Chilling in the Evening Air

6th July 2021

The word chilling has at least three meanings - the first is a verb similar to 'relaxing', the second is an adjective likening something  to the effect of a horror movie and the third, also an adjective, means that something has the propery of making things colder. The third is the most appropriate to the eveing in question.

Of course there was competition from certain semi-finals so the overcrowning was much reduced and we were mostly able to fit under the substantial canopy, with some self-huddling outside on the nearest tables. We missed Simon Watt, who had to isolate, and we will welcome him back next time.

Chris Martin's prolific song writing means that he rarely has to repeat himself. Tonight we had The Only Problem Is and Sugar Monkey and Nut Pig.

Appropriatly, Clive started off with Football Crazy. This one really goes back to the days of blobby lines on a glass screan, with Robin Hall and Jimmy McGegor on Cliff Mitchelmore's Tonight programme ("... and the next tonight will be tomorrow night.."). Actually Wikipedia says it was written by a Glaswegian called Jimmy Curran. Clive followed up with Cat Steven's Baby, Baby, It's a Wild World - always a nice bit of chonky reggae to tap your feet to - but then decided to abandon it for some technical reasons before going on to do Julian Lennon's Soft Water.

Heather further channelled the spirit of the sixties corner box by singing Paddy McGinty's Goat. Oh yes, the impossible-to-dislike Val doonican could always be relied on to come up with this one, delivered from a chair with a sweater. Sometimes the back of the box was more interesting than the front, with all those little glowing orange valves inside to be seen through the holes in the brown hardboard. Memories, memories.

But the whiz - bang - into the twentyfirst century with one of Heather's own songs about finding something to do when you're bored - Boredom. This is about how mothers won't won't let you get away with doing nothing.

Helen and Stephanie showed their skills at harmony in Gerry and the Pacemaker's Ferry Across the Mersey - another sixties song, this time about the friendliness of the Liverpool people. Chris Liddiards's songs are being performed more and more by people that knew him. Painting a Picture is a song full of colours and Helen and Steph did it justice. I remember playing bass with Chris when he sang that song at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne. It was at an opening night when one of his pictures was on show. Happy days

Helga sang Leonard Cohen's seminal work Suzanne, with some interesting blue note variations showing jazz is never too far away. Classical music next as she played flute ably on the Bouree by JS Bach with my guitar accompaniment. I missed the repeat sign and, for a few bars, we had the right notes in the right order, but in the wrong place. Jethro Tull made this piece famous in you-know-which decade.

Helga stayed on for my Clapham Station Blues with her jazz flute agaist this sorry tale of public transport in Clapham in the 1980s. I followed with Rupert's Song a tale of love and class by the great songwriter and recordist Jon Turner..

Lance writes very singable songs. In a Gardener's World is becoming a standard of his and equally good was Time is a Schemer. Observation and gentle humour go together well.

Manus did a very blues version of Singing the Blues. Was the Tommy Steele or Guy Mitchell version better? If you can remember you're not as young as you once were. A brief conference followed about the pronunciation of Ray Charles' real surname, before Manus played that very man's Halleluiah I Just Love Her So.

Chris Shepherd is a very welcome addition to the club regulars. Tonight he performed Bob Dylans's Don't Think Twice it's All Right beautifully, followed by Chris Stapleton's Starting Over.

Finally Emma, another very welcome recent regular, performed Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi and One Call Away.

And so we packed up after another success at keeping live music going. A pat on the back for all of us.

Keith Willson

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