What a beautiful Summer Solstice, thanks for making it a wonderful show for us!
We were up against it - a man down with our brilliant bassist *Simon unable to perform, but you guys in the crowd, at The John McAteer stage & on the sound made it so easy for us.
What a stunning venue The Newton Brewery Inn is, great vibes at the bar, large and stunning outdoor area where we played.
*Get well soon our Simon ❤️
📸 Louise Mather
Sometimes you have to rise to the challenge...
We were at around 50% calling off today's show. Simon, our brilliant bassist had phoned to say he had a hand injury that clearly needed to be seen to as a priority and there was no way he could come along (let alone play bass). We really hope our good friend on those low notes recovers really soon but in the meantime we had to make a decision.
In deciding to go on with the show (there's a saying here somewhere) we needed to work out how to do it. Those songs where Simon's bass is a beautiful counter melody as "a" (if not "THE") main musical theme of the song were out, a couple of songs we don't play normally were in, and many others adapted in terms of playing style, rhythm, frequency & tone.
We were also ably aided by José, our sometimes producer and again this time, sound-guy.
We got away with it. Get well soon Simon and.. Onwards!
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| Heavily adapted setlist |
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| 3 wasn't the magic number (for us) but we got away with it! |
It's a great feeling when you've got a busy festival weekend coming up & you see posts showing a well drilled team preparing.
Photos from Midsummer Middlewich where we're playing;
Saturday - The Turnpike, 2pm
Sunday Solstice - Newton Brewery, 4pm
June 2nd, 2026
The evening marked my 1st (and maybe only) time in the role of a Battle of the Bands judge. I was on the panel at a local college (if you know me personally, you'll know which one it is) to help select winners from 1st year student bands. A really enjoyable night, and great to see such a variety of genres on display as well as fabulously burgeoning new talent.
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| The panel's desk |
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| A pre-judgement rest |
