You read it here first.

I know I go on a bit about The Hobgoblin in Staines.

Here’s a facebook message from The Hob – the autumn schedule. Who knows what I’ll see of this but I’m looking forward to whatever I can get my hands on;

So everything's been a bit quiet on the music front recently with all the football going on, only a couple more gigs left before the refurb ( which I shall be informing you all about soon)

 But to get you all excited about what's to come when we’re open here's a little taster of the bands confirmed so far.......

 HALF HOUR HOTEL

 UKID

 MOCARA

 XII BOAR

 NO LIP

 ACCORDING TO YOU

 THE RED AND THE BLACK

 STONE GIANTS

 TREE HOUSE FIRE

 KING KANUTE

 THE COTTONETTES

 THE SKA SOULS

 EMERGENCY BITTER

 DARKO

 DEAD KANSAS

 

 

AND MANY MANY MORE

 

And if you don’t believe me how about this?

The Carnaby’s are the support act for Blondie on these two dates;

29 June 14 O2 Academy Sheffield

30 June 14 Shepherds Bush Empire.

 

I reviewed the Carnaby’s when they appeared at The Hobgoblin Rockgoblin in April, here’s what I said;

Of all the bands I hadn’t seen, I had the highest expectations of them. I liked the last couple of numbers which were more fast and furious.

What I saw was a really slick, well-rehearsed band; ambitious and tightly focussed on where they are going. They have everything it’s going to take to make it big except for luck and there’s no reason at all why they shouldn’t find some of that.

But the music? I was looking for an edge, a sense of danger and didn’t find it. Ok, I’m too picky. Everyone else thought they were great.

 

April down the Hob, June up there with Blondie.

You read it here first.

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

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

Double Whammy.

Early Thursday morning I opened up my e-mail to find that my trip to France on Saturday had been cancelled. Gutted.

I won’t pretend it wasn’t a blow and it had taken quite a struggle for it to happen in the first place (thanks S, couldn’t have done it without you and thanks to G). It wasn’t meant to be.

It means a real double whammy for me this week and even I have to admit that it left me reeling on the ropes, gasping for breath. There are only so many rounds you can lose.

Well, I’m a big boy - knock me down and I’ll get up again. Also, I never promised you a happy ending.

Thursday Night, at The Riverside.

Even a night with my favourite Ska band, The Skasouls, it still took me three quarters of the show to thaw out.

 

They did manage to thaw me out in the end.

Now all my hopes of international travel have gone out of the window, I am free to take another look at

 The Reggulaters

Who play The Brookhouse in Hayes on Saturday night and that will be fun.

OK, it’s not Moules Frites, its not baguette, or café au Lait, it will never be France. But it is Ska.

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home:   helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact:  neilwithpromisestokeep@hotmail.co.uk

Clifford Cox, Fire Fighter.

 

This is the book of condolences for Fire Fighter Clifford Cox who died on duty while fighting the floods in Staines. You can sign the book at the entrance to Tesco’s superstore, Ashford, Staines.

This edited report is from the article in The Metro;

Clifford Cox, 53, died at Staines fire station on Saturday night, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said.

His next of kin and family have been informed.

Chief fire officer Russell Pearson said Mr Cox was part of the station’s Green Watch and had served as a firefighter in Surrey for nearly 25 years.

 

In a statement Mr Pearson declared: ‘We are deeply saddened and upset by this tragic news and our thoughts are with his family, friends and close colleagues at this very difficult time.

 

‘Firefighter Cox was based at Staines fire station on Green Watch, having served in Surrey for nearly 25 years. He will be greatly missed by the service and his colleagues.

 

‘This is understandably a very difficult time for all, particularly in light of the on-going major incident and the demands placed on all staff.’

Mr Cox, who was known as ‘Biff’, died at around 6pm after collapsing at the fire station, the Surrey branch of the Fire Brigades Union said.

 

Colleagues tried to resuscitate him but were unable to save him.

 

Richard Jones, the brigade branch secretary, said: ‘Biff was a lovable character with a larger than life personality. He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by his colleagues. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.’

This is the tribute at his fire station which is across the road from the store;

 

Remember, as the government fights to force our firefighters to work longer hours and retire later that this is high pressure, physical work.

They need our support, just as we needed theirs in the flood.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

 

Classic Hobgoblin; Mocara, Tree House Fire and Captain Accident and the Disasters.

Saturday night and I’m at The Hobgoblin at Staines. It’s my favourite local venue and it’s all set to be a classic night at ‘The Hob’. An evening of Reggae, three bands crammed into one night. Except I always had a certain sinking feeling about it all.

For a start, all the bands are white which is a potential problem for me, if only a cultural one.

Secondly, if I hear someone from the home counties say ‘I and I’, there will be trouble.

And finally, if I catch so much as a hint of a pretend Jamaican Accent, I’m off home. I can’t even rescue the evening by going to see The SkaSouls, because they are playing the conservative club over the road and I’m not prepared to hand over a fiver to a bunch of tory B@#*&£$ds.

Instead I got something I wasn’t expecting;

I’ll start with Captain Accident and the Disasters, here’s The Captain;

 

And this is one of the disasters:

 
I missed a big part of the set –we’ve been flooded and my Mum’s carers couldn’t get through, so I had to leave, go home and then drive back. When I struggled back in I was met by a big thrash guitar slowed down to half speed and a bass that sent The Hob’s ancient floorboards buzzing. Hmmmh, that’s interesting.

Like all three bands, they were playing their own stuff. Reggae? No, not really but then again no fake accents either. I’ll stick around a bit.

The headliner’s were ‘Tree House Fire’ with a bass that started various internal organs dancing to the beat, always a good thing in reggae terms, but they weren’t letting me off either. A heavy Reggae beat couldn’t disguise the fact that this wasn’t Reggae.

 

And was that Daft Punk I was listening to?

It was.

And metal thrash – why? But it's after midnight and I’m still there.

Now The Hob has a habit of picking out a good line up, usually with a connection. Mocara just took it to the extreme;

What’s going on?  There was Reggae;

There was thrash

In fact there was Reggae and Thrash in most of the numbers, sometimes at the same time.
 

 

 

There was a nod to Ska, but at high speed. There was Punk but they slowed that down. And what’s with the Heavy Metal Jewellery? 

 

I know what it is, those damn kids have been in again and they’ve been listening to my precious record collection without permission. All ‘The Ramones’ stuff has gone and they’ve muddled everything up. I had a 12 inch of ‘Shinehead’ I was really fond of but when I pulled it out there was only a ‘Clash’ single in the sleeve. I have no idea why there is metal in my collection, I never had any of that and why is ‘Burning Spear’ turning up where The Jam should be?

Worst of all I had some mixtapes on cassette which had a lot of sentimental value and they threw them all out. They put the stuff on MP3 and they’ve changed it all around. What did they do to my music? Who gave them the key to the Juke Box?

Oh dear, I just got very old. I was going to use the word ‘context’ and I stopped myself just in time. I was going to mutter about a lot of ignorant kids messing about with really good stuff they didn’t understand because they weren’t there.

Without knowing it I became the curator of the Music Museum and I’m not happy. Who messed around with the Sex Pistols exhibit?

I’m not sure where it’s going but there was energy, there was life, especially from Mocara. They may have been shambling and muddled at times but they got it together and took a lot of music, threw it in the blender and something different came out. Just like 77 in fact, just like we did.

Nice work.

Now if you don’t mind I’ve got to close the Music Museum early today, some vandals have been at the X-Ray Specs cabinet.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com
 

Down by the river.

Thursday night found me back at the Riverside Club in Staines. If last week was all about the silliness of a Jug Band, today was the serious business of the Blues, that is;

Paul “Chicken Legs” Burris - guitar and keyboards.

“Wildman” Roger Fuller on the blues harp.

The fabulous “Mr 110%” Mark Roberts drums.

“BB” Bruce Fryer guitar.

Alan (sorry no name on your website) on electric bass

Collectively known as ‘Blues Business’ they came from the ‘deep south’, that is the ‘deep south’ of errh, Sussex.

Robert Johnson went down to the crossroads, they came down by the river at Staines.

Now, if I’m honest I prefer ‘Rhythym and Blues’ to the plain old blues but this was good. British ‘R ‘n B’ was harder, faster and tougher than the blues. Like George Thorogood and the Destroyers but angry with it. But beggers can’t be choosers and today was something of a beggers banquet.

You know what they say; “The blues had a baby and they called it Rock ‘n Roll” and several times this strayed over the border, like on ‘Route 66’ when the rubber chicken fell off the Yamaha (and that’s not a euphemism, there was a….and it fell off)

Check them out for yourself at;

 www.blues-business.co.uk

Oh, and here is “Wildman” Roger Fuller giving the blues harp some feeling.

 

                                  Nice shades, Wildman.

The highlights for me were ‘My Girl’, ‘Baby please don’t go’, and at the start of the second set the medley – a series of numbers linked together by some pretty slinky slide guitar from Paul Burris.

The “Wildman” played a mean harp, while Bruce Fryer showed us that his gold Gibson Les Paul was worth every penny.

Solid drums and a very strong baseline throughout.

Still in the game. Eh?

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Even the bouncers were dancing.

“Am a root, am a toot an a shoot in a shaanty town.”

If you have to dance on the edge of a volcano, my view is that you may as well have a really fine tune. ‘Shanty Town’ is as good as it gets. Or maybe 'Pressure Drop'.

 

Saturday night saw me at the latest date on ‘The Skasouls’ mad, manic, summer tour – most of which happens in or around Staines. The heat broke, I fought through a wild thunderstorm to get to ‘The Hobgoblin’.

Actually, for a moment I thought I was about 19 and had made my way all across London to ‘The Bridgehouse’, a 1930’s pub set in the bleakest part of Canning Town. In the heart of the far, far east, people didn’t stray much beyond the end of their road at night, in those days.

The Bridgehouse held ‘Mod’nights every week and for a while at the end of the 1970’s it was a place to be and a place to do your thing. The ‘Land of a thousand dances’. It was not an easy journey in those days and I’m not talking about the public transport.

So, Saturday night? A man with a Trojan records tattoo on his arm. Feathercuts. DM’s. Really, really fine DJ’ing from someone called Martin, who steadily worked his way through some of the more interesting parts of Trojan’s back catalogue, some of the more famous examples of Northern Soul and a selection of Mod classics.

Disneyworld for elderly Mods – that’s me.

I have a sense of wonder that I can go out and enjoy some of the best music ever, live and dangerous. Up close and personal.

 

                                                               www.skasouls.com

 

Did I mention dancing? This was so good the bouncers were dancing. Have you ever seen that?

After midnight, I spilled out into the street. Ringing ears, raspy throat, a good night out.

The rain had stopped and as I left the Police cars were prowling….a certain menace in the air.

Hmmm, where’s the next date?

Top-rankin'.

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)