TOURS ARE US!

Sorry folks — perennial scribe here trying to resume normal service! I can’t believe that nearly 4 months have flown by since our last posting — anybody would think we didn’t have anything to report!

Firstly — the Home Ground Tour — it was great for us — and, judging by the completed customer questionnaires — pretty good for you too! We really enjoyed all of the concerts on the tour. They were all different in distinctly special ways to each of us in the six member touring party. Like Deio I Dywyn we feasted and drank our way around Wales and made many, many new friends. Some of our new friends came to more than one of the concerts — there’s dedication! All of the venues looked after us really well and the tech teams were all brilliant and made each concert look and sound great. It was really great having Delyth Jenkins as our special guest for nine tenths of the tour and Robin Huw Bowen ensured we had a blast in his (virtual) home gig venue at Aberystwyth. We also really appreciated all the brilliant work done on the tour by our marketing specialist Angharad Wynne. We also reiterate our thanks to ACW for their funding which made the whole thing stack up financially. Reaction to the tour EP “Lle Arall — Another place” has been extremely positive and it does make a lovely souvenir of the musical partnership between us and Delyth — if you haven’t got a copy yet — click here!

My edited highlights would include first night nerves in Newtown (where one customer thought us better than Martin Simpson!); after much nail biting and team effort a lovely welcoming crowd at The Gate (beautifully lit by one of my work techies Simon Karnell); cheesy chips at Harry’s Bar Aberystwyth post gig; a small but wonderfully appreciative crowd and staff at Huntingdon Hall Worcester and family and friends supporting our Taliesin and Beaufort Theatre gigs. Lastly — a glorious couple of sunny days for our final flings in Harlech and Caernarfon (plus special hospitality from Clare & Gwyn at Trawsfynydd) and the beauty of our home country enjoyed on the final drive back from Caernarfon via Swansea home. Just a shame about that speeding ticket in Aberystwyth!! To see more photos click here!

It was very hard to return to the day jobs subsequently — this musician lark has much to recommend it!

Since the tour ended we have enjoyed playing for some very special people on their special days — and it has been great having Gina return after maternity leave to her superb work as the caller you just cannot ignore!

We have also enjoyed some special concerts this summer. Firstly, it was great to be invited back to the wonderful festival that is Rhythms of the World in Hitchin Priory — it’s a long drive but well worth it for the warmth of audience response. Many thanks to Steve Smither and his entirely voluntary crew — they’re all great! Secondly we couldn’t ignore the fact that the National Eisteddfod was coming as close to our homes as it’s ever likely to! Just a shame that we couldn’t get the Eisteddfod to recognise us! So, taking matters into our own hands and with the support of Carys Wynne and her great Beaufort Theatre team we scheduled a special concert at Beaufort. We were keen to differentiate this concert from the Home Ground date back in April — so we got down to some serious rehearsals with our brilliant music chums Darren Fellows and Ruth Appleby-Fellows. Ruth and Darren bring trumpets, saxes and cello as well as lots of our musicality to the party and we just love the sound we all make together. It was great to dust off some of our older tune sets and give them the AYYF Big Band Treatment. Shame then that it was a small audience at Beaufort — but they made up for it with their response! We hope to do it again sometime in the not too distant future.

The very next day we were performing at the Blackwood Carnival whilst also hosting first time in the UK brilliant Texan Band — The Quebe Sisters. It was a little surreal hearing those Texan accents at the Carnival but the smiles on everyone’s faces demonstrated that the girls and fellas soon won over the crowd with their brilliant take on Western Swing. Later that same day it was a real treat to share the stage with them at Blackwood Police Club- it was a really memorable gig!

Now we have the Newport Big Splash Festival at the Riverfront to look forward to as well as a return or two to the WMC in Cardiff. Do come by and say hello and if you’re thinking how can we get AYYF to perform for us? - Pick up that phone, send that email now!!

Cofion cynnes AYYF

 

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