through as usual and got the sound just right.  I had to retune my mic, however, as the pubs lights were interfering with the sound coming from it.  Strange.