Blanket Apology last night in the Coronation

I went to see Blanket Apology last night; it's a rock band led by my friend Mick Cooper, in whose recording studio I have recorded quite a few songs. Mick is a great guitarist but doesn't sing, so the band has had a succession of female lead singers. They now have a new one, Sue Raymond, who, unlike her predecessors, also plays rhythm guitar. This immediately creates a different dynamic: the singer appears more as part of the band, rather than being backed by a band. I liked her singing, and she has a good on-stage persona, chatting to the audience and joking with the others in the band. Mick Bennett on drums and Ronnie Clark on bass complete the line-up, and I have had fun in the past jamming with them all playing old rock & roll numbers. The roots of the band are mostly in soul, blues and R&B, and their mixture of originals and well-known covers and went down well with the small but appreciative audience there. Personally I thought the vocal was too low in the mix (and said so, but they're still talking to me), but perhaps that's what happens when a band is led by a guitarist! Future gigs by Blanket Apology are listed in my What's On page.

The Coronation serves Greene King IPA at £2.45 a pint, and also sometimes Old Speckled Hen, but not last night. A copy of a tabloid on the bar screamed that, "Britain goes bonkers with jubilee fever". Not last night in the Coronation it didn't, nor in the Guest House later where I went after the gig. It just seemed like an ordinary Friday night to me.

I'm listening to their rather good promo CD as I type this, called "26 of the Best", with (astonishingly) 26 tracks. CDs are on sale at their gigs.