21st October 2004

Our first spotlight night, venturing into the Bothal Suite, was a very enjoyable evening. Another success in restoring Ashington as a place to play and a place to come and listen.

We decided not to use the stage as it's in need of attention to the lighting etc. So our intrepid performers stood (or sat) in a floor space in front of the stage with the stage curtain behind them. We had to be able to cover all combinations of multiple singers, miked up instruments and plug in instruments, so the performing area looked a bit like a hardware store with 6 microphone stands, two speakers on stands and a jumble of interconnecting cables!

We had a good mix of music ranging from traditional to contemporary, a cappella to guitars and banjo, and Northumbrian pipes too. Spotlighted performers this month were

• Pat Yeowart - Pat has an excellent voice, both unaccompanied and with guitar backing. She does great interpretations of classic songs.

• The Magick Circle - Ben Yeowart is a regular performer at the club and, together with Tristan and Alyn, formed the band. They play an intriguing mix of contemporary songs, some written by band members.

1 Dave Donohoe set the scene with his graceful guitar style accompanying his singing of 'Electric Blue' and the Procol Harum classic 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale'.

2 Classical guitarist Alex continued the quiet mood. Starting with a gentle rendition of  'Habanera', he then played a 'Valze' quickly followed by his trademark performance of 'La Grima'.

3 Northumbrian pipers Ann Sessoms and Alan Bailey duetted with Kathryn Tickell's 'Brafferton Village' and 'Long Long Ago'. We are fortunate to see these two pipers regularly at the club - don't miss the next spotlight (18 November) when Ann is the featured performer.

4 Spotlight First spotlight performer of the night was Pat Yeowart with a cappella versions of 'Black As Coal', 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'My Mamma Done Told Me', and a finger-clicking 'Fever'. Magickal stuff! She was then joined by the band to end the first half with 'Slippin' and Slidin'' and 'Stand By Me'.

5 Jim has a unique style with wry observations on life delivered in good humour. His self-penned 'Dilemma' is a favourite, which he followed by a fun 3-song medley which had us singing along.

6 A welcome 3rd visit from George Rosenthal gave us a chance to hear more from this accomplished performer. Unfortunately he didn't tell us the title of either of his songs... but they were nonetheless poignant and well received.

7 Ray Derrick provided a lively contrast with Alan Hull / Lindisfarne's 'Lady Eleanor'.  Eric Laverick joined him with added vocals and banjo with a rousing performance of 'The Gypsy Rover'. Ray is our December spotlight, so our last club night of 2004 is sure to be full of foot tapping, hand clapping and chorus singing.

8 Ray barely had time to rest before he was back again as part of Beeswing, who sing mostly unaccompanied traditional songs (and contemporary material in a traditional vein). Tonight they did fine 3-part harmony mining songs 'Rap 'er To Bank' and 'Close The Coal House Door'. Let's hope we see all 5 of Beeswing at Ashington before long!

9 Spotlight Ben Yeowart introduced the band (The Magick Circle) saying 'We're not magic, and we're not circular'. Their opening number was none other than 'Lady Eleanor', but a different treatment to Ray Derrick's earlier version. We then had 'Tranquil Vale', written by Ben, followed by the Beatles classic 'Blackbird' showing some intricate guitar work. Next was a song by Tristan (we don't think it has a title), and 'There Is No Floor' by The Telescopes. They then sang a Syd Barrett song 'Wined and Dined' and another Ben Yeowart composition, the quieter 'Hello John' - all too soon it was time for the last number in the set, Bob Dylan's 'I Shall Be Released'. The band persuaded Pat Yeowart to join them for an encore. And so the entertainment ended with 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' - an appropriate way to finish the first Ashington Spotlight, hopefully to become a regular feature of the club.

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