The Drifters

I went to watch The Drifters as part of the Diamond Dynasty Tour at The Wyvern Theatre in Swindon which was a treat. The group has had 65 members over the 60 years they have been around. Whilst watching the latest line up perform,you get a slide show history lesson of The Drifters story. Learning about who was in the band and over what period of time was actually pretty interesting and the fact people are still singing their songs today is a credit to them. With classics like 'Saturday Night at the Movies', Sweet for my Sweet and 'Up on the Roof' the whole audience was happy. A little extract of another familiar hit is below...

I always associate The Drifters with sixties 'doo wop' so it was slightly strange seeing four men reincarnate the group to appeal to a new audience. There was a moment when I thought one of the group members was going to start singing an R Kelly song or something by Usher. But nonetheless all of them sang their hearts out, did the retro all in one dance moves and got 70 year old men and women up on their feet. Job Done.

If the band have been around for 60 years and are still going, who knows I may be watching them when I'm in my seventies which is good 40 years away from now!

Go Jeff!- Ellen and the Escapades in the North

Ellen and the Escapades  hit the North over the weekend. When I say the North I mean Newcastle at The Cluny and Manchester at The Castle Hotel . The Cluny is a great venue just outside Newcastle city centre. You have to go down a few flights of stairs to get to the gig setting but it's spacious, cool and dark; all the things you want for a night of music! Ellen and the Escapades were as good as ever. The haunting, hypnotic voice of Ellen Smith backed by a tight set of guitars, drums and keyboard. They played a mixture of songs from their current album keeping some of the older tunes in to keep the die hard fans happy. Their more current songs show how the band have matured and become more confident about their own sound. I must say, I do like a dance so I'm always happy when 'Without You' comes on. You can tap your feet and pretend you're surrounded by hay bales-amazing! But then on another song you can be swaying by the beach with a bottle of beer. Enough of my imagination...

At The Cluny in Manchester it was a slightly different vibe. Mostly due to the hot sweaty back room of the pub everyone was crammed into and the £4.50 pints of Peroni. But niggles aside another cracking set by the band. In my hast I tried to record their closing number 'Cast'. Nothing can quite capture the essence of being at a gig but I wanted to try and share a little bit of it.

BE WARNED IT"S QUITE LOUD!


Ellen and the Escapades have built up a loyal fan base and it seems electric guitarist Jeffrey Schneider has adopted the anthem "GO JEFF!" which has begun following him from gig to gig (well maybe just the ones I'm at).  One day it will be trending on Twitter. The band carry on touring throughout the year, so if you can catch them, I would.

John Barrowman Magic

I went to watch John Barrowman in concert at the Oasis in Swindon. It was a bit random as I have never watched Torchwood and I've only seen one episode of Tonight's the Night. What did I expect from a Barrowman concert? A very camp night. What did I get? A very camp night!

The Oasis hall was packed full, I was say about four thousand people in all. The majority of the audience were women in their 60s or 30 something women accompanied by a very embarrassed other half. It's a shame John Barrowman is gay because he is certainly one for the ladies. The audience were beside themselves every time there was a wiggle of he bum or a cheeky look their way. Apart from all the jumping about on stage, the continuous gay jokes, Barrowman certainly does have a set of pipes on him. He filled the room with his powerful voice which could cope with the cheesiest of pop songs to a soft meaningful ballad.

What was also overwhelming was how much he involved his family in the performance. The big screen behind the band had selections of holiday pictures, family moments and prized memories caught on camera. It may be all part of the show but Barrowman seemed to open up his child hood and his dreams to all of us. Mum and Dad Barrowman were actually in the audience and got on stage for a little part of the show!

I have to hand it to Barrowman, love him or hate him, he is good at what he does. He entertained from the minute he stepped on stage until his closing song. John ended with Gloria Gaynor's classic 'I am What I am' which sums up his character completely. Most of the audience were on their feet by this point joining in with the lyrics. What seemed like half of Swindon came to watch him and they all left smiling.

McFly in Malborough

It was all about Malborough on Monday evening as one half of McFly dropped in to independent record shop 'Sound Knowledge.' Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter came to the Wiltshire town to promote their new album 'Above the Noise'. But by the numbers of fans that turned up I don't think the album needs any promotion! Hundreds waited in the cold November evening to catch a glimpse of their favourite popstars.

Dougie said he "was happy to be in Malborough" and when I asked which half of McFly he and Harry were, he said it was definitely the "Fly" half. I think the many girls waiting to see them would agree. On a serious note, Harry did mention how important it was for the band to come out and meet their fans.

Harry and Dougie seemed perfectly happy sat talking to their fans signing anything from guitars to posters. It seems they've grown up a lot since they first hit the music scene about 7 years ago. Harry seems to be more focused now and Dougie said he loved the sound of the new album. I certainly saw a lot of people clutching the new album and single so I'm sure the McFly boys will do well this year. McFly are going to be touring in Spring next year and their new album is out now.

'Sound Knowledge' is becoming a pop star hot spot. McFly are just one of the many bands to visit the store. Scouting for Girls, Ash and Turin Brakes are just some of the others that made the Malborough music hall of fame.

Glastonbury 2010

Glastonbury, Glastonbury, Glastonbury. You come into my life for a week each year and toss me out like a half eaten sandwich. Recovering from dust, sun and fun I sit in my house thinking what happens next? Well I guess we’ll just have to wait until Glastonbury fever kicks off again next year.

But enough of sad reality, Glastonbury 2010 was a cracking show. The 40^th anniversary of the biggest music festival there is. I was working on Worthy FM so as well as seeing the bands I got to interview some of them. One of my highlights was Ellen and the Escapades. They are the band that won the Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition. Hand picked by Michael and Emily Eavis. I met up with Michael back in May and the way he described them was “just brilliant, fantastic”. As well as winning a slot on the Acoustic stage Ellen and the Escapades helped Michael open the Cadmus boat in the Green Kids field.

Well the band popped into my studio and supplied me with great entertainment. A great bunch from Leeds and a Californian intruder that has yet adopt a classy northern accent. Ellen reminds me of Joan Baez but with a deeper voice. Her back up boys fit perfectly into the acoustic / rock blend and they are the kind of band that you’d want at your house party; they’d have a great time but they wouldn’t trash the place. Well you can have a listen to my interview and lovely studio versions of Coming Back Home and This Ace I’ve Burned.

Ellen and The Escapades Interview by bribriwilliams

Well apart from sitting in a studio playing music and interviewing bands I got to go out and about and soak up the atmosphere of Glastonbury, and soak up the smell. Glastonbury is a big operation. I becomes the largest city in the South West for a week and requires precision planning to make it run smoothly. And one thing that has to run smoothly, are the toilets.

Glasto Toilets by bribriwilliams

I cannot believe it didn’t rain over the festival. I was camping on site for a week so I made the most of the unusually sunny weather to bronze myself! But the no show rain did have some downsides. The amount of dust that was circling in the air was unbelievable. I was walking around seeing mini tornado’s everywhere - very strange.

Another strange site is a lot of people dressed in pink walking around playing songs-The Ambling Band. I’ve been a member for over two years and I’m a newbie compared to the veterans that have been playing for over 20 years. Well we were playing in the Theatre and Circus field over the Glastonbury weekend, but our first gig was at the litter pickers party where Michael Eavis was the special guest.

FeatureAmblingBandBriohny by bribriwilliams


How can you sum up Glastonbury? You can’t. Stevie Wonder, Dizzee Rascal, making a wooden wand, dancing like a maniac to the Baghdaddies, making Kate Nash do a Gnasher impression and England going out of the World Cup all in one weekend. Enough said.