Blog: Totally Acoustic

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Every time we do a Totally Acoustic i WORRY about it - will the room be booked? will the acts come? Will any audience? Will TOO MANY audience come? It always works out OK, but this time it worked out PERFECTLY.

Things got off to a SLIGHTLY worrying start in that there were PEOPLE in the room when I went up there - a couple sat in a corner and a large table of POSH people in BOW TIES and the like. They didn't seem to want to go, but eventually shifted POLITELY - at which point the whole room LEAPT into action to shift furniture round. It was CROWD-SOURCED action in ACTION! Everyone was chatting and laughing as we moved tables around, and that pretty much set the tone for the evening. Everything was PERFECT!

I came on to do my bit and looked around to see a room PRECISELY packed - it was JUST right with everyone sat down and a few LURKING at the back. Everyone was in mince-pie and sparkly star (NB not drugs slang, The Boughs On My Christmas Tree had bought some Sparkly Stars with her to SPRINKLE around and add to the festivities) fuelled HIGH SPIRITS so i had a LOVELY time doing THIS:

Totally Acoustic

The Gay Train

A Million Ukeleles

Chips And Cheese, Pint Of Wine

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

I Got You What You Want For Christmas

The Advent Calendar Of FACT

The aforesaid Decorations On My Tree had ALSO printed out some SONGSHEETS for me, so we had a RAUCOUS singalong for the themetune and some GRATE joining in at various points, as you'll hear on the podcast, although I did LOSE THE ROOM just before I Got You What You Want For Christmas when everybody compared Wish Lists. It sounds very funny on my recording, as i DISAPPEAR beneath the chat - tho i think I will REMOVE it from the auditory record!

We had a short break and then Andy Pocketbooks came on and did that RARE thing: a THEMED set! He kicked off with a Christmas song and then did SEASONAL SONGS. This was clever, also BEAUTIFUL, not least because it involved him singing "Footsteps", which is my FAVOURITE. Hearing him do his songs in this environment, rather than LOUDLY and with the band, meant we got to hear the way his/their words WORK in a UNIQUE style - the PHRASING of the words in pocketbooks is singular to them, in a GRATE way, and hearing them on their own (nearly) like that reminded me of what an ACE bunch of songs they are. I'm playing with them in Birmingham in the New Year, i look forward to this IMMENSELY!

Now, I must admit, by the time Chris T-T came on i MAY HAVE HAD A BEER, for LO! I suddenly found myself getting QUITE EMOTIONAL during my introduction, tho it was but THE TRUTH. He then came on and, as expected, was FANTASTIC. i just think he's brilliant, as happily did the rest of the room - I especially liked the fact that he had a group of FANS in who knew all the words and SANG ALONG, especially especially because they did so in a RESPECTFUL low tone. It was as if he was plugged into an octave pedal, as throughout it sounded like there was a low rumble of deep harmonies.

The whole set was fantastic, and he even did my favourite of HIS songs which is "Seven Hearts". Possibly because I ASKED him to do so when I shoved him back on for an well deserved encore, but still, it's a fantastic song that ALWAYS moves me, and did so once again.

It was all really REALLY good, and I was extremely chuffed to be finishing on such a high. ALL of the shows this season have been GRATE and FUN, and I'm delighted that we've had so many people listening in on the podcasts, but it was brilliant to finish off with one that had such a lot of people actually IN the room too! Thanks very much if you were there, and thanks ALSO if you've been listening in - I'm going to try and get the podcast done TODAY, as it's too Christmassy not to!

posted 22/12/2010 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

Cheers for the Christmassy goodness. A most enjoyable evening.
posted 22/12/2010 by skif

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