Sue's Family, Flowers and Fun Stuff: Oh What A Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friars Again - China Crisis & Kid Creole

What a Night!

Was this the best show of the year?

Sorry it's a long one but not much chat in this one just lots of photos from a brilliant, brilliant night!!!!!! Starting with the posters ......

the balloons are ready to go (thankfully I wasn't around when they needed blowing up!)

loading in, almost ready for the soundchecks .....

China Crisis doing their soundcheck - you will find I am rather keen on China Crisis by the end of the evening. Which makes me ask - I liked their music in the 80's but they were never massive on my radar and I am really really wondering why now, perhaps because I was so into another Liverpool band at the time (well then and now) that they didn't get the attention they deserved. If you have them, dig the CD's out and give them another listen, I did and they are so worth it, love them to bits now.

I wasn't on the membership desk this time, which gave me loads more time to chat and soak in the atmosphere, which was good as we had some old friends along to the gig, as well as some new ones too. Joining us were a couple of old friends who I hadn't seen for some considerable time and it was lovely to have the chance to catch up, although I am still reeling from the fact that Gary is now married with children (I never thought that would happen!!) and I finally had the chance to tell him off for missing our wedding (shows you how long it is since we've seen him). It was lovely to meet his wife, to catch up with Vince and meet his friends Phil and Serena (who it turned out were mad China Crisis fans - so that was perfect). Andrew and Lynn joined us too but more of Andrew later!

China Crisis - I really enjoyed their set and yet again in 2009 was transported back to the 80's - it has really been a back to the 80's year for us with all the 80's bands we've seen. For all the set lists and better photos than mine check out the Aylesbury Friars website at http://www.aylesburyfriars.co.uk/ - as you know this is the 3rd person in my marriage (only joking MB! don't panic!)

China Crisis appeared to be enjoying the set too .....

A wee bit closer on this one and the 80's were flooding back ....

and my favourite picture of the whole night, Eddie Lundon

They think they're finished, but look who I've spotted in the background .....

Oh no - he's got onto the microphone again, I'm worried!!

Eddie and Gary with their Friars Award, they were delighted to receive it, and thanks for a great set, I loved it!

Mike and I didn't see all of Kid Creole's set - that was because we spent quite a lot of time in China Crisis' dressing room. The guy from Bucks TV was there and was due to interview them, I joked with him that he should get Mike to do it as he knows all there is to know about 80's music (the Bucks TV guy probably wasn't born in the 80's!!) and he took me seriously!! So Mike ended up interviewing Eddie Lundon for the second time that week, his other interview with him is on the Friars site. You can catch all of Mike's interview and other footage from the night on the Bucks TV website at http://www.buckstv.co.uk/buckstv/music.html

So here is Mike interviewing Eddie .........

Look at that face, Paxman move over, O'Connor is on his way ........

despite the protests you can see that he is loving it, and it came as no surprise to me that he was brilliant at it, great questions. It was sometime around this point that I was chatting to Eddie about my deep and enduring passion for a certain Mr McNabb so Eddie (cos I can call him that!) pulled out his mobile and phoned Ian!! I said he probably wouldn't get through as Ian was gigging himself that night. Mike and I really do need to catch up with him soon, it has been far too long.

Me with Gary and Eddie, sadly I was driving so I was on soft drinks otherwise I really would have been joining in with all the fun. We spent ages in their dressing room, chatting away and the rest of the band were equally charming, I love Liverpool, the accent and all things Liverpool and was happy listening to all the craic and chatting away about the city, Albert Dock, Macca and LIPA and Gary's art, great fun.

Here is Mike with the heart of Friars, David Stopps, without whom none of this would ever happen. A very big thank you from me for 3 brilliant nights this year.

and Mike with the legendary Kris Needs and his wife, Michelle, out of focus behind him.

Here are a couple of pictures for Jamie, this is Simon Bettison, one of the Young Punx, Jamie loves them and so I had to get a picture of Simon for Jamie and a picture of me with him too for Jamie. The Young Punx also act as Dizzy Rascal's backing band and you may have seen them on Jools Holland's Hootenany on New Year's Eve (we were shouting at the TV when we spotted Simon - well ok I was!!)

And so onto Kid Creole and the Coconuts .....

He is looking good, and the suit is amazing, strangely enough friends of ours now have an iron which was used to iron this suit, how exciting is that - an iron was sent for and someone dispatched to bring one from home!! It's so rock'n'roll!!

A backstage view of The Coconuts!

Bongo Eddie

What I saw of the set was fantastic, lots of fun and some said better than previous times he has played Friars.

Oh dear! They've let him loose with the microphone again - SECURITY!! Seriously here Mike is presenting a Friars Award to the band! We are looking forward to seeing the video footage of this caught by the Radio London people (Mary and Chris).

Here is Mike with the man himself just after he came off stage, Oh What a Night!! Dig those shoes!

The only phrase I can use here is like a rats up a drainpipe!! To start here is our friend Andrew with the Coconuts in their dressing room .......

and here is the picture I just wanted to get Mike with the Coconuts - he's loving it!!!! Strange but they seemed to be spending an awfully long time having their photos taken with a constant stream of guys, I don't remember any girls having their photo taken!!!!