OK, A RANT……………………………. 2009 is nearly over and we have done the last gig of the year. Was it a great year? Well ‘err no, it was quite mixed. Some good, some bad, some indifferent gigs, but they all played their part in the year, one way or another, in getting us where we are now. Broke!
The priority was about getting back up to speed because at the beginning of 2009 we found ourselves back as a 3 piece, just like in the 90’s. There was a funky new website (this one) and come the end of January we had a new guy on fiddle for gigs ‘madfiddler Mark’. Mark had to pick up the ball and run with it, and we soon kicked his notes off stage to help him run a bit faster we can tell you. He’s done well, fitted in a treat, real nice guy we can get on with and party with, we just need to convince him to stick around ha ha. So, all in all, the target for 2009 has been achieved. Job done!
Along the way, we have even gained a mandolin player, Ewan, for those acoustic shows. Unfortunately, although he came to Europe with us, the UK hasn’t seen Ewan ‘cus we had to cancel 3 gigs (previously we had only cancelled 1 in 10 years) due to swine flu. We don’t like cancelling gigs, it hurts us. Still, all the venues were cool with us about it.
And what of 2010? Well, we’d like to see Mark stick around and maybe even feature on a new album for us. I have a bagful of new songs, plus of course all the newish unrecorded stuff we have been playing since the last album in 2006: ‘Politics & Love’. However, as our old bus blew up on us early in 2009 and we had to purchase a new one (not exactly new but new to us), we is broke! We is in debt! Until that is paid off, it is difficult to set any timescales. Hopefully, we’ll get there towards the end of 2010 with some studio dates for a 2011 release; unless some rich long-lost uncle arrives and helps us out financially before then.
Times are hard for everyone of course, and xmas is a troubled financial time for all. Except the Bankers of course, who have had nearly a trillion, yes I said a trillion pounds of our money, that’s £1,000,000,000,000. That’s an ‘effin big number (I had to google it ‘cus it’s so big) with a lot of noughts when all the rest of us have only redundancies, pay cuts and freezes, tax rises and public service cuts to look forward to! And then we’ll find ourselves in an election. There’s no doubt that Labour deserve a kicking for their performance in office, especially their pandering to a right wing agenda, PFI, Academy Schools, continuing student loans and fees, outsourcing, privatisation, lack of proper banking regulation, invasive policing, restricted personal freedoms, national insecurity and obsession with fighting pointless wars costing the lives of our soldiers at a huge human and financial cost.
Still, we did get the minimum wage, European Social Chapter and a bagful of other much-needed public spending initiatives. But is that enough? On balance, I am not sure but those Blairites have to go but to replace them with a Tory Govt…you have to be joking! The bad stuff I mentioned will only be worse.
For those of you old enough to remember 1979 to 1997 get a reality check. The Tories were shite and they haven’t changed…for Christ sake this year they already tried a plot to abolish the minimum wage! When in office they plan to scrap the only remaining piece of consensus workplace legislation they didn’t abolish in the 1980’s…the 1974 Health and Safety At Work Act. Not clever IMHO! You’ll be literally dying to go to work. If they haven’t slashed and burned anything or any jobs that are actually left or cut the crap out of the NHS, Education and other vital services. That and ‘cut red-tape’ which is a euphemism for looking after their rich mates interests - at your expense. They want less banking regulation, like that's really gonna help us innit?! Oh, but it will mean that Banks can carry on pretty much as they were paying those lovely bonuses. Cheers, mines a Bolly!
It never ceases to amaze me that when we get in a pickle due to right wing policies, some folks think the answer is a harsher version of what’s already failed. That’s a bit like abusing your car, then when it breaks down, hitting it all over with a sledgehammer in the hope it starts to look great again and might start working. It don’t work, ok! It’s broke, it needs TLC and investment.
The Tories ain’t changed, just the frontman, oh yeah he’s a better singer than the last guy, but the tunes are still crap, outdated and have their signature key stuck in the 1800’s.
Hey, ‘we’re all in this together’ Cameron says, so I hope he passes some of his vast inherited royally connected sir whatsitthingy personal fortune (£30 million) on to the Exchequer for the good of the nation in these hard times. Call me a commie if ya like but this bloke is vacuous, has no idea what life on a council estate on income support is like, he’s never needed a real job, or done one and he’s only ever done politics – that’s what Eton and Oxford buy you.
You’ll find me in inspired form lyrically, it will intensify as we get to June and I break into a cold sweat at the thought of people who might actually still swallow this one nation Tory bullshit or worse, they go and vote for a nazi party like the BNP. I already have the song to fit the occasion. Hang Parliament is what I say! Whoops, hung Parliament, sorry.
Anyway, I digress but I did say this was a rant and there it is.
Have a good Christmas or whatever else it is you believe in and a specially fabtastic new year. Drown your sorrows and stay drunk in 2010 that’s my advice, it might be for the best ‘cus at least they won’t be able to blame you for anything. Oh, and don’t forget to pop along and check us out at a gig or two. We appreciate your support. We might appear miserable unsocial ungrateful fuckers some times but I assure you we’re not like that really. We are only miserable ungrateful fuckers when we have to pay for beer. At other times we are cheery optimistic souls still hoping that some A&R guy comes knocking at our door from EMI, or Sony, Or Rough Trade.
Play it loud and get drunk ‘cus it’s the only thing that sometimes makes sense. I have the tinnitus and empty bottles here to prove it.
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