Dear all,
It’s been one heck of a week since my last outing! I’m writing this blog at a really stupid time having been out at a lovely wee session at one of the first pubs I ever played at which is the Roebuck in Hilderstone. It was once a real favourite of mine with lovely landlord and landlady but was then taken over by a pair of planks who didn’t feel the need to tell me they were leaving before my gig…planks.
Anyway that’s irrelevant, yes it’s been a busy week. First up was a couple of appearances with the mighty Levellers at Nottingham Rock City and Leeds o2 Academy. It was a really interesting experience to play at a venue like that and really amazing to do, thanks to the guys for having me on! Then it was up a short distance to Kirkby Fleetham in Yorkshire for one of my all time favourite gigs – Kirkby Fleetham Folk Club’s annual birthday bash. Sadly, it is to be the last which I’m very saddended by but I was glad to be a part of it. I played an hour’s solo set and really really enjoyed it and highlights can be seen on youtube thanks to the legendary Simmo. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dan+walsh+kirkby+fleetham& is the address if you fancy watching some including a very silly duet with the lovely Lucy Ward.
Then came the end of Walsh and Pound. We played Cecil Sharp House with special guests Cormac Byrne and Lee Sankey, both of whom as ever were utterly awesome. It was a great way to finish with a full house, great audience and a good performance from us I think. Thanks to all who’ve supported us over the last few years but all things must end.
Then came some very exciting work in Manchester which sadly I can’t tell you about. Sorry about that, hopefully I can some time.
Well wasn’t that interesting. Anyway a reasonably quiet December and January await but still some gigs to be getting on with including the Bull’s Head in Chelmarsh on Saturday night which should be a blast. Gigs coming in for next year for an intimate gig tour stretching over two and a half months taking me through Scotland, England and Ireland. Dates to be confirmed and will hopefully be added very soon.
So plenty’s been happening in the news and I did think of doing seperate blogs for this bit but then I thought…er…I wouldn’t. The church have once again resisted the notion of joining the 21st century (or even the 20th) and voted against women bishops. Religion is often a topic I steer clear of because those fanatically for it and against it are so irritating and so unwilling to compromise that there’s sometimes very little point but for better or worse my view is simple. I am not religious, but I do not think anyone should be barred from believing. I have actually always been rather envious of those of faith because it gives many people a focus in life, a meaning even and as someone with constant depressive problems I greatly long for that but unfortunately I just can’t believe it. My brain won’t allow me to believe it because in my opinion the world has moved on in the same way we don’t think the earth is flat anymore. I’m speaking here purely of having a faith rather than organised religion of course, but I emphasise I have no issue with anyone having a faith and indeed many of my closest friends are devoted to their religion. As for organised religion, this vote proves what an utter joke it is. The church is always the last to move on with anything and this is just yet another example of its unwillingness to move on. It’s yet another example of the church’s attitude to go along with its attitude to homosexuality and celibacy. I’m aware I’m describing Catholicism particularly here, but do you know something celibacy is not natural and homosexuality is something that is real. If the church just accepted that perhaps we wouldn’t have so many clergymen giving into urges, preying on the vulnerable and abusing boys. Just a thought.
Anyway, that’s that. The other big topic has been of course the Leveson enquiry. Nigel Farage and others of his type have once again come up with the same ludicrous arguments about the end of the free press. It’s utter cobblers, the press can still be a free press by introducing some regulation we are not going to turn into China! The press cannot regulate themselves, we’ve seen it. An independent body free from politicians or newspaper editors is needed to hold the papers to account, this does not mean the papers content is going to be decided by it, just that unethical practices can be punished. I understand the fears of having it in law and the loopholes that could be explored but honestly David Cameron, the pathetic man that he is, is far more concerned about upsetting his chums in the run-up to the election than he is about implementing a report that he said he would implement unless it was ‘bonkers’. Prat.