After only a month and half off, February 2022 sees gigging restart for the new year. From out of the blue, we get aske to play at the Blue Bee Bar inside Salisbury Football Club. So, at full time we play 2 hours of covers to an audience drinking to console themselves after a 2 1 defeat. It’s great to be off and the band are sounding better than ever!
After February, we had to take a little bit of time off for personal and Covid reasons (blasted thing is still with us), but we sneak a Birthday Party in the middle of April. Amazing to see the great photos of the birthday girl all-round the Rugby Club and terrific to see so many people out having a lovely time.
In May, we turned 10 Years old! A huge thank you to not just all the extremely talented band members that have been with us over the last ten years but also to all the wonderful people who have come to see us over 250 gigs and 10 years. It would be so much harder to do this without you, so a great big THANK YOU!
At the end of May, we finally got to play at a wedding reception which was booked all the way back in 2019. Delayed because of Covid but the couple stuck with it, got married in the meantime, and held the reception just a little late. Congratulations to them. Nice venue too.
At the beginning of June, the UK celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The first part of that, for us, was to play at the prestigious Live at the Farm. Last on the Salisbury Live Stage and sandwiched between AC/DC and Bob Marley (tribute acts obvs), we got to play to 5,000+ people having a tremendous time in the sunshine. A glorious time was had by all.
Sadly, the Salisbury Council celebrations were cancelled halfway through the last day of the Jubilee. Big thanks to the British weather there.
Following the disappointment of being rained off, Tidworth the following weekend, was absolutely glorious! To celebrate, we played to a rammed Clarendon Club audience, who requested a record breaking five encores!
The last gig of June sees the band make a return to The Barford Inn in Barford St Martin, just West of Wilton. This pub always lays on great entertainment and this night was no exception. A superb country pub with a great clientele, a superb evening with a great atmosphere.
Early in July we get asked to jump back into FiggleFest. One of the bands is not well and they are a band down to close the night. Although Terry is away, we enlist our old friend Lea Truckle on guitar duties. Despite a moist day the skies clear and we play into the night to an, as always, appreciative crowd. The following week, it’s Simon’s turn to be ill (yay Covid!) and the band do a Simonless gig in the White Hart in Salisbury.
August 2022 and the relentless heatwave continues. In 33 degrees heat we set up at The Penruddocke Arms in Dinton, where we are joined by Gray Smith, a handful of bees and wasps and about a million midges. It’s Amber’s turn to be poorly, so for 90 minutes we play an all-boys set and Simon insults the crowd halfway through (not really – but the raffle was entertaining).
Far the August Bank Holiday we have a double header. First up is the always enormous fun Bear Inn Beer Festival. This has become a regular event for us, since that first gig in 2013 and it never disappoints. A great crowd, enthused by some terrific beers, always gives us a warm welcome. One person even described us as “very Excellent”. What more do you need?
On to the second event of the long weekend and the dry weather of 2022 continues to be kind to live music at the Salisbury Live Summer Splash in Salisbury Market Square. With only 45 minutes to play we get the opportunity to let our hair down and the crowd lights up accordingly. A really special evening with the crowd in fine voice. Salisbury Live is most definitely back!
After an enforced break due to university assignments, various job changes and well, just life… in November we got to play, hopefully the first of many, gigs in Brown Street, a new live music venue for Salisbury which has the potential to be really special. We had a great crowd who were up dancing from the first song and who really threw themselves into it. Fun was had by all.
Just like busses, nothing for a couple of months and then two come along a week apart! The last weekend of November sees us playing at the last Salisbury Live NHS Fundraiser of the year at the Music Den in the Avon Brewery. A truly wonderful crowd lifted the night into a bit of a special one. Lots of dancing and singing along. Love it when the crowd throw themselves into it.
December kicks off with two private parties. The first one is held at Salisbury and South Wilts Cricket Club for a 40th Birthday and ends with exactly the kind of mayhem we enjoy. The second one coincides with “the football” but is held in a lovely venue in Sixpenny Handley. This one is for a 50th Birthday Party and we are joined by a member of the audience (thanks Hannah) who does an amazing job for a couple of songs.
To close the year, we see New Year’s Eve at Qudos. Sadly, minus Simon due to Covid (again) but the rest of the band and the audience had an amazing night to welcome in 2023!
