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What do you do in Mid-Sussex when there are
Bank Holidays and you don't want to go to Brighton or be stifled in
London? The answer is obvious to us - you do what you always do
when you want to get away for a day or two. Check out the Lindisfarne
and Happy Cats websites, maybe Fairport, and go and enjoy some great
live music.
The previous week we had seen the Moody Blues at the Brighton Centre on Friday followed on the Saturday by Procol Harum at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon. At the latter we met up with Chris and Julia who were selling copies of Chris's excellent history of contemporary music based on his experiences in Croydon. The story however will appeal to anyone who has an interest in rock family trees. Lindisfarne make several appearances. Did you know that for a while Matthew Fisher, the organist responsible for the sound of Whiter Shade of Pale, was once a member of Geordie 60s superstars The Gamblers? The book, Rockin' Croydon by Chris Groom (ISBN 0-953 1619-0-0) is a great companion to Fog on the Tyne, the story of Lindisfarne. But I digress. We checked out the websites and found that with a bit of luck we could spend the Jubilee Holiday taking in a huge dose of The Happy Cats.
That was the plan and when we arrived at Gatwick Airport, Pauline was sunburnt from the previous day and the weather was still great. The flights were cheaper than the train and considerably more convenient, but when we arrived at Woolsington it was grey and drizzling. By the time we got to the Life centre it was raining heavily. There was the BBC Radio stage and large screen which was showing tennis from somewhere warm - probably Eastbourne. We eventually found out that the gig was cancelled. Not to worry - still two to go.
The Marquis Of Granby turned out to be a really friendly pub outside Gateshead in an area ironically called Sunniside. It was still lashing down and the thunder and lightning was reaching Wagnerian proportions. However the band was unaffected, or maybe even slightly tipsy. The set began with Driftin' Through which got us well settled in for the evening. All the favourites were in there and the rendition of Je Suis Desole elevated it from one of the songs to one of the real favourites. The crowd were with the lads and Meet Me On the Corner got a tremendous response. The last few songs were all brilliant and we were having a great time, especially when someone requested Meet Me On the Corner. After The Last Time we were already looking forward to Prudhoe. The rain will have stopped by then we convinced ourselves. When we asked Brian and Les for directions to Prudhoe they only knew that it was west - but so are Carlisle and even Los Angeles. They were on at noon and we arrived with five minutes to spare. "You're mad, " said Marty. It's an assertion with which it is difficult to disagree. Standing under a tree watching the Happy Cats in a downpour will seem like madness to most, but we couldn’t see a problem. The songs were just as good and Je Suis Desole cemented its place in our personal playlist. Even the generator packing up during Fairytale of New York did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm - in fact it went with the misfortune that had dogged the event and its stoic organiser who maintained his air of cheeriness throughout. He even brought the local reporter to see us, as there was a distinct shortage of stories. Loonies in the Rain looked like a good headline for the Hexham Courant. They even took a photo of us! "Cambridge, Glastonbury, Cropredy!" announced Marty. "They've got nothing on Prudhoe." Certainly, as far as I'm concerned, he's right. Will we ever have the Cats playing just for us as we did at times during the Prudhoe Town Festival.
The band finished and the rain stopped. We made our way to the Quayside to take in more of the celebrations. The first stage we visited had a bunch of old rockers from Sunderland playing Meet Me On The Corner of all things. We watched the finale with all of the drummers on the Millennium Bridge and then discussed whether or not to take in the evening gig at Haltwhistle. We found out that it was near to Carlisle if not LA and would be really difficult - not so mad after all? Well maybe - halfway through the second bottle of Rioja we even considered going but were in no fit state to walk let alone find Haltwhistle. Since then we have tried not to regret missing the gig and having to return home before the show at The Smugglers in Roker. We saw the band there in December in a blizzard. What is it about the Happy Cats and the weather? The umbrella we had was used at Marty's final Lindisfarne gig in June 2000 when the heavens opened again - it is currently pictured on the opening page of the LF website. We are looking forward to the new album and are planning the next trip.
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