Lowestoft Railway and Bowls

Had a slow run over so a bit later than planned, but the Galaxy did over 36 mpg. Arrived at 6:50 to find Dave and Jen already there. We got some of the gear in and Nigel rolled in. Frank, the governor, gave us the good news that there was no disco, and the not so good news that many of the club were on holiday so it would be a quiet night. Dave had a bad back and we had a few tables to shift, so I taught him Captain Hackenthorpe’s back relief exercise which did the trick for the night. Got set up without difficulty and, as is the custom nowadays, we didn’t bother with a soundcheck. So we settled down for a beer and some banter before we went on at 8:40. Played through set 1 pretty much as set out on the book, choosing “Raining in my Heart”, “Walk Don’t Wipe Out” and “Three Times a Lady at the choice points. Generally all went well and the small audience applauded lustily at all the right places, but Dave was a bit on edge even though there were only about 20 people there. By the time we got on for Set 2 there were a few more in. We got a great reception for the Eagles opener “How Long”, and followed up with a good “Seasons of Gold” and Eagles sequence which continued the good vibe. We played on through the set to “Bye Bye Baby” by which time we had got a couple up and dancing. I had problems seeing my foot pedal and getting the volume right for the solo but it wasn’t fatal. Finished off with a ragged version of “Love is All Around”. Went on for a short set 3, starting with “Hotel California” which went well until the solo, when again I hit the wrong switch on the pedal, which meant I had to catch up a few bars later. Nevertheless, it got a great reception. We only had a few minutes left, so we did the Spencer Davis sequence. “Somebody Help Me” was bit too fast for me and we confused each other on the middle 8 of “Keep on Running” but it’s best to keep exercising them until we know them. Then it was time to finish with “Pretty Woman” and “Wonderful Tonight”. The small crowd had been very enthusiastic and we sold a CD to the governor who had enjoyed “a brilliant band”. Got packed up quick and away by 12:30am. Quiet run home and in bed for 1:45am.