Bluehorses...Tavistock Jan 14th 2006

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   At last, the Commercial; Winter Holiday, previously known as; Christmas was behind us, and Saturday January 14th had arrived. So we packed out our beloved motor home, the usual 6 bottles of wine, a gorgeous home made lasagne for tonight’s dinner, with some garlic bread, also breakfast, of bacon, sausages mushrooms and eggs for the morning, a change of clothes, and nice thick duvet, as we planned to stay over-night in The Wharf car park. 

So our 4 cats taken care of, what a blessing to have some nice neighbours, we set off across country, and joined the A30, and then onto the A389 towards Tavistock, travelling through some beautiful Devon Mooreland countryside. Never having been to The Wharf before, and never having been to Tavistock via this route, we were unsure as to how long our journey would last. We were surprised that The Wharf was only 38 ½ miles from door to door, and parked up right outside the entrance only about an hour after leaving home. 

We arrived about 2.30 pm, so plenty of time to look around Tavistock, & purchase a new film for the camera, but we needed a cup of tea first. So with the gas on in the van, keeping the wine well chilled for later, we nipped into The Wharf café for said liquid refreshment to save a bit of time, and then made our way into the market town of Tavistock, saying hello to Jay & Mrs Jay, who had just arrived. We finally found an outlet to purchase our film, and didn’t think too much of what else was on offer in Tavistock, so made our way back to the motor home to warm up, and warm up our dinner, and crack open the first bottle of wine. 

So dinner down our necks and 2 bottles of wine drunk, a quick change of clothes, and we were off to get our tickets and get a well deserved glass of wine from the now finally open bar at 7 pm. The venue was now starting to fill up nicely, and the atmosphere was so thick with anticipation you could have cut it with a knife! 

8 pm and the doors finally open, a mad rush for the hall, so we made our way to the now less crowded bar for another deserved glass of wine. Ambled our way into the hall to have a quick look at the merchandise stand, still no dvd for sell, so watched 5 minutes of the dvd trailer playing in the auditorium. The dvd looks fantastic, so save us a copy please! but by now our glasses were emptying rapidly, and as the bar was once again awash with punters, we made our way back to our motor home and refreshed our glasses from our fridge! 

Another quick look around the auditorium, another glimpse of the dvd trailer, and back to the bar for another deserved glass of wine. We were then approached; by not one, but two strange looking guys! We were trapped, no way out via the bar,....... too crowded, couldn’t get out via the exit,........ too many late comers barring our escape! We need not have panicked though, or should we have? It was only Andy & Mike coming to say hello, as they had recognised us through Mark’s multi-coloured cowboy hat. Pleasantries exchanged etc… Mike & Andy made their way back stage ready for the off, 10 minutes to go, bar heaving, so back to the motor home to top up our glasses. 

Straight into the auditorium, just in time to make our way down to the front, as the Mighty Bluehorses took to the stage! The worry that only about 50 punters would turn up, so close to Christmas, in a Devon; fed on commercial pap 24hrs a day, 7 days a week; well behind us; as behind and to the side of us, 200 plus eager fans, old and new, and with an age range from about 7 – 70 yrs, ready to dance the night away. 

From the off The Bluehorses did Tavistock, Devon, and the world of music proud. From that instant, you were glad you were a Bluehorses fan, and glad you had made the effort on a cold winters night, to turn off your TV’s; leave that lovely warm comfortable fire, and come to the Wharf, and witness an awesome band......... LIVE! 

Opening number was the wonderful instrumental Cabbage Train, the months of practise shone through; as the mighty rhythm section, of drummer extraordinaire Nic, & bass playing nephew Nathan, kept this complex tune pounding along like a galloping steed, whilst the lead guitar of Jay; & ferocious fiddle playing skills of Lizzie, held the audience captive at an entirely different race course. How to be in two places at one time? Great music! That’s how! (Merlin, 2006) 

Witches In Wedlock, one of our favourite Bluehorses tracks quickly followed, and by the reaction of the already dancing crowd, a Bluehorses favourite amongst the others too. Ok I’m sorry my hands didn’t go up during this, hands up and count 1, 2, and 3 number, but having one hand full with a camera, and the other with a goddess, you try it! 

The Dark, Black Leg Minor followed the banter of the hello’s to Tavistock; and God’s County of Devon, this great traditional song, done in the Bluehorses own impeccable style maintained the pace, like the last furlong of The Derby. 

Cooling things down nicely, with the race to captivate the audience already won, and the jockey looking over his shoulder at the also rans. Time for something completely different, first appearance on stage for the electric harp; and Mr Stage Crew, & Techno Wizzo, Stan’s The Man, for Gravel Walk, dreamy. (mmm……………………… The tune, not Stan! O hum!) 

Before the dream of Stan became a nightmare, Black Is The Colour rocked us all back to reality. Quick quiet plea of guilty as charged here to loving this track for all the right reasons. Black Is the colour of MY TRUE LOVES HAIR! Mad Tom was next up. We told the door-staff not to let that village idiot in! He did have a wicked disguise though ,… to be fair,…. to the door-staff……, the tune is full of notes, and chords and other wicked musical things, don’t think they were quite ready for that! Mad Tom was quickly followed by some embarrassed door –staff, no, the rocking instrumental Ostara / Morrisons jig, don’t know why bands especially folk bands have to do that, so time consuming title / title why didn’t they just call this one, Some Greek Birds Dance With A Supermarket Chain?...... Too commercial???? Yeh! Too commercial! 

Well the band must have read the audiences mind! Look we’re quite a bit tired now, what with all that crimbo shopping, the New Year thing, back to work after nearly two weeks of being me, myself I! We would love a rest and MY WINE GLASS IS EMPTY looks of despair on our hot sweaty faces! They walked off promising to be back in twenty minutes, panic! Only twenty minutes, look at the bar! Heaving already, and who said we Devonians were slow! You’ve never seen a bar fill up so quickly! 1 exhausted Devonian! bar quite empty, 200 exhausted Devonians, it’ll take us twenty minutes to get out of the hall, or if we go the back way around, or indeed around the back, we can be back at the motor home, glasses re-filled before the band can sit down and say I think we’ve won them over! not necc in that order! 

Part 2 is much shorter we promise………………………………………………………….. 

Or stay tuned for the next enstalment of, 24 Hours In The Life Of Two Bluehorses Nutters! 0r 24IT / LOT / BN We also do quit like The Bluehorses!