The Hot Club of Chiddingly

19the July 2022
 
It was Britain's hottest ever day with record breaking high temperatures reported all over the country. Caring, responsible dog owners resorted to taking out their pets very early in the day to avoid the worst of the heat. The ground during the day becoming hot enough to burn their pet's delicate paws. As dogs don't sweat, they have limited means of regulating their body temperatures, another issue. Owners of Koi card and goldfish ponds looked on in alarm as the temperature of pond water rose dangerously high and oxygen levels dropped. The ill and infirm in this country were advised to stay out of the sun and people were asked to keep a neighbourly eye on them.

Against this background Against this background the following brave and hardy souls ventured out to the Six Bells in Chiddingly for the Bob Dylan themed open mic night. Before the event we decided to perform outside as we thought we would be cooler at that time of the evening/night. As it turned out the weather had begun to break. We decided to hold the event inside which meant a hasty setting up of mixer, microphones, speakers etc.
 
I, (Lance Maleski) hosted the event and performed ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ and ‘Mr Tambourine Man’.
 
I passed the baton to Simon Watt and he performed ‘I Threw it All Away’ from the album Nashville Skyline, ‘You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere’ and lastly a song from the album ‘Oh Mercy’ ‘Shooting Star’.
 
Helga was up next and performed a song by Wolf Bierman best translated (it was sung in German) ‘Take Heart’. Helga’s next choice of song was written by Joan Cartwright ‘Blue Bossa’. Jason Loughran joined Helga and performed ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’.
 
Helga left the stage and Jason remained to perform ‘Only a Hobo’ a Dylan song he fist heard on Rod Stewart’s second studio album Gasoline Alley….. then Jason completed the last of his three songs from the Dylan album ‘Blood on the Tracks’ ‘Simple Twist of Fate’.
 
Manus McDaid performed the Bob Dylan song ‘Born in Time’ from the album ‘Under the Red Sky’. Manus then performed ‘Fanny Mae won’t you Please Come Home’, a Buster Brown song.
 
At this point we had a break as many of us wanted liquid refreshment.
 
Chris Martin welcomed us back and performed the Bob Dylan song ‘It’s all over now Baby Blue’ and the two of his own compositions ‘Xerox Armies’ which was influenced by Bob Dylan and the way he writes his lyrics and ‘Unwanted Fruit’ that he wrote during an open mic night in Tunbridge Wells.
 
Heather Curry followed Chris and used her keyboard to good effect and performed beautiful versions of three Bob Dylan songs ‘The Time’s they are a Changing’, ‘Just Like a Woman’ and lastly ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’.
 
Frank Xerox made a very welcome appearance and followed Heather. He performed beautiful versions of three Bob Dylan songs ‘Sign on a Window’, ‘Just Like a Woman’ and lastly ‘My Back Pages’ from the 1964 album ‘Another Side of Bob Dylan’.
 
Rounding the evening off was Keith Willson with three Bob Dylan songs ‘The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll’, Pawn in the Game’ and ‘The Time’s they are a Changing’.
 
That’s it, we all helped pack up and left to go home in the heat of the night.