A Decade Of Shambling Gratitude

2016 Gratitude

Thanks to Mike D for the lift.  Thanks to him also for his excellent set at Chai Wallah’s.  He really leaned into the wind on that one, you get me?  Great to see him getting the attention and love he deserved.  Beautiful stuff.

Thanks to Three London Planes for their set on Friday night.  It was absolutely lovely, a gathering of some of my favourite people, and I thought they played really well.  (Some of the band seemed to disagree about that, but that’s the way it goes sometimes innit.)

Thanks to Bombs for their set on Friday night.  Smashed it out the park.  Well played, you crazy kids.

Thanks to The Nightjar for rounding off Friday night in magical fashion.  Hauntingly beautiful.  It was a leftfield suggestion to go to watch a folk band at 2AM, but it was well received by The Crew, so Thanks to them as well.

Thanks to Guts for a top class main stage set.  The rain stopped just in time, and I recognised one of their singers from my friends’ band.  Small world, yo.  We had a right good dance to it.  In wellies.  FunkyFresh.
 

Thanks to Capt Hotknives & Tuorette’s Superhero for another classic improvised set.  Pure gold.  Thanks also to the good Cap’n for playing us his sad song and jamming outside the bus.  We came up with some great tunes.  If only we could remember them…

Thanks to Heybus for sheltering us from the Biblical rain storm on Saturday afternoon.  Really hoofed it down, you know what I mean?  It was apocalyptic.  But we just sat under the awning chuckling and playing guitar.  Good times.  (Really bashed it down, mind.)  Thanks to the Bus Man also for being Hermes, and starting parties, like he does.  (And Special Thanks to him for making it on Sunday.  Wouldn’t have been as good without him.)

Thanks to L.Boogie and all the Compass crew for their hospitality all weekend, it was a great place to hang out.  Youse lot are cool.

Thanks to Jimi for inviting me on stage to “hype” him, myself, the venue, the festival and the people there.  I’m an MC.  I take the responsibility seriously.  #hype

Thanks to the people who got hyped with me.  For all those who asked, the man on my t shirt was a superhero, of sorts.  Very famous in Switzerland, I understand.

Thanks to the people who climbed on stage, especially the woman who got up just as I went on for the first time.  She argued her case passionately, but I couldn’t hear her and didn’t care what she was saying.  The stage is for performers, I told her.  She showed me her Artist wrist band.  I think you must be at the wrong stage, cos we’re on now, I told her.

Thanks to the fella who gave me the wee plastic baggie when I was on stage with Jimi.  I wasn’t expecting it – I even broke off what I was saying.  (It found a good home.) 

Thanks to the people who reacted to the Black Lives Matter call-and-response.  There were two at the front for Jimi’s set who looked particularly agreeable to the sentiment at the end:

When I say “Black lives”, you say “Matter”,

“Black lives!”

– “Matter!”

“Black lives!”

– “Matter!”

When I say “All lives”, you say,

“Shut up mate, you’ve missed the point…”

Biggest cheer of the night.  I high-stepped off the stage, givin it large.

Thanks to K-Dog for the Language/Communication debate, among other interesting discussions.  He had some trenchant insights.  I was right, though, obviously.

Thanks to Jimi for the amazing wedding proposal (not to me).  What a great story.  Tea and cake, history, live music, attention to detail: it had the lot.  Dude got romance for days, yo.  She said Yes, of course.  Big Up to Jimi and the soon-to-be Mrs Needles.  (Look at the clip o’ them.)

Thanks to Annabelle for once again making me/us welcome at The Social Club, and for Tuaca.  Which was a perfect post-gig drink.  See you next year…?

Thanks to the fella who recognised me.  Yes, it was me.  And yes, I was playing.  Sunday night, mate, Rebel Soul.  See you there.  Peace.  Thanks to Akua Naru for inspiring me as well.  I wish I could’ve seen more, but I had preparations to make…

Thanks to the Birthday Girl.  “Let’s have a dance-off!” she said.  She just didn’t know, bless her.  K-Dog said “Aw, you let her win ‘cos it’s her birthday”. 

“I let her think she won ‘cos it’s her birthday”

“Hahahahahaha you asshole.”

Thanks to Elmo.  Welcome.  And Big Up his parents.  Thanks to M for the funniest reaction to him.  He looked genuinely scared.  (M, not Elmo.)  Hilarious.

Thanks to Nuala for her set at Wandering Word.  I only saw a bit of it, but it was lush, and the perfect inspiration, coming just before I met up with The Boys From Marketing…

Thanks to all at Rebel Soul for the welcome, the smooth running of the well-oiled machine it has become, for the tea, the other drinks, the food, the company, the ideas and everything else.

Thanks to the sound techs, Martin and Luke, for making it all sound great up there.  Proper sound check at a festival: a rare treat, and one that helped massively.  Sorry if I broke something when I picked up the uke at the end; I think I kicked the DI box, and it stopped working…

Thanks to Tommy, the compere, for introducing us, and for all the love and encouragement.  He said it wouldn’t be Shambala, and it wouldn’t be Rebel Soul without Blizzard.  Bless him.  I quoted him on stage – I may have paraphrased, I couldn’t be sure I was quoting verbatim.  He’d said: “You’re here.  And I’m here.  And we don’t take it for granted; one day we will not be here.” 

Sage.

Massive Thanks to The Boys From Marketing: GrayDog was on fine form; the switch from organ to piano didn’t work in practice, but was alright on the night. FinBear and Maxamillion’s first time playing with us – with only one practice – couldn’t have gone better.  Everyone said it didn’t show.  The lads wuz gawldun.  I told them I loved them and I meant it. 

Thanks to everyone who came to see the BFM rock the spot with me out front saying things.  I told you that you’re perfect and I meant it.  Thanks to all the people I recognised and all the people I didn’t.  I said a lot of things, all from the heart and mostly true….I thought it might be the gig where finally it all boiled up in me and this thing, this ineffable connection between me and those present became completely overwhelming as all the years of joy, disappointment, encouragements, love, struggling, fun, stress, work and play would reflect back at me in the eyes of everyone I could see and it all rushed up to the top of my head and heart and burst me into a million tiny pools of silvery liquid glimmering in colourful stage lights.  I felt all those things, but in that strange, slightly detached and yet entirely present sort of way.  You know what I mean?  Yeah, course you do.  Because the uke didn’t work, I did a solo a capella encore, and it was real.  Thanks to the people who stayed for that.  It was my tenth Shambala in a row, and probably the best one yet.  Emotional.  You know?  You know.  Yeah, You Know.  Anyway, it was brilliant. 

So, Thanks.

A Decade Of Gratitude: Ten Shambalas

Thanks to all my dance partners.  Thousands of them, indoor and out, small venues and large, upbeat and down, Hip Hop, Electro, Folk, Reggae, D&B, Soul, Funk, Pop, Punk, Swing, Rock n Roll.  Etc. Etc. Etc.

Thanks to all my musical partners, especially The Boys From Marketing, and also including (but not limited to) Dr Spin, Bombs, Jimi, Toyface, TLP, The PFR jam band/s (including (but not limited) to Meat Raffle, Parentheses and Poor, Sweet Tom) and everyone who was there. 

Thanks to all the venues and everyone who makes them what they are: Rebel Soul, The People’s Front Room, The Social Club, Coyote Moon, Wandering Word and Chai Wallah’s.

Thanks to all the people.