Count Up To Edinburgh #8 I can count the days on my right hand now

So in one weeks time I'll be up there. Bonkers mate! Been building up to this all year but it's now suddenly come round very fast. Bit of a cliche but it's true. Mind you, the last month has been mental, I've not had a great deal of time to think about it really. In the last two weeks I've finished my school job for the summer, finished a 2 month youth project with Lyrix Organix, called Kingston Roots and just completed a 2 week musical theatre residency at Stratford Theatre Royal with Conrad Murray. And oh yea, I've moved out of my house as well. Not the most ideal of preparation but I'm alright none the less. Could do with a fat kip though. You know, one of those massive 16 hour ones that proper recharge you, waking up in a light and airy room with cotton drape curatins gently flapping in the summer breeze, with a load of Andrex puppies rolling round in carzy roll. I'm rooming with Gary From Leeds up in Edinburgh, I might ask him if he wants to stand in for the Andrex Puppies.

Look at that mug with his Edinburgh show

 It dawned on me this morning whilst brushing my teeth that this is all now happening next week, it's actually happening. I'm about to go and do 25 shows plus extra gigs, as well as having to go out there and get the punters in every day, which in itself is quite daunting. Of course, I knew all of this when I signed up and I'm making it sound like I'm about to go to war or something. I'm going to do a show in a pub / bar..I like performing, why the worry? I don't have the answer to that question. My reactions are probably way over the top but it's still a big deal for me. I'm sure I'll look all at this in a few months time and laugh, whilst thinking what a nob. There's a whole bunch of people I know who are going up there and I'm sure it'l be a laugh. It'l no doubt be a slog at points but that's all part and parcel. No pain no gain and all that. By sticking the show on, I wanted to see if I could actually do it and I'm doing it. Putting my money where my mouth is. Not that I have much money, but my mouth is reasonably sised, so in case I grt a massive windfall, I'll be alright. Anyway, I wasn't doing anything else this summer, so why not?

What?! He's got his mug on the back as well?!

I had a day this week with director Stef O'Driscoll, who I worked with on A Tale From The Bedsit. Stef is now really making a name for herself out there, I think there's 3 shows in Edinburgh this year alone that she's directed, don't quote me on that, she might have been telling me about shows in devlopment. Either way, she's smashing it, so I was lucky to get a day with her. I like to think working with me back on the Bedsit show launched into her new found director stardom, but I can't say that's true, though we did drink a lot of tea and had a good laugh whilst making it, so it was great to get back in the room with her again. She helped me tighten up all the pieces and add what I hope are now the finishing touches. I just have to record one more piece of audio then the thing there is done. I've also managed to recruit a tech to do my sound this week as well, seems like a cool guy and I hope we work well together.  I hope he doesn't like lager as much as I do, then we might have a problem.


So yes, I am now days away from starting. Gonna do a few more of these blogs whilst I'm up there. But if you are up there, I'm at the Pilgrim, everyday except the 16th, 4:15. Just look at the flyer, it's all on there. By the way, flyers are great aren't they.. They were designed by Natlie Clay check her stuff out www.styloclay.com. Peas and taters

Count Up To Edinburgh #3 The C/D Borderline Previews ahoy

So I should probably mention at this point, and should probably have mentioned it before this point, several times, that before I head up to Edinburgh I'm doing a few previews of the show. They are all listed on the side on that gigs panel, but you know, they're easy to miss and most people probably get a squillion invites to someones show or whatever on a daily basis, so it's easy to forget and lastly, I'd really like to have an audience so need to flog some tickets, so here I am, reminding / asking / advertising these here dates:

- 2ND JUNE 7PM @ ROUNDHOUSE, CAMDEN - TICKETS £7.50 -

I get to return to the Roundhouse again, for the Last Word festival, 3rd year in a row so I must be doing something right? Anyway, even if you don't want to see mine there's loads, like properly LOADS of banging shows as part of this festival, it's like, a, massive erm, festival? Yea, a festival. There giving a platform to for people like me, big up.

8TH JUNE @BEDFORD BALHAM, PBH FREE FRINGE BENEFIT, FREE YES FREE

Funny story about this one. Couple of weeks back I performed at a charity night for Lyrix Organix (which was banging by the way, check the photo's on the site) - there was a guy performing there called Gecko, who'd I heared of but not seen before. He was brilliant, great singer-songwriter, performer and story teller, really smashed it. Anyway, we got chatting and it turrns out, he's also taking a show to Edinburgh, and low and behold we're both in the same venue! (The Pilgrim, by the way). Imagine that?! He was a really safe guy, safe enough to get in touch and ask if I wanted to come and do a support slot at the above night for his PBH Free Fringe show, what a touch eh!? Geezer's got a blue tick on his name on Twitter as well, cerified bruv!There's 4 or 5 shows happening that night, Jack Rooke, Atillia The Stockbrocker and more, plus the Bedford is a sick venue, all free too. 

MONDAY 8TH JULY @KEYSTONE GUILFORD

Anyone that knows the poetry scene in London will probabaly know Janice Windle and Donall Demspsey. Bonafied legends, they're like the Tovill and Dean of poetry. I've known them since I first started doing all this stuff, goingdown to Poetry Unplugged fo the open mike. Theve always been really supportive and have invited me down to their regular gig down in Guilford. I got to feature there last year and had a right laugh, if you're in that area, come down!  

So there you go, these are the pre-views. If you're able to come, please come and come with some freinds perhaps. I'll promise that I will do my best to put on  a good show, afterall, that's what I'm here to do, amougst other things. Here's the Roundhosue link again, just in case you feel the urge to book tickets and yet have read this far down and have forgot to.. LINK TO BUY TICKETS TO SEE THIS BANGING SHOW AT THE ROUNDHOUSE BY PAUL CREE CALLED THE C/D BORDERLINE SICK YEA SICK (THAT'S A LINE FORM THE SHOW)

Nice one, Paul 

TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONGIHT!!!

Lyrix Organix @ Freeway Poets Bournemouth

Roll up roll up: Fresh from doing the Bedsit show again I'm off down to sunny Bournemouth with the Lyrix Organix crew, should be fun...

https://www.facebook.com/events/271490836380335/

Some people I've seen recently no.1

Hello

This is the first of a few posts which I'm going to do featuring some performers who i've been lucky enough to perform with recently, who, for various reasons, I've been really impressed by and probably learnt a thing or two from.

First up, is Cate Ferris I saw her when we both performed at Hector Hears back in April, which is a night run by Lyrix Organix. The whole night was pretty special but I thought Cate was pretty sick. I've seen a lot of people use loops but she took it to another level for me. Multi instrumentalist, great voice and good lyrics. Have a butchers.

The first bank holiday in May I was at Streetfest in East London, this time courtesy of Ash and Music Is Remedy. I was on the un-signed stage and was one of only 2 spoken word acts, the other being Rik The Most. Outdoor gigs are never easy, particularly when you're an accapella act, you have to really hold the audiences attention as best you can, and it's especially hard when it's a festival and there's loads more things to go and go and experience, but Rik stepped up and did the business. To top it all he's a very nice dood and we wound up gigging again a few weeks later. He co-runs a monthly spoken word night over in Stoke Newington called Forget What You Heard.

Appearance on Croydon Radio, Poets Anonymous show

Last few busy days have nice and busy, what with the gigs at Tate for the A And The E show, Lyrix Organix at Filthy's on Saturday, Hammer & Tongue Camden on Monday, but also this appearance on Croydon radio for the Poets Anonymous show.

HERE IS A LINK TO LISTEN BACK / DOWNLOAD 

Poets Anonymous are a collective of poets and writers based around the Croydon area that have been running since 1990, when I was a wee nipper obsessing over David Platt's goal against Belgium, during the world cup. I attend one of their monthly sessions at Matthew's Yard  and they kindly invited on their monthly radio show and I dually obliged. Had a wicked time. I was on the show with Nick Alldridge. These guys have been writing years and have tonnes of knowledge and experience which I don't have, so it was a pleasure!

After the Hammer & Tounge on Monday marked the end of the best run of gigs I've ever had, which has seen me share of stage with lots of new and old performers, I'm gonna, over the few weeks be featuring these on here, almost as a record for me, it's been a memorable few weeks. Enjoy the Football....