The Cecilian Singers' Carol Concert 2009

We drove over to Leicester to see David singing in the Cecilian Singers Choir. Val couldn't join us this year as she's in America visiting her sister.

We've been going annually for a few years now, but the format this year, was slightly different as they'd changed the venue to St Philip's Church in Evington Road. Parking was typically Leicester, all double-yellows with the occasional free space. Finding a space wasn't helped by the thick fog that had lingered all day. We were lucky in finding one solitary space on the street, about 5 minutes away.

For 2009, the programme was different. Instead of one event punctuated by the sit-down supper, we had the first half in the Church, then supper, then the second half in the Church Hall, in the next room.
The Programme was excellent in our view. Part one was a more traditional carol-concert whilst Part two featured more modern stuff. This year, for the first time, members of the choir did some small group and individual pieces � solo singing, recorders and a lute were all featured.

As always, each half contained the obligatory 'sing-for-your-supper' piece. Part one featured Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, whilst Part 2 allowed the audience to murder, O Come all Ye Faithful :)

The food was its normal high standard and all-in-all, this year for me, the whole event was the best they'd done so far.

For us, Christmas has now officially started!

We left around 10.45 and in spite of the thick fog, were home by 11.45.

Oundle Festival: The Bootleg Beatles

Nicki drove up to us in the morning and got to us around 11. The weather was a bit unpredictable, but hey, as Jo said: "what's the worst that can happen?". Mum decided to stay at home, because of the threatened bad weather.

So, Jo, Janet, Nicki, Ann and I, stocked-up with enough food for an army (or two), and a range of umbrellas, set off for the event quite early � 4.45 (for a 7.30 start) - in order to ensure we got a good spot at the event.

As we approached Oundle for the Oundle Festival, we joined the jam! It looked like the whole of Northamptonshire was going where we were going!!! We then noticed that the tickets said the gates opened at 5 o'clock not 5.30 � that explains it then�

On arriving, we saw that the car park was packed. We couldn't believe how so many people had got in so quickly, even if they'd got there at 5pm.

After parking close to where we thought the outdoor event was going to be, we noticed that everyone seemed to be walking in a different direction. The 'old' area was now full of cars � things have obviously changed considerably since we last came here.

Laden down with all the food, chairs, blankets and umbrellas, we followed everyone else into the next field. Eeeek, there were thousands there already and we ended up almost walking right to the back of the field for a space.
 
Note to self: get there MUCH earlier next time!

So, we settled down and prayed that the weather would hold. The forecast was rain but it was initially just windy. Being so far away from the stage made it difficult to see what was going and initially the sound from the massive speakers was below par�but they got that sorted after a short while. The distance made photographs  of the acts impossible! Most people brought picnics � some were more elaborate than others, with linen table-cloths and candelabra � As normal we ate well.

We noticed that for the first time, in our experience that there were also stalls selling food and drink. In fact we think that next time, we'll rely on those and that'll save us lugging what felt like 500 tons of provisions across miles of terrain. We even considered getting a taxi there and back next year and that'll save all the walking.

First-up, there was a support Rock and Roll Band, 'The OGs' (a bit out-of-tune in places), followed by The Manfreds (pretty good) and then at around 8.45, the Bootleg Beatles. We'd seen them years ago, and they were great then. They didn't disappoint this time either had captured the sound of the Beatles perfectly.

At around 9.30 the rain started � and it got worse..and worse�and worse! We decided to pack-up and skip the second half of the Bootleg Beatles and the fireworks (a shame) � we then headed back to ours for tea/coffee � the drive home was horrendous..rain, rain and more rain!

All-in-all, it was a great evening, although we could have done with being much closer to the performances and the deterioration of the weather didn't help�next year will be better!!!

At around 11, the girls left (Nicki was driving back home) and we got to bed around 11.30.

London for the weekend - Saturday

Today's the day when we head to The O2 to Jeff Wayne's, The War of the Worlds 30th Anniversary concert tour.

The tour, updated for 2009, will feature a 3d hologram of Richard Burton and a 30ft Martian fighting machine descending from the ceiling � more details later on�

We had a rare lie-in. I got-up at 7.30 and Ann followed not long after. We had breakfast in the hotel around 9.30 - the restaurant was packed � and tucked into a cooked one! The weather forecast was for a warm day so we decided to head for the River and take a boat trip up the Thames on the Thames Clipper service � a wide catamaran design that was exceptionally comfy and incredibly fast! I can't remember ever having done this before and it was great fun taking in the sites of all the converted Wharves along the Thames. The round-trip took about an hour.

We stopped off at Greenwich Pier and looked around the National Maritime Museum and then the Queen's House (designed for the Queen of Denmark by Inigo Jones). Both were really interesting � the museum even had a dude wandering around dressed as Neptune acting as a tour guide; frightening children and just looking weird!

We caught the clipper back to Canary Riverside and decided to stop off for a quick bite around 2 at Zizzi's (mainly because it was the first place we saw!). We only wanted a snack so we shared a starter. Service was brisk and were back in the hotel by 2.40 � time to put our feet-up and rest awhile in preparation for tonight's Concert.

Transport-wise, we knew that the nearest station was going to be closed due to engineering work, so travelled again on a Thames Clipper.

We decided to eat at an Argentinian restaurant called Gaucho � mainly because it looked less busy that all the rest. As it was, we still had to book and come back. We returned just after 7pm and they had a table waiting via a lift journey. Boy, was it busy�and some! And very dark! It seems to be a trend these days to make flashy restaurants as dark as possible � just so you can't read the menu.

Anyway, the service was well above 'good'. It was one of the few restaurants where they actually bring out the cuts of meat and explain them all. Ironically, we didn't much care for all the faffing around because it was now 7.20 and the concert started at 8. Fortunately, all the waiting-staff seemed to be used to this challenge, and ours hurried along our order. We still only had around 10 minutes eating-time, but we made it�just! Hurrying the whole affair was a shame because the whole experience was a really good one. Running shoes at the ready as we left Gaucho at 7.58!!!

The Concert - The War of the Worlds

The show started slightly late � around 8.05 - mainly due to many people like us rushing from where they'd been eating. The first thing we noticed when we got to our seat (Row F, very near the front) was how many people were there! We not been here since 1999 when it was The Millennium Dome and had forgotten just how spacious it was. There were thousands of people there and those at the back of the venue looked liked the size of pin-heads. We've never seen a stadium so large�and so full!

There was a hearty cheer when the UllaDUBulla Strings took to the stage and a roar when Jeff Wayne followed. The lights dimmed and we were soon listening to the opening piece � the part where the Martians are justifying their attack on Earth. This wasn't on the original Album and I suspect had been added to contextualise the story for those not familiar with JW's opus.

Not long after, we were in to more familiar territory with the first appearance of Richard Burton (a hologram for this tour, replacing the standard projection from previous tours) and the dah-dah-daaaah�dah-dah-daaah piece by the strings (you can see I didn't formally study music!) � both were magnificent from a sight and sound perspective.

The concert continued with the music being complemented by a cinematic-like screen behind the orchestra and band telling the story in pictures and film � a clever addition. For me, the best and most surprising part was when Justin Hayward sang Forever Autumn � the screen was unsurprisingly showing autumn leaves falling and then the whole audience realised that there were also leaves falling from the ceiling of the venue � thousands of them � brilliant!

Full marks for the two 'old boys' on bass and lead guitar (who I've seen before on the previous WotW DVD) for their music ability and stamina � they carried a lot of the tunes and played their hearts out. They did looked slightly out of place though amongst the 'yoof' representing the rest of the musicians!

The biggest spectacle by far was the Martian fighting machine descending from the ceiling � it was massive, and positioned itself perfectly between the various musicians.

There was short break of just 20 minutes corresponding to the end of side 1 of the Album.

The rest of the concert was just as exciting. The strings worked very hard, so did the band�.and so did JW, conducting like it was the first time he'd ever done it � enthusiastic doesn't begin to describe him, The audience clearly appreciated all of this and when the concert finished just after 10.20, everyone got a standing ovation � well deserved!

Surprisingly, given the number of people trying to leave, our exit was swift and trouble-free.

After the Show
We had pre-booked a Thames Clipper to get us back to Canary Wharf, but it was the last one (23.50), so we had a bit of time to kill. We found ourselves back in a Zizzi's � this time we headed straight for the desserts � Ann had apple crumble whilst I sampled the banana/chocolate/toffee/chocolate/waffle thingy!

Just before heading for the Thames Clipper, we attempted to get hold of a Programme for the event, but we'd\left it too late as they'd all been sold � shame!

We headed for the Pier and after a short wait, boarded the Clipper. After about 20 minutes, we were back at Canary Wharf and by 12.25 we were in bed!

It had been a great day all-in-all and we're now big fans of the Thames Clipper service � what a great way to get around London!

Flyer and Tickets...

Felt Tip Thieves

We joined Julie, Tom, Karen, Paul, Chris, Debbie, Stefan, Trish and John to see Julie and Tom's son, Nick play bass in the Band - Felt Tip Thieves at Soprano's Bar in Kettering.

 

We got back about 11.30 - knackered and deaf, but it was a great evening

Check out their page on MySpace!

Jeff Wayne's: War of the World's Tour 2009

Lucky us, we were able to get tickets for Jeff Wayne's 2009 War of the Worlds Tour. We're seeing it at the O2 Arena in London!

The Spirit of Man Single and Video

Click on the picture above to hear the single and see the video.

The 'Spirit of Man' single and video were released digitally in 2007. The single features Phil Lynott and Julie Covington. The video is based on the original CGI Animation from The War of The Worlds Tours.