Due to popular demand (well, Pete Banks asked me to do it!), I thought it would be sensible to bookend the last post (from January!) with one at the end of the year - so here it is!
It's actually a sensible time to do it, because we have our traditional pre-Christmas bash at The Windmill coming up on 19 December, and we'd like to get as many of our friends (old and new) along for it, not least because this is the LAST gig that we will be doing for some time!
What??? I hear you all cry - how can that be? How will we survive without our periodic dose of bum notes, cracked vocals, tumbleweed joke telling moments between songs (and there have been lots of those!) that we have come to know and love? Well, believe me, it has not been an easy decision to come to and, although we have "only" played 10 gigs this year (compared with 25+ in some of the previous years), we still love it so much (the last gig at the Cock & Pheasant was as good as any we've done before), and we like to think that some of you get a perverse enjoyment out of what we do!
However, there are a number of things that have conspired to bring us to this decision - family ill-health, conflicting holidays, work/pleasure commitments etc. have all played their part this year in making it difficult for us all to get together on a regular basis and, as we look forward to 2015, it doesn't look like any of these things are going to get any easier. This being the case, we have agreed to take a break during the first part of next year, with the plan being to come back together after the summer holidays, to see how we feel about getting going again. We've also said that we are going to keep in touch, and even have some rehearsals to try new stuff (really, it's just so we can have a pint at the brewery!), so it's not as though we will become complete strangers.
This being the case, we'd like to go out with a "bang" on the 19th - hence the desire to get as many of our "gang" there as possible! If you are able to come along, and sing, dance, jump about or do whatever else takes your fancy, we'd love to see you (even if it's only for a short while). We'll be kicking off at the usual time (around 9pm), and I doubt very much that they will be able to heave us off much before midnight!
In the meantime, we will be doing a couple of "private" gigs - the first tomorrow night for the "SAD DADS" - not as grim as it might appear, as the name comes from the fact that it is the St Albans School Parents group (obviously the male parents, mostly!)! We've played for them several times before, and it usually turns messy - the parish priest actually comes with them, but he does tend to make a tactical withdrawal before the messiness really kicks in! After that, we are playing at another private party, this Saturday - I'd love to reveal details, but have been sworn to secrecy!
I'm sure there will be a signing off blog, detailing the events of the 19th but, in the meantime - be there or regret it for the rest of your lives!! ;-))
