St Benedict's School, December 19th 2003

Thanks to Roy Hudson of Nottinghamshire for his contributions to this review.

Roy: St Benedict's school theatre was a very special place to be on Dec 19th as John and Barry weaved their usual magic once again. Last time I saw them was at the Fishpond and I didn't think that amazing atmosphere could be generated again here but somehow it was.

Sally had put a huge amount of work into making the evening go with a swing, and was on hand to sell CD's and greet everyone. She was later presented with a pair of earrings by John and Barry in appreciation.

It was to be a game of three halves, John had announced. First a shortened version of the usual set of sad, gritty, Northern industrial love songs - "we've left out the really heavy stuff for the occasion". Audience participation is always appreciated, and they weren't going to get away with it tonight. "You're a bit quiet, haven't you got coughs or anything?" So we warmed up with some panto, "I've come to do Aladdin" - "Why, what's he done to you?" and then joined in with the choruses of Lay Me Low, Amelia, Banks of Red Roses and Right On Line.

Roy: Musically, Harry Stone stirred the soul and pulled at the heart as always. Right On Line sounded great live. Don Quixote probably made the night for me. It was interesting to hear John say that he understood it better now than when it was written. I can certainly connect with it better now than when I first heard June Tabor sing it 15 years ago.

Then we had an interval, and I heard there were mince pies baked by Sally, but you gannets had them all before I got there. Pete Bullock, ex Albion Band keyboard player, lulled us with Christmas tunes on the white piano, while Mick Peat of Radio Derby and the rather more attractive Rosie Tams relieved people of their money for the raffle.

The centrepiece of the second half was a new Christmas medley, or "muddley", for which John and Barry had to psyche themselves up a bit. "See you the other side, if you get there before I do", that sort of thing. Though I'm not sure the parallel of sumo wrestlers pacing up and down and throwing salt is the most appropriate given the trim physiques of these two. The muddley included Snow Falls, a poem by John Clare and an astonishing piece of writing from the Wakefield Mystery Plays, 200 years before Shakespeare. This, as I explained to the youngest member of the audience, was from the shepherd's part John played in a big Nativity play at the National Theatre. The youngest member of the audience was suitably impressed, personally I was spellbound.

John and Barry explored an alternative career as bingo callers when a grand assortment of prizes were raffled, including a doll's house and a signed DVD of Albert Finney's film The Gathering Storm. Then it was back to the songs and stories with all the stops out: T'owd Brown Hen (performed in the vernacular) by Gerald Short, John B Spencer's One More Whisky, the Marriot Edgar monologue Sam Small's Christmas Pudding... Barry played his usual indispensable part with peerless harmonies, grinning a lot and checking the position of the capo as required.

The nailbiting auction of the Sharpe jacket and other assorted memorabilia raised £200 for the school music trust fund. But, "I'm not sure I like this job after all, it's a bit confrontational. Can't you two just go outside and have a fight to settle it?"

Roy: Difficult to pick the highlights, there were so many. Sally's mince pies (which quickly became collector's items). Buying a losing raffle ticket from Rosie. Listening to John's short course on poultry management in Chesterfield dialect (Old Brown Hen)

Of course once the concert is over the work doesn't stop. As always John was available to sign albums, reminisce about past productions and discuss the price of chocolate with the youngest fan (those on the right hand side of the auditorium may have heard his contribution to the final choruses of Rolling Home!)

Roy: Final highlight of the night came on the way home when Debbie (who has baffled me for years with bits of Geordie dialect) asked me if tothree 'ens were some kind of bantam. East Midlands strikes back at last!

Old friends, new faces, all good company. Happy memories of 2003, here's to a joyful and music filled 2004.

Jennifer