SftBH News Archive Apr 2005 - Jun 2005

The White Hart, Margaretting Tye, Essex 22/06/05

Words By Shane: -

You know when you're on the verge of greatness? We were so close once we got going... Unfortunately the second set didn't quite achieve the standards we've set ourselves and come to expect. A game of two halves. To paraphrase David Hughes, it was like watching Ipswich Town. I'm sure long time supporters will forgive us, but I'm sure that was a very long drive home for Fiddly, and he deserves far better service from the midfield. For a while there though, we were almost transcendent. A shame we ended up more pedestrian than Peter Pedestrian the proud pavementeer. For a beer festival though, great toilets, great ribs and greek salad, and a fine selection of ales.

At the head of the river, Oxford Folk Festival 14/05/05

Words by Shane: -

A core Blue House line up took the stage at Oxford Town Hall on Saturday, as part of the city's folk festival. Having rehearsed the set with a good-natured warm up gig at The Steamboat in Ippo on the Thursday prior in the company of David Hughes, the crack streamlined SftBH team were ready to put in a slick, professional performance worthy of wowing the worthies. 

Sadly, for the second gig in a show Shane forgot who comes into the bar at the start of the second verse of 'Special Kind of Love', and James turned into a human beat-box at the end of it. We're not quite sure who was more perplexed - the audience, or the forever tolerant Fiddly. Still, there were enthusiastic comments forthcoming from a small, but perfectly formed, audience, and the hardcore element of the folk wing of the band determined to celebrate long into the night, revisit a few stomping grounds of both of the group's Oxford alumni, and kick up a few heels in the process. 

After the bar at the venue collapsed ("G-clamps, that's what you need" quoth James, sagely) attendant road crew Joseph James (he of the two names) and Tev had other ideas, and so we went and sat in a pub garden by the river with Hughes instead. After a lengthy deconstruction of the folk/rock/country/bluegrass idiom (always working, always researching, us) and several pints of 'Fullers Discovery', we retired to our lodgings where, after an unfortunate misunderstanding regarding room keys, Shane was treated to a night's master class in controlled snoring by the recumbent Russell Barnes. Veritable crescendos, glissandos, subtle cadences, and at times almost arpeggios each followed one another in a rolling symphony of snorts and grunts. Before long, however, like the rolling of a distant sea, or the reassuring plink of mainsheet on mast, the sonorous symphony lulled his unfortunate roomy into sleep. 

Next day, coffee and toast courtesy of our hosts, another splendid Hughes performance (even I bought a CD of the back of it....) wherein he seemed to have all the benefits of the monitoring we'd been so missing the day before, meeting with friends new and old, the relentless clink of bell on stick, the thud of clog on floor, the calls to get a round in. In the interests of getting home in one piece, we made our excuses, and stayed.

Substantial, but by no means complete, website spring clean...13/04/05

Words By James: -

Finally I've got round to making some changes around here in an attempt to clear up the clutter - 

Further work planned - 

08/04/05 - Songs from the Blue House @ High Barn, somewhere in the bleedin' Essex countryside.

Words by Camp Freddy: -

As a High Barn virgin, Shane has asked me to write the diary entry for the latest Blue House outing which, as much for the band as for me, was also a welcome excuse to see The Arlenes.

I'm sure if you look elsewhere on this site - let alone many others - there will be glowing and positive words and phrases put together to describe the High Barn, and all I can do really is add my discerning nod of approval. The place exudes class, the chips are very good and the quality towels in the bathroom put to shame many budget hotel chains. all very important things at my time of life.

Blue House had a good selection of players for this show, including (almost) ever-present Russ Barnes, Fiddly Richard-all-the-way-from-Thorndon and Tony Winn, as well as a striking new partnership upfront of Helen and Jo Mulley - a, if you will, "twin Mulley attack". Particularly popular with this small but appreciative audience was "Not That Kind Of Girl". The silent, but deadly, legendary "other third" of Blue House, Gibbon, had an excellent night, the crystal clear in-house PA accentuating his excellent backing vocals to the overall benefit of the band. Despite the abundance of vocal talent at their disposal, Blue House tend to use harmonies sparingly, and I do sometimes wonder if they should maybe take more advantage of the talent available - but it's a minor bleat in the grand scheme of things.

James and Shane were, well, James and Shane. Entertaining, witty, talented - it's a good job neither of them are good looking as well. it would be almost unbearable...

The Arlenes were, well, kinda good, really. Two dates into their British tour, and maybe still finding their touring legs a little, frontman Steven is a 6ft 6in beanpole from London, now living in Sacramento CA, who sings country songs of heartache and loss with a certain pop sensibility. His wife, who normally sings with him, stayed at home for this tour to look after their expanding family and he was joined by Emily Barker from Cambridge based band The Low Country, along with an American rhythm section and an excellent Swiss based lead guitarist. The High Barn audience lapped up The Arlenes, and there was some good trade afterwards at the CD stall.

A pleasant way to spend an evening, thanks for the invite chaps and chappesses - here's to the next one!

SftBH stand on Ceremony 01/04/05

Words By Helen: -

I have to admit, I've never really thought of SftBH as a wedding band; but when That Nice David Booth and his fiancée Paula asked us to play at their nuptials, we could scarcely refuse - especially when we learned that the venue was approximately ten minutes walk from the Blue House itself. 

The timing on the evening was, Shane assures me, in true wedding tradition - we were due to start at nine and I think we kicked off at around 10.15 - and we've certainly played to more attentive crowds (honestly, anyone would think they'd all come together for some *other* reason than to listen to our own special brand of East Anglian bluegrass/folk/whatever); but all in all, it was a grand gig. 

The sound was great - OK, so it didn't reach past the first half a dozen tables, but for those who genuinely wanted to listen for a bit, this was fine. It was splendid to be able to field pretty much a full team, with two Tonys and a Moj as well as the usual suspects. The first set was OK, if somewhat subdued as we gradually got to grips with the fact that we actually *weren't* the most important people in the room. The second set, however, was an absolute stormer, with possibly our best rendition of "Big Dipper" ever (the groom's favourite, by the way, and the reason we got the gig in the first place). 

The two Tonys were on top form, with Mr Winn's banjo and Mr Turrell's piano effortlessly and unobtrusively looping through holes in the songs that we'd not noticed were there before. We even got a couple of encores (ta, Mr Booth) and the Blue House set closed with a delicious TT and JP delivery of Moon River that brought tears to my eyes - and I was sober and everything. We were hugely flattered to have been asked to do this one, so I hope we delivered the goods... and we look forward to having the newly spliced Mr Booth on stage with us in the not too distant!

PS - Many thanks to Mrs Kirk for watching the twins; and to the twins for not waking up or doing anything scary.

BACK