This was another exciting night for us, for two reasons. The first was that we had played at the Milkmaid Folk Club back in March 2009 and, as our blog records show elsewhere, we had a really good time and reception there that night. We had supported Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley that time and had fond memories of a friendly, welcoming, well organised and well attended club.
This time, we were supporting the great Vin Garbutt – and for me, as a Boro lad who remembered Vin from days gone by, it was a thrill to see him again after many years.
Despite inexplicable shenanigans on the good old A14 – one of those interminable hold ups that freak you out when you are trying to get to a gig in good time but when you get to the incident there is no obvious explanation to the delay – we did get to the club with time to spare, only to find that Vin was stuck in what we had just come through.
However, after a friendly hug from organiser Terry and a very professional sound check with the club technicians, we were ready and raring to go. The door opened, Vin arrived, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Then we waited as the club, filled and filled and filled. Vin had drawn people in from across the region, and there was great excitement in the room.
We did a 30-minute set which flew by for us and led to a few CD sales – many thanks!, and then the Teesside troubadour himself, the Young Tin Whistle Pest of legend, took the stage with his unique mix of soulful and insightful songs, unique delivery, blindingly good penny whistle playing and engaging and comic interludes. It was great to catch up on his new material and to hear him play some of the old songs – all with a local and historical resonance for me from my formative years in the Boro.
There is something very human about Vin Garbutt. He is generous with his time, accessible, friendly, intelligent and always there to meet and talk with his audience. We certainly enjoyed our chat with him – during which I thanked him for mentioning my Middlesbrough local in his song Punjabi Girl and which brought back the fondest of memories. He was also kind enough to request a copy of The Bite and so we traded albums.
With the show going over time and then us having a brief chat with Vin afterwards when the audience had drifted away, it was after midnight before we set off home – so, it was a late one, but really really worth it! Thanks also to my wife for putting off her birthday celebrations that evening!