The Bob Funksters Three are on stage gunning their way through some Hendrix and assorted 90s guitar heroes stuff. The drummer is piling all over his kit. The bass player thundering along. The guitarist going for every wailing Jimi blues scale he can muster. "Perfect for our Hendrix birthday night," reckons Pete Turner of Vaguely Sunny Promotions. The consensus amongst the Vaguely Sunny team tonight is that this won't be the most packed gig they've ever promoted but no matter it sure beat watching Friday night TV.
Meanwhile down at the World's End Wine Bar Chiz and Russ, the manager and the barmaid virtually outnumbered the punters. It was too early for the Friday night live crowd who generally pack out the place before ten. "Ain't got a D string on yuh mate?" Chiz is asking each and every new entrant in the bar. He's winding the peg up on a spare fifth until it's as tight as range wire. Russ is keeping his distance waiting for the taught wire to come snapping up at him. "Use four like I have to," he grins.
Chiz has an old cap on back to front, playing a guitar that looks so beat up that it might just collapse in on that fifth string tightened up to D. He's sung Shoot The Moon a great busker's soul ballad if there ever was one. Then the duo have laid TV Song on the near empty bar. No chance of a representative of the planned Island cable TV channel being here tonight but TV Song might well be the one to adopt as a theme tune.
I only have time for a short segment tonight before returning for Space Hopper's set at Calverts. The barstool duo fire into that great John Martyn cover they do. Chiz reckons its "A twelve bar blues from John Martyn's The Tumbler." Whatever it is a cracking full on song. The pair of them belt it along. Russ's booting bass line following Chiz's straight in the guts chords. Any song about copping a south bound train to Memphis is ok by me.
During the break Chiz outlines the Jones' plans to lay down a demo at Golden Hill Fort in readiness for a planned assault on mainland bars that want a kicking band. He also mentions a phone call from Prague. Adam Kirk from his hotel room on the Joan Baez tour. Chiz is up for the Bristol gig in late November when the American songstress brings the tour to England. "I ain't into all this country and western stuff," reckons Chiz "But I'd like to see Adam up there on stage. He's a great musician and bloody good bloke to boot. Yeah nice one."
With the Rose and Crown Wroath and Jones sessions but a distant memory in the past Chiz and Russ at the World's End is about my favourite back bar hang out hole in Newport. Just need some more time to be there for a full set.
Back in Calverts Back Bar the place has added a few more punters. Space Hopper the revamped Five Get Over Excited are well into the final set. The Baker bros have dropped the Beautiful South covers and gone for a harder sound.
They are still the happy go lucky local band that just goes out to have a good time that they ever were. Drums, bass, guitar with the Baker brothers on vocals, hand drums and acoustic guitar. Essentially they are a covers band but they play the kind of material to get punters up and dancing.
In the last half hour the place has got jumping to the songs. The Japanese students again turning up looking for the Jones'. Space Hopper winning them over and the intriqued locals who have stumped up £2.50 and collided bodies on the dancefloor.
Just after eleven it is all over. The punters depart. The band pack up. Vaguely Sunny Promotions head off into the night.
Back in darkest Niton the night sky is spectacled with stars. The late night cocoa goes on and Vic King finds a Jules Holland Later video tape featuring Joan Baez. She's singing a corking version of Diamonds and Rust. A brilliant bassist and acoustic guitar player as fast as pelting rain while the songstress sings like a breathy horn solo. Wow. See ya in Bristol Adam Kirk. "Yeah nice one," as Chiz says.
Ferdinand La Menthe