Hello readers!
So as the name of this blog suggests I have been to a lot of open mic
nights this week and I intend to talk you through them a little. It all began last Sunday at the Brewdog in
Nottingham. This week was only the
second time I had been to this night but I already felt really welcome and
comfortable there. I played an entirely new
set of three songs that had never been played to people before which was a lot
of fun and they seemed to go down pretty well which is always nice, I’ve been
experimenting with different tunings so it was really interesting to get a bit
of a different sound out. I highly recommend
this open mic night, not least for the free drink given to every performer (Brewdog
beers are pretty special).
Monday night was of course spent at the Golden Fleece on Mansfield
road. This open mic is pretty much home
to me; it was the first place I EVER played so I really owe a lot to it. It’s always a fantastic atmosphere no matter
how quiet or busy it is on the night. My
favourite.
On Tuesday I was very, very happy to be heading back home for a few
days. It had been so long since I was
last in Leamington Spa so it really was brilliant to be there. Luckily for me, Tuesday night is open mic
night at my ‘local’, The Robbins Well. I
really enjoyed being back in the loop here and getting to see some of my
incredibly talented friends Spa side! (check out Benjamin Penrose and Samuel Hayler)
I did have a
night off on Wednesday, instead of doing anything myself I headed over to the
O2 Academy in Birmingham to see the fantastic Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls as they toured the new album, Tape Deck Heart. I’ve been a fan of Frank Turner for quite a
while but only saw him live for the first time last summer at V Festival and
then again at Rock City in Nottingham just before Christmas; I think this was
the best I’d seen him, it was a great show.
Back in the
Spa, on Thursday night I ventured out to another open mic night this time at
the Cross Keys. It wasn’t one I’d been
to before but it was a lot of fun and very enjoyable, I played four songs on my
own and then got to do a duet with someone I hadn’t done a duet with in a very
long time which was lovely. All in all,
it was great to be home albeit only for a couple of days. I will be back in the area next weekend for a
beer festival in Hartshill, keep an eye out on my Facebook/Twitter for details
nearer the time!
I spent much
of Friday in a car. We travelled from
Leamington to York and back to Nottingham. The M1 in a traffic jam isn’t always
the most pleasant of experiences but luckily I had a ukelele on hand to make
everything more cheerful... check out the video! While in York
I had the pleasure of playing at the Basement again, this time supporting the
phenomenal Alessi’s Ark. It was a great
show and I really enjoyed watching Alessi’s Ark who I have been listening to
for quite a while now. Also the other
support act, Denis Jones, was absolutely incredible and well worth a listen –
lots of loops and electronic kind of sounds.
After a
brief visit to my flat I was back on the road on Saturday to play at the Hammer
and Pincers in Sheffield. It was a
lovely pub and I was joined by my friend Beth McCarthy who was her usual
brilliant self. It was nice to play
somewhere different and although I’m not usually a massive fan of doing pub
gigs it was a really nice evening.
Now we’re on
Sunday… Tonight I’m off to see Lucy Rose at the Queens Social Club in Sheffield
which I am incredibly excited about as I’ve been a huge fan of her probably
since about 2011 when I first heard Middle of the Bed. I missed out on seeing her in Nottingham so I’m
making up for it now, will let you know what I think next Sunday!
Have a
fantastic week,
Love y’all!
Anwyn :) x
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