Hello all
Good news to hear the Half Moon Putney has been saved. Apparently the
plan is to cut down on tribute bands and do more breaking band
shows.
Watch out for the relaunch of Under The Boardwalk later this year with
the return to Sheffield of a licencee well known in real ale circles in
the city. Hosting live music is not planned, just a quality real ale
pub working closely with the Boardwalk. Can't wait.
It was good to see the fabulous Larry Miller Band back on our stage.
Larry first played The Boardwalk going on for 10 years ago and was
booked in for 2 further shows after that both of which were pulled for
reasons I don't know. He's a great bloke and he has a fantastic band
behind him. He s back on October 1st.
Chris was telling me he bumped into his old friend Barry ( he owns the
legendary Record Collector in Broomhill, Sheffield ) recently and they
got chatting about the book Last Shop Standing which has a piece in it
about Barry's shop. I had to admit I knew nothing about it but made a
few enquiries and finished up buying a copy ( £10 at HMV ). It's
a great book, go and buy it. How long before we have a follow up about
independant venues like the Boardwalk?
Talking of books we've had a copy of Jah Wobbles autobiography, Memoirs
of a Geezer, in the office for a while, I think Chris dropped it in.
Again, it's a great read with some interesting tales about his time
with PiL, Invaders of the Heart etc. Very funny in places as well. My
friend is reading Mark E.Smiths biography, an interesting read I'm told.
Wilko Johnson's recent gig with us was an absolute stormer, Blockhead
Dylan Howe ( Steve's son ) has settled in well replacing Monti on drums
and Wilko and Norman were just...well, Wilko and Norman! Once again we
had to go out of Sheffield to get a support this time giving the slot
to Route 66 from Buxton, they last played here quite some time ago
supporting Ten Years After. They went down well with the 250+ Wilko
audience so expect to see them back soon.
Watch out for some amazing, young blues/rock talent at the Boardwalk
later in the year when we've got Joanne Shaw Taylor and her band ( she
was booked in last year but had to postpone due to a tour of the USA )
and the amazing Virgil and The Accelerators. There's also a welcome
return of The Producers. Dave Saunders from the band travelled all the
way from Poole to see Chris to discuss a possible return only to find
he was on hols. Fortunately we'd got Ian Siegal on that night so Dave
stayed for the show.
Chris's nephew is in a young local band called Searching For Evidence.
They're causing quite a stir at live gigs and Eliott Kennedy is helping
them out at studio sessions. Not bad for a band whose average age is
probably about 14. I've seen them once, that was at their first "
proper " gig which was here at The Boardwalk about 9 months ago. I was
absolutely amazed at their confidence and stage presence performing
much of their own material.
Good to see Calico Fever are back at our venue with a gig later in the
year. They've been off the scene for a while due to one of the main
men, Graham Rodgers, going off to Nashville for a year ( or was it
more? ). Graham got the invite to Nashville after doing a solo support
for Rivers Rutherford at our venue in 2008 and it was an offer he
couldn't refuse. Chris has known Graham for many many years through the
local music scene and he tells me Graham is one of the genuine nice
guys in the business.
And what about the Dave Kelly/ Maggie Bell gig in November? Maggie was
brilliant at the Led Zep reunion and we're honoured to have her
performing at the Boardwalk.
The John Otway solo gig was an interesting one. Otway's been doing 2
gigs a year here for the last 15 years or so and guess what? He
couldn't find his way to the venue arriving only 15 minutes before
doors were due to open at 7.30. We then find out he'd almost lost his
voice, not good for a show like Otways. It was quite funny though when
people were coming in he was stood by the door explaining about his
voice, or trying to. Most people said it didn't matter some even said "
brilliant! " He's back with the Big Band in the autumn. Don't miss it.
With Country Joe McDonald not planning any European dates in the
forseeable future it was good to hear we'd got Barry "The Fish " Melton
booked in on July 28th. Reaction from fans has been amazing so expect a
good one.
Are you going to the Rhythm Festival this year? If you like crowded
sites, overflowing toilets, poor quality food etc then it's not for
you. You can get further details from www.rhythmfestival.net or pick up
a flyer next time you're at the Boardwalk. Chris will be there so you
can buy him a beer ( he says ).
Thank you for helping us keep music live.
xxx
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