Countdown To Christmas

I always know when Christmas is meant to start, And that's when folk singer Kate Rusby rolls into town with her festive concert, complete with a reindeer and a small brass band.

I must have seen Kate and her band a dozen or so times now, and never tire of her tunes, stories and humour.

She comes from Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, and is really down to earth. I don't think she could be a diva if she tried. No peeled grapes, or champaign for her. She's happy with a mug of Yorkshire tea and some biscuits.  For example, she said that she was cold on stage, so she came back on wearing a woolly fleece.

The packed Royal Centre audience enjoyed about two hours of music, including three versions of the carol "While Shepherds Watched", but all with different tunes. Apparently there are thirty, and Kate wondered whether the audience would be interested in listening to them all!

I had booked late, so all the really good seats had gone, as she is really popular. So mine was up in the 'gods'. So I took along my telecom lens, to see if I could capture a few moments. I managed to take a few shots, before the inevitable tap on the shoulder and the usual phrase "Sorry, no photography".

It was the last night of the tour, so she will be driving back to Barnsley to spend the festivities with her partner Damian O'Kane, who also plays in the band, her two daughters, and her eleven year old dog Daisy.

Next year marks her 25th year as a performer. So no doubt Ms Rusby will be back in Nottingham before long, and hopefully I will get a better seat next time.

Who's Best?

Another shot that I took off the TV from the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury.

I don't think this band need any introduction, even though there only two left now. No it's not the Beatles, but the amazing Who; Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey.

There is of course a Beatles connection in that Ringo Starr's son Zak plays drums in the group now, who I think is a better drummer than Ringo himself. But of course he's no Keith Moon.

They played a great set, which mainly consisted of their most well know songs and a lot of the audience, of differing ages were singing along too.

For a couple of pensioners, they still have plenty of energy and enthusiasm. Maybe as much now as they did when they started, some fifty years ago.

Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?

As much as I enjoy music, I have never had the urge or inclination to visit Glastonbury for the festival. The sheer thought of bing in amongst thousands of others fills me with dread, as I'm pretty sure I would end up with having a panic attack, as I would feel so hemmed in. Then of course there is camping in a tent, which is something else that I don't fancy. And I certainly won't mention the infamous Portaloos or the mud.

I think it is much better to be sat at home and watch it on the TV. I don't know who all the main acts are this year, but it was nice to see Lionel Ritchie entertaining the masses with his own special songs. I do know that there are a few local musicians playing there, including Saint Raymond, The Seaford Mods and Ferocious Dog.

It is nice to see all the different flags flying together. I even spotted the special Nottingham one. Music is probably one of the few forms of education that cuts across, race, creed and religion.

Lucy And The Amazing Leather Dreamcoat

I went to see my favourite band The Madeline Rust last night, at a very unusual venue. Not a pub, restaurant or club, but a clothes shop, situated in Sneinton Market.

The shop is run by a husband & wife partnership and they design and make the clothes themselves, bespoke; hence the shop's name One B.C: bespoke clothing.

They had made a special leather outfit for Lucy, the singer and bassist in the band, and last night was the unveiling metaphorically speaking, when they played for about an hour and Lucy got to show off their creation, complete with skulls, guns and roses.

The Fab Four

Here's a shot of local band The Madeline Rust that I took the other night at Oxjam's rock night at a pub in Beeston.

They were excellent as usual, and introduced a couple of new songs to the appreciative audience.

There were also another three bands playing on the night; I Am Jupiter, These Skies and Paradise Pill.

I don't know how much money was raised on the night, but it will go towards the final figure that will be raised during the Oxjam music festival in October.

Don't You Forget About Me

Gail and I travelled back to the 1980s tonight as we went to a Simple Minds gig at the Royal Concert Hall.

I had won some tickets in a competition through our local newspaper, the Nottingham Post, so it was a cheap night out. The seats were up in the gods, so we were quite some distance from the stage. Of course I had my camera with me, and had chosen to go with a telephoto lens, rather than a prime lens, just in case were weren't near the front. In fact we were so far away from the stage, that we were sitting next to one of the lighting guys.

The concert was a sell out, and everyone was having a good time singing, cheering and dancing along to the various songs that the band performed. I recognised some of the tunes, but I didn't buy any of their albums when they were big during the 1980s. But after hearing them tonight, I might go and buy one of their greatest hits albums.

The Bonny Lads

Back in November a new record shop opened in the city centre. A branch of Rough Trade no less.

Besides selling albums, CDs and books they also have a snack bar and have recently been having live in-store gigs by up and coming bands.

I saw one such band today at lunchtime, who go by the name of The Little Comets, an indie rock group from the North East of England.  I'd not heard of them before, even though they have been going since 2008.

They played for about half an hour to a receptive audience, who had packed the upstairs cafe area. They weren't bad considering it's not really my kind of music. They also have a bass player, who I sadly didn't manage to get in the shot, so here he is, in a portrait of  his own.

Gadgets

This is Manchester based electro band Shield Patterns, who played at the Contemporary on Saturday night.

I really went to see the support band who I like called One Girl One Boy, but stayed to listen to this duo, and thought they were very good.

They played in almost darkness, except for a couple of red lights, so I thought it would look better as a black & white.

Rusty Metal

I had the great pleasure of seeing Beeston band The Madeline Rust perform their new album Truth and Consequences in full tonight at a gig in the city centre.

Although I have heard of the band before, I have never seen them play live, even though the three main members of the band live only a stones throw away from my house. Please don't try to prove it either guys!

 Lucy has a really powerful voice, even though she's slim and only about five feet tall. She can scream out their lyrics the same way that a sergeant major might yell out orders to his men.

It was quite a small room they played in, but it was packed, and so it soon became like a sauna. But the beer was good, and the music loud, and I got some what I like to think were some good shots.

Of course I bought the album, which comes in red vinyl and is limited to 329 copies. It isn't going to be available on CD, but the album comes with a code, so you can download the songs, so you can listen to them digitally.

Here's a WEBLINK to a video of their latest single, and highlight of the album.

Singing For Her Supper

This is Natasha, the singer from local band One Girl, One Boy. I went to their gig tonight, and very good it was too.

I remember when they won a local music contest about 18 months ago, and they have certainly come on leaps and bounds. And have since recorded an EP, which of course I have.

Their style of music is similar in a way to that of Portished, with a rocking guitar sound and musical effects from a keyboard.

Of course I need to show you a photo of the Boy; Chris, strumming away on his Telecaster.

Jammin For Oxfam

Beeston was taken over by music and musicians of all kinds today, all in the name of charity.

The town hosted the second Oxjam event; a countrywide celebration of music, with the aim of raising lots of money for Oxfam.

Things kicked off at lunchtime with a gig by The Jar Family in the Square. A band clearly influenced by groups like Oasis and the Stone Roses. And very good they were too. Melodic, and all original tunes as far as I can tell.

The crowd loved them, and people kept popping coins into the collecting buckets. I put some in too, as they were worth it.

Music fans have been invited to buy a wristband for £5. For this they could visit all the locations and see all the bands that were appearing during the day and evening. The locations include cafes, pubs and Barton's, which presently are showing an art exhibition.