Band of Holy Joy / Helen McCookerybook / Kevin Hewick / Daryl Kirkland - at The Musician , Leicester on 19th May. 7pm. £10.

The 3rd annual Kevin Hewick birthday bash with fantastic guests as ever and a chance to donate to great causes..

Featuring Markus Reeves

Brotherhood, Moon Under Water, Kate Easton, Harshmellow and Kevin Hewick herself!

A new LOW (geddit?) in rock photography at ‘Let’s Play Bowie: Hunky Dory’ at The Donkey 5.1.19

Getting to rehearse and sing with this beautiful band has been a shining light in a dark few days for me.

It’s one thing getting great players another getting great people but this was a real ensemble, just a joy to sing with, Andy Price and Tony Robinson creating orchestral keyboard magic, Malcolm D’Sa and Chris Denalu spot on with the drums and bass, Natasha Pattinson’s violin just soaring into the stratosphere, Andy Wales - he never fails! A guitarist other guitarist bow down to.. and Gaz Birtles who made it all possible - when he sings or plays his sax you feel the love for Bowie!

The Donkey is a chaotic place when sold out, but the atmosphere is fantastic and this audience was mega-fantastic. I’ve never shook so many hands and been hugged so much as this night.

Nile Barrow kicked us off with ‘Changes’,a young man for a young man’s song.. and I followed with ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ proclaiming the new generation, the new world. Gaz then sang ‘Eight Line Poem’,’Life On Mars’ abs ‘Kooks’ - no matter how many times I hear ‘Mars’ I never tire of it and I think it’s one of the greatest songs ever written and Gary gave his all to it.

I was back on with the mystical ‘Quicksand’, a Song I deeply identify with, one of Bowie’s most occult statements. After Gaz did the joyous ‘Fill Your Heart’ Andy Sharman was ‘Andy Warhol’ - on this and ‘Queen Bitch’ Leicester’s legendary art rocker did not disappoint.

‘Song For Bob Dylan’ I loved tackling, it’s a bit of an overlooked Bowie song but a hell of a live number to do. Leaving ‘The Bewley Brothers’, just perfect for Simon Gilroy with Andy and Gaz.

All this and a set of superb choices by Simon and The Serious Moonlights - ‘I’m Afraid Of Americans’,’Valentines Day’ and a swaggering ‘Fame’, relentless drums by Nick Murphy!

To top it all Wellard Willy represented the guitar dominated rockier end of the ‘Ziggy’ era - I can never forget the fun we had doing ‘Diamond Dogs’ together at the Simon Says Festival In 2017.

I can’t imagine a ‘Let’s Play Ed Sheeran’ in 45 years time. Mick Ronson gave Bowie 1,000% and David himself was ultra-inspired, ‘Hunky Dory’ is his Beatles album to me, yet he was to totally turn it around with ‘Ziggy’ and then his Thin White Duke and Berlin eras. He owned the 70s.

I felt sad afterwards because this package could tour it’s that good. I also felt sad over the loss of Bowie himself. It still hurts 2 years later and I think it always will. He was such a part of our lives and still sounds way ahead of most everything, always was, always will be..

Terrible photos, nigh on impossible conditions to take them lol..