Dear all,

 

I write to you from my uncle’s house in Prestwick, Ayrshire where I’m spending my day off today before gigging returns tomorrow in Drumnadrochit. A cracking (for very different reasons) couple of gigs to tell you about. First up was the legendary Market Bar in Inverness, always a wonderfully weird and eventful gig. Last time I played it a girl randomly punched someone in the face on the way out but thankfully that didn’t happen this time. I always turn up at the Market and think what on earth do I do this for again but then it’s always a barrel of laughs and appreciative (if drunken) audience Continue reading “No ordinary house concert” →

Dear all,

 

Much fun was had in the Grog last night thanks in no small part to a cracking group of scousers who walked in and immediately brought the place to life with their quick wit and smiles. It was a really fun night and I had a great chat with them afterwards as well. By an amazing coincidence, there was also a woman from Stafford who used to work with my dad and who last saw me when I was about 4! She was also lovely and helped to make the gig so enjoyable.

 

So then, a little story to Continue reading “A gig made by scousers” →

Dear all,

 

So to celebrate my return to…er…wifi, I shall start blogging on this lovely Scottish jaunt I’m on. It began slightly short of the country however the night after getting back from India with a cracking gig at Cramlington Folk Club with the wonderful Christi Andropolis. I always enjoy my collaborations with the legend that is Christi and the poor girl was rather deprived of voice but managed to find it from somewhere for the duration of the gig and gave her usual compression-splitting performance.

 

Next up was the long drive to Aviemore for my first ever gig there, at the Old Bridge. What a place! The food was seriously seriously amazing and I had a good feeling about the gig. I was right – Continue reading “Scotland” →

Dear all,

 

Well I am off to India tomorrow. Good heavens! The plan is for a fair amount of blogging to go on while I’m out there so hopefully you should hear plenty of me anyway! I’m very excited by the trip though singularly cheesed off that I’ve managed to get a rotten cold the day before leaving but hopefully a bit of night nurse and a good sleep will make it more bearable!

 

Anyway I’ve a few things I’d very much like to write about. Firstly Gove and Huhne…hahahahahahaha! The former’s ludicrous plan to eliminate all ‘improper’ subjects from the school system to fit in with his idea of a perfect school has thankfully been abandoned after not even his own party members would agree with it. To read the words ‘humiliating u-turn’ was so pleasurable today. The man is a curse on the civilised world and a dangerous man to be in charge of education and I hope this is the start of his demise. Brutal as that sounds, it’s true.

 

As for Huhne, well honestly what a prat. I mean to be honest if all that ever happened was he asked (note that word asked) his wife to take points for him and she agreed, I honestly wouldn’t particularly care. Many married couples I know would do that, and politicians have done far far far worse things and for me it wouldn’t be a sackable offence in itself. But of course, it’s not as simple as that. He cheated on his wife of 26 years for one thing with no intention of revealing so until his hand was forced. That’s pretty bad. It turns out he was probably rather aggressive in getting his wife to take the points on his behalf. That’s arguably worse. Then there’s the fact he denied it continuously in the hope that it would go away and he’d never have to face up to it. That’s really bad and just shows an attitude typical of politicians – no-one can get me. So Chris, enjoy prison. Hahahaha!

 

Anyway, much more importantly I want to salute Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher who has announced he is retiring at the end of the season. My favourite player of all has been an absolute stalwart since his debut back in 1997, not long after I first got into football. After some jittery early years Carra developed into one of the finest centre backs in the land and was the most hard working, decent, honest footballer I have come across. Not for him the trendy earrings, flash cars, affairs, excesses and contract disputes. He was simply a one-club man who played his heart out for the cause and is a shining example of what someone of not plenteous natural ability can achieve with graft. Never was this more evident than that famous night in Istanbul when Liverpool won the European Cup and Carra was wracked with cramp in both legs yet still flew into goalline clearances to keep out Milan. Jamie Carragher is a Liverpool legend and we will always miss him. Thanks Carra.

Dear all,

 

Just a note to say I have written another article for LeftCentral website to follow on from my previous one about posh boy’s politics. This one is about religion in the age of secularism. Do please read it if you feel inclined…

 

http://leftcentral.org.uk/2013/02/02/religion-in-the-age-of-secularism/

 

Many thanks,

Danjo

Dear all,

 

Well January has been its usual relatively gig-free self but a chance to catch up on many things, write one or two bits and organise, you know, my life. I was due to visit Newcastle the weekend just gone and play the legendary Angel in Wooler and Magnesia Bank in North Shields with my old chum Simma but the weather intervened so it has been even more gig-free than expected. Isn’t snow a ruddy pain in the posteria when it isn’t Christmas? It’s magical then don’t get me wrong but when you actually need to get anywhere it’s not fun, it’s tedious! However, I have not been entirely ‘office’ bound (i.e. my room…) for I have Continue reading “The wonder of parents” →

Dear all,

 

Well it’s 2013. The year kicked off with a cracking gig at the Lamb and Flag in Little Haywood which I enjoyed very much indeed. Thanks to all those who attended and made it so. A quiet January is followed by a mental few months so not too much to tell you about just this second but lots to come shortly! I have had my jabs for India which was fairly unpleasant and made my arms feel rather dead and weird but that is perfectly normal I believe…presently in Bromley visiting my beloved whilst trying to organise my life.

 

I feel rather worn out from listening to the many fiery views on the welfare issues. The sheer botchery in certain quarters is mind boggling principally the ludicrous decision to base the threshold for child benefit on what a single earner might be earning rather than the household income. In other words one bread winner might be over the threshold in one house and that house would not get child benefit whereas a house with two earners whose combined total easily eclipses the threshold may still. Bizarre in the extreme, but what can one expect? However, I do feel a sense of realism is required in regard to pensioners. The universal benefits for pensioners is, in my opinion, rather silly. There are a lot of pensioners who need heating money, bus passes etc and that is absolutely fine but I’m afraid there are also an awful lot of pensioners who do not. There are pensioners with a lot of money already who really don’t need those handouts and means testing to me seems profoundly obvious. However, given pensioners account for a rather large percentage of voters these days the change seems unlikely….

 

Anyway, I have a bit of coldy fluey horrible nonsense right now and I do not like it. I have discovered also that first defence is just about the most pointless substance known to man. Have you come across it? Allegedly, you spray this stuff up your nose as soon as you feel the remotest symptom of a cold and you don’t develop a full cold. However, the reality is that this stuff which costs between £7 and £8 is actually about as useful as an itchy veruca. It did not help one iota and I did precisely what it said on the label. This is not the first time I have found it utterly useless but it is the last time I shall use it. I shall stick with good old lemsip which of course does nothing at all other than steam out vast amounts of snot for about fifteen seconds making you feel a little clearer before returning to feeling lousy but at least I know that’s all it does. It does not pretend to be anything else!

Dear all,

 

So then it’s review of the year time which I’m doing at a stupid time in the morning so forgive me if this is not my most coherent ramble (not that the competition is stiff). Just a last bit of updating though – the annual pre-Christmas gig at Joxers was a blast as ever and a great way to end the year so many thanks to all those who came, especially my girlfriend with whom I have been with for one whole year! Good lord…

 

So then how was 2012? Well for the most part…bloody awful to tell you the truth. A lot of stuff I can’t go into here but it has been a very challenging year indeed and I won’t be sorry to see the back of it. However, lots of good times were had and of course the aforementioned lady has changed my whole life for the better so that makes the

Continue reading “How was 2012?” →

Dear all,

 

Apologies for the delay in bloggage. There has been a very good reason but I won’t go into it other than to thank those who’ve been there. But anyway I’m here and have some exciting news to report. I am going to India! You know how well I get on with travelling here…oh my god…anyway I am excited. It’s a nine day project in February collaborating with fabulous musicians from over here and of course over there. So I’ll be in Kolkata before returning to begin a long tour so I may not survive, but let’s hope. It does unfortunately mean that the Railway in Norton Bridge and Live Theatre Continue reading “India!…and PA muppetry…” →