Sorry for late posting of this review but I was in London all day on Monday on a staff training day.
It was an interesting weekend. We had 12 people for dinner on Saturday which went off well despite the unscheduled interlude with the Dyno-rod man (don't ask!). On of my wife's now retired former colleagues who plays guitar, banjo and mandolin was impressed to find Davey Graham, his idol, playing on the CD player when he arrived with the Ken Colyer skiffle group next.
At some time towards midnight when I was having a post-coffee Metaxas and others were making inroads on my selection of malt whiskies, someone was rash enough to insist we demonstrated the pianola. I believe while Herself pedalled barefoot and without a safety belt, I rendered Pennies from Heaven and You made me love you like Jolson and Don't be Cruel like Elvis, but it might have been the other way round, as people suddenly remembered they had to get home to pay the baby sitter (funny I though all their children were grown-up). Subsequently someone said it was the highlight of the evening, someone else said it was like a scene from the Addams Family!
Any way it was too dull on Sunday to take out guest to a garden so we headed straight for the skiffle session at the Clifton Arms. The first band had just started when we arrived, the singer sounded a bit flat, my companions thought ( I couldn't possibly comment, given my lack of musical ability) and the place was full of people in Welsh costumes who soon left (an Ap-Morris dance side perhaps?). We stayed for a couple of hours. Being the designated non-driver I was forced on to the Brakspear's Special while the other two drank the pub out of mineral water (the shame of it!) despite forays by various people to the cellar in search of new stock. We heard four bands, unfortunately the PA was at a good volume for hearing the music but too quiet to hear the announcements, so I'm not clear who was who, especially as some of the personnel were in more than one ensemble. I think King Street Smith was the bluesy band that came on just before we left at about 2.20 . Herself awarded them the top marks for vocals without any prompting from me. The pub was quite full (hardly big enough for two teachest basses to pass!) but mostly seemed to be regulars not taking much notice of the music. Only ourselves and the bands and their connections (as the racing fraternity would say) were listening to or applauding the music. Mine was the only Mudcat T-shirt in evidence and evoked no reactions.
I was sorry we couldn't stay longer but a fridge full of left-overs and an opened bottle of wine ("it won't keep") waiting for us meant we didn't see the other bands. Nice to see washboard, swannee whistle and spoons in operation. A kazoo with funnel went past me into the dining room but I didn't see it in action.
Thanks to Kris (King Brilliant) for letting us know this was on.
RtS