Foxwood Steel Leeds Waterfront

What could be nicer: canals, waterside, barges, pubs, architecture, viaduct arches, steelband, sunny skies! Changed the tenor basses for triple basses, saving space in the van. More pans in for this most popular of gigs.

Turns out we were alternating [sort of] with the dancers.

We were me [Victoria], Bex, Georgia, Natalie, Sophie, George, Yi Bai, Katie, Sheeks, Charlotte, Amy, Gary, Fehmina, Holly. Pics, ta, Matt.

Foxwood Steel at Leeds Waterfront

Debs, it's a summer Saturday and the beginning of a three day mini-tour of Leeds, today with Foxwood Steel at the Waterfront, tomorrow with East Steel at Miggy Park, and Monday with Sparrows at a local school's Awards ceremony.

It's a sort of brace-yourself moment: pack the van in good time, make the setlists that none of them seem to want. Charlotte put hers in her pocket; Lizzie shouted, "Just shout them out!" There's only Vicky left reading it, so I shout the tunes out.

Varshika brought half of herself - we got her into a matching hoody, but not sure she ever properly woke up.

I forgot the floor tom and the hi-hat clutch. We borrowed them from the stage kit. People told us we were great even before we had set up. Bex was away, so we were all agreeing [actually even she does now].






 Anyway I had to refuse the offer of a 12 midday start mostly on the grounds that it would have been a trio at that time of day, and had they all got up, they would have drunk their earnings between Set One and Two. [I'm simplifying obviously].

There was a jazz quartet on stage when we arrived, and there was just room for them. We set up our ten piece steel band on the concrete in front of the stage left. So, just as well, the weather was good: warm, dull and only the slightest draft emanating from the Bridgewater Building.

The audience included passengers at Leeds City who were only after the 3 o'clock to Manchester, or Edinburgh or wherever, and found themselves bopping along with [well staring at at least] an unexpected steelband.

We had 40 minutes and I like to think we rocked. Joanne and Del took their annual holiday from the Malty to come and support. I managed to sneak one new tune past the band. Two more sneaks and they will have learnt it. Yippee! It was massively helped by Katie squeaking, "I love this song!"

Georgia found herself doing some unexpected solos.

Afterwards, Lizzie started on the pavement, and this really before she had started drinking. Bizarre. I just had to take a couple of photos.

Ah, before you ask: we were me, Daisy, Charlotte, Natalie, Katie, Lizzie, Amy, Stewart, Varshika, Vicky and Sophie

I went home and Sarah brought her lovely new baby round, and we talked stuff about childbirth, breast-feeding and sleep deprivation. I explained how to play chords on a single second with one hand holding two sticks and the baby balanced under the other arm. Looking back at this photo of me and Daniel in garden, I appear to be wondering, Hmmm, is this a baby and could it be in Bflat?

Whatever it was, it was very small.

Foxwood Steel at the Hop, Waterfront Festival

Debs, I'm off again, and I've only just got home. Now it's down to to the Hop to play at the Leeds Waterfront Festival. Nice little stage. Shame about the heavy showers. All the usual tunes plus I will Always Love You with all the bass notes in place.

We are me, Bex, Amy, Stewart, Natalie, Lizzie, Gig, Katie, Vicky, Charlotte. Charlotte was stopped, or rather her sister was stopped by the Police on the way here. Don't know the back story to this. I hope it's racy.  And Charlotte was late to the gig. There's only Natalie, and Bex in Foxwood who are consistently on time for gigs.  So being late, police or not, is not really a story.

The Hop is built in the Dark Arches under the viaduct that support Leeds City Station. Between songs, or during them if you were playing a song that you knew by heart on the pans that you found yourself on, you could look up and see the different train travellers looking down.

Debs, it didn't just rain when it rained. But then it stopped. So at the back of the cute little portakabin of a stage you were dry, also not seen. Not seen: Natalie, Amy and Stewart. On the left some people come off the train, leaving their hotel, bemused by a sudden steelband.