Last year featured some excellent acts all playing acoustically; some of the acts were just trying out the format. On the bill were Ashley Hicklin, Silverlode, Shatner, Odi, Spencer Bayles of Last Night’s TV and Pilla. Someone came up with a wonderful notion of the order of the bill being chosen by the idiom of playing musical chairs.

Ashley Hicklin was late so I ended up deputising for him and letting him go on at 11pm (ha ha!). Still the highlight for me was Jim Bower of Shatner saying he had to go as earlyas possible because he had to go somewhere. So instead of letting himself loose in the first round, he kept staying in the game. He finished third (of six) when he suddenly realised he could be there while midnight waiting to play. I would love to have heard his excuse for being late… “Sorry, but I was playing musical chairs”…

My parents were there (the last time my dad would say happy birthday to me, he passed away in January). I mention my father, Derek Oddy, here in a musical context though, as I was not really aware of how well he was gifted with the ability to sing, not just any old thing mind you either. My dad used to sing in the pubs around Leeds in the early fifties before he did his national service. He would sing, like a lot of you out there, for the fun of it. Songs made famous by the likes of David Whitfield and Mario Lanza, not any old easy listening. He joined the army just before rock’n’roll hit and left funnily enough just after the initial three year burst died away… he still liked his music though, he even listened to mine.

A couple of interesting gigs coming up in the next few weeks, firstly check out the Cool Acoustics For Cancer 2 gig at The Primrose on Saturday the 1st November featuring Roseville Grand + Hope & Social + Boss Caine + Simon Wiffen + Rosie Doonan + Shaun T Hunter + The Listeners + Pilla + Laura Toth + Fay & Latta and all for £3. Proceeds will go 50/50 to Martin House Children’s Hospice & YEP's Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal. Then on Monday 3rd November it is Nizlopi appearing at The Brudenell, no doubt bringing their JCB along for the evening.