It was a bright sunny afternoon that heralded our first Na-Mara gig for 2023. After a winter spent recording and mixing new tracks in the home studio, we were more than ready to get out and start performing to audiences again. We had a busy programme of gigs ahead of us, seven in eight days coming up soon. So, it was great to be heading out to play for friends we know well at the Loughton Folk Club.
Our dear friend, Dave, has agreed to join us for our 2023 campaign to help share the driving and gear shifting. So it was that Dave and I set out for a mercifully uneventful trip around the M25 to Loughton. We arrived early and waited up for Rob to make his way to the club from central London.
After a quick sarnie in the car, we could see club organisers Gary and Jennifer arriving. We followed them in with our gear, set up quickly and were able to take the chance to catch up on all the club news. Some personal friends of ours that we hadn't seen since before the pandemic were also coming along and, as the upstairs room in the Loughton Club filled up on a glorious sunny evening, it was great to catch up with their news too.
The evening went very well. Loughton Folk Club is blessed with lots of club talent, and we were treated to a bit of music hall, an Irish song, a Cyril Tawney song, some self-penned songs, and a hilarious poem written over the course of the evening.
Our two sets were a mix of new material and some old favourites. The Loughton audience is a great singing audience, and everyone seemed to enjoy joining in with the choruses.
With a lively encore of Compagnons de la Marjolaine the evening came to an end, goodbyes were said, and Dave kindly drove us all back to St Albans. It had been a good start to the 2023 season, and we were very pleased with it