Chris Butler
The Blyth Power Ashes 2009
28th-30th August 2009, Lumb Farm, Marehay, near Ripley,
Derbyshire
A re-cap…After it’s year off due to the event’s cancellation in 2007, the Blyth Power Ashes returned in 2008 bigger, better and more enjoyable than ever before. From its previous location of The Whistle Stop in Tallington, Lincolnshire, a forced move to a new venue found the Ashes weekend in Derbyshire in 2008 and this year the Blyth Power Ashes returned to that same venue, Lumb Farm. It’s a restaurant and pub with a large campsite amongst secluded farmland in the village of Marehay, just outside the town of Ripley. It was my 8th year appearing at Blyth Power’s annual weekend (from 2001 to 2006 at Tallington and now these last two Ashes weekends held in Derbyshire).
A friend and I drove up to the venue’s campsite on the Friday afternoon in order to put up our tents before I drove some more miles to pick up friends from Derby and surrounding areas and give them lifts to the festival. Amongst a mixture of sunshine and showers, we got the tents erected, I collected those people needing a lift and I was back at the venue for 7pm and in time to relax and watch the first act, James ‘Bar’ Bowen. I’d shared a bill with James at the Rebellion festival in Blackpool earlier in the month and it was nice to see him again as he opened the 2009 Ashes weekend. I then followed James with my 40 minute set. Moments before my set, whilst tuning my guitar, I suddenly found I’d got a flat battery in the guitar and wasn’t carrying a spare in my guitar case. How unprofessional I don’t hear you cry…Luckily, the day (or rather my performance) was saved by Paul of Pog who was kind enough to help me out with a spare. Many thanks to Paul for this. There wouldn’t have been a Butler performance without him (that’s right, it’s all his fault!). My full set was: Don’t Come Back, Lucky Escapes, Don’t Vote BNP/Keep Britain Rubbish, An Evening With Michael Portillo (complete with a picture of him on my guitar advertising one of his previous ‘Audience with…’ evenings), Celebrity Bus Crash, ‘Phone In Well, The World According To Bono and No, Minister. Keep Britain Rubbish is at present a short song worked into the middle of Don’t Vote BNP and was inspired by comments some people have left on the Youtube website after video footage of Don’t Vote BNP recorded at a gig earlier this year was uploaded onto the site. I have no problem with constructive criticism and the song is about my amusement at how angry these nasty little racists get after watching/listening to the video. What started as a few lines within the song have progressed to a new song in its own right. It’s something I’m still building upon with each performance and I’m finding it interesting to see where (if anywhere) the song is leading to as I perform it as part of a ‘medley’ with Don’t Vote BNP. Thanks to all who took an interest in my set, to those who bought CD’s, who have been in touch since to find out more about my music and of course to Blyth Power (especially Annie who worked the PA for my set on the night.) I was lucky to perform before The Re-entrants as they’re a tough act to follow due to every song being a well known sing-along with the twist being all the songs are played and sung by just two guys (Phil and Ian) with just two ukuleles for accompaniment. The Stranglers, Guns ‘N’ Roses, The Buzzcocks, Chumbawamba, Bowie, Britney, Motorhead, The Who, Michael Jackson… their set list is endless these days and the audience loved them. It was my 8th gig with the duo as well as 20 gigs with Phil Doleman playing as a solo act as well as my last two CD’s which he has appeared on also. Following The Re-entrants were Pog. Catchy pop songs mixed with folk and punk influences that had the audience listening and the children dancing at the front of the stage. I’ve seen Pog a number of times and shared the Ashes bill on 4 occasions now. Steven Cooper and the Charlies ended the evening with some fine songs and performances. Steven throwing himself into vocal duties at times by leaving the guitar playing to Jeremy (of Blyth Power) and his own songs such as Ana and Goodnight sounded perfect amongst cover songs Pretty In Pink, That Woman’s Got Me Drinking and Drop Down Dead. It was my 2nd gig with the Charlies full band as well as 7 gigs with Steven playing solo, 6 with Red Wedding, 9 with him playing for Blyth Power and 2 Eastfield performances when we’ve both joined them on stage. Steven and the band were a perfect ending to the night’s music and despite a few beers (chillin’ out after my set of course), it was a cold night in the tent back on the campsite. It really didn’t feel like August to me during the night….
Saturday morning arrived and I got out of the tent to warm sunshine. Steven
Cooper and Fi needed something a bit more luxurious than the campsite so a trip
over to the Butler household for a shower and breakfast was in order and I
returned also to pick up Mrs. Butler and return to Lumb Farm for the Saturday
festivities. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see Mourning For Autumn, Tres Y El
Ingles or Henry Lawrence’s Fellow Travellers but arrived back in time to see
Verbal Warning wake up anyone still asleep in their tent with an early afternoon
set of punk rock. Afterwards it was the annual cricket match between Blyth Power
and Eastfield (open to anyone who wishes to bat, bowl or field for either side).
Sides were picked, there was just about enough room on the campsite to play a
game of cricket and Jessi Adams of Eastfield apparently won without either
batting or bowling! I saw bits of the game whilst catching up with some friends
and relaxed before the evening’s entertainment began. There was also time for me
to add my own picture of Jessi Adams to the colouring-in sheets already
completed over the weekend. So I submitted one which I’d coloured in as a
superhero and titled Superjessi!... The evening’s entertainment kicked-off with
Rachel Pantechnicon and his/her poetry and then Paul Carter with his non-child
friendly songs to keep up the diversity! Eastfield were up next and were great.
The room was packed for what must have been the biggest Ashes audience so far.
Anal Beard followed Eastfield and then Cracktown. Being both weird and
wonderful, the duo entertained with their acoustic songs complete with their
faces made-up like Papa Lazarou from The League Of Gentlemen TV show. Wob had to
follow that but did so splendidly and then rounding off the night was Blyth
Power. Celebrating their 25th anniversary, they included songs from
the new album Land, Sea and Sky and they sounded perfect. I really think it was
one of the best times I’d seen them live and that is saying something having
seen them many times over the years. A few more drinks before returning to my
tent and a much warmer night followed…
I awoke to sunshine again on the Sunday morning and after another visit home to where Steven and Fi had this time spent the night having decided that camping is for fools, plus they didn’t wish to spend another night like the Friday night (and I must say my back was starting to agree with them), I was back at the venue to find a double booking by Lumb Farm (they’d arranged a christening party on the Sunday also) leaving Joseph of Blyth Power the task of re-organising and re-arranging the times of the bands due to play in order to make sure everyone was able to perform albeit with shorter playing times if necessary. The Alcohol Licks were up first and then Sammy Sweetland and after Sammy was Amateur Ninja Club. Lomans was up next and he was a fine singer songwriter in the tradition of Billy Bragg and then New York Scum Haters (a Ramones tribute band) followed with a short set. As well as having Paul Carter on vocals, guest singers Steven Cooper and Trina Eastfield also shared the vocal duties. Blyth Power then rounded off the day and the weekend with a great but unfortunately short set in the limited time allowed. Songs included Vane Tempest, Armstrong Goes To War, Blow The Man Down, To Whose Gods and Probably Going To Rain before playing Goodbye To All That to close the set and the Blyth Power Ashes 2009. It was a shame to end so soon in circumstances that suggested the venue had been greedy to book another event for the same weekend despite Blyth Power booking the whole venue themselves for the weekend. I’m told that Blyth Power had been asked to turn the music down also so as not to upset the christening party!... None of it takes anything away from it being a great weekend though. Many thanks to all friends old and new, Mrs. Butler, Mat, Amy, Georgina and Juleigh. To Steven, Fi, Eastfield, to Jessi for selling my CD’s on the merchandise stall, to Allan for returning my CD’s which got left behind at Lumb Farm! And last but not least of all to Blyth Power for all their efforts, hard work, help and support and for making the weekend a fantastic one. It was a real honour to be a small part of their Ashes weekend yet again. Lumb Farm in Derbyshire had already been booked up for the whole of August next year and so the Ashes had already planned a new location of Norfolk anyway, though after the problems encountered on the Sunday at Lumb Farm, I doubt whether Joseph and the band will wish to return to it’s 2009 venue for any future occasions…
Also see: Tallington 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008