WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Saturday evening saw us close out our gig list for 2009 at Porter's, and a great night it was too - lots of noise and energy, which was all the more surprising because some of us had been out eating, singing and jumping around until 2 o'clock the morning before, as well! Anyway, on Saturday, the snow was falling hard, Christmas hats abounded, the pub was bursting at the seams, Andy kept playing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer - who could ask for more? It was good to see some old friends - especially Mickey Jones, who was in fine form despite his recent problems.

We played in the space usually occupied by the pool table (because our previous pitch was taken up by the Christmas tree!) and, while it gave us more space, it did make it a little difficult to see more than about 4 of the punters at any one time - apart, that is, from the start of the second set when about 25 people had strayed into the "stage" area because that was the only space for them! It made it very cosy anyway. Some photos here including one of Chrissie trying to get into her house at about 2 in the morning by climbing over the neighbour's wall, because her gate was frozen up!

So, we can all relax into the Christmas festivities now - and a chance to look back over quite an eventful year! Highspots were the new venues we played (e.g. Nag's Head, Windmill), 2 more beer festivals, helping Matt Rose reach the pinnacle of his career before it took a dive when he joined The VirginMarys, becoming radio stars, sharing laughs with old friends, and meeting new friends. Not so high spots were frequently getting rained on when setting up or breaking down the gear, getting stopped by the police for having suspicious cargo (i.e. Chrissie and Matt!) in the back of the van, playing to about 4 people in The Spinner's at Bollington, and not even getting through the door at The Millstone! We sometimes beat ourselves up about not introducing enough new stuff into the set, but I've just done a quick review, and we have added 10 new numbers this year, which is pretty good going considering we've also fitted in 24 gigs (that's about 2 a month you know)! Whatever, it's still been a hell of a lot of fun and, as always, we would like to thank every single person who has supported us through the year and, especially our families, who have borne the brunt of our "hobby" - again!

Just remains to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - except the landlord of The Millstone, of course!!

PRETTY GOOD CHILD OF MINE!

After a couiple of weeks "rest" we tipped up again at Sandhole Farm last night to help celebrate Tom & Laura's wedding celebrations; second time this year we have played there and, as previously, the organisation was superb and this time the timing was even better, as everything ran according to the schedule we had discussed - for a wedding, unbelievable!

The major difference for us was that we had no Chrissie (boo hoo)! She had either forgotten about the gig, or decided that 4 days in Germany with Pete was a much better option - although it seems utterly unbelievable, the latter was apparently the case! Also, she might have something to tell us when she gets back..........

Anyway, in Chrissie's absence, as trailed previously, we had a "stand in" female vocalist - none other than Paul's daughter, Lucy! Now Lucy has had voice training for several years, and those who have heard her talk for England will probably vouch for that but, since she went off to the debaucherous wilds of Sheffield to get an "education", she has rarely, if ever, used her singing talents! So, for the last few weeks, since the subject of "depping" for Chrissie was broached, she has alternately poo-d her pants and practised like stink for the gig! In fact, yesterday was spent almost entirely in her room going over every song on the set list! Notwithstanding all this, Lucy has only had 1 formal rehearsal with the band before last night, so her nerves were totally understandable.

As it turns out, everything went really well - although things were thin on the dance floor at times, both sets went really well, and Lucy's "piece de resistance" of "Sweet Child of Mine" was met with a rapturous reception! The really nice bit was she got a text from Chrissie this morning asking how it had gone. Needless to say, Lucy has been on Cloud 9 for the last 24 hours - although she did have a prima donna "sleep in" this morning (too much X-Factor methinks!)

We have one more gig left in 2010 - Porter's/Prince of Wales on Roe Street in Macclesfield on Saturday 19 December. This will be a great Christmas Party night - no doubt many people will be celebrating finishing work for the holiday, so why not put it in your diary now, and come down and sweat with us?! We will obviously put some more publicity out in a week or so but, forewarned is forearmed!!

Oh yes - for those who missed it - City beat Chelsea 2-1 yesterday; now it get interesting!

ALL DONE AND DUSTED!!

Well, that was the week that was!

The session at Canalside (got to be careful with the spelling on that!) last Wednesday was excellent fun! It was a little warm with 7 people squashed into a space that was approximately the size of 3 shoeboxes, but that just added to the enjoyment (fortunately, most of us had washed beforehand!). Matt managed to get back from London in good time, and Paul managed to get back from Sheffield - with about 8 minutes to spare!

We had rehearsed 6 songs that we thought might be OK to do "acoustically" - you will all know that that is not something we are too familiar with, so finding songs to do "quietly" was a challenge in itself (Andy was allowed to bring his amp, which helped)! We had no idea what the format would be, and were convinced we'd be done and in the pub by 9 o'clock, leaving little Matt Isaacs to do whatever else he felt like doing! However, we were there for the whole 2 hours, and Matt did a great job of "bigging" us up - he tried to interview us a bit (foolish man expecting us to be serious!), played some requests for us, and spread our tunes out throughout the whole programme. For the record, we did "Brick in the Wall", "The Chain", "Chasing Cars", "Pretty Vegas", "Fire" and "Say You Love Me" which (with the exception of Paul losing his "top end" during Pretty Vegas) all seemed to go down pretty well, and the people who heard it said it was really good! All we are waiting for now is a recording, which Matt has promised, and then maybe we can even post it on here or YouTube or Facebook or wherever. Some photos for you to look at to see how much we enjoyed the space (it may look like it, but nobody was sitting on anyone else's knee!)!

No sooner had we drawn breath after that, than we were down at Macc Town on Saturday for the big Brewery Band Bash - which was another event where no-one seemed too sure of what was going to happen! We turned, as requested, for a sound check around 6:30, to find that the sound men had only just been allowed in after the football match (Macc lost by the way!). The next surprise was finding that what was originally a 4 band gig had morphed into a FIVE band gig - all of whom had to play between 8 and 12pm! However, the Dunkirk spirit really kicked in and, although the sound check was still going on when the first band was supposed to be playing, it all turned out rather well!

The running order was Old Yellow followed by a combined Chinese Marbles/Bleatles set, both of which were excellent, and got the crowd up and dancing really early. We went on at 10pm (about half an hour earlier than planned!), and Fil Hill kindly allowed us to extend our set to an hour (which meant we quickly had to put things that we had taken out back in!), so we rocked the Moss for all of that time, and it was a pretty hot and sweaty set, I can tell you. The Hot Bananas closed the evening with their unique quirky thing - God knows what those guys are on, but you wouldn't want to take too much of it!

Many thanks to Garry the Hat for putting this on, and to the fairly sizeable crowd that turned up - maybe there will be the opportunity to do something similar again sometime?

A couple of weeks rest for us now; next gig is a wedding on 5 December, and then we close our 2009 gig list with the Christmas Party night at Porters/Prince of Wales on Saturday 19 December - which should be a brilliant night (more of that in a week or so). If you check out the info on the right of the page, you will see that gigs are already coming in for 2010 (even had an enquiry about doing one next November!), so it doesn't look like there will be any slowing down any time soon!

ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO!

The first leg of our week's Triathlon took place last night at The Nag's Head and, as ever, it was a steaming night - full pub, baking hot, good set list (courtesy of the Rock God), and a great atmosphere! When we last played at The Nag's in July, some of the punters had drifted away by the end (probably because they had to catch the last boat home in the puring rain!) but last night was packed right to the bitter end!

Highlights were the proper debut of "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance - probably breaking the Trades Descriptions Act by doing it, but Andy insisted we give it a go, and it turned out pretty good in the end! We were also treated to a display of "break dancing/body popping" or something similar on the floor at the front of the audience by Matt's sister and girlfriend - not quite sure what it was all about, but it was certainly entertaining! Matt, of course, pretended that they were nothing to do with him. The other incident of note was the arrival of a "hen party", which was OK, except one of the ladies decided she would join us on stage - normally this is OK, but I got the sense that she didn't want to go, so we had to prise the tambourine from her hand and forcibly eject her (well Dave did!). For about the hundredth time, in my experience, we had someone who reckoned they could be in our band! All in all, a great night - even if it was a late finish - another walk up Buxton Road at 1:45 this morning!

Also in attendance last night was Matt Isaacs who hosts the "Rock Diversity" show on Canalside Community Radio.



As previously mentioned, Matt has asked us to do an acoustic session on this Wednesday's show, and was obviously checking out that he hadn't made an unwise choice, while under the influence, last time he saw us! Fortunately, he was very complimentary, and seems just as keen - we still feel it would be good though if he could provide a bottle of that stuff that Alice in Wonderland drank to shrink herself -that way we are certain to be able to fit in the studio! We've still got our doubts, but Matt reckons we'll be fine, hmmm....... Anyway, a sure way of finding out is to tune into Canalside Community Radio on 102.8FM at 8:00pm on Wednesday evening.

Our week will steam to a climax next Saturday 21 November at Macc Town Football Ground with the Brewery Bands Collective gig; more about that later in the week, but suffice it to say that it is bound to be a great night - brilliant bands and brilliant beer, what more could you want? Check out the poster for details on where to get tickets - a snip at a fiver!

AT THE NAG'S, ON YOUR RADIO, AND ROCKING AT THE MOSS - GOODNESS ME!!

Another 3 weeks have passed since we shared anything with you, so the first thing to do is apologise profusely - Sorry! Good, that's got that out of the way, and now to tell you the the next week is going to be absolutely frantic!!

Since we last spoke, we have wowed Ruthin Castle at Terry and Lenny's wedding (even if we did have to drive through a biblical flood-like rainstorm from Pwllheli to Ruthin!). The band actually arrived within about 5 minutes of each other - from all different points of the compass! Even Andy got there on time - he was already at the wedding but, even so, it was a remarkable achievement for him to be there on time! The funniest thing was when he had to go and find his guitar and stuff - he had been so pissed the night before, he'd forgotten where he'd put them! Also, Ruthin Castle is (allegedly) haunted, and runs "Ghost tours" for gullible Welsh people - Andy likes to think he's hard (he is a Dr Who fan, after all) but the moving suit of armour on the stairs gave him the willies (not literally, obviously!), and when the head disappeared off it on the Saturday night, he was well spooked (actually the staff removed it so no drunken guests could!)!

The gig went off really well - loads of dancing, loads of laughs, even Delilah at the end of the night !! - the real high spot of the night was only taking half an hour to do an hour and a half's return journey - because the clock went back en route!



So this Saturday (14th) sees us back again at The Nag's Head in Macclesfield - 3rd time this year, and the first time since the wet night in July! We are really looking forward to it, and we're hoping that we get the same response as last time - seems like ages since we played live, so everyone is itching to do it again. We will have a little lady doing some extra vocals in preparation for her big debut in a few weeks - more of that in future posts. Andy has done another rocking set list - so get down there around 10 o'clock on Saturday for some real fun! It's only round the corner from The Millstone, but don't bother going in there!



Once Saturday is out of the way, we will turn our attention to another media stream! As previously reported, Matt Isaacs from Canalside Community Radio has asked us to do an acoustic set on his "Rock Diversity" show next Wednesday 18 November; the show runs from 8:00-10:00pm and, while I'm pretty sure we won't fill the whole show, we will fill the whole studio (see below!) - probably a good idea to tune in and listen to see how it goes! Hugh has been down and checked out the studio - he's pretty sure he can't fit his whole drum kit in - so much so, he is planning to take just one bongo, and see what happens! Space is at such a premium that, as Paul will probably be the last there - due to family commitments in Sheffield (go Anna!) - he might have to use a very long mike lead and provide vocals from a local Bollington pub! Should be a great experience, so give it a go - 102.8FM 8-10pm Wednesday 18 November!

The week will surge to a magnificent conclusion at The Moss Rose (Macclesfield Town's ground, for those who live under the proverbial rock!) on Saturday night (21st November) when all 4 bands that have a connection with the brilliant Storm Brewing Company will turn out together on the same stage for the first time!! There is really only ONE Brewery Band (the one that both partners play in!), but we are really looking forward to what should be a fantastic night with the other great bands - Fats, Fil, Roger, Jamie, Joe everyone!! Who knows what will happen - but it will be brilliant, and as there will be lashings of Storm beer as well, what could be better??!

Tickets are only £5 (available from outlets mentioned in the poster above - click on it for a bigger version), and we will have some with us at the Nag's on Saturday.

So, November has gone from a damp squib to a rocket in the space of a week - we look forward to seeing old and new friends at one, two or (surely not!) all three events over the next seven days or so!

WELSH WALES AWAITS!

It's been a hectic few weeks, hence the silence on here - but the band has been back on the road, and is going abroad this weekend, so probably time to update you all!

Following the Millstone debacle, we retired to lick our collective wounds, and were back in action last week - twice in fact! Thursday evening saw us take on the challenge of the A6 and head for the Masonic Guildhall in Stockport where the Johnnie Johnson Housing Association were celebrating thier 40th birthday! Now, the older readers amongst you will remember Johnnie Johnson when he had a bandwagon and was "Breaking down the Walls of Heartache" - spookily that was in 1969, so he obviously absconded with the takings from his chart success, and started building up the walls of houses! What do you mean, it wasn't the same man - not the man who recorded the classic "Blame it On The Pony Express"? I don't believe it!!

Anyway, Johnnie's people had been hard at it celebrating all day but, even so, some of them managed to strut their stuff on the dance floor, and by the time we finished at 11:30, I think we were all ready for a bit of kip! Good result for us, because we normally practice on a Thursday night (yes, that's right, we DO practice!) and we rarely finish before 12:30am - so a relatively early night!

Saturday night saw us back at our old stomping ground - The Old Ship Inn on Beech Lane in Macc! It was actually our first gig there this year, which is astounding but, once we had got over the shock of there only being one fire roaring in the grate (instead of the usual 2!), we soon settled into the old routine. There are some standing jokes about our gigs at the Ship like "Will we be paid?" "There's free beer for the band, but only while you are playing!" and others - oh, how we laugh! Having said that it's always a great night, and Saturday was no exception. As ever, the crowd swelled as the evening went on; Matt had brought a huge entourage with him - celebrating Sarah's birthday and, although none of them looked over 30, we were so pleased that they stayed the whole night, and didn't seem to grimace or put their fingers in their ears once! We gave a debut to the Kasabian favourite "Fire" and it went down really well (only 1 line forgotten!), so that will stay in the set. At Andy's insistence, we also did "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance! Those of you who are familiar with this song, will know it is not one that you would immediately associate with D&C but, who knows, we might do it again - the line "All teenagers scare the living s**t out of me" resonates with some of us older folks, that's for sure!

An added bonus was that Matt from Canalside Community Radio in Bollington was at the gig and was (I quote) "blown away" by our set! He has asked us to go in and do an acoustic set for them one Wednesday evening and, although an "acoustic" set will be a challenge for us (probably means smaller amps!) we'll keep you posted - probably have to hang Hugh's drums from the ceiling! Who knows - Bollington community radio today, Radio 4 tomorrow?!

This weekend sees us leaving the country; well, I guess it's not exactly abroad - Wales actually! We are heading for the baronial splendour of Ruthin Castle in Denbighshire (see the photo at the top of this post) to play at the wedding of Terry and Lenny (or Andy, depending on how well you know him!). The band will be arriving from various locations, so the first challenge is to get everybody in the right place at the right time - and, with our track record, that is a REAL challenge! Anyway, we'll see how it goes, and report back here - assuming we survive!

Next gig is 14 November - back the Nag's Head! We'll probably pop round the corner and say hello to the landlord of the Millstone, while we're there!

THE MILLSTONE - WHERE DO WE START??

I guess the answer to the question above is - nowhere! We turned up quite prepared to play, but ran into a little bit of landlord trouble! Now, having consulted libel lawyers, I have to be very careful what I write here, so let me try and summarise the situation by asking you all a series of multiple choice questions - which, when you have answered them, might help you to understand the frustration we felt last night!

Question 1: If you were to contact a band and agree a date for said band to play (presumably having written it in your diary with a contact name and number) would you:
a) expect the band to turn up on the agreed date and play a gig
b) expect the band to be really unsure whether the gig was going to go ahead, and continually contact you to check that the agreed date was still valid
c) assume that the band were not going to appear

Question 2: If you wanted posters or flyers advertising the band would you:
a) contact the band and ask them to send you some
b) assume the band are psychic, realise that you don't publicise the entertainment you are providing, and send you publicity material to save you looking completely inept
c) rely on the spooky vibes that pervade Macclesfield to draw everyone to your pub when the mighty D&C are due to play

Question 3: If you "lost" the contact number for the band (i.e. the one you used to get in touch with them in the first place) would you:
a) Google "Dazed and Confused" to see if there was a website through which you could contact the band.
b) Go next door to the Nag's Head (where the band have played twice) to get a contact number.
c) Sit on your arse until the band turns up and then say "we didn't think you were coming"

Question 4: If the band turned up anyway (even though you assumed they weren't coming, although you had booked them in and they hadn't said they weren't) and said they were prepared to play, would you:
a) say "No, there is no point, because there will be nobody in" (!)
b) take a punt and say "OK, but if nobody comes in, you won't get paid"
c) say "What's the point, nobody likes you anyway!"

You might have gathered by now that last night's gig didn't happen - the answers to the above questions used by mein host at the Millstone were:

Question 1: c (surely when you book somebody you assume they will turn up?)
Question 2: b - "why would we ask for publicity material, bands just send it to us?" - excuse me, the Nag's Head (next door!) publicise all their bands on a board outside and ask for posters - how amateurish!
Question 3: c (even more bizarre as they contacted us in the first place - presumably they got our number from somewhere then?)
Question 4: a - I'm speechless - especially as we had people coming from all over to see us! In fact Kip at The Baths Hotel told me today that he was extremely grateful to us for not playing as he had a pub full of people who went there when they found out we were not on at the The Millstone!

So -we had a quiet night! We did attempt to find another gig - The Ship were reluctant to evict the band that were booked at short notice (poor form, I thought!) and we decided that hawking ourselves around other venues, like cheap whores, at 7:30pm on a Saturday night would not do our street cred any good at all, so we went home! I can only apologise to everyone who was coming to see us - Dominic and Keda came all the way from Chester (and Surrey actually!) to see us, and went away disappointed! Matt said he had 20 or 30 people coming, and I know that even people who yearned to be there, but couldn't, were ticked off that we didn't play! One thing that is sure is that the Dazed & Confused Massive (check out Facebook!) will be giving The Millstone a wide berth in future!

Onwards and upwards! Next official gig is on 15 October, but we will try and slip something in earlier - in fact, we're doing one of those "secret" gigs this Thursday - can't publicise it because the venue would be overcrowded!

In the interest of trying to remain positive in the face of adversity, the only other things I will say in this posting are:

1. The rest of the weekend was surprisingly good (nice weather and everything)!
2. City were robbed! Just explain to me how a team can score a goal after 95 minutes and 27 seconds when there is only 4 minutes added time????

CARRIED AWAY BY PORTERS!!

The summer certainly dragged - must have been those long hot evenings, you remember them! Anyway, that's all behind us now, and the first gig of the Autumn term took place last Saturday in Porter's Ale House (aka The Prince of Wales) on Roe Street in Macclesfield. This fine hostelry was taken over recently by Michelle (aka Sue!) and John, and our appearance was their first foray into real live music - a tactic that could be interpreted as a master stroke or gross folly, depending on which way you look at it!

We haven't played for nearly 8 weeks, as anyone listening to our practice on Thursday night would have easily guessed, so we were a little concerned about how things would go! It put me a bit in mind of the Morecambe & Wise sketch with Andre Previn - we knew we could play all the notes, but not necessarily in the right order! Add to that the fact that Paul & Chrissie have trouble remembering the lyrics to some of the songs at the best of times, and things could really have gone mammus verticus if we hadn't been careful!

There were only 5 of us on Saturday as, guess what - yep, Dave was on holiday! He was floating around in a becalmed sort of way, in the Irish Sea when we took the stage, and it was probably just as well because if he had been there, one of us would have had to sit on Hugh's knee (not a pleasant thought for either party!) or suspend themself from the ceiling - space was at a premium!

Notwithstanding all these potential banana skins, and buoyed by Manchester City's great win against Arsenal, we went for it with our usual vim and vigour (what a quaint little phrase that is!). The pub was packed, and amongst the familiar faces, there were Terry & Lenny whose wedding we are playing in October (think they wanted to make sure we were still alive!), and we were also being checked out by another gentleman who has booked us for a 40th birthday party also in October - although this particular party is for an organisation, not a person (which is a first for us!)! Added to this were Stella and Andy, who must now hold the record for D&C followers as they came all the way from Doncaster just to see us - we really appreciate it, especially as Andy helped to pack up the gear on Sunday morning!!

The gig seemed to go well - everyone was up and bopping, and Michelle has even asked us to come back and play on the Saturday before Christmas, which should be a riot (not literally, of course)!

Now we've got the taste for it, we're going to go out again next Saturday - to The Millstone at Water's Green! This will be another first for us and, assuming that Dave has managed to catch a bit of wind (never usually a problem for him!) and Chrissie has not drunk herself to oblivion in Puerto Banus (keep her in check, Pete!) we should have a full complement - so get yourselves down there for another night of fun and frivolity - as ever we'd be delighted to see you!

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

Dear reader - so sorry for the delay in placing this report - access to computers has been at a premium over the last couple of weeks - in fact I've missed a number of things - except the rain, of course!!
The gig at the Nag's was another great night - as usual there was a late start,which enabled the band to get fed and watered beforehand, and the crowd to gather. Andy did the set list again and, for some reason left out heavy rock numbers like Moondance and Ticket to Ride - can't think why! We did toy with the idea of including our Michael Jackson tribute (Beat It) for the first time but, as Paul and Chrissie had both failed to master the lyrics by the night, discretion got the better of valour and we went with Hey Joe instead (not a lot of difference!).
By the time we went on for the second set at 11:15 the place was jumping again, and by the time we came off at 12:45, the crowd were almost as sweaty as us (although it had thinned out a bit, probably as people caught their boats home!). By the time we had wrapped up, it was about 1:40 and the rainy walk up Buxton Road, although not very rock and roll, was actually quite pleasant!
So, we are on our summer break at the moment, and we kick off again in September with a possible private gig at the Windmill on the 5th and then a debut appearance on Saturday 12 September at Porters (The Prince of Wales) on Roe Street in Macclesfield. In fact, I think it's probably the first time any band has played there, so we're hoping for a bumper crowd to celebrate this.
We'll be looking to put several more gigs in for the Autumn and Winter, so keep checking the gig list on the right hand side of this page and, of course, we will be using the medium of Facebook to advertise our whereabouts as well - so if you are a Facebookie keep your eyes skinned!

AT LEAST THEY HAVE SPELT US RIGHT THIS TIME!!

Next Saturday, Nag's Head - it was February when we played there last and it's difficult to believe that 5 months have gone - but they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and, although I don't always believe it myself, we will put it to the test on Saturday!

What is good is that the NH have spelt our name right on the board outside the pub (those of you with good memories will recall that we were Daze and Conused last time out!), although we do seem to be in a slightly smaller font than some of the others!

Whatever, we are looking forward to playing the Nag's again - last time was a complete blast and, although many of our Facebook pals have not yet said they are coming (playing hard to get, I think!) we are expecting a great crowd to turn out - Paul's sister is coming over from Doncaster with Andy, who is a rock god in his own right, so no pressure!

The last week has seen us recovering from Andy's party, practising on Wednesday night and then playing at Omar & Laura's wedding on Friday night. This event took place at Sandhole Farm near Congleton, and a more perfect setting would be difficult to find. The venue was checked out a few weeks ago, and that was really nice, and the ambience, crowd participation and general bonhomie on Friday was magnificent! The fact that we were able to finish at 11:10pm to allow Andy to make a quick exit for his "civil partnership" appointment in Ipswich was an added bonus (not his, oh it's difficult to explain here!)

So, we will be in full force next Saturday, and then it's a break over the rest of July and August while we have some holiday (not Dave of course!) - we will all try to keep in touch, cos it's not nice to be away from friends!

THE ROCK GOD IS 40!!

Big night tonight - cos it's Andy's 4oth Birthday Party! Yes his age has finally caught up with his hair, and we'll be celebrating it in style!

It's to be hoped that, having reached this estimable age, Andy will now realise that he's supposed to go to bed before 3:00am on at least some days of the week, if he intends to reach 50 (which he probably doesn't!) - live fast, die young is his motto (well, middle aged!).

Last weekend saw us out on the road twice - Friday night at AstraZeneca to bid farewell to a group of folks who are moving on to pastures new, and Saturday night at the Congleton Beer Festival.

Friday was a good night, even if the first set felt like we were playing to people in the next county, as everyone was gathered round the bar! However, a few brave ladies eventually led the gathering to the tables, and there were even people dancing by the end! Sex on Fire and Ever Fallen in Love got their baptisms at the gig and seemed to go down well! Apparently Dave is a dead ringer for Louis Walsh as well - who would have thought it!

So, on to Saturday, and the Congleton BF. Seasoned readers of this twaddle will know that this was the 3rd year we'd been asked to play, and it is always fun - this year turned out to be no different, for a number of reasons!

When we arrived, Nigel (the beer man) said he was convinced that the beer would run out because, due to the nice weather, they had 500 people turn up for the afternoon session, all of them drinking for England! Nigel's view was that, if they ran out it was fine, but we were a bit concerned that, if it ran dry at 9:00pm, it would make for a very quiet second set for us!

However, all worked out well - the beer lasted till the end, the crowd became more and more friendly! Once the punters realised that there wasn't a crocodile infested pond between them and us, the madness began and the night finished on a real high with 3 encores (Delilah almost bringing the marquee down!)!

As ever, the evening was not without its comic moments, the supreme one (in addition to Paul falling all over the stage when he tried to jump on it!) was when an esteemed Round Tabler approached the stage, just as we were building to our big finish, and asked if he could read the raffle prize winners out! Of course, we obliged, thinking it would only be a couple - 21 prizes later he left the stage - we were fully expecting the bingo caller to appear next! It was a bit like coitus interruptus (I believe!)!!

We're expecting some photos from the BF to be posted on Flickr anytime and, when they are, we will post a link on here; in the meantime, here's a link to some video clips from the gig at the Windmill in May - they are only short, but Pete Robinson did a sterling job, and there may be some more from the Nag's Head gig later in the month (more on that to come soon).

Next gig is a wedding next Friday - let's hope the weather's nice again, and we've even had 2 bookings for next April - good God!

ANOTHER BIG WEEKEND IN STORE!

After a couple of weeks of "rest", we're gearing ourselves up for a great weekend - 2 gigs to come, and some good weather to go with it! We've spent the last couple of weeks playing with new choons, and some of them will undoubtedly get an airing in the next few days - obviously not going to say what they are, cos that would spoil the fun - suffice it to say that, in the true D&C style, they will be mainly up tempo, and familiar to most, if not all, of the crowds.

So to this weekend's gigs - Friday sees us at a private gig for AstraZeneca - a nice "loosener" for Saturday, and an opportunity for some of Paul's work colleagues to see what he gets up to in his spare time! Some of them have been threatening to come and see us for ages - let's just hope they are not disappointed! Should be a really good night - it's a leaving party for about 12 people, so I suspect spirits will be high!

Saturday sees the D&C caravan pitching up (for the 3rd successive year) at Hankinson's Field near the Leisure Centre in Congleton for the Round Table's Summer Beer Festival! This is an event that goes from strength to strength and, this year, there will be over 60 ales to sample, and they are expecting 750 or so people on what promises to be a warm and sunny evening so, if you fancy some good beer and great music (2 sets worth!), get yourselves along! The last 2 years have seen a really good atmosphere develop, and the crowds have been fantastic - never being slow to join with singing and dancing - let's hope this year is the same.

To get you in the mood, here's some photos from last year's event, and a map of how to find the "big tent"!

Congleton Beer Festival photos

Map of Beer Festival location

A NON-REPORT!

Well hello!

Not a lot to report at the moment, as we're in a "down" period between gigs - had to cancel the one at the Ship last weekend, as Paul had a family commitment, that he'd forgotten about!

Next gig is a private party at AstraZeneca on Friday 26 June, followed by Congleton Beer Festival the following day (i.e Saturday 27 June for those not familiar with calendars!) - we're doing a bit of practising in between, mainly to fine tune Matt's choirboy tones on "Chasing Cars"!

In the meantime, to keep you interested, here's a link to a Flickr album containing some short video clips from the gig at the Windmill - many thanks to Pete Robinson (drummer with that fine band The Injectors) for taking the photos - Chrissie was a bit miffed that her fella took more photos of Paul and Matt than he did of her - but we all know why that is don't we?!

ANOTHER TURN AT THE WINDMILL!

Cast your minds back to the cold dark nights of January - our first gig of 2009 saw us pitch up at The Windmill in Whiteley Green for what turned out to be a mega night of fun and entertainment! Well, we've been trying to sort out a return date for some time, and now it's happening - this Friday (22 May)!

We've just about come down from our Beer Festival high, and Andy, Matt and Paul went out for a de-brief (ie several pints!) last Thursday, while Hugh & Dave were drowning themselves off the coast of Scotland, and Chrissie was "working" (well, that's what she calls it - nudge, nudge!). The consensus was that we did pretty well - some moans about sound quality on Saturday, but judging from the audience reaction, and subsequent feedback, we were well chuffed (and we had another pint to celebrate!).

As ever though, it's onward and upward, and we're looking forward to exerting ourselves again this weekend. We'll probably pick and choose from the Beer Fest sets for Friday night but, starting tomorrow night, we'll be trying yet more new numbers so that, by the time we reach the Congleton Beer Fest at the end of June, we've got them polished.

So, get yourselves down to the Windmill on Friday; the light nights are fast approaching, and it's supposed to be a warm evening. Never mind the bright lights of Wilmslow WAG-land, Adlington is the place to be - good food, good beer and great music - what more could you ask for??

Here's the link to the Windmill website, which gives you some more information (although I notice we're not on there - obviously don't need the publicity!), and here's a map of how to get there!

A TRULY AWESOME EVENING!!

Well, there it was - gone! Loads of build up, plenty of butterflies and, before you know it, the whole thing's over! But let me tell you, it was a fantastic experience for us - Friday night was good, but last night was even better!

The Beavers did a great job of warming the crowd up and, by the time the clock ticked round to 10:00pm, we were also raring to go! Choice of first number is always tricky, and we elected to go with "Say You love Me" which has a Blues Brothers feel, and allows us to do some introductory waffle - got the crowd jumping up and down at least, and when we went straight into "Johnny B Goode" everything kicked off big style!

We changed the set round a bit from Friday, so that it was all high energy numbers, and we made sure we had enough in to last us the full hour and a half - the only problem with high energy numbers is that you have to have the energy to do them - that gets to be more of a problem each year!

Anyway, high spots were the singalongs for "Brown Eyed Girl", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Come up And See Me" for which Hugh, our drummer got a standing ovation (obviously, as there were no seats!). The final thrash of "Teenage Kicks", "My Generation" and, particularly "Somebody Told Me" nearly ripped the roof off the marquee - and when we did "Delilah" as our encore there was just a wall of sound coming back from the audience - ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

A big thank you to the crowds on both nights - you were tremendous, and a special thanks to Dan the sound man for getting the mix just right - and for the help when Andy's guitar sound decided to pack up just as Chrissie was about to launch into "Sweet Child of Mine" - that was a bit of a sphincter twitching moment!

We're booked in for the Congleton Beer Festival on 27 June, and the gauntlet is well and truly thrown down in the direction of the Congolians (including sweaty groupies!) to match the passion of the Macc Beer Festival crowds - can you do it??

So, we might be back next year - who knows? If they want us back, I'm pretty sure we'd be happy to go for our 5th year but, if not, this one will certainly live on in our memories! Lucy took some photos again, and I've put them onto a Flickr album - just click on the link, and then click on the slideshow button on the top right hand side.

Next gig is back at the Windmill in Whiteley Green on Friday 22 May -more about that is due course.

HALF TIME REPORT!

As we did last year, I thought I would give everyone an update on how the first night's Beer Festival festivities went - and that is after just returning from the Saturday lunchtime session - purely business obviously!

As reported elsewhere, we kicked the proceedings off last night and, although an 8:15pm start is pretty daunting, we were pleased to see there was a stiff, cold breeze blowing which meant that, although folks were tempted outside by the evening sunshine, they pretty soon cam back inside before their bits froze off! Bonus for us, because it meant we had an audience!


Being the "warm up" act is always tricky, because you want to do your best stuff, but have to recognise that the crowd needs time to get into the swing of things - anyway, we did what we do and, in truth, it seemed to go down a storm - old and new numbers e.g. Teenage Kicks (our "joke" number when you weigh up the average age of the band!) and My Generation being particularly well received! There was a bit of a panic when we realised we were down to our last 3 numbers and still had 25 minutes left to do! No matter, out came the old audience favourites "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Come Up and See Me" and we were back on track - we'd saved "Delilah" until last in the belief that it was the right song to take us out and, sure enough, the crowd nearly brought the marquee down with the chorus! Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we couldn't accede to the roars for an encore, much as we would have loved to stay on all night! Once we were off, there was time to chill out with a few beers (b-rewed not to!) and we were overwhelmed with the number of people that came up to thank us and congratulate us on what we'd done - nobody has to do that, and it really gives us a lift when it happens - eat your heart out Enrique! We've even had an enquiry about playing a gig in Durham on the back of last night! Here are some photos from Lucy's camera to give you a flavour of the fun!:






So, one down and one to go - tonight we're finishing the whole festival off, and will be on stage at 10:00pm - we're really looking forward to the headline spot, and we know the Beavers will be whipping everyone into a frenzy beforehand - if you're going down there, make sure you pack round the stage and sing your hearts out - we will do our best to give you a good time!

Log back in here in the next few days for an update on how tonight's proceedings go - can't guarantee to post tomorrow though!

GETTING CLOSE NOW!!

Well, only 4 days to go before the big day(s)! The extravaganza that is the Macclesfield Beer Festival kicks off this Friday (8 May) and carries on, almost without stopping (well it will seem like that to us!) until midnight on Saturday!

Knowing how demanding our public is we have, of course, been practising like mad to hone our set so that it is sharper than a very sharp thing! Only last Thursday, we were at the Brewery until gone midnight - admittedly most of the time was spent drinking beer, rolling around the floor laughing at childish jokes, and telling each other how bad we were at the respective things we do in the band - but we try to think of that as bonding!

In all seriousness, and without giving too much away, I can say that at least half the set on each night will contain songs that we didn't do at last year's Beer Fest - however, in line with our stated mission (very corporate eh what?!) most, if not all of them will be familiar and, even if they aren't, you'll still be able to dance to them (or whatever it is you are capable of doing by the time we come on!).

As ever, the event is expected to be sold out on both nights, so that will mean about 1300 punters in the tent (sorry marquee!) on each night. So, if you haven't got your ticket yet, and love good music and good beer get one quick - apparently, Enrique Iglesias is "performing" somewhere on Friday night - but would you really want to pass up Dazed & Confused to see him - no, I thought not! Details on where last minute tickets might be available from, are on the Beer Festival website.

Look forward to seeing everyone there - come up and say hello, if you dare!

LONG DISTANCE BLOGGING!

Wonderful thing this t'interwebbynet thing - sitting here in Sweden whiling away a long dark evening (actually they are not that dark in April!) and I thought - nothing better to do, so might as well write to the Dazed & Confused fans!

No gig news to report - down time before the Macc Beer Festival; however, new songs are being polished - in fact, now that Dave is back from the Caribbean (have to keep him away from the brown walls, or we won't find him!) the band is actually practising this week without me - hope I've still got a job when I get back, they are a fickle bunch!

As for the Beer Fest, we have agreed with the Beavers that, as they will be a man down late on Saturday evening (will only leave them with 25 members!) , so we will bring the whole weekend to a fantastic climax!! The running order for the 2 evenings will be as follows:

• Friday 8 May: Dazed & Confused 8:15-9:45 and Screaming Beavers 10:00-11:30
• Saturday 9 May: Screaming Beavers 8:15-9:45 and Dazed & Confused 10:00-11:30

As ever, tickets for both evenings will be like gold dust, so get them soon - details of outlets selling tickets are available on the Beer Festival website and you can even buy your tickets online this year!

Well, I'd better go and tend to the smorgasbord, and take the sauna for a walk - take pity on me won't you - these business trips may sound exotic and enjoyable, but they're not all they are cracked up to be!

TIME OUT EVERYBODY!

Saturday saw us at The Belfry Hotel in Handforth playing for the Spring Ball of the Time Out Group, and I'm guessing, like us, you are wondering what the devil the Time Out Group is about? Well, let me take a few minutes to explain before I regale you with the details of the evening because, believe me, it was a remarkable experience for us!

The Time Out Group is a charity (and, therefore, relies purely on public donations, Lottery grants and such like) and aims to provide support for people of all ages with learning disabilites, so that these people can feel they are part of the "normal" population. The charity has only 2 paid employees, and relies on volunteers for the rest of the work that needs to be done. The patron of the Charity is Annabel Tiffin, who many people may recognise from NorthWest Tonight or the Politics Show on BBC1 - her photo is attached as well, just in case you don't recognise the name ;-))! Annabel was guest of honour for the evening, with her husband (more of which later!)



The evening was an absolute delight for us - the atmosphere was brilliant - there were about 160 folks there, with a mix of volunteers, guests and the people that benefit from the work of the Charity, with no feeling that anybody was "disadvantaged" or being treated any differently - this is difficult to describe in words, but I hope you get the picture! If ever you see anybody collecting for the Time Out Group - don't hesitate to give them some money - believe me it's worth it!

As for the gig -well, it's difficult to see how it could have been better! Firstly, the band was fed!! In itself, this is a rarity at "posh" events, but on Saturday, there was an added bonus (for Matt anyway!), because he got extra helpings of roast potatoes (because Andy had stuffed himself before arriving) and an extra chocolate "tear drop" pudding!

We went on for the first set at 10:15, and it's always with a bit of trepidation that we approach the "late" gigs, because it can go one of 2 ways - either everyone is ready for a good dance, or they have just had too much "fun" already and think that throwing stuff at the band is the next instalment! However, on Saturday, it was the first option that prevailed and, from the moment that the starting chords of "The One I Love" rang out at 10:15 (right on time!) the crowd were off and running! Every song was met with almost rabid approval (even the Happy Birthday to Peter's Dad - more of him later as well!)

The first set lasted until 11:00pm and we planned to take a 20 minute breather (so that Matt, Chrissie and Andy could do their bit for the tobacco industry workers!), but we were hauled back on at 11:15 to start again! The challenge for us was to get everyone up and dancing - even the Tiffin table! This actually proved easier than it might sound, and Annabel's husband even joined us on stage for a couple of numbers with a tambourine! His parting shot (before Annabel dragged him outside for a beating!) was "I want to be in a band.........!" He's welcome back anytime - providing he doesn't want a cut of the fee!

Being on stage with the mighty D&C became a theme for the night because Peter - our MC for the night - also decided to join us on several occasions! His piece de resistance was Johnny B Goode (which he thought was coming a number of times before it actually did, so he made a few false starts!) when he eventually took centre stage, he gave it many decibels and many different words! It was certainly the most eventful rendition of the song we've ever done!

We finally called it a day (Sunday, actually!) at 12:40am - there were lots of things that we wanted to do that we couldn't (but we hope people understand!), but it was a great night, we felt that we played really well - even though Dave wasn't there (he was on holiday - yes really!) - and it was for a truly worthwhile cause.

We now have a "rest" before the Macc Beer Festival - still not clear whether we are headlining on the Friday or the Saturday - but we'll let you know (we are on both nights though!). There will definitely be some new numbers being launched but, of course, we're not going to tell you what they are! Tickets are already on sale, so get them while you can!

There will be more postings on here before then - obviously!!

ANOTHER 2 DOWN!!

Hello again!

Must be 3 weeks since we were on here, and so there is plenty of news to report! 2 gigs done - and in depth reports follow! Also, some more gigs confirmed - see right hand panel for details. To summarise, we will be on again at the Nag's Head on Saturday 18 July and Saturday 14 November (Prince Charles' birthday, for those who are interested!) at the Millstone in Water's Green, Macc on Saturday 19 September, and a private party for AZ friends on Friday 26 June (nice warm up for the following night at Congleton Beer Festival!).

So, to the recent excursions; we found our way to New Mills on the 14th (no escapades with the scuffers this time, as we took the van and a car, so there were no illegal-types in the back!). We last played at the Beehive a couple of years ago, and it has always been a "challenging" venue because, although we have a nice "stage" to play on, half of it is obscured by a wall, and there is also a plasma screen TV to contend with (although we have learned how to turn this off!). Also, it is difficult to see a lot of the punters because they are hidden behind walls and pillars (and occasionally nip upstairs for a curry!). Anyway, we kicked off with a healthy gang in (including some welcome faces from the White Lion in Disley, where we had played the week before!) and things went well; as the second set progressed, we realised that putting the PA speaker at the back of the stage was not a good idea, as we all gradually got deafer and deafer as the sound reverberated around our enclosed space! However, we go through it, and there were still some people left at the end, so all was not lost.........

Last Friday saw us at the Halliwell Jones stadium in Warrington (home of Warrington Wolves rugby league team!) for the Warrington NHS Trust Awards evening. As ever, the journey there was not without incident!; this time it involved the dirty white van having to do a couple of laps of Warrington town centre, before we found the way in - absolutely no fault of the town - we were just incapable of reading the road signs, and even the huge stadium did not give us a clue as we drove past it! Anyway, we eventually found the entrance to the banqueting suite, and were pleased to note it was on the second floor, with only a 1 person lift serving it - so you can imagine moving the gear up to the venue was a pleasure - and that was only the half of it! Dave went up first, and came down with what can only be described as a "cryptic smirk" on his face, accompanied by the words "well, this is probably a unique layout!" He wasn't wrong - the room was long and thin, with the stage facing the entrance and the people sitting on tables spread out to the left and the right, so that we got cricks in our necks trying to look at the audience!



However, all worked out well, because we were amongst fellow lunatics! The first set was only 30 minutes long (as a precursor to the Awards) and, whether it was because Chrissie's colleagues were in awe of seeing her as they never had before, or whether we were just our normal brilliant selves (probably that!), it went down a storm with loads of dancing and madness! The second set started slowly (due to fag breaks (that's the NHS for you!) photo opportunities etc.) but eventually the crack kicked in, and we had a full dance floor! Plenty of incident - Andy confirming his "rock god" status with several impressionable ladies (they were pissed!) and even one of the said ladies joining us on stage horizontally (she fell over the monitor!). This was OK (even expected!) but the fact that she demolished 2 pints of beer and a pint of water took the edge off her grand entrance!

The beauty of doing an NHS gig was that we saw just how many different groups support us - mental health (very appropriate!), transport and wheelchairs (much needed!) etc., but the high spot for me was spotting the Sexual Health Team table - not only that, but they actually had Ann Summers on the table with them - now you can tell me that was just a coincidence until you are blue in the face, but I will never believe you! So, our latest claim to fame is that we have had a whole Sexual Health Team and Ann Summers dancing to the sound of Dazed & Confused (I did check, but there were no toys left on the table!) Matt thought all his birthdays had come at once! Big bonus was that there was a pro photographer at the gig, so we might even have some new pics to show you - watch this space (or, more accurately, another one in a week or so!)

And, just for fun here are some pictures - just click on the link and then on the slideshow buton (top right)

So we have a bit of a rest, as Paul leaves everyone he loves behind and heads for the US this week (business, not pleasure, unfortunately) - we're back in action on 4 April (private function), and then a few weeks of preparation before it's all guns blazing at the Macclesfield Beer Festival on 8 & 9 May - more of that as we get nearer to the date!

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER - FOR SEVERAL REASONS!

So, we took to the road following last week's marvellous experience and, before I tell you all about the evening's events (which were memorable for so many different reasons!), let me just share one last snippet from the Nag's Head! You may remember that I mentioned we were billed up as Daze and Confused, which was a tad disappointing, well - it was actually worse than that! Below is a photo of the board outside the Nag's and, as you can see, they got both names wrong (what the hell is a Conused?)!



Ah well - at least they spelt Phoenix's name wrong as well!

On to last night - and I struggle to know where to start! Regular readers will know that it is a tradition, nay a necessity, to travel to gigs with at least 1 person in the back of the dirty white van. Well, apparently, this is illegal(!) and last night two chickens came home to roost because Chrissie and Matt were snug in the back at exactly the time the police decided to pull us over and check what the cargo was! To cut a long story short, the protestations that our bassist and female vocalist were actually doing a public service in keeping the gear from rolling around and causing a potential accident, cut absolutely no ice with Cheshire's finest and the end result was that our driver finished up with 3 points on his licence and a £60 fine (more of that later) - bad enough in itself, but made worse by the fact that this was before we'd even left Macclesfield! Dave did the decent thing and asked if we could bugger off to the gig while Mr Plod continued his interviews with the "offenders" - they said OK! Chrissie said she can't remember the last time she was picked up by the fuzz -but we don't believe her!

So, we arrived in Disley Land at around 8:00pm, entered the empty White Lion, and presented our apologies for being late - not that it looked as though it would trouble too many people! How wrong this proved to be because, by the time we'd got set up and were ready to start, the pub had filled up nicely, and we were reassured that this was not going to be Spinners MkII! We did a quick assessment of the clientele (looked a little like a "bistro" crowd) and kicked off with some "lighter" stuff i.e Ticket to Ride was first out of the traps. What became rapidly obvious was that this was a crowd that not only appreciated good music played well, but was one that was also prepared to show it! By the time we got to about the 5th number, all inhibitions had gone (on both sides!) and the pub was rocking!

During the interval, something special happened - the landlord organised a "whip round" and presented us with £60 to pay the fine incurred earlier - a truly fantastic, and unexpected, gesture that just fired us up even more for the second set! We kicked this off at 10:30 and, when we finished at 11:55 we were absolutely exhausted and the crowd was ecstatic! There were probably 50 or 60 people around at any one time, but it was living proof that you don't need a packed room for people to enjoy themselves - everyone was jumping and we had a fantastic time. I believe the Kaiser Chiefs are playing the MEN Arena on Monday and, if anybody reading this happens to be going, can I just say that Ricky and the boys have their work cut out to be better than we were on Saturday! In fact, if we had played "Ruby", and they had been there to see it, there is every chance that they would have cancelled their gig! We send our sincere thanks to everyone who came to see us on Saturday, we hope to be back soon and, hopefully, the word will spread, so we can entertain even more Disleyites!

So, what happens next? well, Dave is off on holiday (yes really!) and others are occupied next weekend, so we will be practising on Thursday, in advance of the next gig is in 2 weeks time (Saturday 14 March). Again, we're up in the hills, this time at the Beehive Inn in New Mills. For those who have not been before, it's a great, friendly venue, and there is even an Indian restaurant upstairs, so you can eat before coming to see us - how cabaret is that?! A link to a map is attached (map to find the Beehive)

So, that's it for now - we had a great night and, if you weren't able to be with us, maybe next time, you will - if you need to stop overnight, I'm sure there's a Travelodge handy!

PS: The Congleton Beer Festival is now confirmed - Saturday 27 June! So, all you Congolians get your glad rags on and come down to Hankinson's Field for some good beer and great music!!

DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT!

Well, friends, if we wanted the perfect antidote to our last outing, we got it last night! Our virginal appearance at the Nag's Head was absolutely brilliant (I can't think of many things that would have improved it!), and it's only fair that I give you a blow by blow account of the evening, not just so you can absorb, through the ether, the ambience of the event, but also so we can re-live it!

As mentioned elsewhere in this virtual diary, the Nag's Head is famous in Macclesfield and its ennvirons for being the Mecca of music, especially rock music, so we felt privileged to have been asked to play there. However, we were also aware that much of the music played at the Nag's is of a somewhat "heavy" nature, so it was with some trepidation that we approached the gig as, although our repertoire is varied, eclectic and brilliant, it is not exactly out of the Iron Maiden, Metallica or Slayer stable! This was actually confirmed last night when we told that a friend had heard we were playing on Friday night (not Saturday), which is the real "head banging" night, and was trying to contact us to cancel, because he feared we would be killed in an avalanche of beer glasses! Notwithstanding this, Andy had put together 2 sets which, in his professional opinion, would give us a fair chance of escaping with all our body parts intact, and maybe even meet with the approval of the discerning clientele (sorry, you Moondance fans, we had to leave that one out!)! We practised the whole gig on Thursday night, and surprised ourselves with how good we were (even on Hey Joe which we probably haven't done for 2 years!).

So we pitched up at around 8 last night to find the pub filling up nicely, and to hear the strains of heavy rock music pouring out of the jukebox! By the time we went on at about 9:50 there was a sizeable crowd in place, as well as the "locals", I'm pleased to say there were also many familiar faces present, and I have to again say a big thank you to them for their unfailing support - Iain, Tony, Claire, Justin, and everyone else - you know who you are and we appreciate you enormously!

The first set went really well and, by the time we came off at around 10:35 we were really getting a taste for it! The second set started at 11:15 and, amzingly, the "music room" was packed which, apparently is almost unheard of! The next hour or so is a bit of a blur for me, because we were carried on a wave of adrenaline - Andy was smashing power chords all over the place, Matt had his bass turned right up so the walls were shaking, Dave had got the sound balance almost perfect, and was beating his acoustic to death, Chrissie was dancing like a dervish (even disappearing into the crowd at one stage!) and Hugh was threatening to break every skin on his kit! Every number was rapturously received - Somebody Told Me by The Killers got its first public airing, and received the unqualified thumbs up from our most discerning young fans (i.e Lucy and Anna, my daughters!) and even Delilah made it onto the set list as an encore!

We eventually finished around 12:45, leaving the crowd still baying for more but, as I had almost no voice left, we couldn't oblige! After our traditional post-gig group hugs, the consensus view was that it was probably one of the best, if not the best, gigs that we have ever played. Thanks to Sandra for giving us the chance, to the crowd for being so flipping brilliant, and to the band for being the best in Macclesfield, if not the country (watch out Elbow, here we come!)!

So, it's on to The White Lion in Disley next Saturday (28th) - difficult to follow last night, but we're up for making it even better - get yourselves up in the hills for the hottest ticket in town!

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME FRIENDS!!

Goodness me, it must be weeks since we updated this - good reason, nothing has happened!

Since the Spinners debacle, we've all been in therapy - except for Dave, of course, who did not get the emotional scarring that the rest of us did! We've been asked back(!), and we've told Dave he has to do it on his own!

Our therapy has included a couple of band outings - one to The Ship the other Thursday, and one to Sutton Hall last Sunday - where we had the honour and privilege to meet up again with old band mates Frank Witt (with the lovely Robbie), Paul Gregory and Paul Hambley! Unfortunately, we weren't all there at the same time - it was a rolling attendance between 2:00pm and 5:00pm (when Matt eventually managed to crawl from his pit - but I suppose he is in love!!). However, it was great to see everyone, and catch up - could have more members than the Screaming Beavers if we all played together!!

We have been doing some practising as well - and there are at least 2 new numbers reaching maturity. We did try Pretty Woman - but it is well and truly in the bin, for a number of reasons (why do all the simple songs end up being so hard?). We've also even threatened to do an ABBA number or 2 - I guess that could go one of 2 ways.......

So to the next gig - Saturday 21st at The Nag's Head in Macc. Many people will know this as the Mecca of rock music in town and, because of this we approach it with some trepidation (they've billed us up as Daze and Confused, but we'll let them off!)! We're hoping for a full house, but some people are obviously feeling the pressure as they're finding other things to do like parties and things (totally understandable!)! But let's hope it's a good night - it's Andy's gig, so if it all go tits up, we'll blame him! We're all really looking forward to it, and Sandra is eager for us to play - so it's all systems go!!

As for other gigs, you'll find the list on the right hand side - still awaiting confirmation of the Congleton Beer Fest and, if that comes off we expect all our Congleton groupies (sweaty or otherwise!) to be out in force, as they have been for the last 2 years - always a great night!

So, if you're at a loose end next Saturday, get down to the Nag's - there'll be a full run down on proceedings right here - can't guarantee to do it on Sunday, cos we're expecting a late night!

WAS IT SOMETHING WE SAID.......?

Well, what a difference a week makes!!

We came off the back of last week's gig flying as high as it's just about possible to fly, and then the week went from bad to worse! Bear with me, dear reader, while I share the collective woes of Dazed & Confused with you:
1. Sunday evening - made contact with Matt Johnson, whose body had arrived back in Blighty, but whose mind was somewhere between Bangkok, the Mekong Delta and Duke's Court Macclesfield! Brought Matt up to speed with the 2 cracking gigs that had happened in his absence, hoping that he would not take it personally, and confirmed with him that he was OK to practice on Thursday and play the gig on Saturday (knowing full well that he would have to be reminded at least one more time once his body and mind had been re-introduced to each other!)
2. Wednesday - brought the gig list up to date ready to check that everyone was OK to do them (including the triumphant return the Windmill, that had hastily been plugged in for Feb 27th!)
3. Thursday morning - got a text from Matt Rose to say he was just being measured for his coffin because the flu had got him, and he wouldn't be able to practice that evening because dying would probably take priority! However, he was still confident he would be fit for Saturday - needed because Dave was escaping to Lincoln (a very shrewd move, as it turned out - see below!)
4. Thursday evening - practiced in the freezing cold (the Brewery is having a new wall fitted, as the previous one had started to march towards Macc town centre!) - not very productive, and also found that half the proposed gigs had changed or were not going to happen - including the Windmill one, because they now had a party on that night!
5. Saturday morning - text from Matt Rose - he hadn't died yet, but was still polishing his wings and harp, and would not be able to play the gig!! Mass panic, followed by calmness, when we realised that of course the remaining 5 of us would be able to carry it off - just a matter of playing and singing louder!
6. Saturday evening - I was still buoyed up by City's win against Wigan (it was quite a pleasant afternoon, all round, actually!), but felt more like a kip when I got home - then found that Chrissie, Matt J and Andy had all been over-celebrating the night before, so none of them were at peak either! Then, the rain and wind started so we got p**s wet through loading and unloading the van (it was Matt's turn in the back this week - that'll teach him to go on holiday!)! We got a lively reception from the locals when we arrived - especially as we had to throw them off the dartboard so we could set up (we did check they'd put the darts down first!) There then followed some lively exchanges which revolved around them wanting us to play the whole of the Kings of Leon back catalogue or, alternatively, for them to do that with us! We disabused them of both these suggestions, so they resorted to trying to get off with Chrissie (brave men indeed!)

On to the gig itself! We were billed up to start at 8:30 but, because many of the locals that had fruitlessly tried to get the better of our verbal exchanges had gone off to the Dog & Partridge (they did suggest we picked up our gear and came with them, because it would be packed!), we decided to wait until around 9:15 to give more people a chance to arrive. This did, in fact, happen - to the tune of our wives and Hugh's brother and sister in law!! So, we kicked off Set 1 with a total of about 15 people in the pub and, during the course of the evening this number fluctuated between about 10 and 20, as we drove some away, and enticed others in! We've been encouraged to throw some Killers numbers in (and it may even happen!) but, I'm sure if we'd done that last night, we'd have driven even family and friends away! Special mention for Iain Wilkie - a stalwart supporter, who happened to be in Bollington (not knowing we were playing) but responding to a text from Chrissie, he arrived for the second set, and even did his famous wobble dance on his own to "Bohemian Like You" - thanks Iain! Perhaps we should all have texted our friends! Mein host did go to great pains to point out that we played fantastically - just a shame that very few others were able to verify that claim!
So now we have a few weeks off to recover from the shock of last night before the next gig (21 Feb at The Nag's Head) - plenty of time to polish up some new numbers (and hit the Facebook advertising hoardings)!

WELL - WHAT A WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR!

Last night saw the tour bus (i.e. the dirty white brewery van!) eventually pull up outside the Windmill Inn at Whiteley Green. Now this place isn't too far from the centre of Macclesfield, but when you spend the 10 minutes or so that it takes bouncing around in the pitch black that is the back of said van, it seems a VERY long way. This is what Paul and Matt had to endure, with only the light of their mobile phones saving them from being impaled or crushed by various bits of gear! Thanks Hugh - just don't drive like that on your test!

Anyway - to the gig itself, and what can we say?? Friday was the second night in a series of 3 to celebrate the Windmill's "Local Ale Sale" - the star attraction (apart from us) being 9 of Storm Brewing's best beers. We were hoping that the double incentive might encourage a few punters, but it's fair to say that none of us anticipated just how many people would be there! By the time we kicked off at 8:30 (early for us!), there must have been close to 200 people in the pub, all eating and drinking as if their lives depended on it which, if you think about it, I suppose they did!

We kicked off with the usual "slower" stuff and, by the time we'd got through Moondance (done with feeling, of course!), the crowd were putty in our hands! The rest of the 2 sets went off tremendously, and everyone was extremely complimentary about what they experienced - by the end of the evening I think they were as damp as I was (and that was extremely damp, I can assure you!) Thanks to everyone who turned up, especially on such a cold night and to a pub that is not really on the main drag - we did say that if the people who came because they'd heard the band were on hadn't turned up, there would have probably have only been about 20 in the place, but maybe that's just our egos talking! The Windmill have said they want us to come back and play again - although the landlady did admit that she was so busy, she had not heard most of the gig - maybe there would have been a different outcome if she had!

So now it's on to The Spinner's in Bollington next Saturday (17 January); we've never played there before either, so more new ground to be broken there! Having lived in Bolly for 2 years in the early 80s, I'm fully expecting a warm welcome - it's not a big venue, so get there early to book your place. Andy's really looking forward to it as well! Unfortunately Dave is not available for the gig but we are hoping that his loss can be covered in 2 ways:
1. Matt Johnson is allowed to return from Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia or wherever it is that he has been over the last few weeks
2. Matt Rose is able to play with us again, this time on acoustic or electric, rather than bass.
Such is the ever changing line up that is Dazed & Confused!

With regard to other gigs, in addition to the Macc Beer Festival noted in the last post, we're provisionally booked again for Congleton Beer Festival on 27 June (I need to check they didn't change their mind when they sobered up!), and we will also be making our first appearance at the hotbed of Macc rock music that is The Nag's Head in Water's Green on Saturday 21 February. They have some real class acts there, so we will need to be on top blob for that one - and, again all support will be welcome!

STOP PRESS - MACCLESFIELD BEER FESTIVAL CONFIRMED!!

It's only January, but the wires are humming with more calls than Mark Hughes' phone!
Just had confirmation that we're booked to play Macclesfield Beer Festival on Friday & Saturday 8 & 9 May.
This will be the 4th consecutive year that we have played the Festival, which must be some sort of record, and the format will be as last year i.e. the Screaming Beavers supporting us on the Friday, and us doing the honours for them on the Saturday.
Obviously, there will be more information nearer the time, but scratch it into your diaries while they are still new, and you can find them!

FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE WINDMILL!!

Well, that's the end of one set of festivities - time to think about the next set and, for us, that means Friday night at The Windmill at Whiteley Green - a beer festival featuring at least 9 wonderful Storm Brewing beers, and the mighty Dazed & Confused - who could ask for more (don't answer that!)??

I'm guessing we'll be on around 9:00-ish, but the fun starts before that, so feel free to arrive, sample the goods, and myabe even have a bite to eat beforehand - a link to their website is attached(for those who have not ventured out into the wilds of Adlington before!) Link to Windmill web and a map to help you get there

We will have Matt Rose on bass with us again but, apart from that, it's the usual line-up - fresh and re-invigorated after a nice long Chistmas rest - oh, and a week at work :-((