Posted by Nick Courtney Sweetedge our special guest kicked the evening off in style in front of a very acceptable turnout for 8.15pm on a Thurday. Their songs are varied in tempo and style and the band portray the tightness and professionalism that you would expect from accomplished musicians who have been around for years. Della has a voice that you are not going to forget in a hurry and at times reminded me of a young Janice Joplin. Also a special mention to the guest keyboard player, Noel, if I remember correctly, a fantastic performance adding a whole new dimension to an already complete sound. All in all a great start to the evening from a band that are welcome back at Roger Courtney's anytime! The Open Mike session kicked off at 9.15pm with Della and her guest keyboard player performing a dynamic version of "Summertime" that set the mood for a great nights entertainment with a healthy audience of way over 100 spilling over into both rooms. Next up was James and Mark. James has reached new heights over the last few weeks with his confident style and likeable personality, which are both rare qualities from one so young. This week however he hit a few bum notes during his guitar solo as he was paying too much attention to tuning and making sure Mark was following along OK. The audience carried on singing along to his superb version of "Stand by me" and the fact that James actually showed that he can also cock it up sometimes too was actually quite refreshing for us paler performers. The future is bright, the future is James! Next up was Lauryn and Amy, Lauryn improves every week and is a different girl to the one we saw on her debut performance a few months ago, her songs are happier and her personality has also started to shine. This performance was different from normal with Amy on guitar instead of Lauryn on keyboards and I have to say "where have you been hiding Amy" 2 good songs, nice one girls !! Duncan aka Manu D was up next, nice to see you back after a few weeks away! As is usual a very competent performance with great vocals, what more can I say. Duncan was followed by 2 girls, probably not the first time either and my writing is so bad that I can't actually read my notes to tell you their names, but nevertheless they pulled of a really good performance even if one of them was actually quite shy and refused to sing in the mic. Look forward to seeing you both again and I promise to remember your names next time. The return of MC Phitz from London was a welcome sight and Roger Courtney's rocked for the next 15 minutes as our ears were subjected to a few words that are not normally heard in the presence of one's mother unless of course its a different type of mother. Anyway variety is the spice of life and we love variety! I have a feeling MC Phitz is still holding back and I saw some smooth dance moves trying to sneak into his performance this week. All I can say is, don't hold back Mr P give us the full MC. Kev Hardy started the second half of an already great night with 2 songs that I enjoyed as much as I always do when he performs. Kev always manages to make the PA sound twice as good as it actually is and although looking a little tired and frayed around the edges, he did what he always does and entertained the crowd with his subtle expertise. Kev is performing for a full hour on the 31st March 8 - 9pm and this is well worth attending as Kev is a performer that needs more than a couple of songs to demonstrate his wide range of ability. I was up next with my backing band, Rum coke and the red wines and threw myself into yet another rowdy version of "Folson Prison" that Johnny Cash would expect some change from. My second song was a request for "Swiss Roll" one of my own songs that has become a favourite of the drunken few that appreciate sex sessions with a violent and oversized woman from Sweden. Paul Vinten followed me on stage after arriving late and nearly missing out altogether, I did however let him do 2 songs as normal and he provided a good performance that was enjoyed by everyone present. The mighty Tom Kelsall was next to perform. Tom is Mr perfection and performs with ease and a confidence that makes new performers feel physically sick. Most people attend on the small chance that he might cock something up, but I am telling you now, he won't as he is actually a hologram. Tom will be recording a CD live at Roger Courtney's on the 7th April, he will be playing a variety of popular songs as well as some slightly more obscure numbers, all presented in his own unique style. The hour-long performance will be recorded to make his second live album after the 1st sold 150 copies. Anyway that's enough of advertising Tom, Rob was next up and again it was nice to see him after a few weeks away from the club and I love his version of "Bicycle" by Pink Floyd in fact I like everything he plays especially when he teamed up with Del the hippy. Del the Hippy finished the evening with 3 of his classics and a audience mix of Jilted John by Jilted John. Del is one of our regulars and another person that could play in his sleep and probably actually does. Most evenings are not over until the fat lady sings, well Del is our fat lady and I mean that in a caring way as he isn't actually fat or a lady for that matter, but you know what I mean. A big special thank you to the audience for simply being there as without you we would be playing with ourselves and we could all end up blind as well as deaf. Sorry to Steve and Simon for not managing to fit you in as we were already full when you arrived. Performers should arrive early to guarantee a slot (you must put your name on the board before it is full) Nick Courtney
on March 19, 2005, 1:22 pm
Message modified by board administrator March 23, 2005, 8:44 pm
As Kev Hardy has computer problems and no one else can be bothered, I guess this weeks review is down to me, so here we go!
Message Thread:
« Back to thread
