As the nights draw in and I reach for my night-cap (no, not that sort…the bobbly kind), we in the ingeniously named John Hackett Band hurtle towards our final gig of 2022 at the Forum Music Centre, Darlington on Friday 21 October: https://theforumonline.co.uk/events/john-hackett-band/
We are thrilled that Prog Magazine Award winning vocalist, Amy Birks, will be opening for us with her exquisite songs taken from her albums “In Our Souls” and “All that I am and All that I was” with Oliver Day (guitar), Matt Lumb (piano) and myself on flute. She will also be guesting with the JHB for a few numbers including “Dreamtown” from “Checking Out of London” and the King Crimson classic “I talk to the wind”.
NB: the Barnoldswick Music and Arts Centre gig on 23 October has now been rescheduled to next year:
Time then to reflect on the year so far.
It has been splendid to be out playing live again, especially to bigger audiences at various festivals including the Giants of Rock, Fusion 3, Winter’s End, the Prog All-Dayer and A New Day Festival as well as sharing the stage with the Blackheart Orchestra, Joanne Harris and the Storytime Band and our chum Howard Sinclair.
Our thanks for all the lovely comments we’ve had.
We’ve got some new material that has been very well received. And as well as the sequined lederhosen the guys have been wearing recently, we also have some new songs that have proven popular. These will feature on the next John Hackett Band album due for release in 2023.
And don’t forget our amazing guitarist, Nick Fletcher, has a stunning new album out, “The Cloud of Unknowing”, which is available at gigs and here, along with other recordings and merch.
Meanwhile, I have been playing a few guest spots with my brother Steve on his Foxtrot At Fifty and Hackett Highlights tour. I finally got to watch the whole show in Leicester last Friday and I can honestly say, I don’t think I’ve ever heard him or his crack unit in finer form!
As they kicked off with a stonking version of Ace of Wands from Voyage of the Acolyte, I was transported back to 1975, in the days when a microwave was something you might encounter while paddling on the beach at Bognor… The world has changed so much since then and I wish I could say it is for the better – I can’t even pay for my snuff in guineas any more.
But thankfully, we still have music to bring us together so we hope to see you all at a gig near you in the very near future. And, of course, a huge thank you to all of you who have supported us so far this year! One last thing – in these uncertain economic times, please do continue to buy your tickets in advance if you possibly can.