Live Friday at The Ashmolean Museum

Songwriters Circle

The lovely Ashmolean audience

Friday night was Live Friday at the Ashmolean and I had been asked to play the Songwriter’s Circle in the hall of statues.  The place soon filled up and was one of the busiest Live Friday events I’ve attended due to the overspill from the Christmas light celebrations in St Giles.  Despite the crowds we had an attentive audience in the hall and it was such a pleasure to sing in a room with some great natural acoustics.  My fellow performers and I took it in turns to talk about and then play a song, which is the format of the songwriters circle usually hosted in the Port Mahon.  I had the opportunity of taking part in one earlier this year and wrote about it here.  One of my very favourite bands, The Black Feathers, were playing and as we went round in turn it became a running joke that the songs were growing sadder as the night progressed.  By round two the challenge was to play something cheerful and we all rose to this challenge until Steve Adams exclaimed, “Right, I’m going to bring it back down again” (video below).  Despite the dropping temperature in the room and the relentless lament of each performer, the atmosphere was charged, and the audience stuck with us until the bitter end.  Probably my favourite gig of the year so far.  Thanks to the Ashmolean, the Songwriters Circle and all who watched and enjoyed.

 

Steve Adams at the Ashmolean Museum from Tamara Parsons-Baker on Vimeo.