What a lovely year it’s been. We’ve found ourselves all over the country once again – making lots of new friends both on and off stage; saying goodbye, with love, to some old ones…
February saw us at Manchester’s famous Band on the Wall raising money for Prostate Cancer UK and sharing the stage with Beatrix Players and, for the first time, Amanda Lehmann. Ms Amy Birks and her band of players grow year-on-year in this new incarnation and their new album is to be eagerly anticipated. It’s been a delight getting to know Amanda and watching her perform songs that range from the impressionistic to the hard-hitting.
The Forum Music Centre in Darlington was our next stop, in March. Thanks to Gasto Promotions for inviting us and to Heather Findlay for joining us. Heather’s voice is well-known and beloved from her Mostly Autumn days and solo career – it was refreshing to hear such openly honest spiritual songwriting, stuff many shy away from. Delighted she’ll be joining us in 2025 from Glasgow to Penzance!
Early April took us back to Crookes Social Club in hometown Sheffield and to the delightfully quirky The Village Pump in Trowbridge. Thanks to Del Scott Miller for your incisive, wryly self-deprecating socially-attuned songs and to Howard Alan Sinclair for once again opening your heart with Seven Long Years and The Delicious Company of Freaks. To Maurice at Crookes and Kieran at The Pump
Later in April the book of Faery and Legend was opened at Square Chapel Arts Centre in Halifax where we teamed up with Joanne Harris and the Storytime Band once again – tales of Selkies, ocean deserts and perfect wives. Then on to Queens Park Arts Centre in Aylesbury – a perfectly-formed space, just ideal for us and – thanks to Dario – somewhere we’re returning to next year.
A one-off in May took us to 45 Live Venue Kidderminster. This was all thanks to Ally from The Emerald Dawn in association with GB Promotions. It was smashing to finally meet up with the Emeralds who are so deservedly loved and esteemed. Theirs was a mighty and mesmerising performance and we sat alongside each other rather nicely. So a bright green Christmas to Alan Carter, Tree Stewart, Thomas Idris Jackson and David Greenaway x
June. The Soundle brought everyone together at Key Theatre in Peterborough in what all agree was a heartwarming success. We got to see Amanda, The Emerald Dawn again, meet up with the charming and powerfully sweetly-voiced That Joe Payne and discover the EBB phenomenon. Thanks so much to Bob Cheatham, Mike Whitfield, Roger Marsh and so many organizers and volunteers. Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive etc. See JHB and EBB tag-teaming in Liverpool and Southampton in ’25. Amanda was with us the following night where we swapped a whopping great stage for a teeny one at Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre. Thanks to Peter Barton for opening his bijou, never-sleeping venue to us once again. Safe to assert that a more intimate venue would be tantamount to marriage!
Later that month we returned to East Molesey Methodist Church for the first time since 2017 and it was great to be back and so warmly received. Great to see Nick Clabburn in the audience who has worked so closely with John over the years. Thank you to Grahame and the committee for inviting us. Then it was a Solent Area Prog special with Heather at The 1865. Heather joined us for Dream Town and I Talk To The Wind and it all felt very special and meant to be. How blessed we’ve been to share stages with such wonderful singers, songwriters and musicians these past ten years!
Thanks to Pat and Penny for hosting us and The Blackheart Orchestra at Seven Arts Leeds in September. We enjoyed a wonderful crowd at this perfect venue – Chrissy and Rick were on fire and wonderful to watch their world-building ballet at work once again. We honour the memory dear Tim Taylor. This was the gig he had focused on in his recovery. So glad you made it, Tim – you are missed and you will be remembered
Way, way out East, at the end of the Acle Strait, we found ourselves in Great Yarmouth for the HRH PROG Festival alongside Caravan and Arthur Brown. Thank you John for sending the summons! And to those who filled the room on a late Thursday afternoon in October – that’s commitment!!
Our BONUS gig came courtesy of Anne-Claire at Bad Dog Promotions with the inaugural Last night of the Progs in Reading. We shared the evening with Hoopy Frood and John Mitchell who delivered sets full of funk and good humour! Let’s hope this becomes as regular a thing as it ought – thank you AC!
And that, my dears, was that. Santa is now busy mixing the album, as it’s been on our list for a little while now…
John, Nick, Duncan and Jeremy wish you the mostly wonderful Christmas – may it be merry and bright, and your new year be peaceful. Come and see us – we’re bound to be nearby at some point next year. Until then – thank you for the pleasure of your company, and to everyone we’ve shared the stage with, much love xx
