Blog: Sheffield, EXTENDED Mix

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On Saturday The Plants In My Garden and I got the train NORTH, to Sheffield, for a full blown GETAWAY WEEKEND. We were there to attend the birthday party of Ms P Blackham, all round GOOD SORT of longstanding, but also took advantage of a Two Nights For The Price Of One offer at the Holiday Inn to have a bit of AWAY TIME. ALSO it was a nice opportunity for me to demonstrate the absolute LOVELINESS of Sheffield And It's People to The Spire on My Church With A Bendy Spire In Chesterfield, and I think i was quite succesful in that. As soon as we got on the TRAM from Sheffield station the conductor was trying to help us read the map, later on when we went OUT for a MEAL the waiters were all LOVELY, and even the taxi driver on the way back was full of PLEASANT CHAT on DELIGHTFUL THOUGHTS.

On Sunday morning we went to have a look at The Kelham Island Museum, which was GRATE. Like all Musuem's Of One Thing it a) was basically about one thing (STEEL) b) did it very well and c) ALSO gave you a very brief yet INFORMATIVE history of the area. I recommend you TWO things to do in every city, go on the open top bus (if available) then visit a Museum Of One Thing, as they are always DEAD GOOD in these ways. It was Oddly Moving as we walked through, because I kept seeing TOOLS that I used to see in the Sheds Of My Grandfathers - one was a butcher, the other a carpenter, so, i know realise, there was a LOT of Sheffield Steel around in my childhood, and a lot of OLD Steel too. There were LOVELY old machines which, again, I remember both of them using, but best of all was the GIGANTIC River Don Engine which was MASSIVE and also STATELY in its BEAUTY. Ooh, it was dead good.

That done we went over to the PUB for the party, and had an ABSOLUTELY LOVELY time. They're SUCH a nice bunch of people, that Sheffield lot. I always think of them as Velodrome 2000, as that was the band most of them were in when I first knew them although it is MANY years since that was actually the case. As I was explaining to The Keys On My Keyboard during the afternoon, ten or so years ago when i first started trying to Solo gigs properly the Velodromes were a MASSIVE beacon of LIGHT to me - most of the other people I knew were either ARSEY or couldn't be BOTHERED to do anything (obviously there were exceptions, but that's how it felt at the time), but every time they turned up to play in Leicester, or occasionally when I went off with other bands who were playing with them, they brought with them FRIENDLINESS and ENTHUSIASM and, basically, GOOD TIMES, commodities which seemed Quite Rare back in them days. They've stayed that way ever since too, and I always look forward to going up to play in Sheffield because I know some of them will always be around. That Velodrome Lot! I SALUTE YOU!

After an hour or so of beer, party nibbles and CHAT, it was time for me to do my SET, and this is what i did:

tab info

The Peterborough All-Saints' Wide Game Team (Group B)

My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once

It Only Works Because You're Here

The Gay Train

The Lesson Of The Smiths

Easily Impressed

Boom Shake The Room

As I explained at the time, my theory is that Penny was CURSED by an WARLOCK some years ago, and the effect is that she HAS to have me play at every all dayer she ever does, HENCE my presence mid-afternoon in the pub. I am eternally grateful to said magician as I had an ACE time, and especially enjoyed playing. The Peterborough All-Saints' Wide Game Team (Group B) felt a bit ropey, as I was playing through an amp and singing through the Pub Quiz Speakers that hung from the walls, but that was soon sorted out. That nice Mr Steve Lamacq was also there (another DEAD NICE chap, and I think another person who also recognises the LOVELINESS of the previously lauded Velodrome CROWD), and bless him he came and sat down the front - along with a couple of small children dressed as Alice In Wonderland (aaah!) - and sang along. It was all very nice, and he didn't even seem to mind being used as a RHYME in My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once!

We then fell to more of the nibbles, beer and the chat, before eventually wending our MOST pleasantly mid-afternoon tiddled selves back to the hotel for SHOWERS and TELLY and ROOM SERVICE. It was all VERY lovely - as we discussed at the time, it's not necessarily a model for ALL gigs as it would send my current LOSSES shooting upwards from their current status (Large, But Enjoyed) into the realms of OH DEAR PLEASE STOP PLAYING GIGS, but it was a pretty flipping FAB way to spend a weekend. It was GRATE!

posted 22/1/2007 by MJ Hibbett

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