When I was in France, my winters were all about learning songs for the next wedding season, rehearsing with SouthWest every other Monday, and teaching a few students. The first gig of the year was in May, at the earliest. It’s different this year. School 1 Last Thursday morning, I […]
gigs
20 posts
Two years ago, just before a gig in Cadouin, we were given our first ever fan art. I published it here. Two days ago, during my final gig in Cadouin (more on that in a moment), we were given our second ever piece of fan art – by the same […]
Five days after playing keyboards and percussion in Hertfordshire with The Stones, and two days after playing solo piano at a private party in the Charente, I played the first of three public gigs in the Dordogne, with SouthWest. As we have for several years now, we set up in […]
After the last gig, I was going to take a week off, to rest my hands. But then, someone I played with in London DECADES ago (my emphasis), asked if I was available to play a gig on July 9th – this year – in England – for a well-established […]
On Sunday, I drove through the rain (again – which wasn’t falling only on the plain) to Chateau de la Couronne. Matt and Emma (my first Olympian bride!) had waited so long for this day that they were joined by their new baby! And Reggie, the most well-behaved (and photogenic) […]
On Saturday, I set off in the rain for Chateau du Doux. I’d been watching the forecast for a couple of weeks and it wasn’t looking good. Jason and Chloë had been waiting a long time for this… I drove through light rain, heavy rain, heavier rain and very heavy […]
After Friday’s gig, I was expecting a couple of weeks’ rest. We’re not normally this busy, this early in the season, but… Covid. The weddings from 2020 were pushed into 2021, which were then pushed into 2022. Not a huge surprise, I’m sure you’ll agree, and very welcome after two […]
Very rarely, a gig comes along that, for one reason or another – possibly both – is not much fun. The last one I remember was this one, from a few years ago. (A postscript on that gig, by the way: I filmed and recorded it, but the guy doing […]
On Wednesday evening, I played piano at a private party at the Chateau de Rouffillac. What a spectacularly beautiful place! Here’s the outside (these photos don’t do it justice – the ones on their website are far better): And here’s the courtyard with fountain. Still in awe of this place: […]
Last Saturday saw the first wedding of the 2022 season, at the beautiful Chateau du Doux (as seen on TV). The weather (as you can see) could not have been more perfect. It was somewhere in the high 20sC and not a cloud in the sky. Which led to two […]
This year, I’ve been Instagramming stories on gig days. Which means I’ve totally neglected this blog. Back in June, the band actually got to play a wedding! At a venue we haven’t played before – Chateau Camp del Saltre. It was excellent to get out there again, and Andy fronted […]
A few clients have asked me about my solo piano set list, recently. I’ve been avoiding this, because my music pile has looked like this for months (taken earlier this morning): Following some prompting from a hairstylist and make up artist, I waded through the pile just now. And here […]
I should probably write this in French. Here’s a video I’ve been working on for the last few days, showing a montage of shots from some of the Boby Lapointe gigs I did with Pascal Destal over the last 12 months. It shows the show fairly well, although some of […]
And finally—for the summer season—SouthWest played the village hall in Coux-et-Bigaroque last Saturday. Attendance was pretty good and we played a solid couple of hours for a mixture of dancers and sitters. The evening ended in typical French rock and roll fashion, with a selection of cheese followed by kisses […]
This weekend saw Purple Rock take to the stage under La Halle in Villeréal for the annual Bodega day. We had to set up early, as they closed the town to traffic, but this gave us plenty of time to hang out and see some of the many other musicians […]
The last week has seen two Boby Lapointe events. You will recognise the setting here from before—it’s a holiday village over towards Les Eyzies (a jawdroppingly amazing place and the crucible of modern humanity). The other event was in the street opposite a restaurant in my local town. These evenings […]
I was delighted to be asked back to the palliative care unit at Perigueux hospital, a couple of weeks ago. (I’m a bit behind with the blog posts—and a rash of posts today will show you why. I played mainly for friends of someone undergoing treatment and gave an impromptu […]
You’ll have to put up with the odd painful pun, I’m afraid. (I’m a dad.) While we’re (not) on the subject of comedy, here’s a gag from Gérard, the drummer of SouthWest: What’s the difference between God and a guitarist? God doesn’t think he’s a guitarist. I’m here all week, […]
It’s a busy time at the moment. Here’s a snapshot of the stage at the Lembarzique café near Bergerac, where I made my debut with the new band, Purple Rock. We opened the 2019 Bergerac Jazz Festival (although we’re a blues/rock band – don’t worry) and it was an excellent […]
On the last Friday of every month, I usually accompany a bunch of improvisers for an evening of face-achingly funny skits. These skits are prompted by suggestions from the audience in the way you might expect. I usually play between scenes – just a few bars of something upbeat, to […]