Coming Up For Air

Saturday 11th July: It's been a bit of a strange week, really, with Tuesday being the strangest day.

(Regular readers, please bear with me here. I suspect this is going to be a meander. I think there's a point that I'm trying to get to and, you never know, I might even manage it. New or occasional readers, please don't let this post put you off - I'm not normally this bad...)

I left work on Tuesday feeling mentally exhausted. I had been looking at a particularly knotty problem for two straight days without getting anywhere (and still haven't solved it). There was also quite a lot of tension within the team, something that I was trying to stay out of but, when you work in such a small team, it's sometimes difficult to avoid things. On top of that I had volunteered for what turned out to be a bit of an emotional battering from a friend who was/is going through a bad time. Not that I minded, you understand - I had offered an ear and a virtual shoulder and was glad that I have been able to help in whatever small way. (I should also mention that if said friend is reading this and isn't happy being mentioned they should let me know - there's always the edit button...)

So, as I said, I left for home feeling drained. Then, roughly halfway home, a song came on the i-pod. Written by keyboard player Iain Jennings for Mostly Autumn's second album and in memory of his mother, The Gap Is Too Wide is my favourite piece of music. It's an achingly beautiful song about loss with a second half instrumental that somehow manages to convey sadness and joy in equal measures. Just a few minutes into the song I suddenly found myself in tears. Luckily there was nobody around.

Now, I'm not normally an emotional person. I rarely get stressed and I definitely don't normally wear my heart on my sleeve like this. Hmmm, I wonder if this is the start of a mid-life crisis...

Anyway, The Gap (as it is affectionately known), although being a Mostly Autumn song, has been the regular encore song for Breathing Space - Iain Jennings' new band - every time we have seen them. And tonight, a full contingent of us (including Debbie - Breathing Space are one of the few bands we both like) were at the Roman Bath to see them again. Would I find myself coming over all unnecessary and make a fool of myself? Say tuned...

When Debbie and I arrived, York centre was still full of that afternoon's race-goers and we had to queue to get into the Bath. With the sound check in full flow and audible outside, it wasn't long before a large group of people left the pub and we were allowed in, to find Roj already inside. A nifty move by Debbie soon found us couple of tables close to the stage area and, with the music forcing the racegoers out, we were set.

Breathing Space are in a bit of a flux at the moment, having lost guitarist Mark Rowen and Saxophonist John Hart earlier in the year, Liam Davidson (Mostly Autumn) had been standing in on guitars but he is currently unavailable so Bryan Josh (also Mostly Autumn) is on guitar duties at the moment. It has to be said that a guitarist of Bryan's standing could easily have overshadowed tonight's performance but didn't - his performance was subtle and almost understated and the man himself almost faded into the background during most of the set. That's not to take anything away from the music, however. When solos were called for, they were of the man's usual high standard.

In fact, the whole band was on top form (although I can't tell where Iain's keyboards end and brother Ben's start) and this was an excellent performance - by far the best Breathing Space gig we have seen at the Bath. Livvy looked incredibly relaxed and, although she never seems to get the best of the audio in this venue, her voice soared. It was also nice to see her smiling so much as she can sometimes, in my opinion, look a bit too serious on stage.

We were treated to a nearly two-hour set of songs mainly from the first two albums, but sprinkled with new songs from the soon to be released Below The Radar. These appeared to be a bit rockier than previous songs, perhaps not surprisingly given the band's revised emphasis on guitar and keyboards (the reason Hart left the band). Although difficult to tell from a first hearing, it sounds as though the new album could well be worth waiting for.

Some of my favourites were missing and I wonder whether we'll hear On The Blue Horizon (written by Rowen) again. However, it's hard to criticise when the likes of You Still Linger, Belief, Coming Up For Air and Searching For My Shadow are included in the set. All are brilliant songs, written and sung from the heart.

With the end of the gig fast approaching, it was time to steel myself. The band announced that they had finished and the usual cries for more ensued. After a very short time, with everybody back on stage, Livvy announced that they would do one more song. One from the new album. Shock! I can't remember the title but it was a superb way to end the gig - a fusion of vocals, keyboards and guitar (obviously with the backing of Barry Cassels on drums and Paul Teasdale on bass) that seemed to go on forever and yet still finished too quickly. One more reason to anticipate the new release.

...and then it was time to get removed from the Bath. We finally braved the rain to run and shelter in a shop doorway, just before an increasingly irate bouncer decided to throw us out. There followed the usual insults, a round of Tommy Cooper jokes, music discussions and remembrances as we watched the band pack their equipment into cars and drive away. Eventually, I caught sight of Iain Jennings and wandered over to ask whether The Gap had been put to bed as the band's encore. It turns out that they are simply resting it, wanting to end gigs on a bit more of a lively note. Given the significance of the song to the man himself, I hope he didn't mind me telling him the story of how it affected me this week, even if it did mean us both getting rained on.

Breathing Space next play York on the 6th of December, at The Duchess as part of a tour to promote the new album. I'll definitely be there.

Bleu'ring The Edges

Friday 3rd July: ...and our current inability to match social calendars continues, as just me and Roj attend the Duchess.

John Mayall - a name that resonates through the historical corridors of British Blues. Back in the 60's, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers launched (or helped to launch) the careers of many a top artist. Eric Clapton, Andy Fraser (Free), Mick Taylor (The Rolling Stones), John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green (all Fleetwood Mac) all served terms under Mayall's "incredibly great school for musicians". After moving to America in the 70's, he played with many notable US performers and backed Blues greats as they toured the UK. The Bluesbreakers, under various guises, have been around for most of his career, finally disbanding in 2008 after extensive touring took a physical toll on Mayall. However, he then decided to put together a new band (Rocky Athas on guitar, Greg Rzab on bass, Jay Davenport on drums and Tom Canning on Keyboards), with a more limited touring schedule.

Of course, being the music guru that I am, I knew barely any of that until I started researching for this entry. I did know Mayall's name, though, and when I saw it on the what's on listing, it was an easy decision which gig to go to this week.

The first thing to mention is the man himself. Now 75 years old, he looks and sounds a hell of a lot younger. No sitting through the set, no being helped on stage by "minders". Mayall is active throughout the set and his voice as he introduces the songs is clear on strong. For most of the nearly two hours he alternated between keyboard and various harmonicas, at times playing both at the same time. For one song he played a twelve string guitar. For another, the first of the evening (no support band tonight) he played completely solo.

This is a band that obviously enjoy playing together. Big smiles and acknowledgements of each others performances abounded as each member took their time in the spotlight for a series of dazzling solos including the longest and probably best bass solo I have ever seen, with barely a hint of funk.

I can't remember many of the track names but the set spanned Mayall's career from 1965 up to a track from a new album due out later this year. Nor can I remember how many tracks were played but I don't think we got far into double figures. Each track was more of an instrumental showcase than a lyrical masterpiece and some were in the region of ten or more minutes long. Most were easily identifiable, keyboard-led Blues (the second track of the evening was a lot more jazzy than the rest) but there was, for me, a hint of a prog-rock/Blues fusion, especially in Dream About The Blues - the standout track for me.

I'm beginning to appreciate just how many styles of Blues music there is and this was the first time I've really encountered the lighter side of the genre. Blues that brings a smile to the face, rather than some of the more dour and depressing stuff. There was even dancing!!

So far this year, the Duchess has hosted some top-notch older acts and this was yet another superb show.

Afterwards we headed of to the Roman Bath to catch the second half of the always excellent Mojos. As usual, we were treated to a selection of classic covers including (but, as usual, not limited to...) Robbie Williams (Let Me Entertain You), Dire Straits (Sultans of Swing - a superb version), Guns 'n' Roses (Sweet Child of Mine), Bon Jovi (Livin' On A Prayer), and Kings of Leon. Good music, well played. I even found myself singing and dancing along. I must have checked some of my inhibitions at the door. Maybe it's the Daisy effect... :-)

The Rising Word

Saturday 2th June: We seem unable to manage to get all together for one gig at the moment. This weekend work and family commitments mean that Roj was at the Duchess on Friday (reviews usually appear sometime on Monday) while I was there on Saturday. The only constant was Andy. I'm fairly certain that I got the best night.

I was a bit late arriving at the Duchess and the first band, $lash Vega$, was already on stage. Indeed, I could hear them outside the venue. First impressions weren't good (the lead singer's covered in tattoos, has spiky hair and is that eye-liner he's wearing??? Yes, folks, I'm turning into my Mum...) but once I got a pint and started listening, I realised that you really shouldn't judge a band by what the lead singer's covered in. Hailing from Selby and Leeds and billed as Rock / Alternative / Metal, their output was a little too slash metal (the clue's in the name, I guess) for me to consider purchasing their album but, as a live act, they were a good opener. Ginna's vocals were strong but if I had to pick a stand-out musician it would be the guitarist in the hat (Robbie G or Oz, I don't know which) whose solos bordered on the incredible. This was the band's last gig with current drummer, Holmes, who is leaving after two and a half years and they are still without a replacement.

Next up were even more local lads - York based Morpheus Rising - and the band on tonight's bill that I knew most about. Their vocalist, Graeme Tennick, is a follower of this blog and one of my Facebook friends. We've even been to at least two gigs together. Well, I say "together" but I actually mean we've been at the same gigs. Aaaah, the wonders of social networking. Anyway, that begs the question of what I would write if I didn't like their set.

Thankfully, we'll never know. The guys produced a top-drawer performance that far-exceeded my expectations. Mind you, there's a bit of pedigree within the band - the bassist Andy Smith (yes, that Andy Smith, from Mostly Autumn) and we've seen Pete Harwood (guitars and guitar tech for Marillion) and Gibbo (drums) play with Freeway. Grae has been a member of several bands and I can't find any information about Daymo Sweeting (guitarist) - so it should be no surprise that this was a polished performance. Nor should it have been a surprise, given the band's influences, that I was immediately and powerfully reminded of listening to the likes of Saxon and Iron Maiden all those years back.

Grae has an incredibly raw voice which, the first few times I heard it (listening to their tracks on last.fm) didn't do a great deal for me. After I while, though, I realised that his voice fitted the style of music perfectly and live he seems to put his whole body behind it, producing an incredibly powerful sound. Again, though, it was the guitars that ruled the set. MR may be Pete's brainchild but, from where I was standing, it looked as though Daymo took the lion's share of the intricate solos (correct me if I'm wrong, guys), even if his playing was lost for most of one song. Anyway, whoever it was, they were superb. It has to be said that, for their biggest gig so far, the whole band played well. It was a very solid, very entertaining performance. Stand-out tracks were Fighting Man and Lord of the North. After their set, I bought a copy of their CD, introduced myself to my "friend" Graeme and had a quick chat with Pete. The band hope to get some proper recording done later in the year and that's another CD I'm going to have to look out for.

...and so to tonight's headline act, the newly reformed Scottish rockers Gun, with ex-Little Angels frontman Toby Jepson joining new drummer Gordon McNeil, original guitarist Giuliano Gizzi and nearly founder member Dante Gizzi on bass. I'm going to have to stop thinking that I know a fair amount about rock because it seems that everybody that I mentioned this gig to remembered Gun or, at least their cover version of Word Up and Wikipedia says about Little Angels "They were arguably one of the most successful and popular British bands of their time" (in the entry for Toby Jepson). I had never heard of Little Angels and couldn't remember Gun, although I do now remember Word Up.

Anyway, as with last year's Uriah Heap gig, this one was to take me completely by surprise. Full-on quality rock (which, I have to admit, sounded a little familiar) with great playing and superb vocals. It sometimes amazes me that a band with one guitar can produce such a good sound, but Joolz manages it. His brother is definitely not one of the inanimate school of bass players and new guy Gordon's drumming provided a good solid backing to the songs. As far as I can tell, all the tracks played were from the band's back catalogue, except one new one (Let Your Hair Down) which saw Jepson also take up a guitar. That was one of the best tracks of the set. With their vast experience, Gun are a band who know how to build a set to a close and this set definitely reached a crescendo with the second encore song, the aforementioned Word Up. I have to admit that both Andy and I noticed that the sound was a bit muddy during this set, but it was only when the band tried to quieten it down a bit.

Every so often, the Duchess excels itself. All three of tonight's bands, although performing slightly different versions rock/metal, complemented each other and combined to create a near-perfect gig. Best of the year so far.

I've Got A Girl Who's Really Mean / She Hit My Cat With A Magazine

Friday 12th June: My wife was hosting a "Jamie At Home" party tonight. If there's one thing potentially more scary than Jamie Oliver actually turning up at your home, it's the thought of that home being invaded by a group of wine-sipping women ogling over cookware. I had to leave the house, no matter what.

Tonight was also one of those rare nights when the group couldn't agree on a venue. With three plans circulating, one of us dropped out (saving his pass for another night), Andy and Roj headed off to Fibbers (for a review, click here - one's bound to turn up soon) and I took my chances at the Duchess.

Now, when I listen to music (live or recorded) I'm generally only looking for one thing. To be entertained. Deep and meaningful lyrics are OK, but generally pass me by. Technical excellence I can spot, but don't know enough about that side of music to be able to comment on it (and, being honest, even average-to-good music can be entertaining). Usually, as long as an act is at least mildly entertaining, I'm happy.

Davie Janeway did not make me happy. Playing to a practically non-existent audience, Davie is a man-and-guitar act. A guitar that he plays in possibly the most unsubtle manner I have ever come across. I'm afraid I couldn't make out any of the lyrics (or most of the introductions) but, as ever, that could be down to my aging ears as much as a poor performance or bad acoustics. The one introduction I did manage to understand - "This song is about the best blunt instrument to murder somebody with. It's called Tyre Iron" - kind of sets the scene for the sort of act Mr Janeway is. This was the musical equivalent of the Angry Young Man, just without the shouting. Not my cup of tea at all.

Thankfully, next to take to the stage was Aimie J Ryan, a singer/songwriter from York who we have seen once before, apparently before I started blogging as I can't find a past entry. That time was at Fibbers and, it not yet being time for the headline act, we were still in our usual position at the back. Since then Aimie has released an EP (Count To Ten) and is working on an album. Tonight's performance was much more assured than I remember the first one being and I found myself moving closer to the stage and away from the pillar I had been leaning against. Again, just performer and guitar (this time acoustic), but with much more subtlety and elegance in both the playing and the vocals. Starting with a couple of melancholy, possibly even despressing, numbers Don't Make Friends With Your Hangman and Razorblade (both from the EP) the set gradually got more upbeat. Aimie's voice is fantastic, reminding me at times of Tracy Chapman, and she plays the guitar really well. At this point, the first act was a fading memory and I was starting to have a good time. So was Aimie who was playing the Duchess for the first time (I thought she'd played there before but I think that gig was cancelled) and liked it because she wasn't sweating. Niiiice...

I was so impressed that I bought a copy of Aimie's EP which, I am happy to say, contains four very good songs. These are full-band (bass, drum and piano alongside guitar) versions with a number of guest musicians including Angela Gordon playing flute on two songs. I know it's not surprising coming from me, but I'll be looking out for the album.

Finally, another musical shot in the dark, a band I only knew from the write-up on the Duchess's whats on listing. Ezio, in this format are a duo - Ezio Lunedei (a Tom Conti lookalike) on acoustic guitar and vocals and Mark 'Booga' Fowell (a mountain lookalike) on acoustic and electric guitar. I don't like using direct quotes on this blog but Kenyan-born Booga really is "next to two metres high and nearly that wide". He's a giant of a man who really shouldn't be able to play guitar as well as he does.

Ezio writes heart-rending ballads and more light-hearted, bordering on pop, songs. There may have been a set list but members of the audience could text the band with requests, some of which were performed. Some audience members also tried requesting without text, which provoked some humorous responses from the stage - "Take Me Away" sang one wag. "I'd pay good money for that" came the response. In fact, tonight reminded me of the Nick Harper gig I attended at Easter. Both were laid back, funny and contained some of the best acoustic (folk) rock you are likely to come across.

Ezio and Booga are not a normal duet. The majority of the work is done by the former, with the latter adding guitar accompaniment to a growing degree as the act goes on and in a variety of styles including, but not limited to, blues, rock and something sounding a lot like Spanish to me. At times the music coming from the two guitars didn't even sound as though it was for the same song, but it always worked together, producing a sound unlike anything I can remember having heard before. While there were no actual covers, lyrics by Van Morrison (Tupelo Honey) and The Beach Boys (Fun Fun Fun) were heard during the set.

Ezio obviously have a hard-core following. Even in tonight's relatively small audience, I couldn't help feeling like the one person at a party who didn't know the other guests - not because the rest of the audience knew each other, but because most of them recognised the songs from pretty much the first chord. After about and hour, the band left the stage and I had to admit that this was a party I was glad I had been invited to. I was even more pleased when they returned for a three song encore. So pleased that yet another CD - Live at the Shepherds Bush Empire - made it into my burgeoning collection.

After the gig, I made my way to the Roman Bath to meet up with Andy and Roj and catch the end of DSQ's set. Another covers band but a very popular one - I was made to wait outside for a few minutes before entering a very crowded pub. The range of songs was slightly different to our normal fare and included Animal (Def Leppard), Brown-Eyed Girl (Van Morisson), Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf) and Jump (Van Halen) along with songs by the Bee Gees and Wild Cherry (a bit too much funk for Andy who was, nevertheless, dancing along...) Both the lead singer and keyboard player looked familiar and, after some hard thinking, the former was identified as the lead singer of Flight from A Night For Heroes a few weeks ago. I'm not certain, but I think that the latter played keyboards for Free Spirit on the same night.

Revisiting An Old Favourite

Friday 5th June: Unless I've actually been to a gig, so far this year I haven't been able to find the time (or, perhaps, had the inclination) to blog as much as I did last year. Although I've read plenty of books and probably bought more CDs than I should have, I've yet to rediscover my "muse" for reviewing and I doubt that many people would be interested in lists of what has moved off my to read list or made their way into my music collection.

Today, however, I bought the CD version of an album that I considered to be one of my favourites, despite not hearing it for probably the best part of two decades. If not more. Would it stand the test of time?

First, a bit of background. My interest in music can probably be said to have started mid-way through secondary school. At that time, as the 70's were being replaced by the 80's, the friends I knocked around with started getting into the newly resurgent heavy metal and rock. Albums by AC/DC, Motorhead, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Meat Loaf and many more were being snapped up and (my thoughts on piracy from a couple of postings back notwithstanding) being copied to tape and passed around. It took me a little while but, eventually, I decided that I liked some of this stuff (or, at least, that I was ready to hop on that particular bandwagon) and started some of the albums myself. I started off with Rush: Archives, a combined release of their first three albums and that was about as heavy as I got. I could never get the hang of the likes of AC/DC or Motorhead and, since then, haven't really got into slash metal or its ilk.

As an aside, it wasn't long after that my friends moved onto the likes of Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull and it was at that point that I decided I was going to like whatever I wanted to, rather than following any trends. And that, gentle reader, is why my CD collection contains a relatively wide range of music and why my last trip to HMV saw me walking out with albums by Deep Purple, Gabriella Cilmi, Fleet Foxes and the soundtracks to High School Musical 1 and 2.

(Oh, wait, those last two weren't for me but for my daughter. Honest...!)

Anyway, although I said that Rush were about as heavy as I got, the actual heaviest was probably Iron Maiden. To the best of my recollection, I never actually bought any of their albums but I did own a few singles and had taped copies of both Killers and The Number of the Beast. While the latter is good, I remember the former blew me away. I don't, however, remember why or, far that matter, what actually happened to the tape. For years I've thought that I should buy a copy, but never got round to it. Until today, when I saw it in ones of HMV's 2 for £10 offers.

It's said that your school years are the best time of your life. It's probably true. I have to admit, though, that there have been a few things from that time that I have revisited only to be disappointed. I loved E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman books when I read them (aged about 15) but couldn't even get through them when I tried to re-read them as an adult. Tom Baker's reign as Doctor Who was essential viewing when I was younger, then UK Gold repeated them and I was almost embarrassed to admit that I once liked them. I fairly recently watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind on DVD and was surprised how naff it looks now. I guess that's part of the joy of growing older and getting more cynical.

As another aside, there are two hours of TV that stand out for me as the most gripping episodes of anything I have ever watched - the second episode (I think) of Midnight Caller (a relatively obscure American show broadcast in the UK on a Saturday night) and an episode of the original Survivors in which a character with learning difficulties is put on trial. I almost daren't watch either of these again in case they, too, disappoint.

Anyway, as soon as I got home tonight, I put Killers in the CD player, pressed play and cranked up the volume, not without a little trepidation. I needn't have worried. Apart from remembering most of it as though I'd only heard it yesterday, I'm happy to say that it has stood the test of time really well.

Killers was Iron Maiden's second album and last to feature Paul Di'anno on vocals. I don't know whether it is ever described as a "classic" but it certainly deserves to be. Tracks such as Murders in the Rue Morgue, Wrathchild and Killers set the tone for the album, while the instrumental Ides of March is a superb opening track. Even the slower and more melodic (I hesitate to use the word "ballad") Prodigal Son doesn't feel out of place. In my opinion Di'anno's voice is better than that of his replacement Bruce Dickinson and definitely suited to the songs on this album. Instrumentally, the music is top class, with memorable guitar solos and drum beats.

The version I bought today is the remastered 1998 release, which contains an extra track. To be honest, I didn't notice - the extra track fits in perfectly with the original material.

In short, this is an album that should be in any self-respecting metal-fan's collection.

White Men Can Play The Blues

Friday 22nd May: ...and in attempt to counter the disappointment of not being at Wembley on Sunday I'm taking a punt with two artistes who are unknown to me, although one does come highly recommended (by both Roj and my highly-knowledgeable colleague Phil). We're also not at any of our usual venues - tonight it's York's Grand Opera House. In the Dress Circle. Seated. It's really warm and, to my embarrassment, I find myself nodding off a couple of times.

Tonight's support act is Ian Siegal, a British blues guitarist, with Andy Graham on bass and Nikolaj Bjerre on drums. If there's such a thing as traditional blues, Ian comes close to playing it, to the point that I originally thought he was American. The band's short set was a joy to listen to with some very original guitar-playing styles and an easy-going vocal style. I found it difficult to distinguish the lyrics but I think that was more down to the acoustics of the venue and unfamiliarity with the songs, rather than any deficiency on the part of the band. Bjerre's drumming was simple yet very effective - he's another proponent of the small drum-kit, a la Jan Akkermann's drummer from a few weeks ago - while Graham's style verged on humorous, with a touch of funk underlying some of the bass-lines.

The short support set was over all too quickly, but it was an almost perfect set-up for the main act.

That main act was one Johnny Winter, 65 year-old, Grammy nominated Texan Blues guitarist, and personal guitar-hero of fellow blogger, Roj. As I said, Mr Winter comes highly recommended and the more I hear of the blues, the more I like it, so tonight should be a winner.

The set starts with Johnny's band (Paul Nelson on guitar, Scott Spray on bass and Tony Beard on drums) on stage without the main man. After a short instrumental, Johnny shuffles onto stage, looking as frail as you are ever going to see a live act. He spends the entire set sitting on a chair, playing some kind of small, cut-down version of a guitar. (I'm no expert, but I'm assuming it's the dew-dropped shaped, headless Steinbeger, mentioned in this review which, being professional, is much better written than mine.) Apparently, it's not just his age, but the fact that he damaged a hip while escaping a house fire a decade ago.

Anyway, while he may not be the most dynamic act I've ever seen, his voice is superb (like dark chocolate running over velvet when he speaks, which isn't that often). Again, I struggled a bit with the lyrics and, not being familiar with Winter's history or (being honest) a lot of his musical roots, I failed to spot some of the more famous tracks. Winter plays a combination of blues, rock and rock-and-roll (it's safe to say that I'm not a huge fan of the latter) and plays then well. I have to admit, I found the small guitar to sound a bit strident and preferred it when Winter swapped to a more traditional instrument (a Firebird, I think) for the encore - it had a much cleaner sound. His was a no-nonsense performance - he introduced each song, counted it in and performed it, letting his fingers doing the talking.

From some of the shouts coming from the audience, there appeared to be some long-time fans at the gig. I suspect, but can't be sure, that at least some of them would think that Winter was now past his best. From my point of view, as a "newbie", he was an excellent performer, although possibly not up the standard of the recommendations I was given. Maybe it's the case that legends have to grow, rather than being discovered. I think overall, I preferred Ian Siegal, although I wouldn't think twice if given the opportunity to see either act again.

At the end of the gig, warm, slightly drowsy and in need of liquid sustenance, we headed off to the Roman Bath where the lasers, muscle-shirts and rocks covers of Storm, were in evidence. We've seen these before and they, more or less, perform the same sort of covers as most bands we see at the Bath, but they are pretty good and, although in a different class to the main gig, were a good enough way to finish off the evening.

A Night For Heroes

Sunday 3rd May: I didn't know Howard Sparnenn. I never met him although I had seen him a number of times at gigs around York, both in the audience and as a drummer. The closest I ever got to speaking to him was when he and his wife were taking tickets and/or money for the launch gig for Breathing Space's album. I might have said "thank you" to him as I entered the room.

Despite that, when I heard the news that Howard had been diagnosed with a brain tumour I felt empty inside. A few month's later, when I heard that he had passed away, I was sad for both his family and for the loss of such an excellent drummer. What I didn't realise was how much Howard had been involved in the local music scene over the years.

Tonight, a year on almost to the day, we were at the Duchess for A Night For Heroes - a celebration of Howard's life with a concert including some of the bands that he had been involved in over the years. All proceeds were to be donated to the charity Andrea's Gift and, therefore, it was a chance to do something good, while having a good time and listening to some cracking music.

I'm not going to try to properly review every band - on occasions like this it almost doesn't matter whether a performance is good or bad (that's not to say that any of the bands tonight were bad), it's the event and the cause that matter. I would, however, like to put down a few comments, if only for my own posterity.

First up were Smart Move, a new band being out together by Howard when he fell ill. We had seen a good few of the line-up before, as part of the Mojos and their very short set included the same sort of songs that the latter band play. Of note was an excellent rendition of Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing with guitarist Andrew Bone taking lead vocals and producing some guitar playing that I think Mr Knopfler would approve of.

Freeway are the band that I had seen Howard drum for and they were up next, performing their usual mix of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, et al. Given that we had only seen Freeway at the Roman Bath before now, it was apparent that they were relishing performing on a big stage. By which I mean both the number of people in the audience and the size of the stage itself, much bigger than the small area given over to bands in the Bath and, therefore, allowing for much more movement.

Third up were Free Spirit, a covers band specialising in music by Bad Company and Free (Howard's favourite band, apparently), although they also performed other stuff. Howard was a founder member. This appeared to be a much more professional outfit, with vocalist Garry Barrett wielding the microphone stand as if he were playing an arena (something was caused me to wince a couple of times as he came dangerously close to both the Duchess's low ceiling and the lights dangling from it...)

Moving away from covers and onto original material and Flight took to the stage. Howard drummed for them thirty years ago and they had reformed for tonight's celebration, with one member flying in from Spain. It seems that they hadn't played together for some time and vocalist Mick Adamson (suntanned, grinning and obviously enjoying himself) had to keep referring to printouts of the lyrics as he couldn't remember them all. Other sources have described them as blues/rock. To me they sounded like a mixture of rock guitars and almost Merseybeat lyrics - quite a bit different from the other bands so far, but still enjoyable.

Penultimately, Breathing Space took to the stage. Well, mostly Breathing Space, anyway. Other commitments by some of the regular band members meant that Mostly Autumn's Bryan Josh and Andy Smith and Thunder's "Harry" James joined Ian and Ben Jennings and Olivia Sparnenn (Howard's daughter) on stage. Anne-Marie Helder was also present to play flute on their final track, The Gap Is Too Wide - previously dedicated to the Jennings brothers' mother, who also died of cancer (showing just how much tragedy revolves around this musical "family"). This line-up resulted in a slightly heavier sound to the usual songs but they were still more than recognisable. If I had one criticism, it would be that Livvy's vocals were almost drowned out by the music.

And finally, described as "York's finest", Mostly Autumn crowded onto the stage for a shortened version of their current tour set. Despite a couple of technical issues (including a hastily taped-up microphone lead) and somewhat cramped stage, the Mostlies performed to their usual high standards and the set contained some of their most emotional songs, including Tearing At The Faerytale (dedicated to Howard on the Glass Shadows album and written after his illness was diagnosed) and Heroes Never Die (written in memory of Bryan Josh's own father). Once again, Bryan showed, during his links between songs, that he has the heart of a poet and, it has to be said, Heather looked absolutely stunning in powder-blue dress and glittery makeup.

As a finale we were treated to a film of one of Howard's excellent drum solos at the end of which the audience cheered their appreciation. Emotions were, by this time, running high and Howard's widow and his other daughter were to be seen comforting each other before greeting friends in the audience.

A really good gig, both for the music played and the appreciation shown. I can't find any note of how much money was raised but I'm sure that a goodly sum will be winging its way to the charity, especially as one member of the audience had pledged to match whatever was raised, thereby doubling the total. For me, however, five hours of standing had taken its toll and I woke up in the early hours of Monday morning in agony with cramp in my left calf. Still, it was worth it.

Howard's presence around the York music scene was hammered home to me on Tuesday when I was chatting to a work colleague who was telling me that his band had played their first gig since the birth of his child just a few nights earlier. I mentioned that I'd attended A Night For Heroes and that it was about Howard Sparnenn. "Howard? The guy with the moustache? Looks a bit like the Pringles bloke? He used to go to our gigs and I've chatted to him loads of times," was pretty much his reply as he walked away shaking his head sadly.