Wye Common Gratitude (Common People and How The Light Gets In Festivals)

Common Gratitude

Thanks to the man who told me after our set that he was an undercover drugs officer, or “narc”.  He displayed a level of frankness and honesty not associated with his profession.  He also told me that at Bestival a couple of years ago, he passed the PFR and saw us playing – and not only stopped to watch the whole set, but also called four colleagues over to watch.  (Presumably, the drug barons of the festival had a bit more time to themselves…)  Other people to tell me they like my stuff and also what their job is include a(nother) policeman, two former soldiers, two former marines, a banker and an economist. 

Thanks to the lads that brought us a rider.  A rider! At a festival!  You absolute beauties.  We invited them to come and drink some of it with us, but of course they were working…the bottled beers they brought us was going for a fiver each at the bar.  This festival is good to its performers/venues, but if I were a punter I would feel a bit ripped off.

Thanks to LB for coming to see PE with me (that rhymes, doesn’t it?).  Yes, we kicked it old school.  Oh yes we did.

Thanks to T-Dog for doing the sound for our Sunday night BfM set, and for graciously accepting my apology for kicking him. I didn’t really mean to, but I bet it was really annoying all the same.

Thanks to the fellas that locked us in with harris fencing, who also made a joke about fat birds.  (Needless to say it was hilarious.)  What is it with fences at this festival?  They seem to love them….

Thanks to the singer who chewed his own lip while dancing and then while getting up to sing (freestyle) with Wee J at the start of his set.  He was surprisingly good.

Thanks to all the people who asked to play, assuming it was open mic.  Why do so many people assume it’s open mic?  (The conversation is always the same.  Thank you for your interest, we have plenty of very talented musicians.  Yes, I believe that you are good.  Well, no, it’s not unfair, any more than it is that any of the other stages won’t let a wasted person grab a mic…really, I do believe that you are good, it’s just that that’s not really the issue.  You are pretty wasted, that’s part of the issue.  Maybe drop us a line before the next festival and we can consider putting you on for a whole set, instead of rockin up shitfaced moaning that no one will believe you are a good singer/drummer/guitarist/MC.  You are not the first person to ask, and will not be the last.  If you’re here to party, let’s party.  Have a great time.)

Thanks to the Sugar Hill Gang for their 15-minute performance.  Respect to the crew, the first of their cohort to “make it”.  But I couldn’t help remembering that these dudes were biters, even in their biggest hit – to the extent that one of their emcees even spells out the name of the rapper who actually wrote his verse, either hoping to slip it through the net of the listeners’ consciousness, or just being brazen.  Thanks to Melle Mel, a legend with a lot more credibility, for being there as well.   (Obviously, they did The Message, which is still a classic by any standards.)  Dude is lookin seriously hench, mind.  Honestly, one of his arms is like the combined thickness of all my limbs.

Thanks to Duran Duran for playing three songs I know in the 10 minutes I got to see of their set.  (For the record, they were: Wild Boys, Hungry Like The Wolf and A View To A Kill)

Big Thanks to LP for driving and sharing out the snacks.  I ate a lot of cashews.  I like cashews.

Thanks to the woman who approached Trenton Dewsbury after his set on the Saturday lunchtime.  She was from Newhaven, Mass. (“right up the 91” from his home in Hartford, Connecticut).

Thanks to BBC Weather for predicting rain and cloud, and being utterly wrong about it.  It was glorious warmth and blue skies, pretty much the whole time.

Massive Thanks to The People’s Front Room for being what it is.

Hey, Hay (-on-Wye are we here)/How The Light Gets Gratitude

Thanks to the writer of the popular TV sitcom for chillin with us in the Front Room.  I didn’t realise until after who he was, but he knew J-zed.  Perhaps she is more famous than he…

Thanks to the Boys from Marketing – we played possibly our best set ever on Friday night, (definitely The Baron’s favourite, I think).  We had violins and everything; it was epic.  Everything fell into place beautifully, the way these things ineffably do sometimes.

There was also a good one Saturday, and then we closed out the festival on Sunday afternoon, with special guests…

Massive Thanks to all our Special Guests: A (vocals, Sunday), Big D (violin, Friday), Gentleman F (bass, Saturday), Haze (saxophone, Saturday and Sunday), JC (violin, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), KP (violin, Sunday), P (bass, Sunday) and Wee J (bass, Friday) – youse were a joy to play with. 

The PFR is great for that kind of thing, there were so many jam bands and different combinations of talented people and uplifting sounds.  Maximum Talent, Infinite Combinations, yo.

Thanks to Big D and JC, who joined in with the Trenton set as well.  It was beautiful, or “byoodiffuuuull” as he would say.

Thanks to T-dog for the jam band as ever, for inviting me up – Saturday’s jam was pretty epic.  Or was it Friday’s?  Anyway, there was an amazing one that I just had to get involved with.  I usually wait to be invited, but it looked like such a laugh I just grabbed a mic….hope that was alright, mind.

Thanks to CJ for playing loads of In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, and joining in with Trenton’s version as well.  And for his song about his Mum’s mad dreams.  Brilliant.

Thanks to R from the superbly-named Vaginapocalypse for trying to help me locate mandolin strings.  It was ultimately unsuccessful, but he really tried, walking around Hay with me to ask various family members.  Appreciated. 

Thanks to Toyface for their Thursday night set, which was achingly good – it all fell into place beautifully, the way these things ineffably do sometimes.  Well played, y’all.

Big Thanks to H-bus for driving the Hay Bus – through the lovely, sunshiney Black Mountains – there and back.  To Hay.  Raod Triiiiiiiiip!

Thanks to The Poet for encouraging us all to practice patience and understanding….and then delivering a blistering set in the lunchtime heat on Sunday, reading from stream-of-consciousness poems written on wallpaper.  Full circle, mate, full circle. 

Thanks to Gentleman F for being a gentleman in the best possible sense of the word – and a peacemaker…showed his true colours.  Pure class.

Thanks to the festival for putting their site right next to the river.  Had a dip in there on Friday, it was lush.  Nice and cold, if a bit rocky in places.  But lush.

Thanks to BBC Weather for predicting rain and cloud, and being utterly wrong about it.  It was glorious warmth and blue skies, pretty much the whole time.

Massive Thanks to The People’s Front Room for being what it is.