tuesdays eh?

To be honest I wasn't keen going out this evening. Age and responsibility mean that inevitably you bring a ruthless and heartless equation to any night out. Is the hassle and expense of getting a baby sitter (and tidying the house for them and making sure they have something to eat/ drink etc) going to be worth it in terms of fun, general fulfilment and stimulation. I wasn't convinced until I met the promoter (and fabulous musician and sound man) in the post office and he promised me two free tickets if I would review the gig for the local paper. I still equivocated but J was galvanised by the promise of free tickets to a blues gig and all of a sudden got busy with the baby sitter arrangements.

One glass of wine in I was still discussing minor troubles with that days work load but you know this band, in a small corner of a remote isle on a Tuesday just blew me away. By the end I really and trully wished they would never stop.

Any gig here has this marvellous clash of cultures. A friend who was organising classical musical concerts in the outer isles was memorably exasperated by local people asking when the interval would be in whichever internationally renowned concert violinist's recital. It was patiently explained to her that if there was no interval they couldn't have a raffle and if they didn't have a raffle nobody would come. She made sure there was an interval.

So Giles, the band who made it a long way north, had to play music evolved from traditions of hardship, and trouble against a back drop of raffles, homebakes and insistent northern sunshine trying to break through the hall blinds.

When J and I go to a gig he enjoys the Santana reference and the Bo Diddley riff and I worry about whether the band have made enough to cover a square meal before the boat home but this band (www.gilesmusic.com) just insisted we lose our troubles in their music with humour and wit and skill. I recommend them.