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Pete Atkin >> *oDs >> 10th Anniversary Bash
(Message started by: Carole on Today at 12:54)

Title: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Carole on Today at 12:54
Dear Atkinites

This is by way of a 'watch this space' message. It will be ten years ago in August since we went to see Pete at The Crown in Eastbourne and the revival was born! We can't see this life-affirming anniversary pass without doing anything, so we are at the very early stages of planning to do something!

With Pete's agreement, we are working on some dates and will post as soon we have a definite. What I can tell you so far, should it all work out, is that it will be in Sheffield, in a venue with a very limited number of seats, more autumn than high summer and will not be the 'traditional' style 'oD but will be Pete, on his own, playing just for us.

More will be posted as and when. Don't forget to check back....

Carole

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Jan on Today at 19:52
Carole,
That was a lovely piece of news to receive on a chilly damp day  :)
Jan

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Keith Busby on 24.02.06 at 01:38
Excellent news, indeed. Do we get to express a preference for period, Carole, or would that complicate matters too much?

Amicalement,

Keith


Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Carole on 24.02.06 at 10:25
Hi Keith

Yes, it would :)  We are already juggling venue availability, Pete's availability (he has been and still is very busy with the day job) and our own availability to pull the thing together. We are not just up to our eyes in work at the minute but are submerging for the third time!

I do hope you'll be able to make it, whatever the date turns out to be.

Carole

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Richard Bleksley on 24.02.06 at 21:00
I must agree with Jan and Keith - great news!  I was wondering when the next MV function would be.  I was even preparing (though only Pete and Andy know this) to have another go myself (Do I hear cries of "The man must be mad!"?), but now I'll put my schemes on the back burner, at least until next year.

I just hope I'll be able to come (distance, work commitments, etc....)

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Leslie Moss on 25.02.06 at 00:38
Wow! I shall definitely be watching this space!

Leslie

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Simon Reap on 27.02.06 at 09:19
This is definitely one of the threads that deserves a click on "Notify of replies'!!

Simon

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Secret Drinker on 02.03.06 at 17:00
I've only just seen the great news (I always seem to miss something important if I don't look at the forum for a week or so - as my old granny used to say "a watched forum never has any interesting news").

But now supergluing my eyes to this thread as I type, which isn't as easy as it sounds, I can tell you  ;D

Cheers

Paul

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Carole on 03.03.06 at 18:28
Announcement due in the next couple of days.... :)

Carole

Title: Booking Info - 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Carole on 04.03.06 at 13:24
Saturday, September 9th 2006 at 7.30pm

The Lantern Theatre
Kenwood Park Road
Nether Edge
Sheffield
S7 1NF


A little info about the venue, the Lantern Theatre. It is situated in an established residential area, among largish Victorian houses, but separated from the house next door by a wall. Originally it was in the grounds of this next-door house and built as the owners' own private theatre. It fell into neglect and was eventually spotted by Dilys Guite who thought it would be an admirable home for her Players. She set about raising donations for its purchase (the largest one she received was ten shillings, apparently). The Dilys Guite Players still use the Lantern Theatre today.

It is a gem of a place: proscenium stage, centre aisle stalls and a tiny balcony up a winding wooden staircase. A recent addition has been a modern reception area built onto the front of the building which as well as providing toilets and a small bar area, also protects the original front entrance stonework. Before this, drinks were served to the seats.

I wouldn't want to kid you that this theatre is in pristine condition - it certainly has a degree of tattiness (it would lose charm if it was tarted up) but it does have a PA system(!) and lighting board and it is just the right venue for what we want. Also, hiring it puts a little more money into the coffers for gentle refurbishment.

There are 80 seats for sale, that's all. So it's first come... Tickets are 10 pounds each, cheques payable to Carole Birkill. Postal address here (http://www.peteatkin.com/mv/index.php) (bottom of page). Or select 'Archive' on the Forum menu bar, then scroll to the bottom of the members-only index page - you need to be logged in to the Forum to access this. Tickets will not go out right away (we ain't done 'em yet) but sending your money will ensure you a seat. Please include your postal address for me to send the tickets to, and if you also include your email address I'll send you confirmation that I've received your payment.

[Don't attempt to contact the theatre direct - this being a private event they are not handling our bookings].

There seem to be lots of tools on the internet that will show/guide you to a location but if you have any questions, send me an IM, or email if you already know my address.

For anyone wishing to stay the night, there is local accommodation at the Marriott Hotel, Kenwood Road, Sheffield S7 1NQ - pretty much just across the street. Less pricey and just a little further out (distance shown on Autoroute as 0.7 miles) Roslyn Court Hotel, 180 Psalter Lane. Lots more accommodation of all kinds in Sheffield of course (city centre 1.5 miles), maybe some just as close - I've only started you off. The Roslyn Court is right next to a pub called The Psalter, which serves food. The Stag, Psalter Lane S11 8YL,  is very close to the Theatre and also does food.

So, there it is! Any questions - I'm sure you'll ask :). Hope you can make it.

Carole

PS: (added March 13th) - see live update of 'ThOD' seat availability on the Website (http://www.peteatkin.com/pa.htm#gigs).

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Keith Busby on 04.03.06 at 15:08
Cheque in mail.

Keith

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Colin Crooks on 05.03.06 at 13:14
Oh yes indeedy !!

Colin

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by avner greenberg on 05.03.06 at 21:28
Great idea Carole. The venue sounds just right. Doubtful that I'll be able to make it, but wishing you all success for this venture.

Avner

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by John N L Morrison on 06.03.06 at 22:13
Trying as I type to book at the Marriott - ruddy system is of course down. But will pop cheque in the post tomorrow.

Yours, ex-"spymaster" John.

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by John N L Morrison on 06.03.06 at 22:33
Hoorah - Marriott have deigned to take our reservation! We'll be there! Envelope by the door ready to be posted tomorrow.

(So, you need to identify me? I'll be standing by the potted palm with a copy of yesterday's "Times" and a pink carnation in my buttonhole)

No, not really, I'll still be the portly grey-haired chap you may or may not remember from "Panorama" in 2004 - my 15 minutes of fame, being beastly about the PM, which got me sacked! Best thing which could have happened.....


Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Stephen Chivers on 06.03.06 at 22:53
Great news at the end of a bad day! My cheque too will be in the post tomorrow morning.

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by haggis_john on 08.03.06 at 21:17
Great to hear about another gig, north of the smoke.  Cheque in the post tomorrow morning for two.

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Seán Kelly on 10.03.06 at 08:51
Nice one Carole  :D :D

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Lesley_Hodges on 13.03.06 at 11:32
Cheque in the post and I am about to book the Marriott!
Lesley Hodges

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary 'ThOD' - update
Post by Carole on 13.03.06 at 12:28
Hey, you done good! More seats sold than remaining, in just one week! This calls for a re-naming ceremony. It will henceforth be known as ThOD !

I've added a PS to my original booking info message which points you to a live seats remaining (http://www.peteatkin.com/pa.htm#gigs) count on the Smash Flops site (you might need to reload the page if you've visited it recently). Remember, if I haven't sent you a confirming email or IM, I haven't got your booking. If you haven't got around to sending it yet - get a wiggle on! :)

If anyone is unsure about spending the night, or the weekend, in Sheffield, perceiving it to be a grimy industrial place, let me tell you it's one of the greenest cities in England. This woodland (http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--about/parks-woodlands--countryside/trees--woodlands/ecclesall-woods) is less than a mile from the venue, which in turn is only about three miles from the edge of the Peak District National Park.

Keep those cheques coming!

Carole

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Seán Kelly on 21.03.06 at 11:37
Its strangely reassuring to hear that the Lantern theatre is "separated from the house next door by a wall".  Looking forward to checking it out!  :)
Seán
(listen mate everybody here has a role - and mine is to write rubbish like this!)

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Carole on 21.03.06 at 11:52
Sigh      



:)

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by andrew_long on 23.03.06 at 19:55
Count us in!

(paradoxically spent last Friday at the marriott in Nether Edge for my niece's wedding reception)

Cheque etc  on its way.

Andrew :)

Title: ThOD
Post by Carole on 07.04.06 at 14:06
Just a reminder about this event -- for full details see my message (http://www.peteatkin.com/cgi-bin/mv/YaBB.cgi?board=ods;action=display;num=1140699256;start=9#9) higher up the list. We are now down to 25 tickets remaining: you can check availability by going to the Smash Flops homepage (http://www.peteatkin.com/pa.htm#gigs). Make sure you refresh the page.

There are one or two people who have posted to say they are applying for tickets, but I haven't received their order. If you haven't had confirmation from me that your cheque has arrived at HQ, then it hasn't! On receipt I will email or IM to let you know your tickets have been reserved. Remember to include your email address or IM member name.

Thanks to everyone who has supported ThOD so far. For the very first time in the history of a Birkill-organised event we are home and dry financially!

So this is not a chivvy in the way that it has been in the past, more a gentle nudge to say that if you would like to be part of this anniversary celebration, don't leave it too late to secure your ticket!

Carole

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Leslie Moss on 08.04.06 at 12:28
Although Carole doesn't want to chivvy, I'd like, as moderator of the *oD threads, to gently chivvy a mere 10% of the five-sixths of the MV membership who haven't yet signed up for Thod to make up the remaining 25 places. Anyone who has been to a previous *oD knows what a wonderful atmosphere it is when Pete performs for his most attentive (nay, obsessive) fans - those who have hugged his music to their hearts for thirty years or more and those who have come more recently to these precious jewels. It's also very special to be able to meet up with the names and faces we've become familiar with through MVs - on line and in person.

And if you've never been to an *oD before, boy do you have a treat in store!

See you there folks!

Leslie

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by jeremy_pymer on 15.04.06 at 23:13
Dear Carole

I'm breaking my longest ever lurk to tell you that a cheque is in the post for 2 tickets for ThOD on 9 September, along with a SAE.

See you then and in the meantime thank you for this opportunity!

Jeremy Pymer

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Seán Kelly on 18.04.06 at 20:00
Come on now folks roll up, roll up - according to the front page of smash flops there are only 24 tickets left for this most fantastical event - book now to avoid disappointment - and there are only 143 days and 23 hours and 27 minutes and 21 seconds and 581 millisec.. 292 no, hang on - I had it just then  :) - anyway not long to go - miss this one at your peril - surely this one will be a sellout.

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by John N L Morrison on 08.05.06 at 22:43
Come, now, folks - fill up the remaininig seats!

We'll be in Canterbury, with any luck, by the time of the concert, so it'll be a long way up - but we'll recognise all of you C/A addicts even without a carnation and a copy of the Times. I'll be the portly chap with grey hair and a passing resemblance to Smiley...

Title: ThOD update
Post by Carole on 15.05.06 at 10:48
Just 12 tickets left now! For those people who have no idea what I'm talking about, see my message (http://www.peteatkin.com/cgi-bin/mv/YaBB.cgi?board=ods;action=display;num=1140699256;start=9#9) earlier in this thread for full details. If you're checking Smash Flops (http://www.peteatkin.com/pa.htm#gigs) to see how many tickets are left, remember to refresh the page.

Remember also that tickets will not go out for a while yet. All who have sent payment have tickets reserved for them, which will be sent nearer the time when we have designed them. If you send me payment I will always confirm receipt here at HQ, either by email if you remember to supply it, or Instant Message if you don't -- so long as I can figure out who you are :). No confirmation from me = no payment received or no way of contacting you. So if you think you've sent payment and haven't heard from me, let me know.

A note about Instant Message - some people don't realise that I've contacted them this way until they next log on to the Forum and maybe spot the 'you have 1 new message' flag. You can make sure that any IM sent to you also goes to your registered (Forum) email address by going to Profile (you need to be logged in to see this menu option) - scroll down to IM preferences - select Yes for 'notify by email'.

Keep those cheques coming!

Carole

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Dr_Sir_Rev_Steve on 18.05.06 at 12:49
Hi All

Cheque is in the post, frantically working it's way through the guts of a Royal Mail sorting office.

Looking forward to the gig and meeting you guys.

Regards

Dr Sir Rev Steve

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Phil Naldrett on 31.05.06 at 09:24
Hiya,

My first post, which is also coincidentally where my cheque is for two tickets to the bash. Hope that I'm not pipped at the, erm, post.

;D

Phil

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Carole on 20.06.06 at 10:54
A quick glance at the Ticketometer (Smash Flops homepage, remember to refresh) will reveal there are just 2 tickets left! Yes, TWO! Who will buy my last two tickets?  :)

While I'm here, I know that a sclonch of you are staying at the Marriott, but is there a secondary sclonch staying elsewhere? I ask because I know MV's like to get (as someone put it) post match analysis and the Marriott won't fit everyone's (ahem) bill. Please post if you have any info.

Two tickets! Get yours now!

Carole

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Stephen Chivers on 29.06.06 at 12:16
A sell out was surely never in doubt, but congratulations to Carole for achieving it so quickly!  Next thing is the tickets arriving and then roll on Saturday, 9 September.

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by snodin on 13.07.06 at 15:04
There are plenty of tickets left for Pete's gig in deepest Sussex on 24 July - venue capacity is 200 plus (and what a venue)!

http://www.theravenswood.co.uk/images/thumbnails/index_1.jpg

Anyone interested can email: info@acousticsussex.org.uk or check the Acoustic Sussex website for other details. (www.acousticsussex.org.uk ). Use the same email or this board if you need any information on accommodation locally, etc.

Regards.

Martin


Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by naomi on 13.07.06 at 20:27
Wow, it looks beautiful !
Next stop Glyndebourne, Pete ?!  ;)

Hope the weather's good that night ...
Naomi

Title: Back on Topic: SOSB (ThOD)
Post by Carole on 30.07.06 at 17:17
Only 41 days to go before the Sold Out Sheffield Bash! I have 80 tickets here and they will go out in batches this coming week. I will contact you by whatever method (email/IM) I used before to let you know when yours are in the post. Please contact me if you don't receive them after a suitable period of time.

Steve has prepared a page of information, maps and directions for those coming along to the event. You'll find it here (http://www.peteatkin.com/mv/thod.php), if you're logged in to the Forum.

Carole

Title: Tickets despatched!
Post by Carole on 01.08.06 at 14:52
The Carole that was going to send out the tickets in batches this week got overtaken by the Carole who got them all in the post today!  All have gone 2nd class (unless you sent me a sae with a 1st class stamp on it) except the overseas ones of course.

So can I save myself a little work here and instead of notifying you all separately, tell the collective you to expect the tickets very soon? Good - I thought you wouldn't mind :)

Now, I'll try and get myself back together...

Carole

Title: ThOD: directions and area guide
Post by S J Birkill on 06.08.06 at 15:22
I've just updated the page giving directions to the Lantern Theatre, with a list of restaurants in the vicinity. This is in our members-only area -- you need to log in to the Forum in order to view the page:

Lantern Theatre directions (http://www.peteatkin.com/mv/thod.php)

Steve

Title: Re: ThOD: directions and area guide
Post by Leslie Moss on 11.08.06 at 19:54

on 08/06/06 at 15:22:53, S J Birkill wrote :
I've just updated the page giving directions to the Lantern Theatre, with a list of restaurants in the vicinity. This is in our members-only area -- you need to log in to the Forum in order to view the page:

Lantern Theatre directions (http://www.peteatkin.com/mv/thod.php)

Steve


Steve, you are a seriously completist person - the postcode and top-three eateries would have been more than enough! Has the Sheffield City Council considered offering you a job as tourism officer?!

Leslie

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Colin Crooks on 13.08.06 at 21:17
Steve

I just LOVE your Error 404 reply from the directions page!

Colin

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by S J Birkill on 13.08.06 at 22:10

on 08/13/06 at 21:17:37, Colin Crooks wrote :
I just LOVE your Error 404 reply from the directions page!
Oops, sorry 'bout that -- I see the return link at the bottom is broken. I'll fix it immediately -- thanks!

SJB

[Must confess I didn't originate that 404 message, less still its paranoid persona]

Title: ThOD: Sheffield guide update
Post by S J Birkill on 19.08.06 at 22:21
Just a note to would-be revellers who may have welcomed my page of directions and dining recommendations: I have updated and corrected it a few times now since it first appeared, so keep an eye on it if making plans, and be sure to check for any up-to-the-minute changes before setting out for Sheffield.

http://www.peteatkin.com/mv/thod.php (http://www.peteatkin.com/mv/thod.php)

Steve

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Seán Kelly on 31.08.06 at 14:34
Can I just say Wow and Thanks! This is a fantastic amount of info - and as ever small details appeal (the aerial shot taken in winter - so there are less leaves - perfect!)
Thankyou Steve

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Gerry Smith on 31.08.06 at 17:00
The Lantern is a bizarre but beautiful Victorian relic, a miniature proscenium theatre: a bijou music-hall-style venue built in the 1990s

1990's!?

Gerry


Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by S J Birkill on 31.08.06 at 17:25
Perhaps I should have said 1890s. But hey, what's a century between Voices!

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by andrew_long on 03.09.06 at 20:36
Off topic replies have been moved to [link=http://www.peteatkin.com/cgi-bin/mv/YaBB.cgi?board=ods;action=display;num=1154441292]This Thread[/link] by S J Birkill.

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Ian Sorensen on 10.09.06 at 00:45
Just a quick message to all who were unable to be at the 10th Anniversary bash that it was a wonderful occasion. Not only was the theatre a wonderful venue but Pete's choices for the set were superb - many rarely performed songs getting an airing, and some nice new arrangements for old favourites.

One rarely done song that benefited from the new arrangement on piano was "Frangipani" - a  slight song given greater depth by the slower, jazzy keyboard sound. And "Little Sammy Speedball" made a welcome appearance toward the end. Pete also played pairs of songs and challenged us to spot the connection - I'll be interested to see what people make of that. The outstanding departure from the normal gig was Pete performing the  same song ("Here We Stay")  twice, with different melodies. I have to say I preferred the first version, as performed on the last tour, but liked the more subtle chords in the second version.

I'll leave it to others to provide the complete set list, and I know Alexis has plenty of photos, so I'll head for bed with a final thank you to Carol for organising the marvellous evening and Steve for doing what he did 10 years ago to get the whole shebang on the road.

See you at the next oD

Ian Sorensen

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Stephen Chivers on 10.09.06 at 09:42
A great evening's entertainment in a marvellous setting, well worth the drive to Sheffield.  I cannot thank Steve and Carole enough for organising something so special, and Pete for taking his steel guitar out of its case for a rare excursion, but thank you all anyway!

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash- Setlist
Post by Jan on 10.09.06 at 21:57
Thanks to Steve, Carole and Pete for a wonderful evening!
Keyboard: Roland
Guitars: Atkin, Taylor, National Steel (I didn't really note properly when the Taylor was used, it was mostly the Atkin)

Here's the setlist:

1. Eye of the universe (g) Great song, especially on guitar. Much more effective than the Lakeside version (sorry Pete!)
2. Sunrise (g)
3. The way to be alive (The king is dead) (k)
4. Frangipanni (k) Lovely slow version, made the most of the melody.

Linked songs:
5. Hypertension Kid (k)
6. The shadow and the widower (g)

OK I admit it the next one caught me out. He picked up the National Steel and that's the title I put down! But it was
7. Tonight you're love is over (g - National Steel)
8. Dancing master (k)

Two more linked songs:
9. You'd better face it boy (k)
10. Get it out of your head (k)

11. I've got me to thank (g - Taylor)
12. Driving through mythical America (g - Atkin)
Interval
13. The pearldriller's hands (g)
14. A king at nightfall (k)   In memory of an old friend.
15. Landscapes (k) One of my favourites which I hadn't heard live before.
16. National Steel (g - National Steel) Got it right this time!

Two more linked songs:
17. Rider to the world's end (k)
18. Tenderfoot (k)

19. Here we stay (g) Tour version
20. Here we stay (g) Original version
I didn't recognise the tour version but the original version did sound a bit familiar. Was it the original version that Pete sang at Walthamstow Folk Club in 2004 before the tour? (The day he left the words at home!) Quite a few Voices were there, can anyone confirm? Anyway I preferred the second, slower, more melodic version.

21. My egoist (k) This was played for an absent friend, not dead, just in France - MV Ian Chippett.
22. Just for me (Amy's blues) (k)
23. Sammy Speedball (k) Fast, fun and massively politically incorrect.
As an encore Pete asked the audience for suggestions and was inundated with requests, all of them different. As a result Pete turned to Steve who fittingly chose:
24. Payday evening (g)

It was a lovely, lovely evening. I had a great time and I apologise to anyone I bored witless. It was good to meet Keith Busby, Colin and Kate Crooks, Richard Corfield, Noam and Avner Greenberg for the first time.

It was the longest setlist since SoD at Milton Keynes in 2000.
To answer two queries which left me at a loss last night:
Little Sammy Speedball hadn't been played since FoD at Monyash in July 1999.
All the dead were strangers was played at the Lamb, Eastbourne in July 2004.

Still on a pink cloud
Jan

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Secret Drinker on 11.09.06 at 09:04
I'd just like to add my thanks to Carole and Steve for organising this event - superbly enjoyable and memorable as ever - and of course to Pete without whom none of this would have been!  ;D

Smashing venue, great set from Pete including lots of unusual stuff for MV 'tickers', and a very pleasant get-together afterwards where we could meet up with old friends and some new ones. We had a wonderful time.

Best wishes to all, and we're already looking forward to the next one!

Cheers

Paul and Frankie  :)  :)

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash- Setlist
Post by Secret Drinker on 11.09.06 at 13:22

on 09/10/06 at 21:57:27, Jan wrote :
:
Linked songs:
5. Hypertension Kid (k)
6. The shadow and the widower (g)
:
Two more linked songs:
9. You'd better face it boy (k)
10. Get it out of your head (k)
:
Two more linked songs:
17. Rider to the world's end (k)
18. Tenderfoot (k)
:
It was the longest setlist since SoD at Milton Keynes in 2000.
To answer two queries which left me at a loss last night:
Little Sammy Speedball hadn't been played since FoD at Monyash in July 1999.
All the dead were strangers was played at the Lamb, Eastbourne in July 2004.


Thanks for posting the setlist Jan - glad you were there this time, to avoid the confusion we had after PoD  :huh:

For the benefit of those who weren't there, Pete played pairs of tunes with a connection between the songs, at ThoD. Can anyone spot what the connections are? It would be interesting to hear people's answers.

I knew I hadn't heard "Sammy" before in living memory, but I thought Pete had played "All the dead" a fair number of times in recent years, even though I've never been to any of the Eastbourne gigs. Unless my memory is deluding me (sadly, it often does these days)   :(

Cheers

Paul  :cool:

(Well, I seem to be a fixture now so I figured what the £&$%?!, might as well post another one  :o )

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Carole on 11.09.06 at 16:07
I'd like to say a huge thankyou to everyone who supported ThOD. You made my life very easy during the planning, by committing to come. The venue was a dream, I think everyone was bowled over by it. The last time we had seen the theatre it was looking very tired and a little unloved, but a grant to install new seats and hard work to redecorate, by volunteers, has restored it beautifully. We were the first audience to try the new seats, the work only having been completed a few days before.

Thanks to Andy for organising the Master S Flops 10 year old birthday card, and to everyone who signed it. And apologies, Andy, that it took some getting across to me just exactly what the card was all about!  :-/  Put it down to over-excitement or exhaustion on my part. However, I might put it down to me not being able to understand what the bloomin' 'eck thah were on abaht!  :huh:

As always, a treat to meet again people who have become old friends (well, we've all become old-er) and to meet some new people, some hearing Pete for the first time in ages. I hope you all had as amazing a time as we did - of course you did!

Thank you Pete, as always!

Carole

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Seán Kelly on 11.09.06 at 17:09
.....and a HUGE thankyou back to everyone who helped to organise THOD!! - what a great time we lucky 80 ticket-buyers had thanks to your work - the venue was lovely (heck even the countryside nearby was lovely!) Pete's set was magnificent - great choices - and some fantastic performances - Pete you did what every MV must surely wish for - took us to the very heart of the composer's territory ; rarely played songs, new songs, or very old songs and, just occasionally, as almost a surprise, songs from the latest cd - many given a fresh twist - (eg frangipanni all slow and hanging on the edge of each line) and all given a fresh breath of life in this wonderful intimate theatre.  A great night.
Thanks so much to you Carole for putting this all together, and to Steve - on the sound-desk, and Snoops the photographer and Pete of course - and all the other nice folks who came along.  The whole thing was a total treat!
Seán
ps vote for version 2  ;)

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Kevin Cryan on 11.09.06 at 21:06
I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of “thank yous” that  Carol, Steve, Snoopy and of course Pete have been receiving for making  Saturday evening such a rewarding one. I, for one, will remember for a long time, not least because I got to hear some of the James/Atkin output that I'd either not heard at all, or had heard only very rarely.

It's apparent yet again that if James/Atkins audience like their men because they display a musical and lyrical intelligence not often found in post-1950's popular music, the pair return the compliment by openly acknowledging that their audience is itself something of a rarity, in that not only does it appreciate that intelligence, it actually demands of it.

Most performers, playing the kind of celebratory gig that Pete was playing on Saturday night, would have just settled for a play list of “old favourites” or “requests from the fans”.  Not Pete! He seemed to see in the gig as yet another opportunity –he’s done this before - to try out things that were challenging, and that the audience would have to think about, discuss, open to critical examination and generally digest before making, I was goingsay final judgements, but as “final judgements” do not do not come easily to this audience,  it would probably be better to say arrived as some agreed conclusion.

It’s evident from the mailings over the last forty-eight hours or so that some of that thinking, some of that discussion and some of that critical examination that Pete’s audience does is already going on full swing. But that’s exactly what Pete expected all along, isn’t it?  

Kevin Cryan

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Richard Bleksley on 11.09.06 at 23:08
As one who has good reason to know how much is involved in organising these things, I'd like to add my voice to the growing chorus of thanks to Steve and Carole and Pete for giving us such a memorably wonderful evening. The venue was an absolute delight, and Mr. Atkin obliged with an excellent set - which I was properly able to appreciate, being free of the responsibilities that weighed me down somewhat at PoD.

Our evening did get off to a slightly shaky start, though (through no fault of the organisers, let me hasten to add). I'd bowed out of Keith Busby's dinner sclonch on the grounds that, since the Nether Edge Hotel, where we were staying (I didn't feel able to rise to the Marriott's prices), was the nearest eatery to the Lantern, it made sense to eat there. We arrived in comfortable time, we thought, to book in and have a relaxed dinner, only to discover that they were hosting a wedding reception and the chef was too busy to do any dinners! So it was hot-foot round to the Marriott, cap in hand, to beg inclusion in the sclonch after all. Fortunately Keith is a gentleman and accommodated us with no fuss. It was just as well, really: if we'd followed the original plan I'd have missed out on some very enjoyable conversation, particularly with Paul Gunningham and Séan Kelly. Talk about a small world - we discovered that Séan and Mary had spent their holidays on the same campsite in France that we'd stayed at!

And then it was hot-foot again (the reason why we left the restaurant after everybody else is the proverbial long story) to the Lantern Theatre. Set as it is, in the middle of a quiet leafy suburb of big, solid Victorian and Edwardian houses, it must come as a bit of a surprise if you're unaware of its history. And it's a real gem - a real theatre in miniature, complete with a tiny circle seating about twenty people. One of the nice things about such a small, intimate venue is that it doesn't really matter where you sit. Even where we were, right at the back of that little circle, the view of the stage was superb. And so was Pete's performance. As I've said boringly often before, he's at his best in an intimate setting.

It was, indeed, a set worthy of its connoisseur (ahem!) audience. Anyone who missed the cover versions which have featured at previous *oDs could take comfort in the high proportion of rare gems (very old songs, new songs, songs seldom heard live) and alternative versions that were sung. Eye Of The Universe (slower and on guitar), Frangipani Was Her Flower (much slower and on piano), Tonight Your Love Is Over (played bottleneck on the National Steel), Rider To The World's End (on piano) were all significantly different from the recorded versions. The Hypertension Kid was noticeably more relaxed than the recorded version, too. Not to mention the alternative version of Here We Stay (a completely different tune from the version heard previously). As I remember it, Jan, the version sung at Walthamstow was substantially the same as the tour version, though since that was its first public performance it may have been revised a little since. (Having written this, I now see that Séan has said the opposite! I stand by my version of events, though, so there.) I go with Clive in preferring the tour (or should I say "authorised"?) version. (So there again, Séan!)

Over and above all this, I had a personal reason for enjoying the set, for, considering the number of songs Pete has to choose from, a remarkably high proportion were songs that are either particular favourites of mine or have a nostalgic resonance for me. Sunrise, The King Is Dead, The Hypertension Kid, I've Got Me To Thank, The Pearl Driller, A King At Nightfall, Landscapes (I agree with you on this one, Jan), National Steel, all come into one of those categories. I lost count of the number of times recognition of the next number brought an involuntary smile to my face. And I like Amy's Blues so much that it was my organiser's special privilege request at PoD - this time, to my delight, I got it without even requesting it.

I don't feel quite bold enough to meet Pete's challenge by identifying the connections between the linked pairs of songs - especially the first pair, since I've never really managed to get to grips with Shadow And The Widower.  Does anybody out there actually understand it?

At the end of Little Sammy Speedball Pete cried: "To the Marriott!" but there was little hope of that just yet. Applause for Pete, Steve and Carole was deservedly loud and long. Of course we didn't let Pete go without an encore, after which the happily satisfied throng consented to adjourn to the Marriott Hotel for the reception. As I queued to buy drinks for myself, wife and son I discovered (a) that I'd been right not to stay there and (b) that I was in trouble now, when I heard a bloke in front of me being charged £3.05 for a pint of Boddingtons! But, hey, you don't get to go to an occasion like this every day, and they did do us some very nice sandwiches.

I was interested to overhear Pete telling someone that the MVs are a daunting (well, I won't swear to the exact word) audience for him to play to. I assume he meant that we know the material so well that we're liable to pick up little slips that might go unnoticed at, say, a folk club. But, Pete, there is an up side as well. If we're more knowledgeable than yer average audience, we're also more loyal. With us it's all in the family, so to speak, and if we do notice any mistakes I hope I may say that we're also more likely to pass off and "forgive" them, as a good family should. Not that there were many. Also, as Kevin points out, you know we will appreciate a more adventurous set - which you always deliver on occasions like this, and we're grateful for it.

As for me, Pete informed me that I must be a glutton for punishment. Come to think of it, it's true that I do seem to have been a bit of a regular at his gigs in the last couple of years, but I don't feel I'm in danger of overdosing just yet, especially after such a brilliant evening as this was. So, grateful thanks again, Pete and Steve and Carole, and here's to the next time!








Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Keith Busby on 12.09.06 at 00:55
Just back from sunny England to a damp and dreary Milwaukee (shome mishtake, shurely?), having survived 9/11 anniversary security and American Airlines bog-standard coach class unscathed. I can add little to what others have already said about ThoD. A terrific evening enhanced by meeting friends old and new. Especial thanks to the Birkills in their various roles and incarnations. More anon, no doubt, and here's already to the next one.

Keith

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by BogusTrumper on 12.09.06 at 14:23

on 09/11/06 at 23:08:36, Richard Bleksley wrote :
I was interested to overhear Pete telling someone that the MVs are a daunting (well, I won't swear to the exact word) audience for him to play to. I assume he meant that we know the material so well that we're liable to pick up little slips that might go unnoticed at, say, a folk club. But, Pete, there is an up side as well. If we're more knowledgeable than yer average audience, we're also more loyal. With us it's all in the family, so to speak, and if we do notice any mistakes I hope I may say that we're also more likely to pass off and "forgive" them, as a good family should. Not that there were many. Also, as Kevin points out, you know we will appreciate a more adventurous set - which you always deliver on occasions like this, and we're grateful for it.


To quote one of my favorite parodies from the site:

To Buxton came the ranks of Midnight Voices
It was them, not always Pete, who knew the score
And knowing this, unprompted, loved him more



Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Nedd on 12.09.06 at 19:28
Can I add my pebble to the mountain of thanks to Pete, Carol and Steve for a brilliant evening. Also to all the Voices who made a newcomer feel welcome. I'll go back to my shell now and try to lurk without intervening again.
Nedd


but I would just like to say that I preferred the second version, if anyone's counting. :)

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Seán Kelly on 12.09.06 at 22:54

on 09/12/06 at 19:28:33, Nedd wrote :
but I would just like to say that I preferred the second version, if anyone's counting. :)


Yeah me Nedd - thanks - its now 7 to 4 in favour of V2   :D

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Keith Busby on 13.09.06 at 00:49
Make that 8 to 4.

Keith

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Secret Drinker on 13.09.06 at 09:25
Word soon gets around - see here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5340514.stm) (BBC news item today)

;)

Cheers

Paul

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by S J Birkill on 13.09.06 at 09:39
I thought we'd inspired this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5324458.stm) one!

SJB

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Dr_Sir_Rev_Steve on 14.09.06 at 09:27
Hi

Many thanks to Pete, Carol and Steve for a fantastic eve. A great gig and hope there will be many more we can attend.

Thanks again.

The Fraudulent Dr Sir Rev Steve.

PS.  2nd version gets my vote.

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Pete Atkin on 14.09.06 at 18:53
And it's a good many thanks, each one of them generously proportioned, from me too to everyone involved, to the Lantern, to all who came, to Alexis (not least for carrying the Roland and for the great pics), but most of all of course to Steve and Carole.

I was deeply unsure about whether I was doing the right thing in assembling a set which included none, or at least very few, of the likely top request candidates, so a further thank to everyone who decided not to bash me over the head either physically or metphorically for not singing BOTBS or Honky Tonk Train (actually, that is everybody).   Not everything worked out quite as I'd intended, but, hey, that's rock and roll.  So I'm told.  

The song pairings were, like so much else, a last-minute idea, one that resulted perhaps from not having looked closely at the songs concerned for a while.  It occurred to me that the Rider To The World's End and the horseman in Tenderfoot are probably the same character.  Likewise the Hypertension Kid and the Shadow And The Widower -- although the S&W is clearly in less philosophical mood.   I also had in mind to pair Between Us There Is Nothing with the Hollow And The Fluted Night (another of the 'orphans' that no one ever mentions, but which I have a bit of a persistent thing for), as they're both about the same kind of relationship, it seems to me.   There may be other possibilities...

Having played around with open tunings on the Steel in order to find a way to use it for Tonight Your Love Is Over (I used the pretty much standard open D), I think I can see some other possibilities there too....

New threads have opened up for some other thoughts, so I'll go through the appropriate channels, as they say.

Meanwhile, to everyone who wasn't there:  don't feel bad, you wouldn't have enjoyed it;  and many another thank to everyone who was.

All best wishes to all

Pete

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Alan Manton on 15.09.06 at 11:42
A bit late perhaps but I would like to echo the praise that has been justifiably heaped on all aspects of the recent Sheffield gathering.  It’s taken me a while because I cleverly used Pete’s gig as an excuse for my wife and I (firmly ensconced in front of the telly during Pete’s performance – yes my wife DOES hate Pete Atkin…) to take a five day mini-break in the Peak District.  Thank you Pete, Carole and Steve for helping with my holiday arrangements.

And what of the night itself?  I’ve had the good fortune to see Pete quite a few times since the early seventies and surprisingly, despite increasing age-related brain atrophying I can remember many of the venues.  But after a single visit, for me the Lantern is elevated to the top of the pile.  What a gem!  I’m not sure I would have fully believed a verbal description unless I’d actually seen it with my own eyes.  I secretly imagine that Steve and Carole actually had it created for us as the perfect PA venue.  Surely this has to be true as the seats were previously un-graced by bottoms and it still smelt of new carpet.  Even as we speak, perhaps the gaffers are reverting it to an ordinary house…

Pete, I don’t understand how you could have had any doubts that the assembled MVs would have appreciated your set list.  It was wonderful.  Definitely one for the connoisseurs.  I knew it was going to be good from the very opening number.  To my ears, Eye of The Universe has always sounded better on the original guitar demo than the Lakeside keyboard arrangement.  This version was different again but owed more to the earlier incarnation.  (Perhaps this could be a candidate for another of Sean’s version 1 / version 2 votes).

The evening was exciting and a bit unpredictable.  There were several occasions where it took quite a few bars before I could mentally sing along.  In fact, with some of the new arrangements, I was still stumped at the end of the song.

As for the great Here We Stay debate I can be absolutely positive on my vote – I like both of them!  I’ll go with Pete’s suggestion of ‘topping and tailing’ the next album with each version.

Finally, I feel that I must suggest a correction to Pete’s last post in which he stated “Meanwhile, to everyone who wasn't there:  don't feel bad, you wouldn't have enjoyed it”.  Sorry everybody – he’s wrong – you would have loved it!

Alan.

Title: ThOD: The Review
Post by S J Birkill on 20.09.06 at 21:59
First full-scale review of the event, HERE (http://www.peteatkin.com/thodrevrb.htm). Thanks to Richard Bleksley for a most thorough job!

I'll follow up with a page of photos soon -- SJB

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by BogusTrumper on 21.09.06 at 12:18
One day, one day, I will get a trip to UK co-ordinated with an *oD

;D

Title: Re: ThOD: The Review
Post by Secret Drinker on 21.09.06 at 16:56
Excellent review, Richard!

I would just like to dispel any suspicions that I don't like the song National Steel, as the wording might be interpreted that way! I love to hear National Steel played on the National Steel by Pete, but I just thought it would be interesting to hear Pete play something other than that on it. Which of course Pete did at ThoD - thanks again, Pete!

Cheers

Paul

Title: ThOD: The Review with photos
Post by S J Birkill on 21.09.06 at 17:21
I've just embellished and informed Richard's already excellent review with a few photos and links. It's still HERE (http://www.peteatkin.com/thodrevrb.htm).

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Seán Kelly on 21.09.06 at 20:06
Great Review Richard - brought it all back very well indeed - impressive memory - or you must have had your head in a notepad half the show!
thanks!
Seán
ps IM me your email address and I'll send you a shot of you and your family eating ice cream before the show - can't say fairer than that can you?!

Title: Re: ThOD: The Review
Post by Carole on 22.09.06 at 11:49
Very nice review, Richard. I was indeed hugely pleased to hear You Better Face It Boy and I didn't even ask!

One little story from the night: the Lantern boss-man had told me earlier in the day about the time they had had a musical performer there and the audience thought this person so dreadful that all but six of them ended up in the bar, one of the six coming through to complain that they couldn't hear the performance for the row coming from the bar.

At the end of our show, just before the encore when we were trying to persuade Pete to return (on his own admission he was a little slower than Clive would have been) the back door opened a crack and a very anxious face peeped through and then relaxed. Maybe the boss-man thought that we might have been rioting  at a rotten performance and his new seats were being wrecked! :)

Anybody else feel able to do a review, or has Richard done such a good job that there's Nothing Left To Say?

Carole

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by Murray McGlew on 23.09.06 at 03:25
Great review of what was obviously a wonderful show, with the fringe benefit of the befores and afters.

I'd like to record my admiration of the theatre. It looks like the actual theatre of our dreams.

Anything we do here happens in the town hall, which like most of them was built to handle everything from indoor sport to dances. Biggish, cold in winter, and with dodgy acoustics, it does the job but only just. Every now and then we fantasise about what something that was smaller and built just to be a theatre would be like, and guess what. It would be just like the Lantern in the photos.

Since I'm not in a position to buy it and have it shipped back here brick by brick and reassembled, I suppose I will just have to put it on my list of things to see when I get over there one day.

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by avner greenberg on 27.09.06 at 21:48
May I add my very long overdue thanks (been on the road awhile) to Carole and to everyone else who had anything to do with making ThoD such a truly memorable event. It's been 7 very eventful years since the Birkills' last production, and this was a worthy successor indeed.
Warm regards to old and new friends.

Avner

Title: Re: 10th Anniversary Bash
Post by S J Birkill on 27.09.06 at 22:05
Thank you all for your kind words. This really was one of the easiest shows ever to organise (for myself as well as for Carole, who did most of the work), and one of the most rewarding for us and for Pete too I think, especially given the universal appreciation. A large chunk of thanking to you all!

Just a word about photos: I noticed there were quite a few flashes going off, especially outside the auditorium. Good! I'm still intending to assemble a page of shots of the more social side of the evening. If you have any photos you'd like to share, please don't be deterred by the brilliant camerawork Snoopy has shown us; send us your own efforts and I'll try to include the best of them. I already have some good ones from Keith Busby, including the pre-show dinner, but I'm sure there are more lurking out there (and Carole has a pretty good idea who the photographers are!) from the pre-show dinner, the concert, the interval bar, and the Marriott reception.

All contributions welcome -- as always, to sjb(at)peteatkin(dot)com.

Steve

Title: ThOD extracurricular photos
Post by S J Birkill on 30.09.06 at 20:06
Thanks to Keith Busby and Seán Kelly (and of course Alexis Birkill), I am pleased to announce a pageful of non-concert photos from the ThoD weekend, HERE (http://www.peteatkin.com/thodextraphotos.htm). Some of the photos are quite large -- broadband recommended!

Steve



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