Sunset Nebula, Magic Pillow Factory and Super Furniture at The Chameleon Arts Cafe in Nottingham. Really enjoyed the set by Magic Pillow Factory from Israel, seen here using Sunset Nebula’s kit

An off the spur …”must try new things” moment, sent me in the direction of African Drumming…and a beginners class run by Steve Rivers of Unbeatable Energy
The class runs in an upstairs room of an old building owned by the Sheffield Transport Club. Several djembe drums are cased and ready for those without their own to grab and uncase.
We start with a warm up session involving rubbing hands over the drum skin to warm hands and drum. Then several stretches for the hands and arms.
Then we begin. First a quick instruction on how to hit/tap the drum using the flat hand for centre boom, and more of the finger tips for the edge sounds. Then we begin a basic rhythm with Steve overlaying a more detailed pattern. It’s an easy pattern to pick up and soon we’re moving into more advanced sequences…and the more experienced students take on different patterns. So a full sound begins to emerge and I, on my first ever session, am fully engrossed in a series of beats. Great fun. We learned how to do loud clapping and then applied this pattern to drumming. The session was soon over and I came away exhilarated, and with slightly sore hands.
I’m looking forward to my next session.
Tramlines day 2 -an interesting evening of ethereal, improvised nu-jazz, alt rock and some rock’n’roll. At The Three Cranes (Inclusion Principle and Frostlake), City Hall Ballroom (Basement) and Frog and Parrot (cant remember). Would have gone to grime event at 02 with my sons but my blagged pass didn’t prove worthy, so bouncers said no!
Frostlake at The Three Cranes
Inclusion principle at The Three Cranes
Spent the afternoon on a pub crawl around Sheffield with Jane and Sue and then in the evening saw a couple of gigs as part of the Tramlines festival
Explorers at the Forum
and Formation at Bungalows & Bears
I witnessed Das Rad’s first outing (comprising Steve Dinsdale, Martin Archer and Nick Robinson)…a fusion of treated guitar, wind instruments and drums with a smattering of keyboards. They performed a set at Bishops House this evening…Not bad at all.
Support was an excellent electronic feast of loops and modulation by Jez Creek playing as Modulator ESP.
Pic of Modulator ESP thanks to Jan Todd (I didnt take a cameras)
Absolutely bouncing around at the Rocking Chair to The Tea Street Band, a group I’d not seen or heard before but where headline one I had seen before, Ordnance. Great gig, followed by onward drinking session in Devonshire Cat and The Green Room with Nicola Feetham and Debra Stratford.
At Lescar Hotel to see Robert Baker performing with Simon Elliott-Kemp and George Rogers as their new project Moon Furniture Pathogen. Two sets performed with some very interesting soundscapes, categorised as Lizard Conspiracy Lounge Music.
Went with Nicola Feetham to see Bluetones live at Rock City Nottingham. Arranged to meet my good friend Anna Wharton..it’s been ages! Bluetone were great live…and then we went back stage and I sat and chatted with Nigel from Dodgy, while Nicola got friendly with the Morriss bros.
A tranquil evening listening to the beautiful voice of Anne Garner at hagglers Corner in Sheffield with Gerald Garratty, Rose Otter and Debra Stratford.
This was Anne’s set list