Sunday, September 5th, 1999, Medina Theatre, Newport

Isle of Wight Society for the Blind and Vaguely Sunny Promotions

Roof raising fund raiser

words for now but pictures soon hopefully

The audience that packed the Medina Theatre on Sunday were right behind the four hour funding raising show. It was a corker from end to end.

Sandra O'Toole

A nervous Sandra O'Toole was welcomed with open arms and any stage fright disappeared in her fifteen minute set of originals. Her songs had impressed me the previous evening at Mad Maff's 40th Birthday party when the multi-talented Paul Armfield had added double bass to her set. Sandra has a great voice that is clear and her songs rock.

With her father over from Dublin sat in the front rows taking pictures, Dave Pontin recording the event for a possible live CD and Darrin Cooper videoing the event she'll be captured all ways. Great start to the gig.

The Boogalosers

The Boogalosers were gathered backstage ready to go on in a quick turnaround. Gill Hogman had already figured to introduce them letting husband Pete announce Sandra O'Toole. 'They are hunks and I've been with them backstage,' she laughed.

Paul Armfield came out first, plugged in an electric bass and begin to play. One by one the rest of band strolled out and fitted into the tune until the stage was filled out by twin horns, percussion, drums, guitar and electric piano.

Adam Kirk was right these guys you gotta see. This is classic soul jazz and rock'n'boogie straight out of the songbook of Horace Silver or Donald Byrd. James Nye's piano was sleek and jazzy, eighteen year old Julian Nelson played way ahead of his years, clean and searing licks, percussionist Paul Butler rattled everything that you could shake or hit, Mick Fairservice backline drum rhythms were spot on.

The horn section of Dave Pontin, who also doubled on congas and Roger Burrows gave the band that classic two tenor sound that made them sound like they down at the Village Vanguard in New York.

Up front Paul Armfield kicked the rhythms along with his usual belting bass lines and growled like Tom Waits. The Boogalosers did stuff like Senore Blues and ended their set being joined by Paul Athey on a set of transparent drums on a stand. Athey clouted the shit out of them and the stage was a mass of percussion with gorgeous thick tenor saxophone booming in like a pair of foghorns, guitar streaming in, piano notes finding the gaps and Paul Armfield singing and playing his butt off.

The final number began with Paul Armfield getting the band and audience to sing Happy Birthday to 18 year old Julian Nelson who looked embarrassed then they kicked straight into the final tune. The joint was jumping. Athey still on top form and the percussion ringing all over the place, Paul Butler picks up his trumpet and spits a stream of notes skywards like Miles was still on the planet, the horns just solid, the guitar work piercing, great piano and Armfield up for it and dancing while he laid down the bass lines.

Keith Gore

Pete Hogman let the dust settle a little then came out to introduce Keith Gore with a marvellous tale about Keith's occupation as a driver of the Needles Battery Bus. Out came Gunards migrant songwriter to begin a series of songs which pitch him somewhere between a monologist and the wag at the bar. A rudimentary guitar style and a voice that is full of gritty Northern humour. Imagine if Compo could sing.

The songs are deft portraits of falling in love with Chip Shop Girls, the misadventures of divorce and all things that men might talk about over a woodbine and a pint at the local pub. Which in Keith's case is the Portland at Gurnard.

As part of Keith's artist rider is the provision of two slides for his last song. Pete Turner takes up a position at the front to work the slide projecter. Diamond Wight manages to cram as much of the Island's pop history into four or five minutes as can be done.

The song is a gem, moving somewhere between John Betjemen and the Troggs and namechecking the Beatles Ticket to Ride, Pete Townsend in Cowes, Albert Grossman in Northwood, Bob Dyelon in a Bembridge Farmhouse and Syd Barrett selling icecreams on Totland Pier.

Pete Turner on cue hits the slides in. One is an 1823 picture of the Longstone and the other is Tennyson Down. Keith tales the last verses off into a hushed telephone conversation, so when he sings 'Hendrix haunting Afton, Hendrix haunting Afton, Brian Hinton at Ryde, Rick East's on Meridian, a torquoise David Icke' it tails off beautifully.

Martinez

Backstage Julian Nelson is being modest on how good is playing was and he's never seen SG play and how does he get a seat without a ticket? He follows me that's what he does and hears 'a movie for the ears' that knocks the audience sideways.

Paul Athey and SG are sat centre stage with Mick Cuffe on electric bass and Dave Pontin on congas and wind chimes joining them. This is Martinez, the guitar duo of Athey and SG plus Dave Pontin and Mick Cuffe. The same line up that stunned the Summer in the Square audience last week lifts the game up a notch and goes for it.

You could hear the gasps in the audience mid song when SG and Athey spiralled notes and chords out of nothing, Cuffe played his usual bubbling runs of bass notes and Pontins congas cooked. As I said in my County Press review this was a white knuckle ride of virtuosity.

The place was erupting after each instrumental. Imagine some Spanish town at night with this music drifting out of a dimly lit bar with flamenco dancers and belly dancers grooving to it. I'm thinking that Julian Nelson is sat somewhere in the theatre with his jaw on the floor. Mine was.

Martinez last number, the self penned Zinco tingled the nerve endings. When it ends in a stamp of boots and flurry of guitar notes the the whole theatre just erupts. Never heard anything quite like it.

Backstage they are buzzing too. Paul Athey is beaming. 'That was great Paul.' 'We got you guys to thank for getting us out of the bars and playing in a theatre, now its back to the bars.'

Mike Jolliffe and Friends

The changeover takes a while and Mike Jolliffe is telling jokes as Paul Hellyer as a problem with the sound. It delays stuff a tad. Finally with the sound still not perfect Mike brings on Jerry Cahill for End of the Season. This song is so evocative of the Island when the tourists go home and everything closes down and goes quiet.

Jerry Cahill has come from Exeter especially today to play for Mike Jolliffe's set. Vic King jokes that we've had all of the original Dancer on stage tonight save for Anthony Minghella.

Jerry has some buzz in his guitar but the song is so damn beautiful that it cannot stop the grace of it. Jerry leaves the stage and Mike is joined by Manfred Mann's Mike Hugg on keyboards. They perform a song just written by Mike, so new that he has the words written down on a piece of paper that he lays on the keyboards. Mike Hugg straightens them out for him and they sing a ballad which is graced by Hugg's delicate electric piano playing.

The finale to Mikes part of the show is to bring on the rest of the band. This includes Mark O'Halloran on drums and John Lytle on bass, of whom Mike says 'I can quite honestly say that in all the time I've known JL I have never heard him say a bad word about anyone.' JL is definitely in Isle of Wight Rock's Hall of Fame. A great musician.

The first number is a disaster, someone has kicked out a lead and the sound system is buzzing all over. Paul Hellier is scrabbling around on stage looking for the problem. He finds the loose lead, JL has no bass coming out and his reconnection is rather like Doc Brown meeting those wires in Back to the Future 1 and the sound gives a loud bang before Stevie on the sound board can bring it under control.

The set ends with Dark Star a new composition worked out by the band. Julian Nelson and Ben Symes from Dave Pontin's BTech Music Course join Mike Jolliffe and friends and it is great to hear young musicians sitting in with experienced performers and it works well in this special evening of music.

Last Orders

With the problem of sound and some over runs the gig is about twenty minutes behind. Pete Hogman has filled in telling jokes but when Last Orders take the stage it is worth the wait. Their set of Irish jigs, reels and traditional tunes is stunning.

The Irish vet Donal O'Riain rings some gorgeous sweeping solos from the fiddle, there is flute from Sue Mason, guitar from John Mansell and on bodhran James Goode. To cap it all a young girl comes to the front of the stage wearing a traditional Irish embroidered dress for dancing. She performs a series of dances to the music. Music to charm the birds out of the trees. Just beautiful.

The Dance Preachers

Towards ten to eleven JC, Angelina are ready to roll on stage. Paul Armfield is on double bass and Rupert needs a hand with his drumset. I carry it on or some bits and Mark Spencer helps to set it up. A few bits of sound to sort out and we are soon off.

JC sings another song I've never heard him do before and totally floors me. It is one that he and Paul Armfield have been working out on Monday nights at the Wight Mouse at Chale. The second song is another newy on me too. Where does JC get this stuff from. Amazing. And there is Paul Armfield playing beautiful double bass and Rupert Brown well what do you say. Mick Fairservice is sat backstage on a stool looking through the curtains at Rupert who drums on the edge of magic. He's is sheer class. And he hits everything in sight and doesn't let up the entire set.

Angelina sings a lovely version of Long Lonely Road with Donal O'Riain from Last Orders coming on to play beautiful fiddle. JC has been trying to get people down the front to dance. Finally one lady comes down and then John Rufus Grimshaw climbs out of the front seats and is sand dancing barefeet out the front. Now the Dance Preachers get into gear for the final rundown of songs.

With Donal O'Riain adding bluesy fiddle, JC on mandolin, Paul Armfield whalloping the bass and Rupert still whanging everything in sight, Angelina sings a Memphis Minnie song that kicks up the dust. Then the band go into overdrive at a hoedown pace climaxing with the John Rufus Grimshaw classic 'Old Jack Lightening' Paul Butler has joined Rupert Brown on the second set of drums and they are driving the beat foot to the floor all the way to the end.

Some of the audience is up and dancing with John Rufus Grimshaw. Most of the audience have stayed right to the end and they give the musicians a hell of a standing ovation. Pete Turner seizes the opportunity to take the mike and thank everyone, musicians, sound men, and finally 'Vic King without whom this would not have been possible.' And he's right of course,Vic has worked his butt off on this one.

As people wend home and musicians mingle and talk amongst themselves. Rupert says to me 'There is something special about musicians on this Island.' He's right about that.

Mike Plumbley