Poppy and Blues Bike Show

Riding into the Poppy and Blues Bike Show in the town of Stromness, it’s easy to see just what a vibrant bike scene there is on Orkney. This event, raising money for the British Legion and taking place in the middle of the town’s lively blues festival, drew bikes and trikes from miles around. The day was set to culminate in a presentation of trophies for the best bikes of various categories, but the competition was far from vicious, and certainly did not taint the friendly atmosphere. Everyone who arrived was greeted warmly, and it was instantly clear that whatever happened, the day was going to be a good laugh. Any fears of bad weather soon evaporated; before long the morning cloud had well and truly disappeared, and most were enjoying the sun in the t-shirts again.

Towards lunch the already impressive turnout of bikers began to mingle with locals, holidaymakers and festival revellers alike. The local “Bikin’ Vikin’s” had arrived in force and were helping with proceedings, and at its height in the middle of the day, the town square was buzzing with man and machine. A resounding chorus of “I never knew there were so many motorcycles here!” Was heard from many locals, and it seemed a great number had come down into the town to enjoy the spectacle. The owners of The Café had set up a barbeque along the waterfront, which was well received by all!

The day flew by in a flurry of spectators, taking in the wide array of everyday street bikes as well as the impressive customs and trikes. As the afternoon drew to a close however, the assembled bikers flocked to the local British Legion for the presentation of the trophies. Everyone was in good spirits and there were great cheers from the crowd as the trophies were awarded for the various categories. Soon enough, most people were itching to hit the road again and prepare for the coming night, so a column of motorcycles were soon roaring their way out of Stromness in style.

Riding amongst this group of so many completely different styles of bikes and trikes, it’s easy to see why Orkney has commanded the attention of motorcyclists for so many years. The sweeping roads twist and curve, bringing into view the full line of riders, and the run created a perfect end to the day. The night however, was just beginning, and many of the faces at the rally reappeared later that night to enjoy the rest of the night’s celebrations around the town. The event was a huge success, joining the list of great biking events on the island with ease, and a big thanks went out to organiser Sam for his efforts in making this memorable day such a triumph.

Erlend J Allen

There is an old Blues bloke called Walt,
Who should gargle with honey, or Malt!
He starts off with a howl,
Slides into a growl,
Then, sadly, grinds right to a halt!
**********************************
Young Maureen is just such a treasure,
She makes counting the pennies a pleasure.
With the cash in her hands,
She can pay for the bands,
Bringing Good Times to all,
Without measure!
**********************************
There’s a man known as Six-Bolt J. Steev,
Who’s job is to heft and to heave.
He sets up for the bands, with their amps. and mike stands,
And with THAT back, that’s hard to believe!
**********************************
No matter how anyone begs,
They can’t see the Secretary’s legs!
‘Cos the Hon. Sec. is Mike,
You can go take a hike,
He’s keeping them inside his kecks!
**********************************
The un-sung hero is Chris,
He won’t give a meeting a miss,
Provides web-site & printing, works hard without stinting,
Then spent the last night,
On the piss!
*********************************
What the pubs do,
Should not be forgot,
They line up the drinks,
Shot by shot.,
Provide room for The Blues,
And pay all their dues,
And the owners are really quite hot!
********************************
BOOM! BOOM!

Those who were there will agree, the line-up was terrific at this year’s Orkney Blues Weekend. Organiser Walter Gorman, said: “The blues committee is really thrilled – we all do it because we love it, so when we see the public enjoying it too, it’s just brilliant for us.”

The Fastliners: Pete Thomas, Kenny Pirie, Don Holdernesse, Kevin Coffee and Mike Fairbairn.

Friday night’s gig in the Stromness Hotel was a first for a new line-up of well-known local musicians joining together as The Fastliners, who could just as well have been called The Multinational Local Band – Texan Kevin Coffee was on lead vocals, Ozzie Don Holdernesse on guitar, Canadian Mike Fairburn on harmonica and homemade slide guitar, Sussex- man Pete Thomas on bass and true local Kenny Pirie beating the drums. Kevin gave vigorous performances of Southern States bluely numbers and Don pulled off a great version of Gary Moore’s Walking by Myself. It was a set best described as “Orkney blues” and a great start to the Orkney Blues Weekend.

Roy Mette and his band played heavy blues, which got people up and boogieing.

The Essex-based Roy Mette Band which followed separated the easy listeners from the harder- core. Lights dimmed and Roy got wired on his electric guitar, mixing blues and rock, with Wayne Bronze bashing the bins and Andy Bostock low down on bass. Roy described their music as “power trio” British type of blues, which is characteristically relentless and intense, and inspired by the likes of Cream and Rory Gallagher. The band played original numbers from Roy’s latest album Three and Five Live, hot-wiring its electric energy through to those up and boogieing on the dance floor.

Songwriter, singer and guitarist with Perthshire blues band Wang Dang Delta, Ian McLaren.

Of equal intensity was Perthshire band Wang Dang Delta, playing a different, more funky, jazzier kind of blues with maybe a touch of soul. Vocalist and songwriter, Ian McLaren, said what inspires the band most is that all six of its members are coming from different angles, contributing a mix of jazz, Scottish, country, funk, blues and rock to the sound: “The band has had exactly the same line-up since it started playing six years ago, and I think we’ve stayed together because of our musical differences!”

Jim Harcus of Wang Dang Delta on blues harp.

Joining Ian McLaren was Pete Nicol on bass guitar, Alan Sutherland on keyboards, Jim Harcus on blues harp, Pete Caban on lead guitar and Pim Pirnie on drums. Ian’s lyrics are thought-provoking and inspired by “the day-to-day things [they] encounter.” The band members said they loved being in Orkney and were thrilled by the great audiences in the Royal Hotel and at the grand finale, when people got up to boogie.

Glasgow songwriter and guitarist John Alexander.

At the gentler end of the blues spectrum was Glasgow song-writer John Alexander with his sets in the Gable End Theatre in Hoy, upstairs in the Royal Hotel and at the grand finale. The quieter venues suited his soulful songs, which you wanted to hear every word of, and the finer acoustics of these venues amplified his clever chords, strong voice and brilliant picking.

John was the only visiting artiste to play on the Isle of Hoy, which he ferried to in howling wind. With song-titles such as Making Waves and When the Wind Blows the large audience at the Gable End might have thought he had penned the songs on the ferry-voyage across. But it turns out that weather is a recurring theme in John’s work – his current album is called Rain For Sale. He also writes about mountains and nature, and about people going places: “I like the stories of upping sticks and living somewhere else, but missing your homeland.” John’s own story saw him living in New Zealand for many years and it was there that his musical career took off. He played mostly original songs, but added a couple of songs by other artists whose lyrics are along the lines of his own, like Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues and Jeffrey Foucault’s Don’t Look For Me (over the mountains). Rather than being straight 12-bar blues, his tunes wove country ideas with threads of Scottish and Glasgow influence.

Miss Noma & Mr Ree doing the Delta blues.

Also on at the Gable End gig, was singer and guitarist duo Miss Noma & Mr Ree, aka Catherine Grivas and Michael Moldau, on home turf, doing a dozen or so Delta blues numbers. At their Stromness Hotel gig, Emma Thomas of Blueberry Jam joined them on fiddle for Little Feat’s Willin as did Mark Shiner for the American folk- song St James Infirmary Blues, with Mike Fairburn from The Fastliners on harmonica too. For the hotel diners, it was soft and sophisticated accompaniment and a tranquil prelude to the heaving throng which the bar-venue became as the evening wore on.

Blueberry Jam sisters Emma and Katie Thomas, with their dad Pete Thomas, from The Fastliners, on bass.

For sisters Emma and Katie Thomas, in the two-piece Blueberry Jam, it was their first public appearance as a blues outfit. The talented young girls collectively played fiddle, guitar and keyboards, and sung mostly self-penned songs as well as John Martyn’s I Don’t Wanna Know, in the Cafe Bar and for diners at the Stromness Hotel leading up to the grand finale.

The Bad Liars diva, Lorraine McBrearty, with Mike Henderson on lead guitar.

Secretary of the blues weekend committee, Mike Henderson, said one of the best things about the weekend, for him, was seeing how many young musicians are playing the blues. Mike himself appeared as lead-guitarist in local band The Bad Liars, a five-piecer including Dave Stevenson on drums, Dan Rhodes on upright bass, Andrew Want on rhythm guitar, harmonica and vocals, and bright star Lorraine McBrearty on lead vocals. Along with guest artiste Dougie Stevenson on pedal steel guitar, The Bad Liars can best be described as a crowd-pleasing show-band who looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as those up and dancing.

Bad Business: Walter Gorman, Kennie Swinney, Marcus Cordock, Dylan Pepper and John Pettigrew.

Dylan Pepper drumming for Bad Business.

Another local band, Bad Business, came together specially for the 2009 blues weekend as a celebration of lead guitarist John Pettigrew’s 60th birthday this year. All of its members have played in several bands over the years and performed in various guises at blues weekends. This year’s one-off line-up included Walter Gorman on vocals, Kenny Swinney on keyboards, Dylan Pepper on drums and Marcus Cordock on bass. Their focus was a rocky kind of blues, and they performed plenty of classics by the likes of Popa Chubby, Dave Hole and Blues Company, with loads of energy and enjoyment.

Bad Taste's Marcus Cordock, Dylan Pepper, Ian Craigie and Andrew Taylor (Max Inkster out of photo).

Since last year’s appearance, Bad Taste have added a new member to the band – Max Inkster on rhythm guitar joins Dylan Pepper on drums, Marcus Cordock on bass, Andrew Taylor on guitar and Ian Craigie on vocals. They are an excellent act, playing tight “Orcadian blues rock” and influenced by Jo Bonmassa, Walter Trout, Robert Cray and Rory Gallagher. But why then call yourself Bad Taste? Dylan explained: “We’ll never be as good as Gallagher’s band, Taste, so we may as well do a Bad version!”

Dylan confirmed that “despite rumours in the press and on TV,” Bad Taste isn’t splitting up: “We’ll be taking a break while everyone does their own thing around the country and at various colleges for a while, but we’ll be back again.”

The Edinburgh blues band Missing Cat got feet tapping in the Ferry Inn on Sunday, playing blues standards by John Lee Hooker, Elmore James and Muddy Waters, amongst others. Paul Montague was on vocals, Gavin Jack on guitar, Keith Scott on bass and Kenny Miller on drums.

Naomi Mather from Liverpool, wowed the audience with her funky blues arrangements.

Naomi Mather opened the grand finale event in the Stromness Hotel, wowing a full-house with her super-funky blues. She is full of surprises, from the sounds she gets from her slide guitar to her lively expressions, engaging lyrics and left-foot stomping on the footboard. For Naomi, the “whole motivation is in the song-writing” she said, continuing that she learnt to play guitar just to be able to accompany the songs she writes.

Her work is inspired by “life” and most of her songs are “digs at men”, which is a brave move when you’re the only solo female artiste on a male-dominated blues weekend far away from home (Liverpool). She explained that she likes the way you can be forthright in putting your opinions across with blues music: “You don’t need to flower things up, but just say it as it is.”

Naomi Mather opening the grand finale gig.

During the weekend, she said she had a couple of guys come up to her saying of her lyrics: “I think you’re a bit harsh!” which is maybe why she ended her set at the grand finale with an actually-blokes-aren’t-so-bad kind of song called Can’t Do Nothing, saying with a smile that the song was “a big up to men”. At the end of her set she was called for an encore, singing an audience request Green Man.

So there were all kinds of contributions to this year’s blues weekend, from the gentle to the harsh to the heavy, with the full spectrum of blues going down. All in all, “the atmosphere in the hotels was fantastic,” Walter said, and although everyone was slightly exhausted by the end of it, the parting words were “Roll on Orkney Blues Weekend 2010″.

Grateful thanks go to the sponsors of the Orkney Blues Weekend: Adam Black Guitar Company, SAS Business Supplies, Herd Law Practice, K2, The Highland Brewing Company, Orkney Brewery, Lone Turtle Web Design, Rails Bookmakers, The Orkney Advertiser, NorthLink Ferries, the Stromness Hotel, the Ferry Inn, the Royal Hotel and the Gable End Theatre.

Victoria Olson

THE FASTLINERS: Don Holderness and Kevin Coffey belting out the blues at the finale concert

THE best way to finish off a Blues Weekend experience is to attend the finale concert in the Stromness Hotel on Sunday night.

The only ticketed event of the whole festival, which helps pay for the weekend, it attracted a big crowd who packed out the function room to hear all the visiting acts and one local group in one concert.

Naomi Mather was up first, with her truly amazing voice sounding beautiful when belting out in the blues or in the quieter, breathy moments of her songs.

The theme of regret is prevalent in her music but she also played a ‘naughty’ song about sneaking, around behind a partner’s back and, to prove that she didn’t think all men were bad, Can’t Do Nothing (when you’re on my mind) which did put at least one man in a more positive light.

Naomi Mather

Naomi called herself a ‘poly-guitarist’ and lived up to her self-imposed nickname by regularly changing between her acoustic, resonator and lap steel guitars. This gave each of her songs a different feel, with the appropriate use of the slide adding an authentic delta blues feel.

She said: “You’ve been a great audience, I’ve really enjoyed playing for you. It’s been a great weekend.”

Glasgow singer songwriter John Alexander was up next, a performer who makes a big sound for one man and his guitar. He had a lovely smooth voice, perfect for singing the blues, and injected it with a healthy dose of the soul that all great musicians need.

He played songs about his travels, missing where you are from and even a few that tackled theme of death; his own Let Me Die and a number by Blues legend Lead Belly.

Stand outs for me included Don’t Give It Up, Making Waves and I Will Be, a song about the resilience of the characters who worked at the Clyde shipyards on the Clyde and how they carried on regardless when that work started drying up.

John Alexander

He finished his set with When the Wind Blows, an emotive country blues number which he dedicated to Orkney.

“I’ve had a lovely time in Orkney” said John. “I don’t know about the weather though, I can get that back home, but I had a good time rolling through the mud at the Tomb of the Eagles today”

“You certainly get a real sense of community up here, I’ve had a good laugh. You have your own sense of time being on an Island. I had a bit of a late night last night, there was a lot of dodgy dancing going on; it’s good to see that’s something you get everywhere, even in Stromness.”

After a quick swap around of equipment, local band The Fastliners took to the stage. This new five-piece are Kevin Coffey on vocals, Don Holderness on guitar and saxophone, Pete Thomas on bass, Kenny Pirie on drums and Mike Fairbairn on harmonica and slide guitar.

Once the bands come on it doesn’t take long for the dancers to come out and The Fastliners started a trend that would carry on for the rest of the night – the dance floor was rarely empty.

They got a great reaction from the crowd as they hammered out tunes from various blues eras, including Let Me Go Home Whiskey, All Around the World and Let The Four Winds Blow.

Kevin can really belt out the blues numbers and he looked the part with his Elvis-esque hip wiggling. Mike took time out from his with virtuoso harmonica playing to sing On the Road Again, and Don also took over singing duties for I Just Wanna Be Your Lovin’ Man.

Other highlights were Train Kept A Rolling, starting with another fantastic harmonica solo from Mike, and their ballsy version of Who Do You Love, which ended their set with a bang.

Perthshire rockers Wang Deng Delta were up next, to play a blistering set of jazz and funk inspired blues.

The band are Pete Caban on lead guitar and backing vocals, Jim Harcus on harmonica, Ian McLaren on vocals and acoustic guitar, Pete Nicol on bass and backing vocals, Pim Pirnie on drums and percussion and Alan Sutherland on keyboards.

Ian McMaren from Wang Dang Delta

Lively original tracks such as The Honey Man, Smiles on your Face and Tropical Storm, dedicated to weatherman Michael Fish, shoe with amazing guitar riffs from Pete Caban and assured vocals from Ian.

As he was introducing New for Old Ian said: “ Orkney has history that Perth doesn’t have, because the council allowed it all to be knocked down.”

He also dedicated the pointed Faultfinder Blues to anyone to likes to pick holes in other people – unless they are performing surgery, in which case it’s acceptable.

They finished their exciting and varied set with couple of slower and rather funky numbers, including the excellent Empty Folks, followed by the rockier Like a Boomerang I Hope You Will Be Coming Back Some Day.

Ian told Orkney Today: “We’ve had a great time, everyone has been so welcoming and it’s good to get the chance to hear some of the young bands. I’m really impressed with them.

“It’s been great to get to mix with the other musicians throughout the weekend. Our bass player was here with a previous band in 1991, but for five of us this is the first time we’ve been up to Orkney – we’ve had such a great time we’ll definitely be back.”

It was getting late by the time headliners the Roy Mette band came on stage, but that didn’t stop the crowd from getting even livelier.

Roy Mette

When Roy played at the first Blues Weekend in 2006 he played an impressive solo acoustic set. This time he was electric in more ways than one, his polished guitar playing and powerful vocals were perfectly complemented by Andy Bostock’s bass and Wayne Bronze’s drums.

From the moment the band started playing, the crowd was going wild. If the extra loud cheers or the enthusiastic dancing didn’t give it away, the chants of `Roy, Roy, Roy’ would have done it.

Playing a set of original numbers and a selection of songs by Rory Gallagher, it was a lively gig that didn’t let up until the wee hours of the morning.

When asked if he’d enjoyed his Blues Weekend, Roy said: “It’s been great. For me, it’s totally different being up this time because I’m with my band but we’ve enjoyed it very much. It’s always a bit of a culture shock coming up here, but it is nice.”

He said the highlight of the weekend was when the rain stopped: “Although, it was lovely on Saturday. Really, it’s nice to have been part of it, I enjoyed that. I’ve seen a good few local bands, or bits of most of them, and they sounded pretty good.”

Blues committee chairman Graham Bevan, who acted as compere for the night, thanked everyone for coming out and supporting the Blues Weekend. He gave a special thank you Colin Dreyer for looking after the sound throughout the weekend and Alistair Morton for doing the lighting during the final concert.

Blues committee coordinator Walter Gorman, in a voice that was definitely feeling the effects of too many growls over the weekend, added his thanks to everyone who helped with any aspect of the festival: “It’s been a good weekend. It’s a team effort that makes the Blues Weekend happen; from the bands to the people who help move equipment around all weekend. It’s important to remember that.”

Victoria Olson

Naomi Mather

BLUES songstress Naomi Mather certainly knows how to hold an audience in the palm of her hands, with a combination of first-class musicianship and songs that tell stories about her life and loves.

Her clear voice makes the blues sound effortless and her highly effective delta blues guitar style, with lots of slide, is a refreshing change from other young musicians around these days.

It was standing room only in the Stromness Hotel for her Saturday afternoon gig, and it was soon easy to see why. Mainly playing her own songs, like Not Dream About It, Slip Away With Me, Done it All Before and You Took My Heart, which had a very rhythmic, funky and almost folky feel to it, Naomi is an original and engaging performer.

Using her foot to great percussive effect and slapping her guitar and strings to add extra beats to her songs, she creates a big sound for one woman.

Like many blues musicians, relations and heartache is a theme of Naomi’s music. Sweet Loving is one of her only love songs and is about how hard it is to find a good man. Played on a lap steel guitar, using a stainless steel slide that was made for her by her dad, this is a great song that sticks in your head long after it’s done.

Based on the book The Alchemist, Eyes Wide Open is a song about going through life

looking for signs and then reacting to them. Another particularly appropriate song for our times was Unemployment Blues, a good old           fashioned blues number which Naomi wrote when she was finding it hard to find a job.

“I have got one now, but I’m going to sing it for you anyway,” she said.

Naomi also covered Stop Breaking Down by legendary blues musician Robert Johnson, before finishing her well-received set with My Baby Says I’m Lazy, a fun number she dedicated to all of her lazy boyfriends.

Orkney Today spoke to Naomi after her set following, I was really inspired by them.”

and discovered this was not only the first time she had been to Orkney, but her first ever visit to Scotland.

“I think it’s really beautiful,” she said. “On the drive up here there were so many things to see, you have really stunning scenery in Scotland.”

She said she had been shown around Orkney by members of the Blues committee during the weekend and thought it was lovely: “I was quite shocked by how small the Orkney community is, but there seems to be a huge community spirit. Everyone is really friendly, people have been really supportive and the gigs are going really great.”

“I’ve seen a few of the local bands so far; Bad Taste are great musicians and have a really good following, I was really inspired by them.”

Originally from just outside Liverpool, Naomi now lives in the city and works in bar as well as trying to play a couple of gigs a month. However, with her talent I’m sure this won’t be the last Orkney hears of Naomi Mather.

Victoria Olson

BEST DRESSED BAND: From left, Andrew Want, Mike Henderson and Lorraine McBrearty.

THE award for best dressed band at this year’s event goes to The Bad Liars, who made a special effort to get the Rockabilly look right for their gigs with their clothes, shoes and hair.

I caught their Saturday night gig in the Ferry and it was fantastic – the crowd’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive and the band also felt it was one of their best performances ever.

The Bad Liars are Lorraine McBrearty on vocals, shaky egg and train whistle, Mike Henderson on lead guitar, Andrew Want on guitar and harmonica, Dan Rhodes on double bass, and Dave Stevenson on drums.

They had a sixth member for the weekend, with a special guest appearance from Dave’s brother, Dougie Stevenson on lap steel guitar.

With their unique brand of blues which includes more than a hint of jazz and country, The Bad Liars certainly were a breath of fresh air at the Blues Weekend.

Covering great artists such as Elvis, Johnny Cash, Bessie Smith and Nina Simone, they belted out classics such as Midnight Shift, Give Me a Pigfoot, Blue Angel, Wild

About My Loving’, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Work Song, Big Bad Handsome Man, T’aint Nobody’s Business, Early in the Morning, Boom Boom, Moving On Over.

Stand outs included a particularly boisterous version of Got My Mojo Working -which led one energetic dancer to tell Lorraine ‘your voice is too big for my feet’ – and the exhilarating Johnny Got a Boom Boom, which featured a perfect slap bass intro.

The note-perfect melding of Feeling Good into Summertime, and Mystery Train into Fulsome Prison Blues also worked a treat.

The packed bar wouldn’t let them leave without an encore and The Bad Liars gladly obliged; Sam Cooke’s Bring it on Home to Me a fine choice to end a fine show.

Dougie Stevenson on lap steel guitar

A professional musician and producer at record label Scotdisc, Dougie has recently returned from touring with Stella Parton – Dolly’s sister. His parents retired to Orkney 23 years ago and although Dave moved here as well, Dougie stayed in Glasgow.

“Last time I played in Orkney was with Boxcar Willie, a lot of years ago,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve played with my brother; he told me we had to get a gig in Orkney sometime so this is it. The blues is new to me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was really good. I might think about doing more blues in the future.”