Category: Letham Nights

Spanky’s Heroes Conquer Letham Nights!

Last night was a another stunner musically with great sets from Mr Gavin McGinty and Lefty supporting Spanky’s Heroes.  The evening started with Gavin treating us to an acoustic set of his own songs and some covers including Hank Williams ‘Can’t Get You Off My Mind’ and the Elvis classic ‘That’s Alright Mama’.

spankys

The delightful ‘Tiptoeing Mozart’ was a homage to his grandfather and ‘Michael’s Temptress’ included the unforgettable line ‘Never trust a woman with a tattoo of a bloodstained dagger on her hip’!  We were treated to some perfectly executed yodelling, kazoo- & moothie-playing and sustained,tuneful whistling – feats of great skill and courage – as well as some wonderful slide blues guitar from  Lefty on his beautiful resonator guitar.  Jamie T?  Nah!  Give me Mr Gavin McGinty any day!

Spanky’s Heroes then took to the stage.  Liam opened with an acoustic version of Gnarls Barkely’s ‘Crazy’, instantly wowing us with the range and quality of his vocals.  After another acoustic number the rest of the band kicked in with the title track of their new EP ‘Remember the Fire’.  This was not the only incendiary number as they took us breathlessly through their range of fast, catchy, melodic, guitar-jangling tunes like Perfect Girl, Heavenly Sofa and Heart Attack.  After another acoustic interlude, they finished off with more fast and furious tunes.  The playing was tight and sharp with Liam and Stephen’s guitars echoing each other, the bass and drums driving in the background and the keyboard picking up the melody.  After this high-octane set we will ‘remember the fire’ for a long time to come!  Thanks for this boys!


Come for a Spanky this Saturday

A final reminder that Saturday 17th October at 8pm in Letham Village Hall, Spanky’s Heroes will take to the stage to play us a rocking set of their melodic tunes.

Supporting them on the night will be Xander Duffy.  If you haven’t got a ticket yet then just reply to this email or failing that just pay at the door!

See you there,

Mike


Spanky’s Heroes are coming… 17th October

Spankys Heroes

Spankys Heroes

Tickets are selling now for the next Letham Nights – Spanky’s Heroes
– on 17th October from 8pm – Midnight. . Poster attached

Please help to publicise by putting up a poster in your area and let me know so that we do not duplicate….

It promises to be a great night. As it says in the blurb – catchy, rocky, poppy, punky, funky…. What more do you want?!

Reply now to get yours. Or send a text to mobile no. below.

Or contact roy-campbell@btconnect.com or claire@incahoots.org.uk

cheers

Mike


A Night to Remember with the Chloe Hall Trio

12th September will stick in our minds and hearts for years to come after a truly magnificent Letham Night with the Chloe Hall Trio and Vivienne Bern.

It was written on the stars that Chloe Hall and Letham Nights would come together. From the moment we received Chloe’s first email from the other side of the world in Melbourne, Australia, asking to ‘take a punt’ on our venue, we knew she was a woman of great taste and discernment, not to mention talent and OH! how right we were!

Together with Chris Mildren on bass and Teal Bain-Roben on his tea-chest drum kit, the Chloe Hall Trio enthralled us from start to finish with their beautiful melodies and spine-tingling 3-part harmonies. Chloe’s lyrics tugged at our heartstrings, made us sigh wistfully, smile, sometimes laugh out loud and when combined with the stories behind each song well, – you could feel the love in the hall! For her first set, Chloe went straight into a series of songs from her new album ‘Outside’ including the title track and ‘Shipwreck’ (Are you the one I’ve been waiting for? Are you the shipwreck, or the shore?”) and ‘Walking after Midnight’.

After this first set, Vivienne Bern from Glenrothes took to the stage and sat down with her acoustic guitar. She was nervous about having to follow on from such a great performance yet as soon as she began to pick out the introduction to ‘Your Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go’ by Bob Dylan, we knew we had another great performance to look forward to. Vivienne’s voice and guitar playing were effortless and she continued with a series of covers and self-penned songs. In ‘Forgive You’ she slipped effortlessly from a fragile, cracked style to gutsy blues. A cover of the Beatles’ ‘Help’ gave a great song new life and her rendition of Nina Simone’s ‘I’m Feeling Good’ left us all breathless. What a great talent she is and we look forward to hearing more of her own songs next time she plays Letham Nights – there WILL be a next time!

Chloe and the boys then returned to the stage and we were carried off again on a journey with the songs. The highpoint was the achingly beautiful and inspiring ‘Dance With Me’, a celebration of the power of love in the face of great adversity. Hear Chloe tell the story and then sing the song.

As Chloe says – ”a rare and precious moment of real connection and love”.

Thank you to Chloe, Teal and Chris – and of course Vivienne for … well, as it says in the final encore song, sometimes you need no words….

P.S. don’t forget – this ozzie lot, while quite good, are just not quite up to the sheer class of the Chloe McHall Trio….Take a wee peek at this!

**Next gig is Sat 17 Oct 2009 Letham Nights #8 – Spanky’s Heroes & Guests**


Vivienne Bern- Live on Celtic Radio

A message from Vivienne Bern, singer songwriter, who thrilled the audience at Letham Nights on 12th Sept….

Hey Folks,

Its just to let you know (boast boast), that I am getting a wee live spot on the Mary K Burke Show on Celtic Radio Glasgow this Sunday (27th) evening between 7pm – 9pm. Reason I’m telling you is that Mary has given me an email address so that friends can email questions in during the live show (now be nice Roy and Rab)!! studio@celticmusicradio.net I think she will be asking about the ‘Acoustic Music in Fife’ website and events too.

Us Fifers will not get it through the 1530AM station, but you west coast folks should be able to tune in. Its also online.

So if you are not up to anything on Sunday and have time, maybe tune/log in and have a wee listen.

Cheers v much.

Vivienne


Chloe Hall has gone, Spanky’s Heroes are on their way…

For those of you who missed the Chloe Hall Trio on Saturday 12th September, commiserations! For those of you who came, thanks and have you still got that warm, happy glow that Chloe’s songs induce? It was an exceptional night with top quality music and a great Letham Nights atmosphere. Chloe, and the boys were delighted with Letham and Vivienne Bern excelled as support act. A full review will be posted on smartcommunityfife and letham.org.uk just as soon as we get ourselves organised but in the meantime, you can see some great clips by following these links:


So what’s up next?

On Saturday 17th October, all the way from Dundee, indie alternative rock band Spanky’s Heroes will take to the stage and get the place jumping. Driving rhythms, uplifting melodies, jangling guitars… magic!

To try before you buy go to: http://www.myspace.com/spankysheroes

Then, on 28th November, the stunning Luva Anna will play Letham Nights, bringing their unique blend of sea shanty-folk-punk to shake things up. They will be joined by the magnificent Bum-Clocks, Edinburgh-based 3-piece band whose show combines the energy of Iggy Pop with the inspiration of Rabbie Burns. You don’t believe what you are reading? Take a peek:

http://www.myspace.com/luvaanna

http://www.myspace.com/burnbrosross

Now come on, help me to stop nagging you with emails and get yer tickets in early!!

Don’t forget to join the Letham Nights facebook group:

Michael

Michael Farrell
lethamnights@btinternet.com
tel 01337 810372
mob 07918 601511


FW: Letham Nights Update part 2!

Apologies to Vivienne Bern for not mentioning that she will be playing for us at Letham Nights with the Chloe Hall Trio.  Vivienne is from Glenrothes, an accomplished singer-songwriter who is very prominent in the Fife Acoustic Music scene.  She has a beautiful voice and plays a mixture of her own songs together with a wide range of covers.  We are delighted to welcome her to Letham Nights with Chloe and the band.
To find out more about Vivienne check out http://www.myspace.com/viviennebern

Michael


Letham Nights Update – Chloe Hall Trio Saturday Sept 12th 8pm – Midnight

Only a few days to go before the Chloe Hall Trio come to Letham Nights.  It is going to be a fantastic night.  Tickets are selling so get yours now!  You can usually pay on the door but it helps us a lot if we know who is going to make it….

The band have finished their tour of Canada and are now in Ireland.
They play some gigs there and then head for Scotland where they will play the Falkirk Folk Club and Caberet Voltaire in Edinburgh before coming to Letham Nights.

Well known to lovers of Australian contemporary folk, Chloe is an exceptional songwriter with a truly beautiful voice. The new trio have lifted Chloe’s already engaging and charismatic performances to new heights, with uplifting 3-part harmonies, bass (Chris Mildren) and a cracking rhythm section (Teal Bain-Roben).  More info at: www.letham.org.uk, www.smartcommunityfife.org.uk and www.chloehall.com.au

This is a major scoop for our village hall.  Don’t miss it!

Reply now to book your tickets!

Michael

ps Don’t forget that 12th Sept is a Letham Village Hall Coffee Morning from 10-12noon.  All welcome.


Bex was great … now for Chloe

chloehall Thanks to everyone who made it along to the Bex Marshall gig on Saturday. A great time was had and reviews will be posted on Letham.org.uk and Smartcommunityfife websites as soon as our day jobs allow. In the meantime don’t forget that the next one is only 3 weeks away on 12th September. I really think this is going to be the best one yet. Chloe has been keeping in touch the whole time while she and the band have been touring Canada. Her music and lyrics won’t fail to touch you and you will leave the hall with a happy warm glow! So… get your orders in for ticket reservation asap! And since the 2 for £10 offer we had on was not made very public on Saturday, we would like to offer this to anyone who makes a booking before the end of the week…. See you all soon, Mike

ps thanks also to those who filled in the feedback forms – it really helps and if you have anything else you want to say, just drop me an email

pps Please put up the poster in your local area and let me know if you have done so and where.


Change to set up arrangements for Saturday

Further to my email of yesterday requesting help for setting up and clearing
up at the next Letham Nights on Saturday, the set-up will begin at 4.45pm
and not 4pm as indicated previously. This is to accommodate a private party
that is taking place that afternoon in the Hall. We would be grateful for
any help that you can provide.

Thanks,

Mike