The Skasouls at Mr Bumble.

If you followed my blog for any length of time you'll have seen The Skasouls before - probably the biggest thing to come out of Staines since Hard-Fi;

On Friday we headed down to Mr Bumble on the edge of Camberley - always a good night at Mr Bumble - we made a new friend;

This is Allan and Nick Tidbury on brass; the band plays Two-Tone/Ska to a very high standard. Every night with The Skasouls is a lot of fun.

As you can see, I wasn't the only person who felt that way;

I'm missing Carl Gaywood, their longtime drummer, he brought different influences to them from old time Trojan Ska and Reggae.

These days there's more fun, more rock and I miss the old sound.

But we still ended up leaving after midnight, always fun The Skasouls, check them out for yourself!

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)

Home:  helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

The SkaSouls Christmas Party at Mr Bumble's.

Friday night and I’ve got a cold, I’m not feeling great and a bit low after another really stressful week. I've either been depressing everybody I meet or losing it in spectacular fashion.

Now I’m preparing my relaxing new Blog, sorting out some rather fascinating hedge photos. I thought I might call it ‘hedgesyewlike.blogspot.com’. (good pun?)

Eh, no I’m not. Of course I’m not. Monday’s going to be a depressing day for me and there’s no more time for moping about.

This afternoon I stumbled across an interesting lead for a story I’m going to research. I’ve had a lean spell recently and needed a bit of luck – I write some really, really  boring  interesting things for another place. I’m looking forward to some ferreting about on the net.

But

Have you any idea how much effort has gone into keeping me alive? How many disappointments there have been along the way? I’ve got to face it, I’ve been a very unrewarding patient for poor old Dr Feelgood.

Then

there’s the money Dr Feelgood has conned out of successfully applied for from The Cancer Drug Fund. Obscenely large amounts of money that aren’t going to work for very long.

Hedges, indeed.

I said I wasn’t going out – too ill and I meant it.

Until 8-30 pm, that is. Then I shot out of the house, grabbing only a Porkpie hat, got on the motorway and headed off to Camberley/Blackwater to Mr Bumble to see;

 

 

The Skas0uls  

No the crowd got in the the way of that shot;

 

No that’s a bit tame, how about this;

 

No, that’s even tamer, how about this;

 

 No, still not enough action

 

 

 That’s better, that’s what a brass section should be like – can you work out who is where?

I had a great evening. It’s the friendliest, happiest, partyest, christmassyest pub I have ever been to.

I was moonstompin’ and skankin’. Uptown Top Rankin.

‘Rankin’ fooolstop’.

‘546 was my Number’.

‘Guns of Navaarone’.

Got kissed by three beautiful women and one man. Sadly, only the guy was sober. I seem to have danced with quite a number of people although some of them were only doing so to avoid dancing with the ‘incredible falling down man’ who took his shirt off when perhaps he shouldn’t have. And no, it wasn’t me – I only fall down in private.

I have decided that of all the cool records I have ever heard The Upsetter’s ‘Return of Django’ is the coolest record ever. Until I hear the next coolest record, that is.

Now it’s 1-20pm at night and I’ve just eaten a bacon sandwich, drank a pint of iced coke from my favourite Belgian beer glass (I am trying to be good, really) and my shirt is wringing wet through.

I think The Cancer Drug Fund can count this special night at Mr Bumble as a great success.

What a great night.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

N.B.

I’ve decided to go on another wasted tour  to forget about Monday – tomorrow it’s Modnight!

 

 

Mr Bumble, Camberley.

Saturday night I found myself driving, lost and irritated, no map and no satnav,  miles from anywhere in Camberley of all places, looking for a pub called ‘Mr Bumble’.

Well why not?

‘Away match’ - the latest date on ‘The SkaSouls’ wild and wacky tour of Staines and a few other places like, well, Camberley.

www.skasouls.com

Finally, just by luck, I found it and took myself, my second best hat, a Fred Perry, DM boots, my Ian Dury style walking stick and my poor old body out for a good old fashioned Saturday night.

Here’s a couple of rather nice ladies who insisted that I take their picture;

 

 

Then, this is when people started dancing on the tables;

 

 

And then, towards the end of the night – this is the landlady of the pub, keeping an eye on things;

 

Thanks Mr Bumble and The SkaSouls for a really great night. I had a fairly difficult week but it ended with a Saturday night to remember and the chance to forget some of the things I’d rather not remember.

I didn’t feel quite fit enough to take to one of the table tops myself, but I have to admit I was dancing well into the midnight hour, what more is there?

‘546 What’s my number?’, ‘One way ticket to the Moon’, ‘The Guns of Navarone’ and Gangsters (don’t call me Scarface) – that’s what more.

It also seemed to be someone called Keith’s 50^th birthday party, so happy birthday Keith.

And, even though I was only wearing my second best hat, one guy complimented me on it, a pretty girl wanted to steal it and another man came up and offered to buy it off me.

Just about a perfect night, really.

Stompin’.

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)