This Perfect Day: MOTFEST 2010

This years's Mouth of Tyne Festival again got perfect weather and was the best attended one I've seen so far. The website is here. The downside of this was that the food and drinks trailers had permanent queues which we circumvented by bringing in our own drinks which meant we could lie on the grass , talk and listen to the bands in glorious sunshine , not having to move to get a drink. The contents of our pack looked like this at some point in the afternoon.

The only time we had to move was to get up for a toilet break, and must admit the portaloos were spotless and almost pleasant to use!!! Maybe that's a sign of age.

Only caught four of the acts.

Walked in on Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny who were excellent crowd pleasers , and included a cracking version of "Devil In Disguise" . Well worth tracking down and here's a litle video of them below:

Next up were the Batacuda Sound Machine from Auckland New Zealand (web site here) who served up some festival friendly funk. Them live below:

Next up were the hit of the day , The Easy Star All Stars , who entertained with dub and reggae versions of most of Sergeant Peppers , Pink Floyd's Money , Radiohead's Paranoid Android and closing with Karma Police . An odd choice to finish with but awesome and perfect festival entertainment especially in the sun . You can download their albums here , and see them below doing "Money":

Headliners were the Lightning Seeds , but without England in the World Cup Final (which wasnt gonna happen) they had their work cut out . The opened with "Sense" my absolute favourite and managed to keep big chunks of the crowd dancings even through the ill advised cover of Phil Spector's "Be My Baby". Below is an acoustic rendition of Sense:

All in all another excellent Festival , looking forward to next years!!

The Good, The Bad, and The Abominable Showmen - Next Gig Tyneside Irish Centre - Thursday 4th November 2010

From Jim

All

The next Abominable Showmen gig will take place on Thursday 4^th November at The Tyneside Irish Centre, and will have a Country / Western / Cowboy theme to it

Tickets will be £4 and T-shirts will also be available, design to be confirmed but Chris will come up with something special as usual.

Let me know if you would like to come along.

Cheers

The Abominable Showmen

Jim Stevenson

Strategic Systems Solutions

Newcastle Office

From Tom:

The Abominable Showmen boldly ride once more! Thursday 4th November.

Even a goldarned fool plumb knows you should never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a Showman from any direction. So you'd best lock up your cattle, silverware and womenfolk cuz the rootinest, tootinest, shootinest hombres west, east, north and south of the Pennines will  be thundering into town imminently.

Yes indeed, those desperadoes of notoriously abominable disposition shall be inflicting their scandalously intemperate musical ways upon the good folk attending an otherwise respectable soirée at the Tyneside Irish Saloon on Thursday 16th September, the Year of our Lord 2010. The God fearing and temperate few amongst you should consider themselves forewarned, for I believe the Showmen intend to exercise what they regard as their irrefutable Constitutional right to arm bears.

As you may have calculated by now, they will allegedly be performing both kinds of music. Country AND Western.
Leastways they appear to be professing a 'Cowboy' theme or some such and they have further remarked that all funds herewith obtained shall be devoted to worthy causes. Bar those intentions I currently claim sweet ignorance.

They proclaim that admission shall be  £4.00

For those wishing to garb themselves appropriately the latest Paris fashions will be available, as soon as the Showman Dog & Pony Express delivers my Sears catalogue. Should you possess a spirit of enquiry or a perhaps even penchant for partaking in this event, feel free to direct your attentions to me.

Y'all take care now.
And remember, if'n you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'. (A lesson some of my foremen have yet to comprehend).
Spread the word.

     Black Tom.  (2nd floor back at the SLH branch of the old PPA mine).