Greenbelt 09: Performance Cafe gig

I was asked to play in the Performance Cafe at Greenbelt this year. I remembered the cafe from when I was last at Greenbelt but didn’t realise how much it had grown in size since then – not something that helped my nerves before going on…

I hugely enjoyed playing the gig and I couldn’t have hoped for a better atmosphere, crowd or response.

Thanks to everyone who came to hear me play and to Ed Richmond and Harvey Jessop for making it happen.

Steve Lawson was kind enough to take some photos. Here are some of them:

And here’s another one I found taken by Helen O’Sullivan:

And another by jackharrybill:

As you can see I was joined by my good friend Mark Hilditch on keyboards. He flew down earlier that day and flew back the next. I’m incredibly grateful he made the effort to be there, as not only does he add so much more to the songs, it’s also a lot more fun having someone else on stage with you.

The morning after the show Steve Lawson also recorded a short interview with me for Audioboo which you can hear here:

Greenbelt ‘09: Perfect Moment

On Saturday morning at Greenbelt I was filmed playing ‘Perfect Moment’ for the Greenbelt website.

Here it is:

Or you can watch it on Vimeo.

Thanks to Steve and Rachel for making it happen.

Greenbelt ‘09: Highlights

I’ve just returned home from Greenbelt – a festival of music, art, faith, love, creativity & justice that takes place every year, of which the last few it’s home has been Cheltenham Racecourse.

A recent blog post by Steve Lawson sums up why Greenbelt is so great – have a read here.

Highlights for me this year were catching up with old friends, hearing Dave Tomlinson and Jenny McIntosh talking about ‘So What the Hell Should We Believe?’:

the Sunday morning worship service, ‘Take an Olive Seed’, which focused on the stories of the people living in the land called holy – especially the Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories:

having my first cup of chai tea (and another one not long after) at the Tiny Tea Tent:

seeing Miriam Jones at the Performance Cafe:

and having a beer in the Jesus Arms:

(thanks to Jackie for this pic)

I was asked to play this year in the Performance Cafe on the Saturday night – I’ll write about that, plus the other gigs I ended up playing, in my next few posts…..

Post-gig thoughts…

I played in Edinburgh the other night. It was my first Calamateur gig in nearly a year and is now definitely up there as one of the most enjoyable gigs I’ve ever played.

For a start, everyone listened, which in my experience is pretty rare. It’s amazing the difference it makes though, both to my performance and to how much people enjoy the gig. It was also a fantastic venue, with a soundman who actually cared about how we sounded – again, another rarity. It was also great to play in front of friends who’ve supported my musical ventures for a long time. A big thank you to you all.

I was accompanied by the mighty Iain Hutchison onstage, who was like a kid in a toy shop playing with his new guitar and effects pedals. The man is a genius.

A couple of blogs have been posted by folk who enjoyed the gig – here and here.

Thanks to the ‘The Art of Joy’ folk, DLDown and Fiona Stewart for a great night.

Gig in Edinburgh

Many of you who read this blog will know that I don’t play live very often. My last proper Calamateur gig was the TV recording for Rapal last year, which some may argue was not in fact an ‘actual’ live gig at all

So if you want to see me play live, you now have the chance (if you live in central Scotland!)  so please come along if you can.

I am playing at The Lot in Edinburgh on Monday 13th April as part of an exhibition called ‘The Art of Joy‘.

Here’s the blurb from their website:

Celebrating Joy – A night of Music & stand-up comedy

An evening with Fiona Stewart, Calamateur and DLDown

Easter Monday (13th April) – Doors open @ 7.30 p.m.

The Lot Upstairs: Stand-up comedy from Fiona Stewart & music from Calamateur and DLDown

The Bistro: Final chance to see The Art of Joy exhibition

Tickets: £5 (over 14s only)

For more information on the performers click here.

My YouTube debut

While soundchecking for the Rapal TV show a few weeks ago I noticed Niall-Iain, the show’s producer, sitting on the floor watching a few feet away. It seems he had his digital camera on him at the time as well and he’s just uploaded this to his YouTube page:

Rapal TV shoot

Last week I went to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis to record 4 songs for the BBC Alba music TV show, Rapal. It was an amazing experience, helped by the fact that I had Mark & Garry with me to keep me company and make me sound better. The Rapal crew were total pro’s and nice people as well.

Here are some pics from our travels:

Doing the tourist thing….

Scaling the heights…

The island’s Calamateur fan…

The studio…

In our dressing room, wondering why our request for a covering of white rose petals hasn’t been granted…

Recording the show…

Going home…

Thanks to Mark, Garry and the Rapal crew for a fantastic few days.

A couple of gigs….

I’m recording a set for BBC2’s Rapal show next Thursday 29th May. Filming is in Stornoway and tickets are free – there are more details here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/alba/radio/rapal/english.shtml

And I’m also playing a couple of songs at a fundraising concert just around the corner from where I live…

Kirkhill Community Centre, Saturday 31st May. Tickets £10

A wee gig

My friend Don MacLennan is playing tonight at The Bothy, upstairs in Hootanannys in Inverness. He’s asked me to play a couple of songs to break up his set, so look out for me sometime between 11pm and midnight.

Man, I wish gigs were in the morning rather than last thing at night. I’m normally in bed by 10pm – it’s a miracle I’ve never fallen asleep on stage.