The audience makes all the difference.

It was the first Friday in April and I had delayed setting off on my holiday boat trip to compare my first evening of The Kilsby Open Music Night, at The George Hotel, after taking the reins from Paddy Wex. That night we were visited unexpectedly by a singles/social club that had come to dine in the restaurant. They hadn’t known about the open music night, but curious, they filed into the room after they had finished their meals. It was was packed, and the presence of all of these strangers added a frisson to the night. All of the performers rose to the occasion. 

For a while to come, all evenings will be measured against this. The subsequent months could only be an anti-climax. As it was, the contrast in May couldn’t have been more striking. The only audience being the performers themselves, and a couple of the regulars were no where to be seen. This might have something to do with the bank holiday weekend. While this was disappointing in terms of the excitement, it meant that those of us that did play had an opportunity to contribute more songs, practice some that might have been a bit shaky, and the relaxed atmosphere allowed  for some joining in.

Paddy sings about a night out with some birds.