It is hard to believe that this is our 5th Bangers And Mash Night, particularly as in the last three years we have had three different landlords, and the last two appeared shortly before a bangers and mash night. This time Tara included some plain pork sausage in the mix which pleased at least one regular. There was also a very delicious, spicy vegetable chilli and baked potato.
My opening included, by request, 'In The Woods (Like Bear Grylls)'. I was hoping for a bit of percussive accompaniment from Ross, but his sausages arrived just as we finished 'Old Town Blues', and he was off like a scolded whippet. While I declared that I hoped he'd burned his mouth and given himself indigestion I didn't mean it. I couldn't blame him for his hurried exit, as Janet was present and his sausage might have been under threat. I only sang the one in the second half, 'Spade'.
The usual juggling act of performer selection ensued as I tried to avoid picking anyone with food in their mouths. Ian was second up. his performance this evening was memorable for a couple of reasons. His first song a a delightfully cheeky Jake Thackery number, 'The Bantam Cock', a rude and robust farmyard romp. Then, a first for The
George, Ian produced a marimba, a thumb piano), and sang There was an Old Woman Who
Swallowed A Fly. Ian, taking a cue from an earlier continental
sausage related song entertained us with ‘Voulez-vous ma saussice?’ before returning to more familiar material and The Animals, ‘Please
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’.
No Strings Attached
were both plugged in, and for the first time in years they were heard
as clearly at the back of the room as they were at the front. I missed the title of their first half medly of reels but in the second half they played 'News of The Victory' and 'The Three Captains’.
Ray was back in
serious mood, well for some of the evening. His first song was moving account of participants in the First World War, 'The
Game Keeper' by Show of Hands followed by a joyful,
self penned, inuendo packed celebration of
sausage, ‘Herman the German’s
Sausage Shop’ which related to his experience of just such an
establishment. Another self penned, but more serious, Tommy, about
the Christmas Truce. His final song of the night was quite possibly
the best song of the night. A parody of John Denver’s Leaving on A
Jet Plane, ‘It’s a Bugger When You Leave From Heathrow. Anyone
who has flown package class has experience of the horrors of airline
travel.
Dangerous Derrick
Meyer returned to The George for some sausage as his regular Friday
night Open Mic Night in Nuneaton had begun it’s Christmas Season. I
know, it's only 2nd of November! Though I have to confess that my first Christmas dinner was on Sunday the 19th, with all the trimmings, crackers and a secret Santa.
He was accompanied
by Freddie, the cockerpoo, in his rendition of The Eagles. It might have been the Lion Eyes that upset him. His second song was Soul
Asylum’s 'Run Away Train'. Derrick is famous for two things, the
destruction of the stage set and leaving early for his beauty sleep.
It is clearly working. So we had nothing from DD in the second half.
If the Christmas season continues through December we can hope to see
the mothership once more this year.
Sandi and Tugrul,
AKA 'Elastika' treated us to a wonderful parody of Del Shannon's, 'Ain’t No Cure for The
Summertime Blues' referencing accurately the events of the Brexit negotiations and the travesty of the current Tory
Government; which while it didn't split the room, managed to split a few sides. This was followed by 'Rockin’ Robin'.
In their second
half, a very moody performance of the timeless American folk classic, 'Poor Wayfaring Stranger' and then the much lighter 'It’s Illegal, It’s Immoral or it makes you Fat' by The Beverley Sisters.
Mike and John were
two tone and John had ants in his pants The whole world’s sitting
on a ticking bomb, Aloe Blacc with Ross (full of sausage and mash, providing cajon accompaniment just like a ticking clock. The Whole World is Sitting On A Ticking Bomb. This was followed by
'Hey There Delilah', by
The Plain White Ts.
Mike has been
thumbing through archives somewhere and dug up some belters lately.
Another new one was from Roy Orbison ‘Penny Arcade’. It’s the
first time we’ve heard this one at The George, and I thought we
were getting The Crash Test Dummies while they sorted their pitch.
Once they were underway though it was a beautifully performed song.
Steve Edgar Killing
Me Softly, originally recorded in 1972 by Lori Lieberman, made famous
by Roberta Flack in 1973. Steve didn't quite have the confidence to have his face gently strummed by a male singer, so he tweaked the lyrics. I think that he would have got away with it. It's a cracking song and Steve performed it superbly. Back to the war, Steve then gave us the song that everyone thinks they know until the verse, John McCormack’s 'It’s A Long Way To Tipperary'.
Regular audience
member Pete commented on a recent song that Steve had performed , Pink
Floyd’s Granchester Meadow’, saying that it reminded him of a lovely folk song
written by John Connely and recorded by Tony Capstick ‘Punch and Judy Man'. His last of the evening was one we've heard him play before, but not as often as we'd like, Doctor Hook and The Medicine Show's 'Silvia’s Mother'
It fell once more on MDF to empty the room and we too advantage of being without Tracey to practice Ross's contribution to the bands set for the forthcoming MDF gig at Birdingbury. In the first half we made a fair fist of Lindisfarne's 'Meet Me On The
Corner', and The Cure's, 'Friday, I’m In Love', We were a bit cheely closing the evening, sneaking in an extra one. MDF staples now, 'Wagon Wheel', 'Walk of Life', and for encore, The Valentino's, 'All Over Now'; and it was.We are still on for December's Xmas Warm-Up, complete with shit raffle and the odd Christmas tune.
Come and help us end the year in style. That's Friday 7th December, starting at 8pm as usual.
