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Report by Phil Barr
High Summer at the Ridings July 25th Report Phil Barr video Jane Barr

So, the final gig of the summer season was upon us with David calculating that we have completed more than twenty gigs since September. Now, back on familiar territory at the beginning of the school holidays, there was a relaxed vibe following a similarly laid-back Tuesday evening session after last week’s pre – concert tension, the only slight concern being that Pop’s non – appearance last night might be of concern but we needn’t have worried as the familiar Paddington style that emerged from the top of an escalator.

Having begun by thanking the band for their magnificent efforts throughout the past 12 months David got things under way directly under the Ridings glitter ball and it was soon obvious that the band was in dazzling end – of – term form as we made our way smoothly through the first set of songs with Green Door and I Wanna Dance With You making successful returns and the lively Chattanooga Choo Choo, I think it was, attracting several people who stopped to take videos. Others could be seen swaying to various tunes as they appeared from the floor below before continuing their shopping missions. With the epic High Noon being omitted as the time approached twelve noon the interval arrived in no time and a few of us scurried off to buy coffees which nearly backfired as the cafe we ordered from then ran out of coffee. Mags sprang into action at this point to collect cold water, so that when the drinks did arrive, we had a fighting chance of getting back in time for the resumption. Alas, we arrived sixty seconds late and only avoided being sent to the naughty step by agreeing to add 3 points to our ukulele licences. David then attempted to soften the blow by telling us that our performances never ever disappointed him but the ironic smile suggested that someone we know well might be telling a bit of a porkie. Talking of which there was a chap dressed in a garish coloured top and plus fours sitting on the balcony all morning who looked as if he had eaten his fair share of bacon butties who, whilst he may have given up on the chance of making it to the Paris Olympics golf squad,

nevertheless appeared to be having an enjoyable day taking in the sights and sounds of Wakefield’s once iconic shopping centre. So on with the music and although the Coconuts belter of a song didn’t stir any interest on this occasion – as David said you win some, you lose some – things improved with On the Road Again with the irascible Pop being heard to say in a more than a loud whisper that everyone likes a bit of Willy. Fortunately, there was no security guard around at the time. Our music even attracted three young teenagers who stopped to listen to two or three songs which they genuinely applauded before reappearing on the balcony to take in the likes of Love Really Hurts and The Union of Different Kinds as well as Wagon Wheel

– all performed with a bit of a swagger before the finale and a rumbustious Old Time Medley with the uke strings almost glowing with frenzied friction as the final knees up was bashed out.

As the band gathered their belongings, no doubt looking forward to a well-earned break, I’m sure everyone’s thoughts were with Richard (highlighted so well by Joe), as he continues his recovery. Each time I go online to reference a song I think of the effort he has put in to make the whole website so accessible, not to mention his wise words and entertaining stories after Tuesday’s sessions and his appearances at gigs. David deserves great credit for pushing us to become more accomplished – just listening to those around me is proof enough that we can now tackle music that was beyond some of us not so long ago and it was interesting to hear that the friendly bar lady at the club last night commented how

As the Ukulele season draws to a close, Joe Fisher has produced a video which is a collation of highlight from 2024 and 2023 .see it on Newblog ... See MoreSee Less

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Summer Concert at Walton Sports and Social Club 19 July
Report by Phil Barr
There were reports after Tuesday’s intense final band rehearsal of soloists having nightmares about being chased by microphones trying to kiss them and from seated band members about giant horseshoes squeezing the life out of them, (and that’s apart from rumours about affected individuals being offered black market valium pills as they staggered out of the club). But… as we know the search for perfection isn’t without its sacrifices and so our resilient band arrived in a determined and upbeat mood in light casual summer outfits to match the sweltering July evening. Inside, Joe and Rob were busy fine – tuning the tech and Geoff was receiving and organising the raffle prizes, while David and others were making sure band chairs were arranged in the aforementioned tight horseshoe shape. In the meantime, friends and family started to arrive and by the time we were ready for the off there were just enough people to abandon a contingency plan to send press gangs onto Shay Lane to make up the numbers, (our version of a crowdstrike!)

Thus, all was in place and David began proceedings, introducing the band in song and adding a ukulele riddle for good measure from his corny joke collection.

Three confidence boosting full band songs then followed complete with interesting snippets of background information also provided by our leader, thereby preparing the way for Pippa and Dave Blackburn to display their talents in the far from easy Zombies song She’s Not There. Another test, this time for the whole band was Daydream Believer where one instrumental ‘hook’ had caused problems on Tuesday. I suspect different strategies may have been used to overcome this hurdle: a) leaving it all to David, b) cheating by keeping to a plain C chord, c) alternating between C and C sus 4, or C and C and C+9 or, d) attempting all three chords and hoping any mistakes would be drowned out. Anyway, with this ordeal over and clammy clothes now even clammier, it was time to sit back and enjoy Mike S’s consummate and entertaining song about a tattooed lady followed soon after by Beryl’s silky voice with David providing the instrumental for It’s Getting Better and not long after that Rob was pulling out all the stops as Walton’s very own Donovan with harmonica to the fore. A quick mention here too for the idea of importing colourful, removable mike covers for tonight, thereby not only keeping nasty lurgies at bay but probably helping those suffering nightmares on Tuesday night to dream about lollipops instead. There was a very minor glitch when the band was nearly wrong footed when David launched into the opening chords of, I’m into Something Good before Hey Good Looking’ but as he said his song sheets had stuck together and of course we all believed him, (ahem).

The interval arrived but there was to be no rest for the wicked at the interval for our main man who performed more heroics by reading out innumerable winning raffle ticket numbers leaving him little time to recover before the second half resumed in the same vein with the same tried and trusted formula. Chris emerged in an alter ego state as a Norfolk rustic of doubtful heritage, spinning a tale about his humble upbringing before leading an amusing sing – a – long version of Oh Dear What Can the Matter Be. As a complete but lovely contrast Carol performed her piece de resistance

before Mike Carr again changed the tempo with his electrified uke wizardry in Sultans of Swing followed shortly after by Dave Burgess, (himself no mean player),

and the depleted Thursday group performing an Everley Brothers ballad. Another full band song which went with a Bom Bom Bom (in the enforced absence of Val) was the Kinks Sunny Afternoon before Roy came to the mike once more with his proficient Teenager in Love.

In fact, there was no end to the individual talent as Melvyn and Tony demonstrated with their smooth rendition of Promises, an Eric Clapton number. The end of the marathon evening of entertainment was now in sight which was just as well with the thermometer still hovering around 30°C and puddles of perspiration liable to set off a tsunami of uke equipment and flailing bodies should anyone slip but who better than Pop to convey a chilled atmosphere with Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds before the whole band’s powerful finale, One Hundred Miles penned by David and Tony with made to measure lyrics.

And so that was it, the summer extravaganza completed and a big pat on the back for David and for everyone in the band.

Next up, after Tuesday’s session and to round off this hectic season is the Ridings next Wednesday, 24th July – 10:30 for 11 a m. assuming there are no outages before then. ... See MoreSee Less

High Noon at the White Rose.

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Report byPhil Barr

27th June, 2024 Report Phil Barr videos Carl Davidson

With the very busy summer schedule under way and the sun burning down through the glass dome of the White Rose centre there was a real danger of both ukulele players and their correspondent withering under the heat and this in addition to hold-ups on the M1 and a last-minute mercy dash by Pippa to pick up Mags, the beating heart of the band, who was left stranded at home without transport. As if this wasn’t enough, just hours earlier, two on – site jewellers stores had been subjected to armed robberies; we, though, were reassured in the knowledge that several members of our group have black belts, (from Marks and Spencer).

There was to be no respite from the mounting problems yet though as a promised supply of chairs for us failed to arrive until the starting time of 11a.m, just as David was no doubt mulling over whether his decision to include Oh Sit Down in the set list was a wise one. Finally, then, we were ready to go and from the off it soon became evident that the strong reminders we were given at Tuesday’s practice session about clear enunciation being important was being heeded and along with earlier timing issues also being satisfactorily resolved, the likes of Side by Side and Amarillo went swimmingly as did the old Ned Miller song and the colourful Honolulu Baby. (It was also with some relief that Dave F’s wife, Carol found his missing tuner which was causing him considerable consternation.) And so, following a – bordering on the swaggeringly confident – rendition of I’m Into Something Good the interval came with expectations high for the second half, especially since the arrival of Roy, more so because he was again wearing shorts, the sight of which caused a bit of a stir and a bottleneck as he came down the escalator. (Stuart had earlier also made a surprise appearance.)

The second set began on schedule at 12:10 p.m., after David had first led the group in song in wishing that young at heart Pop a happy birthday and it was fitting that it should be Wakeylele’s sage who belted out our name for everyone inside the shopping mall to hear with his adopted Northern power – house vocals to kick off proceedings. There was a brief glitch with the opening chords of Love Really Hurts, when David tried to throw a deliberate wobbly to test our concentration but we weren’t to be so easily fooled – indeed not only was that number nailed

once more but the following performance of On the Road Again was so enthusiastically received by two ladies in particular that I thought there might be a danger of spontaneous combustion,(and even Roy’s experience of fire – fighting might not have been enough to retrieve the situation.) Fortunately, things calmed down a bit after that with smooth performances of Singing the Blues, Sunny Afternoon and The Glory of Love before the more strident refrains of the Proclaimer’s song/Tony and David’s adaptation of We’re Gonna Play and the zippy finale.

With that another gig was concluded and the band collected their belongings and girded their loins for next week’s busy itinerary – and who knows what new surprises are round the corner. Many thanks once more to David, to Carol for kindly volunteering to do some videoing, to Pippa for rescuing our percussion section – and a great job Mags did in sweltering conditions to stop her maracas from escaping her clutches, (although the side of my head did take a few glancing blows). Also and finally, Sue deserves a mention for giving Maria and myself a lift after already running a family errand to Castleford!

Next up is the wedding do at Barnsley on Saturday, 6th July for Richard’s family, which David will, I’m sure be updating us on next Tuesday.

Thursday: 10:30 for 11a.m. ... See MoreSee Less

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Report by Phil Barr

23rd June, 2024

In the first half of June, the thought of some proper summer weather seemed like a bit of a fantasy, but the weather gods, no doubt inspired by the memory of Wakeylele’s appearance at this venue last year, rewarded the local community accordingly with blue skies and temperatures comfortably into the ‘twenties.’ The band made their way along verdant pathways with wildflowers abounding and nature generally in overdrive to the very attractive glade where gazebos nestled and families gathered to rest and play. Gone were the woolly mittens and michelin men coats of winter and Spring to be replaced with t- shirts, shorts, summer hats, sunglasses and light colours. Anyway, enough of the scene setting – it was now time to get down to the serious business of testing out the new sound equipment with Joe, David and Dave Burgess to the fore, Dave having paired his phone to the new speakers. Three or four sound checks later, with the possibility of restlessness from the expectant audience, having heard the opening lines of Side by Side more than enough (fortunately none of the stalls were selling ripe tomatoes), we were ready to go. As we progressed smoothly through the first set the only concern was that someone, (or a music stand) might come a cropper because of the uneven ground with Chris especially feeling under pressure and keen to avoid another trip to Pinderfields A and E department. Thankfully, though, the gods were still with us and once again the band had the crowd swinging to the strains of Bad Moon Rising and another near perfect performance of Come Up and See Me together with a decent attempt at Daydream Believer.

With time at a premium the interval was necessarily brief but there was just time to grab a beer or indulge in a glass of wine kindly donated by the organisers, all stored appropriately in a large bucket containing ice cubes. (There was also time for Roy to change into his shorts which fortunately he did discreetly – as far as I’m aware.) David then gave us a two minute, then one minute warning to be ready to resume playing. However, at the last second, following Pop’s usual rallying cry, Linda arrived, hot and bothered … no, not carrying a bunch of coconuts but holding a hog roast bap in her hand! To be fair to her, she had just a week earlier turned up to play at Horbury after a fall in her drive, thus displaying a stoic spirit of battling on, which even Ian McKellan couldn’t quite manage after he

fell off the stage recently. Back to the action and the performance levels never flagged as we zoomed through a shortened second set with David’s reminder to show teeth and smiles during On the Road Again paying dividends together with another feather in the Wakeylele cap for no glitches during Sit Down.

Pop’s family had meanwhile arrived for a brief love -in which only added to the (very) warm atmosphere. David even felt able to adopt a direct approach in drawing folks’ attention to the YAA buckets, giving them two choices: If you appreciate our efforts give us your money and if not – give us your money! We then rounded thing off with the easy to join – in Union of Different Kinds, followed immediately by a very zestful performance of Zing which concluded the afternoon and for which we received generous applause.

first Airing for Roy’s legs
Great work by the tech team to transport, set up and have the new speakers in place (with discussions for future arrangements likely), and once more to David for leading the way. In fact, in the midst of what is a very busy schedule everyone deserves a pat on the back.

Soon to come!

The White Rose Centre

Thursday: 10:30 for 11a.m.

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High Summer at the Ridings July 25th
Summer Concert. Walton Club July 13th
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White Rose Centre. 27th June, 2024
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report by Phil Barr

With some dodgy goings on in the run up to the General Election I thought it best not to risk putting a bet on it raining on 15th June in Horbury even though I had a very good idea that it would. Never mind, there was plenty to look forward to in the way of free entertainment at this annual Fayre and what better way to kick off proceedings with a set of the old favourites from the Wakeylele band. In fact, we were introduced in grand style by the MC over the p.a system as The Wakeylele Band or Orchestra prior to a confident launch of the band medley and if that wasn’t enough to start a stampede of local folk sprinting up Church Street to get nearer to the action the church bells of St Leonard’s chimed out the hour as we were seconds into our first number. At this stage the grey clouds were gathering ominously but Mike Sidebottom’s bright pink shirt and socks together with Mike Hindley’s multi – coloured waistcoat kept the inclement weather in abeyance, not to mention Pop’s coordinated t- shirt and hat combo.

A real high spot of the first few songs was a response from a Steve Harley fan whose enthusiasm and involvement as we played Come Up and See Me was there for all to see as immediately on its conclusion she dashed up to the ‘stage’ and said how wonderful we were and that it was her favourite 60’s song. Well that kind of comment doesn’t go amiss and so the band moved confidently on through its greatest hits live repertoire which was just as well as the glowering clouds descended, the rain inevitably began to fall, the brollies went up, macs and their modern equivalents were produced and the temperature dropped another degree or two but … this is SUMMER and so there was no slacking until the last numbers were completed with the Union of Different Kinds drawing generous applause from the hardy and ever growing number of spectators followed by a final round of applause after the MC thanked us for our efforts. The main organiser also added her thanks and she seemed to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate what she had heard.

This was our first appearance at this event and a lovely location it was too with a warm and friendly atmosphere, colourful and varied stalls lining the street and around the church which also served up an excellent variety of cake along with tea or coffee which could be enjoyed whilst admiring the magnificent interior. Richard would have been in his element here and we all wish him well in his recovery as he was missed and not just on the back row!

Many thanks go once again to David for his trojan efforts. to Mike Hindley for making our appearance possible, (he had been biting his finger nails on the eve of the event with all the surrounding stalls set up but no gazebo) and to Jane (and John) for photos and videos.

Next up is a gig at The Green at Newmillerdam on Sunday, 23rd June at 2p.m. ... See MoreSee Less