As holidays fade to a dim memory and friends and relations fortunate enough to have it return to work with all the urgency of needing ‘to get things done’ before Christmas, Rob and I are rehearsing hard for (as the gig list shows) is going to be a busy autumn period.
Using a sporting analogy, this time of year always feels a bit like the pre-season training that football players go through. After the relaxation of the summer months, they need to get back up to match fitness to perform at their best for the forthcoming season. However, unlike football teams that have the chance to play a few ‘friendlies’ against unknown opposition, where it doesn’t really matter if they win or lose, playing music – especially to paying customers – always has to be as good as you can possibly make it.
First time out for our ‘autumn season’ was a support slot for the multinational outfit The Outside Track, at the Baldock & Letchworth Folk Club Festival, at the Orange Tree in Baldock. Sue and Al Hewson have done a great job pulling together a lot of interesting features for this weekend event and deserve every support. The Orange Tree pub has also done a great job to accommodate the music in a nice marquee in the garden and to combine the event with a beer festival, with some excellent beers. I can recommend Bear Ass.
Sadly, a few technical hiccups meant that we had to go on without a sound check, but Al and Rob did a good job on the sound while we were playing – so many thanks to them. We have since had some nice feedback from those that saw us perform – which was nice to receive and has buoyed us up for a busy September and October.