16/10/2018 From now on, please check out Facebook to see all news/gigs etc

I’ve decided to stop putting news bits on this website, as I do tend to post at least a couple of times a week (more usually) on Facebook (and Twitter), with info and news, so seems silly to reproduce it all here on this page.

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For those who abhor Facebook, we’ve decided to incorporate my Facebook posts onto the website Homepage…I post (mostly inane twaddle!) on FB at least a couple of times a week, so it’s a good way of keeping up with what I’m up to, what gigs are coming up in the next week/month etc….

Talking of gigs, they are coming in ALL the time, and the best way to check on where we’re playing is always via the website… Rule of thumb: ALL my future gigs are on the website (under “LIVE”), including 35 housegigs, and I will drip-feed the gig information, once a month or so, onto my Facebook Artist page, to jog people’s memory (under “Upcoming Events, in left hand column: www.facebook.com/henrypriestman/events?key=events ).

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Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival, 19/06/16…l-r Nick Silver, HP, Les Glover, Lynne O’Malley

As mentioned above, housegigs are coming in thick and fast, and people can check out the “Housegig Info” page on this new website to get all info, and contact us for more info/bookings…alternatively they can contact me directly through the message facility on my Facebook artist page.

Special thanks to Helen Stephens of Sandbox Digital for the wonderful work on this new updated website…

Finally, thanks to all of you for your support…the interplay with folk on Facebook is wonderful, and the gigs continue to be as much fun, as Les and I continue our “never ending tour”…we’ll hopefully catch you at a venue (or house) somewhere in the future.

Love Henry xx

 

10/02/16 …Happy New Year (you what???!)

Can’t believe it’s Feb 10th, and I’m only just updating my website to wish you happy new year!
Suffice to say (sic) I had a pretty good Christmas, nice to have a bit of a lay-off and recharge the batteries before touring started again in Jan, easing in gently with a couple of gigs in Yorkshire…a folk club in Doncaster, and a village Hall in Hunmanby, both fabulous.
Then last weekend housegig season started, which sometimes means CAKE….but, honest, it’s not as tho’ it’s part of some “prima donna rider”, that means I INSIST on cake (and a white lily be-decked dressing room) before I’ll even contemplate the gig…don’t even quite know how the cake thing started (no doubt someone will remind me who was the first), but they’ve gone from strength to strength…get a load of this 2-tiered beauty that I was presented with at last weekend’s Stockton Heath gig.

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2-tiered cake at Jane New’s housegig

I’ve already got over 50 gigs in already for 2016 (so Les & I must be doing something right), including, incredibly, 25 housegigs: from Glasgow to Godalming,  Hinckley to Hull, Clitheroe to Cardiff, and many points in between.
Thanks to all the promoters and housegig organisers who keep on booking (and rebooking) us (many of the gigs are return visits) and we look forward to hopefully seeing some of you out on the road throughout 2016.

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This weekend we have a rather special gig in Liverpool, a Valentine’s Day Songwriter Circle gig featuring myself, my old guitarist (and mucker) Pete Riley and the inimitable Les Glover.
We did one last year (basically we sing a song in turn, often talking about them, and we carry on until either we or the audience gets fed up!), and what was meant to last an hour went on for more like 2 hours, what with all our banter..well the three of us can’t half go on, and we do enjoy being in each others’ company; check this Narrowboat Sessions video out from the other year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqOxxPxTscY
…it’s all we can do to stop crackin’ up most of the time…like 3 naughty school kids!
Anyway, it should be a great gig, and it sold out pretty quickly, so we may do another same time next year.

Well, that’s it for now…if you want to keep up with what I get up to on a more regular basis, I do post bits of info/pics/ruminations/twaddle on my Facebook page, at least a couple of times each week, so check me out there; or  you can see these Facebook posts on the home-page on this website, in the right hand column…and I try to keep my gig-list up to date on my website site (under GIGS), so have a look there if you fancy coming to a concert….I’ll copy a full list of current 2016 gigs below.
Bye for now
Henry x

 

2016

Jan

22nd  Doncaster – Roots Music (return visit)

23rd Hunmanby, Yorkshire – Hunmanby Community Centre

 

Feb

5th Stockton Heath – housegig* (return visit)

6th Hinckley – housegig @Greyhound Inn* (4th visit)

12th West Kirby – housegig*

14th Liverpool – Studio 2 Parr Street, Songwriter Circle

 

Mar

4th Lytham/St Annes – St Annes Folk Club (return visit)

5th Appletreewick (Skipton) – Cruck Barn, Craven Arms (return visit)

11th Leytonstone – housegig*

12th Wellingborough – Diggers Festival

13th Knutsford – housegig*

19th St Helens – Citadel

26th Anglesey – housgig* TBC

 

April

 9th Glasgow – Berits & Brown (4th visit)

10th Glasgow – housegig* (return visit) 15th Chirk(Wrexham) – BlackPark Chapel

16th Martinstown (Dorset) – Village Hall

 

May

4th Bury – Songwriter’s Circle

6th London – Green Note (3rd visit)

7th Melksham (Wilts) – Rachel Fowler Centre

8th Kennet & Avon Canal – On the Kenavon Venture canal boat! (return visit)

20th Hornsea Floral Hall (E.Yorks)

21st Thonton Hough (Wirral) – TH Village Club (4th visit)

22nd Whalley/Clitheroe (Lancs) – housegig*

27th Doncaster – housegig*

28th Beverley (E Yorks) – housegig*

29th Cherry Burton (E Yorks) – housegig* (return visit)

 

June

 11th Grimsby – Music Café @St Martin’s Church

17th Richmond (Yorks) – Dalton & Gayles Village Hall

18th Huddersfield – housegig*

19th Middlewich FAB (Folk & Boat) Festival

 

July

2nd Huntingdon – housegig*

3rd Northampton – housegig*

6th Southport – Atkinson Arts Centre

15th Godalming – Jan & Bill’s housegig* (4th visit)

16th Bourton (Oxfordshire) – housegig/wedding*

29th New Brighton Festival, Wirral

30th Abingdon, housegig* TBC

 

September

2nd Coventry – Albany Club

3rd  Fleetwood Folk Festival

9th Gloucester – housegig*

10th Cardiff – housegig*

30th East Sussex – housegig*

 

October

1st Worthing – housegig* (return visit) 2nd Bristol – housegig*

7th Penymynydd (Chester) – housegig* (return visit)

21st Longton (Preston) – housegig* (3rd visit)

22nd Burton-on-Trent – The mADhOUSE (5th visit)

 

November

11th Garway (Herefordshire) – Village Hall

12th Tallarn Green – housegig* (3rd visit)

 

December

5th Etton -Processed Pea Folk Club (8th annual visit!)

 

 

*housegigs are mostly private affairs, but some ARE open to the public, so it’s worth checking on website

 

 

 

 

29/09/15 update…”The Complete Renaissance Men Tour 2016″, plus housegig documentary

After a couple of months lay off, I’m itching to get back on the road later this week, kicking off the “Complete Renaissance Men Tour 2016” in Hull on Friday Oct 2nd…..20 concerts, going all the way through to December; in Liverpool/Merseyside, Manchester (supporting Fisherman’s Friends), Greater London (Uxbridge), The Midlands, East Yorkshire, the North East, etc etc…and 7 housegigs (3 in Wales alone) …all ticket details available on website…and a list of all gigs is in the column on the right.

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Slightly disconcerting…my mug on the side of a building, advertising the Hull gig!

I’ll be accompanied by my compadre Les Glover at all gigs, and occasionally with the full band (The Men of a Certain Age), and no doubt the usual array of ne’redowells will be joining me for the odd song/encore. I’ll be trying out a few new songs, as well as songs from both albums, and even delving occasionally into my back catalogue (Yachts, The Christians).

Talking of housegigs, Paul and Helen (who made my Settle Down live DVD) are setting about making a documentary about them….they’re funding it using a crowdfunding campaign. If anyone fancies getting involved, you’d better step on it, as the deadline for sponsoring finishes at 12pm Sept 30…more info here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-documentary-about-house-gigs#/updates

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Hen and Les interviewed for the housegig documentary (see link above)

Look forward to catching some of you out on the road.

Henry x

23/08/15 update….”veritable media blitz”, etc

Just taking a bit of a break before the autumn onslaught of gigs, time to get a newsletter sorted.

This last month there’s been a veritable media blitz on me (well, I call two bits of Henry P media coverage, a “blitz”!).

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Paul Skillen interviews HP on Bay TV’s Scouse Pop programme

Bay TV in Liverpool filmed an in-depth interview with me earlier in the year, and this was broadcast in late July as the opening one hour long programme in their “Scouse Pop” TV series.
Paul Skillen, the interviewer, really knew his stuff and put me at my ease, and for once I was able to watch the programme without cringing too much (I still haven’t watched the Vintage TV “Needle Time” programme from last year yet, even tho’ someone kindly made me a DVD copy of it…maybe I should give it a go now!).

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The programme went right back to Yachts era (’77), then onwards, dealing my time with The Christians, finishing off with my two solo albums. In between the chit-chat were songs relating to what we’d talked about; four songs were performed live in the studio by myself and Les Glover, these were Love You Love You (Yachts), Ideal World (The Christians), Don’t You Love Me No More? (HP, “Chronicles of Modern Life”) and Valentine Song (HP, “The Last Mad Surge of Youth”).

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HP and Les Glover performing Yachts’ Love You Love You (from 1979)

Unfortunately only people in the Liverpool area were able to watch the programme live, but the good news is it’s been sold to a few more local stations around the country (Brighton/Sussex for one), and also now has been uploaded to youtube, and can be watched here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUeiIeMBmNk

A week later, (apparently due to the Bay TV prog) the Liverpool Echo (who’ve not exactly championed me in the last 10 years…I’m too old perhaps?) did their own media blitz, featuring me 3 times in the paper in one week, including a full page interview…big thanks to Echo journalist Paddy Shennan for plastering me all over the paper…the main interview was this one:

echo snipEasier to read on this online link: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/wembley-arena-prefer-playing-peoples-9745374

Those of you who have read the above will have seen the mention of the sad death of Yachts’ drummer (and all round character and brilliant fellow) Bob Bellis. He’d had a heart attack a few months back and never fully recovered from it, such a sad loss. Les and I were invited to play at the “send off” after the funeral near his home in Devon – a joyful occasion remembering what a wonderful man Bob was. We’d learned 3 old Yachts songs for the occasion, and even had Bob’s nephew Michael Kalik on drums and harmonies (and my brother Will on cahon)…credit to Steve Conway on bass, who’d hardly heard any of the songs before, but was great nonetheless!…Bob’s sister Jean filmed some of the chaotic goings-on, and here’s Yachts’ single “Love You Love You” which initially came out in 1979: https://www.facebook.com/Michael.Kalik.Singer.Songwriter.UK/videos/10153583288994038/?pnref=story

Also mentioned in the Echo piece is my love of housegigs (“Wembley Arena? I prefer playing in people’s houses”)…played a few more in the last month or so, and as well as in people’s houses, we also played in a Spanish tapas bar in Derby, and an indoor dog training centre in Northumberland (on astroturf, see pic below!), both hired for the occasions, showing that these sort of gigs can happen almost anywhere.

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Henry & Les play a”Housegig” held in the Northumberland Canine Centre, Aug 2015

With that in mind, I’m at present in discussions with a film production company (who also shot my Settle Down DVD) who are interested in following Les & I round for the next year for a documentary about the housegig phenomena (and using me as the guinea pig!). They’re looking to do a “crowdfunding” venture to help pay for the filming/editing etc, but more news about that later.

Anyway, loads of gigs coming in which are mostly up on my website (under “Gigs”) and/or Facebook (artist page, under “Events”), and I’ll get details for the latest ones up as soon as poss. These will include an extra night at The Lantern Theatre in Liverpool (first night Dec 12th sold out, so we’ve added Dec 11th now), and a return to my birthplace Hull to play Kardomah94 on Oct 2nd, which’ll be my first proper gig in the city for 28 years!

Enjoy the remainder of the summer (“what summer?” I hear you cry, as I write this with rain pouring down outside!)

Bye for now

Henry x

10.07.15 Update…60’s the new 40, “Old” T shirts, and Renaissance men!

Been a wonderful month or so…firstly I have to thank everyone who sent their best wishes to me (literally hundreds of people, mostly via Facebook) for my 60th birthday in June…made an old man very happy….I’m actually appearing even older at the mo, as I’m still having to sit on a stool at gigs, being not fully recovered from my hernia op earlier in the year. Don’t worry, even seated I can still give it loads, especially with trusty Loved up Les at my side, and I’ll be back standing up and stomping before you know it!

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Outdoor summer housegig, Sileby, Leics

My good friend Helen Stephens (who created this website, and is part of the Sandbox Digital team, who made the “Settle Down” DVD) decided we should do a special limited edition “60th birthday T-shirt” to celebrate me reaching that venerable age, and being eligible for a bus pass! The T-shirts bear the line from my song “Old”: “I’m the same age that my father was when I first thought he was old”..with “a henry priestman tee, 60th birthday edition” on the back (perfect for any upcoming 60th birthdays!).

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The “Old” T shirt

We put these up for sale via Facebook and the offer ran from June 21st (my birthday) for a week. Amazing response, and the idea was, that would be that; but I’ve had a few people at gigs (who don’t use Facebook) saying that they’d have loved the chance to buy one. Fair comment; we wouldn’t want to be accused of being Facebook-centric  (tho’ I virtually do daily posts on FB, I love it!), so we’ve decided to extend the offer (on a “first come first served” basis). So, if you want to pick up a T-shirt, here’s the link:
http://thenerdygiftcompany.co.uk/shop/collectable-co-creations/henry-priestman-old/
The shirts are £12 plus P&P.

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Housegig, Brindle, nr Preston.

Just a few more gigs before I take a break in Aug/Sept..including a return to London’s Green Note on July 24, the wonderful “Folk On The Farm” Festival on July 17-19th, plus 5 housegigs. Loads more gigs coming in (especially housegigs; I’ve had 4 enquiries about them this week alone). All live concerts are listed below…I plan to call the autumn set of gigs my “Complete Renaissance Man Tour 2015”, nicking a line from “In My Head” off my “Last Mad Surge Of Youth” album.

Anyway, enjoy the summer everyone, and try and get to a gig if you can!

Henry x
PS   re gigs, some are so hot off the press that ticket details aren’t up on website/Facebook gig/event lists yet…don’t worry, all info will there soon.

Gigs:
July

10th-12th  Moonbeams Festival (N Yorks)

17th -19th Folk on the Farm Fest (Anglesey)

24th London – Green Note

25th Godalming – housegig*

 

Aug

7th Kirkby Fleetham (N Yorks) – housegig*

8th Alnwick (Northumberland) – housegig*

9th Derby – housegig*

“The Complete Renaissance Man Tour 2016”

Oct

2nd Hull –Kardomah

4th Liverpool – WSO Festival (short set)

8th Manchester (supporting Fisherman’s Friends)

9th Penymynydd (Nr Chester) – housegig*

15th  Wrexham – housegig*

16th Burscough – Wharf Theatre

23rd Durham – Old Cinema Launderette

24th Saltburn – Saltburn Blues Club

31st Burton on Trent – mADhOUSE @Brewhouse

 

Nov

20th Skelmersdale – housegig*

27th Longton (Preston) – housegig*

28th Tallarn Green (Malpas) – housegig*

 

Dec

6th North Newbald (E Yorks) – housegig*

7th Beverley (Etton) – Processed Pea Folk Club

12th Liverpool – The Lantern Theatre

18th Farnham – Huxley House housegig*

19th Uxbridge – Uxbridge Cricket Club

 

 *Denotes a house gig -some are open to the public, please check website/Facebook 

 

17/05/15 update…Hernia, Les’ album and Paella!

Been a bit tardy updating the website…mitigating circumstances, m’lud, had a hernia op 3 weeks ago (which seems to have all gone fine) and have kept on meaning to get round to doing a new blog/news update here…and whilst I’ve been putting up my regular little snippets on Facebook, I’m aware some people aren’t on FB (or hate it!), so I endeavour to put something up here every month or so..so here goes:

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Post Hernia Op Cake, presented onstage at Devizes gig [made by Sand Maggs]

One thing that happened just before the op was the release of my pal and right-hand-man Loved Up Les’ debut solo album “The Love Terrorist”….it really is a great album, and I know I WOULD say that as I produced it (and even managed to get a few co-writes on), but I’m pretty sure that anyone who likes my albums will appreciate this…some wryness and humour, yes, but also some tender and poignant moments: “I am Legend” brings my wife and I to tears every time!
CD available here: http://lesglover.co.uk/shop/

 

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Biggest Paella Ever…at Graham & Jane Deakin’s housegig

The hernia op, as you’d expect, knocked me for six, but I’d been told that I should be OK after 2 weeks rest and recuperation. Luckily the 2 first gigs where playing places where I knew the people putting the gigs on, so was able to explain about my predicament. Stools were provided at both gigs, but the rocker in me came out once I hit the stage, and I eschewed sitting down, but was made to pay for it later (could hardly walk after the second gig).
The first gig was a housegig near Cirencester for a Yachts (my first band) superfan – Graham Deakin had seen us 20 times back in the late 70’s – so Les (himself a fan!) and I dusted down an old Yachts favourite (and single) Love You Love You…someone in the audience thought it was the best song of the night!..have to mention the biggest paella I’ve ever seen, that was served at the gig…now you see why we love these housegigs: it’s all cake and paella!..

 

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Les and HP arrive at soundcheck by canal!

Next gig was at Wharf Theatre in Devizes…I’ve been coming down to Wiltshire for four years to play for Malcolm Shipp and Andy Fawthrop’s Seend Acoustic Club, and they thought it would be good this time to up the ante and put us in a bigger venue, hence the Wharf Theatre…Malcy always has something up his sleeve to keep his artists entertained (in the past we’ve had trips laid on to the Standing Stones at Avebury, and various White Horses and stunning views), this time he excelled himself and had laid on (courtesy of boat owners Dave and Mandy) a trip along the Kennet and Avon Canal, dropping Les & I off at Wharf Theatre in time for soundcheck!
More surprises ensued when I was onstage: the Post Op Cake was presented, then 15 year old singer Lottie Diddams (whom I’d never met before, complete surprise) got up and accompanied me on “Valentine Song” (see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6Pf0o5jxU ), and finally, for “True Believer” Malcy had laid on an 8-piece ukulele band to join me…again, I’d no idea this was going to happen (tho’ he hinted at “surprises”)…brilliant night..ta so much Malcy, Andy, and Karen….not forgetting Les, who had to do all the lifting and carrying (having an op has it’s perks!)
Those concerned about my welfare will be pleased to hear that I succumbed to common sense after that, and sat on a stool for last Friday’s wonderful St Annes Folk Club gig…

 

 

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Les & HP on “Songs From The Shed”

Also in the last few weeks our session (#366!) for the legendary Songs from The Shed went online…earlier in the year Les & I recorded 3 songs “In My Head”, “At The End of the Day” & “We Used To Be You”, in genial Jon Earl’s wonderful little shed, and they can be heard here:
“In My Head”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zagiLe5S3CI
“At the End of the Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wnKkRQnAg0    and
“We Used To Be You” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fw2IsTb4Uo

————–
…coming up in May/June: festivals, 5 more housegigs, and a BIG (scary!) birthday!

Bye for now

H x

 

 

05/03/15 update…DVD launch gigs, track listing (signed copies available)

New DVD is finally out….thanks to everyone who came to the 2 wonderful launch gigs at the weekend, first in Settle (where the DVD was filmed in 2014) and then in Cherry Burton, near Beverley…there was even a nice review of the 2nd gig on the Afterword website (formerly Word magazine)  http://theafterword.co.uk/henry-priestman/

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Signed copies available

The DVD features 20 tracks from my 37 year career, so, right back to my first band Yachts, via a few of the hits I wrote for The Christians, and lashings of stuff from my 2 solo albums.                                                                                                                                                                                             Signed copies are available from Sandbox Digital’s website http://www.sandboxdigital.co.uk/shop/henry-priestman-settle-down-dvd/ and I will be selling copies at upcoming gigs.
Here’s the full track listing:

1/ Old

2/ Goodbye Common Sense

3/ In My Head

4/ Valentine Song

5/ It’s Called a Heart

6/ Ideal World

7/ What You Doin’ With me?

8/ We Used To Be You

9/ True Believer

10/ At The End Of The Day

11/ The Last Mad Surge Of Youth

12/ A Pint Of Bitter & Twisted, Please

13/ He Ain’t Good Enough For You

14/ No To The Logo

15/ Grey’s The New Blonde

16/ Forgotten Town

17/ Don’t You Love Me No More?

18/ Born Again

19/ Suffice To Say (incl Driving Away From Home)

20/ The Coolest Dance (is the Irish jig)

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Full house at Settle Victoria Hall, 27/02/15, for the DVD launch

Thanks to all the brilliant musicians who played on the DVD (and the launch gigs), to Helen and Rile at Sandbox Digital for putting it all together, and to everyone who’s said nice things about the DVD on Facebook (and in person, at gigs)…it really has captured a night of magic (and mayhem), and apparently is best if you watch it in one sitting, with a glass of wine in your hand!

Here’s the trailer for the DVD:

Bit of a break in March gig-wise, apart from 2 gigs this weekend in Stockport (West Heaton Cricket Club) on Friday March 6th, and Cambridge (CB2) Saturday March 7th, then back in April with gigs in Glasgow, Windermere, Newton-le-Willows, Southport…then my hernia op on April 24th, but won’t bore you with that just yet!…all gig details on website under “gigs”.

Catch you on the road…

Henry x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

27/02/15 update….”Settle Down” 20 track Live DVD, out today!

My first ever solo live DVD “Settle Down” gets released today (and two launch gigs this weekend to celebrate the fact)…recorded at Settle Victoria Hall last year, when I say solo, I was actually joined that night by a plethora of great musicians (and wonderful human beings): Les Glover, Pip Jopling, Ben Hughes, Peter Robinson, Martin Peirson (and even Michelle & Nick from the support band Plumhall), and as the blurb says “most of whom had never met before the gig”. This could have resulted in a nightmare, but actually, the fact that the wheels might fall off at any moment gives the film an edge, and many humorous moments, as some of the band play songs they’ve never heard before!

Available from the shop here on this website…here’s a taster of the film…2 hours cleverly shrunk down to just over 2 minutes.

Special thanks to the good people at Sandbox Digital who produced and directed the DVD: Paul Avis for his directing & tireless editing – and Helen Stephens, for being the sensible one, doing all the artwork, and filling in the difficult forms; couldn’t have done it without yer both!

Enjoy!

31/01/2015 update…”Warrior of the Road”

Warrior of the road!…Stop staying in and watching rubbish TV…wrap up well and come and experience the joy and warmth of live music!…be it Liverpool or London, Devizes or Doncaster, Saltburn or Stockport, Blackpool or Bedford, Northampton or Newton-le-Willows, Windermere or Wirral, hopefully I’m playing somewhere reasonably close this year…below is a full list of dates for 2015 so far (right the way through to December), further details can be found here: http://www.henrypriestman.com/gigs/ …(and soon to be on FB too):Feb
6th Stockton Heath (Warrington) – housegig*
7th Hinckley – housegig*
13th Bebington (Wirral) – housegig*
14th Wigan – wedding/housegig*
20th Stamford – housegig*
21st Northampton – The Parlour
27th Settle Victoria Hall – DVD Launch gig
28th Cherry Burton Village Hall (E Yorks) – DVD launch gig

March
6th Stockport – West Heaton Music Club
7th Cambridge – Acoustic Routes

April
8th Edinburgh – housegig*
10th Glasgow – housegig*
11th Glasgow – Berit and Browns, Eurocentral
16th Windermere (just in, details to follow)
17th Blackpool – housegig*
18th Newton-le-Willows (Warrington) – Pied Bull Hotel
20th Southport – Grateful Fred’s SOLD OUT
24th Doncaster – Roots music
25th Bedford – Entshed

May

1st   Sheffield – housegig*
8th Cirencester – housegig*
10th Devizes (Wilts) – Wharf Theatre
15th Blackpool/Lytham – St Annes’s Folk Club
June
12th Thornton Hough (Cheshire) – Village Club
27th Chirk (Wales) – housegig* (wedding)

July
3rd Preston – Brindle Rocks, housegig*
4th Stevenage – housegig*
24th London – Green Note (TBC)
25th Godalming – housegig*

Aug
8th Alnwick (Northumberland) – housegig*

Oct
23rd Durham – Old Cinema Launderette
24th Saltburn – Saltburn Blues Club
31st Burton on Trent – mADhOUSE @Brewhouse

Dec
6th North Newbald (E Yorks) – housegig*
7th Beverley (Etton) – Processed Pea Folk Club
12th Liverpool – The Lantern Theatre
18th Farnham – Huxley House housegig*

* [Tho’ some housegigs are private, others are open to the public, check on website to confirm]

 

11/01/15…Happy New Year!…music review of 2014, picture blog.

Belated Happy New Year everyone…had meant to get this up in late December, but as you’ll see at the bottom, I had mitigating circumstances for the delay…anyway, what a brilliant year 2014 was (that is, until right up till Dec 12!)…thought I’d let 15 pics do most of the talking (most of them have been on Facebook, so apologies if you’ve seen them before):

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01 year2014 (1)

Pic 1/  My album “The Last Mad Surge of Youth” finally came out, only 6 years after the debut (hey, I like to take my time and get it right!), to the best reviews I’ve had in 37 years of releasing records……but I will try not to leave it so long next time

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 Pic 2

Val Song Lotte Mullan

Lotte Mullan in “Valentine Song” video (pic, Helen Stephens)

Pic 2/ Lotte Mullan, who co-wrote Valentine Song with me, playing a waitress in the beautiful video for the song; we filled a coffee shop with genuine lovers, can’t you tell?….check it out here:

We also made videos for 2 other songs off the album: Goodbye Common Sense and True Believer, both also on youtube.

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 Pic 3

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l-r: Ben Hughes, Pip Jopling, Peter Robinson, HP, Loved up Les™, Martin Peirson (Pic, Paul Reaney)

Pic 3/ Magical gig at Settle Victoria Hall in the spring…managed to get many of the musicians who’ve backed me over the last few years to turn up to this gig, which we filmed for DVD release in Feb 2015….trouble is, most of them had never met before…what could possibly go wrong?

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Pic 4

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Green Note Camden, London…l-r: HP, Les, Micaela Haslam, Lotte, Graham Gouldman (pic, Gavin T Williams)

Pic 4/ Managed to conquer my fear of playing a London gig (hadn’t played a gig in the capital since 2005), and had a magical time in the process, at the Green Note in Camden (I’ll be back there in July 2015)…mind you, with a line-up of Loved up Les™, Micaela Haslam, Lotte Mullan and Graham Gouldman, what was there to be afraid of?!

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Pic 5

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Graham Gouldman, HP perform “We Used To Be You” on Vintage TV

 Pic 5:  Vintage TV (seems somehow apt!) chose to do a one hour special on me; well-respected journo Neil McCormick interviewed me, and I got to play a few live tunes, and the programme was aired on Sky TV in the summer…Graham Gouldman and I were doing some writing at the time, and I somehow managed to cajole him into joining me for the live tracks, which he literally learned on the morning of the show!…I’ve watched the 3 songs we did (which sound great), but, honest truth, I’ve not yet plucked up courage to watch the rest of the programme! (hate watching myself being interviewed!!)

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Pic 6

06 year2014 (6)

HP, The Men of a Certain Age, and Longcroft School Gospel Choir

Pic 6/ I enjoyed playing a few festivals in the summer, including Beverley Folk Festival, BAMfest, Folk on the Farm, and Cornucopia (see pic) where, as well as the Men of a Certain Age, I was also joined onstage by the 26-strong Longcroft School Gospel Choir…magnificent!

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I continue to relish playing places that aren’t your normal rock venues – anything unusual or different will do (see below)…

Pic 7

07 year2014 (8)

HP & Les perform “True Believer” to the kids at St Oswald’s Primary School, Longton.

Pic 7/ …a school, for instance; it was a joy for Les and I to perform for the kids (and do a workshop) at St Oswald’s Primary school in Longton nr Preston….

Pic 8

09 year2014 (10)

Les, HP, Micaela, Pete Riley at St Pancras Old Church, London (pic, Gavin T Williams)

Pic 8/…..or a church; St Pancras Old Church has to be one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever performed in, and the 3 part harmonies sounded amazing with the natural acoustics…

Pic 9

10 year2014 (11)

HM Prison, Hull

Pic 9/….or a prison; obviously no photos could be taken, but I enjoyed doing 2 workshops in Hull Prison in May/June…I gave a talk on songwriting, sang a few songs, then helped the prisoners write their own songs to commemorate 100 year anniversary of the First World War…daunting but very rewarding experience.

Pic 10

14 year2014 (15)

Aboard the “Kenavon Venture” on Kennet & Avon Canal (pic, Loved up Les™)

Pic 10/ ….or on a barge; we did this gig on a narrow-boat, going up and down the Kennet & Avon Canal, with a stop half-way along to pick up fish ‘n’ chips for the audience!

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The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham

Pic 11/….or in a launderette; The Old Cinema Launderette in Durham is a working launderette by day, but in the evening it turns into the most intimate & unique venue imaginable (already re-booked for Oct 23rd 2015!)

Pic 12

13 year2014 (13)

A “housegig” on Marian McNamee’s allotment in Coventry

Pic 12/ ….or (finally) on an allotment!!; this “housegig on an allotment” was in late October – Les found it a bit nippy on the fingers, but what a brilliant occasion!

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Pic 13

Housegigs 2014

Just a few of the 23 housegigs I did in 2014. Top row: Preston, Farnham, Blackpool. bottom row: Rushden, Liverpool, N Newbald

Pic 13/ Talking of housegigs, they went mad for me in 2014 – still my favourite type of gig, and already got 15 booked in for 2015…if you’re interested in us coming to your house (or village hall, pub function room…or allotment) to do a concert, check the link out here, http://www.henrypriestman.com/house-gigs/  …….or message me on my Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/henrypriestman )

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Pic 14

15 year2014 (16)

Pic 14/ Sometimes, life throws you a curveball: on December 12th my wife slipped, broke her ankle badly, spent 10 days in hospital, where she had 3 operations (including one where it looked like they had her ankle in a Meccano set, which we chose to put Christmas decs on, to cheer up the ward!)….so you could say that it was a strange sort of Christmas….it’s going to be a long haul (4 more weeks in plaster, then physio etc), but she’s being as brave as a lion, my cooking’s improving, and as my song True Believer goes “what doesn’t kill you makes you strong”.

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Pic 15

Settle Down snip

Sleeve of “Settle Down” Live DVD (design by Sandbox Digital)

Pic 15/ Looking to the future, I’m excited about the release of my first live DVD “Settle Down”, recorded at Settle Victoria Hall, out in Feb; it’ll be initially available from this website (and at gigs). We’ve got a couple of launch gigs organized on Feb 27th (at Settle Victoria Hall) and Feb 28th (at Cherry Burton Village Hall, near Beverley), as well as loads more gigs right through to December (all details on this website under “gigs”).

Here’s wishing you a fantastic 2015!

H x