Big smiles after a gig at The Old Hairdressers in April 2017 - photo by Julie Broadfoot
As part of the work I’ve been doing via the Autonomous Creative Collective and the Creative Focus Workshop, I had a big old think about all the Harp Things I had going on in my head and how/if/when those things might become actual real life things rather than ideas. I’ll be sharing a little bit more about this on another day, but I thought I’d talk about a partnership that is a few years old now and that I’m really proud of. It has already crossed countries and I hope it continues to do so.
I met Frankie in the summer of 2011 and she opened the door to a whole new way of performing for me. I’d recently taken part in a jazz workshop in the Netherlands and I’d acquired my first electric harp. Thanks to my friend Donna, I went along to my first open mic night in Colchester where I lived at the time, and life changed forever.
Through her, I got to know jazz guitarist John, and we started playing a fairly unusual range of tunes as a trio, and we played in a few pubs until we all went our separate ways geographically. We were well received, and one of the things I remember from that time is never having to worry about the harp - people were so respectful of it and interested in it.
Getting a huge harp into a small packed pub is no joke, and kind customers who held doors and stepped out of the way for a few seconds were and still are much appreciated.
The black and white picture was the night I played Stairway to Heaven (on request!) and there were people slow-dancing just in front of the harp - it was magical.
That time was so important to where I was then and where I am now as a musician, and if the reception had been different, I probably would have given up and gone back to classical forever.
(photos below by Natasha Robinson)
Since I started thinking about space and place earlier this month, my thoughts have often turned to the Old - to people and places I knew before the big move north. There’s a lot to forget from that time in Essex, but sometimes thinking back to the old familiar - to east coast sunsets by the creek, sunrises across the fields outside my bedroom window, the magical Great Henny support network, meeting friends for a thrash round the lanes and bypasses on our motorbikes, beaches, a packed pub full of music lovers on a Wednesday night - is immensely comforting.
I moved to Glasgow, Frankie moved to Liverpool and John moved to Portugal and we thought that was it forever, but then Frankie ended up in Glasgow for a while which meant a new chapter started with just the two of us.
One of my favourite things I’ve done with Frankie was playing as part of a club night in Liverpool called the Secret Circus.
Somebody very kindly filmed it on their phone, and every time I watch it I’m blown away by just how many people were in that audience and how quiet they all were.
It was Valentine’s weekend and the perfect time for a big sparkly gold harp to appear for a couple of tunes. The stage manager had big fluffy angel wings and it was such a fun gig.