EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE MIDNIGHT WALK

The more observant of you may have noticed that we are giving our services to the East Cheshire Hospice on Saturday 25 June to get everyone revved up in advance of this year's Midnight Walk. As we've mentioned before, the Hospice does a fantastic job, and needs around £6000 per day just to stay in existence, most of which comes from voluntary donations.

So, if you fancy not only having a bop around to us, but also participating in the Walk itself, why not log on to the ECH Website, and register NOW?

THE BOYS (AND GIRL!) WERE BACK IN TOWN - IF ONLY BRIEFLY!!

Good heavens - it's over 4 weeks since a post hit these airwaves; better fix that!

A good reason for the absence (well I think so, anyway!) - antipodean visit to long lost travelling daughter meant Paul was away for most of February and, unfortunately, that's just the start of it, as Dave is off on his annual attempt to shatter his limbs in the snow this week, and then next week Paul AND Chrissie are off to the US to witness first hand the magic of the South by South West Music Festival in Austin Texas! Who knows, maybe they will pick up some tips - either way, you can be sure there will be a report on here sometime around the end of the month; with bands like "Trampled by Turtles", "Wordburglar", "Pulled Apart by Horses" and "Say No to Architecture" to enjoy, how could there not be?!

In the midst of all this holiday mayhem, however, we did find time to fit in a gig! Last Friday saw us back at Porter's in Macc and, as seems to be the norm these days, it was a wild night! The "stage" at Porter's is not what you would call the biggest and, in order to fit all 6 of us in, we had to put one of the speakers and the PA mixer IN THE FIREPLACE (see Pete Banks' picture below)!

However, once we'd set up, and all agreed to Andy's request not to "gyrate" too much, we kicked off in front of an absolutely stuffed pub and things just got hotter and hotter (in more ways than one!). Highspots were more furniture dancing, a not so tuneful vocal backing to "Sex on Fire" from Mad Dave (don't ask!) and Sue, the landlady withdrawing her 11:30 curfew and allowing us to play on till midnight, because the pub was still rammed and nobody wanted to go home!! The only thing missing was Alison Unwin and her tambourine doing her crowd surfing but, on reflection, it was probably for the best that she couldn't make it - things might have got broken (like arms and legs!).

Thanks to everyone who come along - we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Below is a a further selection of photos courtesy of Pete B.

I've also added a link to the "Dazed & Confused Massive" Facebook page where Roger Thawley has kindly posted some videos - if you listen closely to the "Sex on Fire" vid, you might just hear Mad Dave's dulcet tones in the background!!

Next gig is now not until 16 April at The Cock & Pheasant in Bollington, where we hope to be giving an airing to some new tunes, in advance of our annual appearance at Macc Beer Festival - put the date in your diary - we'll be raring to go after all this travelling!!

PEOPLE HAVING FUN!!

Many thanks to Pete Banks for posting some pics from The Windmill on our Dazed & Confused Massive Facebook page - posting them here as well just to prove that we weren't making up the bit about dancing on the tables etc.!


Shades of The Ship! Hope Alison didn't bang her head!


We lose most of our tambourines this way!


That's the tables take a bit of a hammering now!

3 previous band members in the background (Frank, Paul G and Paul H) wondering why this level of mayhem never used to happen!

Now that's better - much more sedate!

...and this is what caused it all!

Playing a wedding on Saturday, and then it goes quiet until Friday 4 March at Porter's in Macclesfield - we'll be ready for that, and hope you are too!

WHAT A WAY TO START THE YEAR!!!

The first gig of the year is supposed to be a nice gentle introduction to what might yet be to come - after all the festivities, it's always good to slide into January without too much noise and disturbance - little did we know!!!

Star Date, Friday 7 January 2011 8:00pm - the dirty white tour van pulls into the car park of the Windmill to find there are absolutely no parking spaces whatsoever - the whole place is jam-packed with cars!! What the hell is going on?? Maybe it's 200 ramblers that went out at lunchtime, got lost, and have not yet returned? Maybe it's the Annual General Meeting of the Adlington Dogging Society? Maybe it's something else??

But no, the pub was actually cram jam full of people eating, drinking and generally enjoying themselves ("we'll soon put a stop to that", we thought!), approximately 200 maybe, so no pressure then! Some of them were even shoe-horned into the space where we were supposed to set up, so you can imagine how happy they were when we asked them to move, and shifted their table outside!

Now, this number of people in a venue before we even start poses a number of challenges:

• Are they expecting a band, and will they mind their quiet evening meal being disturbed?
• How the hell do we get our stuff in, and do a sound check without tipping food and drink all over the place, while we try and erect speakers and string cables around the place?
• Will they all still be here when we start playing, or are they on an early shift, so they can get home and finish watching Christmas catch-up TV?

Whatever, we pressed on, set up the gear and, although it was a bit of tight squeeze (remember, there were 6 of us this time, and we weren't used to that!), we were just about ready to play by 9:15pm. We had realised by then that the size of the crowd was due in no small measure to the fact that Becca, the landlady, was having her "farewell do" (not her birthday, as originally thought), and loads of people had come to see her off in style. It was also the opening night of the Windmill's annual "Local Ale Sale" which had drawn many diehard fans of proper beer (especially Storm Brewing's best!) in.

Heartened by the fact that nobody had disappeared in the intervening period, we cracked on and, in addition to having people up and bopping during the first set, we were treated to an amazing display of dancing, singing and general mayhem during the second! Once again, there were people up on shoulders, tables, chairs and anything else that was vaguely fixed to the floor! We did have a bit of a turn when we were asked to go on for the second set at 10:30 and finish at 11:00(!), but we soon persuaded the new landlady, Abby, to let us play until 11:30 (we actually finished at 11:50!), so all was good! I'm hoping that someone has some pics they can send us to post on here, because it was yet another memorable night, and words alone can't do it justice; so, if you're reading this, and have some photos, e-mail them to the address on the right hand side of the blog, and we'll post them (or post them to the "Dazed and Confused Massive" Facebook page).

So, 2011 is well and truly under way, and we are out and about again this weekend, playing a private party in Marple tomorrow night, after which there is a band get-together at Paul's on Sunday - which I'm sure will be a quiet and subdued affair (just like the Band on a Boat event last summer)!!

New gigs are cropping up all the time, and are being posted on the right ------------->
next public gig looks like Friday 4 March at Porter's on Roe Street in Macclesfield - the delay being due to holidays (not Dave this time!), so put it in your diary, because we know you'll be having withdrawal symptoms by then!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - THE SAILOR RETURNS, AND A MYSTERY SOLVED!!

So here we are again - we've stepped out of the old black tour bus that was 2010, and into the rock arena that calls itself 2011 - I think we are relatively un-scarred by the festivities just passed, and we hope you are too, and can I be the last (but probably not!) to wish you all a Very Happy New Year! We met some fabulous folks and played some great gigs in 2010 (about 25 I make it), and thanks to everyone who took the time to come and see us - a lot of you on many occasions! We know that, although we have a great time, without you, it wouldn't be half as much fun, and we're grateful for your continuing support! We're really looking forward to more of the same this year, and I'll spill the beans about where it all kicks off in a little while.

Before all that, just a quick word about our last gig of 2010 - at our happy hunting ground of The Ship! You may remember, that we played a wondrous gig there in early November and, while it was expecting a lot for the Christmas gig to match it, it did turn out to be a fantastic night! The snow held off (mostly), although Pete Munro did manage to measure his length outside the pub at the end of the night - it was nothing to do with the drink, he said, but it was fortunate that he had taken enough anaesthetic, and so was feeling no pain by the time he landed! Nothing broken, fortunately (which is more than can be said for others who did the same earlier in the month!), and Pete did say he had enjoyed the gig, in spite of that! The pub was packed again, and everyone seemed to have a great time - and it felt really Christmassy! Paul's throat just about managed to survive the evening (which was a major surprise in itself!), probably due, in no samll part, to the chemist's shop he had lined up alongside the beer (VocalZones, honey & hot lemon, inhalers - the works!). We even managed to deliver the THREE new songs we promised - "It's My Life" (twice!) by Bon By Jovi, T-Rex's "20th Century Boy" and "Getting Away With It" by James; they need a bit of polishing, obviously, but seemed to work well, and will undoubtedly see the light of day again!


We were a fivesome at the Ship for about the 6th time in a row, but Captain Birdseye (Dave) has returned from his Atlantic jaunt and will be with us for our next gig (unless he's decided to go on another voyage!) which is this coming Friday, 7 January. You will see it is billed as being a "Mystery" gig, but it's time to put you all out of your misery - cos we don't want to be playing to a completely empty pub do we?! The madness will be happening at The Windmill in Whitely Green (near Adlington), which has more or less become our traditional opening gig of the year, as we've played there the last 2 Januarys as well. The reason it wasn't billed up before is that it is a birthday bash for Becca, the landlady, and she said that she was worried because we attract so many punters when we play there, and she might end up having to work instead of enjoy herself!! So, we have kept it under out hats for a bit, but now is the time to put the word around; if you fancy a bite to eat, and some good beer (assuming you've got any money left after Christmas!), not to mention a chance to join in with all the old familiar tomfoolery, get yourself down to The Windmill, and savour the opportunity to see a "full strength" D&C!

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!!

Almost exactly a year ago, we played Porter's Ale House as our Christmas gig and, just as we were unloading the gear, the heavens opened, a ton of snow landed on our heads, and it stayed like that for about 6 weeks! The picture on the left shows Chrissie trying to get back into her house at 2:00 the following morning - a frozen gate and 18 pints of beer made it more difficult than it needed to be!

The purpose of this trip down memory lane is to point out that we are playing this year's Christmas gig on Saturday at The Old Ship Inn on Beech Lane and, if the weather forecast is to be believed, history is likely to repeat itself! Another shed load of the white stuff is expected on Saturday (if not before) - but don't let that put you off!! There WILL be fires to keep you warm, there WILL be beer (and hot toddies!) to get you in the Christmas spirit and there WILL be great music (of course!) so wrap up warm, unleash the huskies, and get yourselves down there in good time to get a prime position!!

There is, apparently, a Strictly/X-Factor thing going on, since The Injectors have managed to wangle a gig that night as well (not telling you where!), and are touting for business! But, whatever you do, don't think about trying to fit both gigs into your evening - you will more than likely end up marooned in the middle of Macc, so head straight to the Ship and stay there - much better plan!

We're all geared up for it, since it's 3 weeks or so since we were on the road - maybe 3 new songs to share with you as well - we're due to practice tonight and, as long as we can keep the throat lurgy at bay, we should be able to box them off ready for Saturday! Without gving too much away, there might be a bit of Bon Jovi, T Rex and James for your delight (and some tinsel, obviously!).

See you there! Ho, Ho Ho!!

ABBA-MANIA & OTHER STORIES!!

Mad November draws to a close, and there are so many stories to tell - and so little time!!

Since we played the gig at The Ship on the 6th, we've played 3 more (4 gigs in a month is almost unheard of!), and all of them have happened without Dave (or HoliDave, as we know him, affectionately!). The reason Dave has not been with us is that he has been girding what is left of his loins to follow in the footsteps of Vasco de Gama, Christopher Columbus, Chay Blyth and several pods of dolphins to cross the Atlantic! Dave actually left port (in a boat, in case you are wondering!) on the 21st of November (i.e last week) but, for some reason, he had to go to Spain for 4 weeks to prepare! We believe it was to do with polishing his sextant or something but, anyway, he is now well on his way to St Lucia - or maybe that is stretching a point, because latest intelligence suggests that there is so little wind en route that they can't use the sails, and so have had to pull into the petrol station on the Cape Verde islands to fill up with diesel! As well as being somewhat annoying and time-consuming, it must have cost them a fortune - but Dave has Bernard Sumner from New Order on board, he can probably afford it! Even so, if the wind doesn't spring up soon, it will get interesting, because I'm guessing there are not that many petrol stations in the middle of the Atlantic! Anyway, Dave is not due to be back in Blighty until 21 December, so he'll even miss the Christmas Thrash at The Ship (more of that later) - I'm sure he will have a good time, but we all wish we had his holiday card!

The 3 gigs we've played since I last put finger to keyboard have been:

13 November at the Mykita Ballroom in Macc: this was for Carolyn's 60th birthday, and it was a really good night - made all the better by watching people do ballroom dancing to Teenage Kicks!!

18 November at the Beer & Curry Night at The Roebuck in Mobberley: our first time there and, although the early part of the night felt as though we were playing in somebody's dining room, things really picked up towards the end and, after thinking we would be slinking off at 10:00pm while nobody was looking, our planned 10:30 finish stretched to 3 encores and an 11:00pm end! Fortunately, most of the locals were in the pub, so we didn't disturb too many folks on school night! Many thanks also to some of our old friends who journeyed out into the wilds of Cheshire to join in the festivities - Roger, Pete, Ian (and your friends and families), it was very much appreciated, and it was also brilliant to see Paul Gregory (our "old" bassist), who sneaked in to see what he was missing!

20 November at Macc Golf Club: this was Brigid's 50th birthday party, and was a memorable occasions on several levels! Firstly, we turned up to set up at 2:30pm, only to find Andy in the foullest of moods because he'd done the usual Rock God thing, and not gone to bed until 7:30 that morning, and was "most distressed" when Matt knocked on his door at 2:00pm, as previously arranged (Matt being there at all was an achievement in itself!). Anyway, not only did we have to deal with the bear with the sore head that was Andy, we also had to deal with Steve the bar steward! I won't go into detail, other than to say that, for a fleeting (or not so fleeting) moment, I was convinced that he must be related to the ex-landlord of the Millstone pub (see blog post for 20 September 2009!)!

Having sobered Andy up, and set the gear up (and annoyed the Members with an over-loud sound check!), we moved on to the evening itself. We were viewing it with trepidation, as Brigid had asked us to do an ABBA number so that she, and her mate Nat, could join us on stage! Now, ABBA and D&C are not natural bedfellows; in fact Matthew nearly had a cardiac arrest when it was suggested that we do "Does Your Mother Know?" (only the fact that Nat is his next door neighbour convinced him!), and Andy was trying to work out how he could give it a "My Chemical Romance" vibe! However, we had sort of practised it, but did not have the chance for run through with the girls beforehand but, as you 'll see if you scroll through to video 7 in the video link above, it more or less worked, and went down a storm with the crowd! It has to be said that the whole night was a blast, and we finished around 12:40am with everyone baying for more - everyone went home happy!

Surprisingly, we are quiet in December - but it's probably just as well, because our next outing is going to be some sort of a night, as we are back at The Ship for our pre-Christmas party on Saturday 18 December!! Nobody likes to tempt fate, but if it's half as good as the gig at the beginning of November was, it will be a night and a half! Don't just come along to see us - come to experience the unique atmosphere of a great pub (full to the rafters) with great beer and pretty good music - the perfect way to kick off Christmas week!!

One final word; since we put the "hit counter" on the blog in mid-October, traffic has gone mad! I think there were something like 995 hits then but now, just over a month later, it's up to 1700+!! Hopefully, it's a distracting, if not enjoyable read but, if anyone wants to post a comment, or send us an e-mail feel free (we read them all!)