HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO OUR ROMANIAN FRIENDS!!

You may be wondering about the title of this post, so let me explain. One of the little gizmos, that come with the Blogger tool that is used to create these literary gems, is a tracker that allows you to see how many times the blog is accessed, which posts are most "popular" (stretching the meaning of that word there!) and, surprisingly, where our readers are based. Unsurprisingly, the majority come from the UK but, in addition to a healthy band of followers in the USA, Netherlands and Germany, there have been 36 people accessing the blog from Romania!! This being the case, it's only right and proper to wish them a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (or more accurately Crăciun fericit şi un An Nou Fericit!).

On which note, we roll on to the bin ends of 2011; just 4 days until the Big Ho Ho Ho, and only 11 until we kiss goodbye to the whole year! now, I don't know about you lot, but this year has just shot by - so much has happened that I'm really not too sure how it's all been fitted in. For D&C there has been the usual pot pourri of gigs, holidays, illnesses, fallings out etc., but it's been another fantastic year, and we've had a great time - not least because of the fabulous people (old friends and new) that we have met over the year, and this theme continued at Fizz's birthday party in Hertfordshire last weekend. Fizz & Tim live in a big house in Hertfordshire, and have wanted us to play for them ever since they saw us play at a wedding in a Welsh Castle 2 years ago - and they eventually got us. However, as you might expect with our band, nothing was completely straightforward! We'd made great plans to leave in plenty of time to arrive at F&T's house by 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, but last minute beer deliveries to the Snow Goose & The Ship (who, strangely, had not banked on much being drunk on Friday night!) meant that it was 1:45pm before the dirty white tour bus (i.e. the brewery van) pulled away - of course, the snow and ice, that was around until we hit Nottingham, didn't help either! Anyway. we eventually pulled up in their driveway at 5:00pm, so still had plenty of time to set up, and get back to the hotels for a shower and a couple of pints!

The gig itself was wonderful - even though the 100 or so members of the audience (in the living room, by the way!) were a little "hesitant" in the first set, I said to Hugh that they looked as though they were "poised to spring" (to use a feline analogy)! This certainly proved to be the case - from start to finish of the second set (which lasted a little over 2 hours) the dance floor was full of jumping, singing, dancing, sweating bodies! A human pyramid was built on the dance floor, Fizz gave us her own rendition of "Honky Tonk Women" and it was amazing that the final rousing chorus of "Delilah" didn't cause the plaster to drop off the ceiling!

All in all, a brilliant night and, although there was a hiatus in the morning when Matt's chauffeuse left without him, everyone got home safely. Many thanks to Tim, Fizz, and their guests, for their wonderful hospitality and participation.

So, the last gig of the year beckons and, as you will see from the pic above, as well as the publicity on our Dazed and Confused Massive Facebook page, we're going out with a bang at The Old Ship Inn on Beech Lane. As ever, it promises to be a great night, and it should be a good way to prepare yourselves for the following night's festivities, so get along if you can - the fun starts at 9:00pm.

It just remains for us to wish you all (and your friends and families) a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

I KNOW, I KNOW - HAPPY HALLOWEEN, BONFIRE NIGHT....

...and nearly Happy Christmas!!

It was only when Jane O'Leary accosted me at a "WinterFest" (whatever happened to "ChristmasFest??) event last Friday with the words "You've not done your blog for ages, and I love reading it", that 2 things struck me:

1. It is a really long time since I did this (about 6 weeks, actually!); so long, in fact, that Dave has actually been on holiday and returned, since the last entry!
2. Jane must need some serious help if she enjoys reading this and knows how long it is since it was updated!

Anyways up - no excuses, apart from early onset what do you call it, and the fact that the weeks just seem to fly by, so I will try and rack my brains to recall what has happened since I last put finger to keyboard, and what is coming up - all before I disappear to watch City try and cling onto Champions League football against the Hun!

When we last "spoke", we were about to make a triumphant return to The Old Ship - we did just that and, although it's now just a hazy memory (for a number of reasons!), it was as splendid a night as we have come to expect there. There was plenty of the usual noise, heat and jumping up and down, and I believe plans are afoot to secure another gig there before the end of the year (more of that later).

In the middle of November, we played at the xxth Birthday Party (oh, alright 40th!) of Claire Smith - that's guitarist Andy's better half! It was a fantastic night - people arriving from all over the place, and music/dancing/singing continuing into the wee small hours. I can always tell when it has been a good night - I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning! On this occasion, it was tough, but not so much of a chore, as we went to the Remembrance Parade the following morning - wouldn't miss Micky Jones in his finery for anything (and the "livener" in the Jolly Sailor afterwards helped as well!).

Our last November gig was at The Windmill, where we have played several times before and, as ever, it morphed from a cabaret club atmosphere (because loads of people turn up for a meal beforehand) into a general free for all at the end! Ally Roberts actually brought a mob with her to celebrate her own xxth Birthday Party, and they kept the far end of the pub dancing, as well as the front bit! This gig saw the debut of 4 new songs - Copperhead Road, There's a Guy Works Down t'Chippy, Never Lookin' Back and (by special request of Paparazzi Pete!) Should I Stay or Should I Go? All of them, while needing the usual polish and lyric learning, seemed to go down well, and will, no doubt, remain for some time! We're due back at the Windmill on 6 January for our normal first gig of the year so, if you want to get rid of the first week back at work blues, you could do a lot worse (ignore the tbc in the gig list, I'll get rid of that!).

And so we approach the truly festive season (say it aint so, mama!), and we kick off our contribution with a return to Congolia on Saturday. It's the first time we've crossed the border since June 2009, and we are honoured to do it for some longstanding friends associated with Congleton Ladies Circle (who can ever forget their Ladies Night at the Clonter Opera?!). It's at Congleton Town Hall, but I'm afraid it's a private do, so you'll have to gather outside and listen, if you're not going! The following week, we're on the road - to Hertfordshire! We're playing another xxth Birthday Party - this time at Fizz & Tim's pad, and there promises to be plenty of fun and games, so we're making a weekend of it!

So no public gigs before Christmas, but we are loathe to let the year end without seeing it out in style so, although we can't play on New Year's Eve, we are trying to set a gig up at The Ship on Friday 30 December. Hopefully, this will happen, and we'll keep you posted, either on here or on our "Dazed and Confused Massive" page on Facebook.

It just remains for me to wish you all the very best, as you attack the streets of your various towns, to carry out that tribal activity known euphemistically as "Christmas Shopping" - remember, it's the thought that counts, so if doing that shopping doesn't bear thinking about - you're in trouble!