How are you doing, XXX?
Good, we hope. We four FiddleBoppers hope that everything is going really well for you.
Nope, not just really well: brilliantly well!
And not just brilliantly well: astoundingly, spectacularly, and wonderfully well beyond your wildest dreams!!!
OK. You are doubtless wondering why this FiddleBop newsletter is starting with all this — let's be honest: silly and totally over-the-top — well-wishing?
Well, it isn't exactly a joke (despite the date). Along with the rest of this newsletter, it's an attempt to be a bit light-hearted. To cheer you up. Why? As a counterpoint to the regular rat-tat-tat of gloom, doom, and more gloom in every day's world news. Of course. Equally of course, this isn't the place for political discussion. Definitely not. But I couldn't resist this quote.
"In politics, stupidity is not a handicap." — Napoleon Bonaparte
That said, let's move swiftly on.
. Photo by JoJust as St David's Day (1 March) did: it swiftly came and just as swiftly left. Maybe not wanting to hang around, since the weather here was damp, chilly, and devoid of Welsh daffodils. Crocuses yes, but no daffodils. But now at last we do have our daffodils, and they were worth the wait.
Yes, after a bit of a slow beginning, spring has got off to a good start. Even here, on our sometimes-wet-and-windy hillside in mid Wales.
And the FiddleBop gig season has got off to a similarly good start, also after a disappointing beginning: we had a gig cancelled due to Storm Eowyn. Which we were greatly looking forward to. (The gig, not the storm.)
How about a recap of all that has happened since the last FiddleBop newsletter, then?
If you're OK with that then it's back to where we left off, in March 2024. What? You mean that a whole year has passed since then? O dear... that means there's a lot to tell you about.
So get comfortable, and read on.
The FiddleBop post-newsletter gig year kicked off with a gig on 20 March 2024 at the Foundry venue ("Bringing people together through great food and great music") in Brecon. This is a nice relaxed place to play, Dean is always the friendliest of hosts, and there is always something interesting going on.
When we play at the Foundry, we often sneak a few "new and untried" songs and tunes into our set, before unleashing them upon the world during the year ahead. Which is what we did at this gig
Next we went west. To Aberystwyth, on Friday 12 April. Lured in part by the prospect of fresh-cooked chips on the pier, under a brisk sea breeze. And eat chips we did, as well as play a fun (well, mostly) gig at the Bank Vault Aberystwyth.
Eastwards rather than westwards for FiddleBop's next: an Oxford Jazz Kitchen gig at the Rose and Crown, Oxford on Sunday 21 April. We had a smashing time! Friends old and new, thank you so much for coming along. And thanks also to Trish for organising the gig, and a very big thank you to mine host Andrew for being so attentive and considerate to us musicians. Yup, we love playing at the Rose and Crown!
A little closer to home after that, and so — rather thankfully — not so long sitting crushed against each other, and against our PA equipment, while Jo drives the rest of us to and from each musical adventure. Our gig on 5 May was at Bromyard's "Party in the Park" 2024. This was a friendly little event. As always, we had great fun playing our "Gypsy Jazz plus". But it was also good to meet old friends (thanks, Heather!) and to make new ones too: soundman Dan James (more about him later) and the memorable Vegan Vampires.
Sadly, Bromyard's "Party in the Park" will not be continuing after May 2025. Bromyard PiP is just one amongst many festivals lost in recent years due to rising costs and increased financial uncertainty.
But here's a festival that appears to be going from strength to strength, and showing no signs of flagging: HowTheLightGetsIn Festival. Held in both Hay-on-Wye and London, this a somewhat niche affair, billed as "The World's Largest Music And Philosophy Festival". And maybe nicheness is its secret? Anyway FiddleBop played at HTLGI Hay — as it is fondly known among the cognoscenti — on 26 May 2024. Our sessions at this festival are firm annual favourites with FiddleBop. (Tho' I'm not sure how much our collective philosophy has advanced over the years.)
This year, we were in the Blue Moon Tent. What made this day so especially memorable — in addition to Bill's always-great sound engineering: thanks Bill! — was the downpour. And I really do mean downpour...
It had rained earlier. The carpeted floor ("Please take off your shoes") of this opulent brocaded circus-style tent was already wet when we arrived. So it seemed sensible to also take off socks, so as not to get them soaked.
We started our set barefoot. Then the heavens opened, and I'm sure I heard a few claps of thunder too. But a mere thunderstorm will never stop FiddleBop! We kept playing, and as the rain continued more and more people came into the tent. To listen to the music, rather than shelter from the storm, of course. For whatever reason, eventually the tent was jampacked.
OK, no problems with that.
But then I felt the water start to rise around my feet. Slowly, but steadily. Would it overtop the lip of my effects board, I wondered (in between concentrating on singing and playing my fiddle)? I admit I was worried, even tho' the effects only require 12 volts.
The water didn't overtop — just — but we won't forget this gig in a hurry!
And so from rain to cold. FiddleBop next played outdoors at a 'Taster' day for Brecon Jazz Festival, on 13 June 2024. This was in Bethel Square, Brecon. You wouldn't expect it to be almost too cold to play outdoors in June, would you? But it was... Paul couldn't be with us for this gig, so the redoubtable Mike Chappell joined us on keyboard, at very short notice. Thanks Mike, we are in your debt! And we hope that your fingers have now defrosted.
We had slightly warmer weather — tho' still not much in the way of summer sunshine — on 22 June, for Llanfaes Summer Fayre. This was a fundraiser for L'Arche Brecon. And still the unspectacular summer weather continued, with another outdoor gig for FiddleBop on 7 July, this one for Llangollen Fringe 2024.
After that, we were grateful for a couple of indoor gigs. On 17 July back at the Foundry, Brecon and on 27 July at the Bell Hotel, Tewkesbury for Tewkesbury Live Music Festival 2024.
Are you still with me? Not asleep yet? Yes, it was a busy summer...
OK. On 5 August 2024 FiddleBop played at the Jazz Café at Bill’s Kitchen in the rather nice Ludlow Assembly Rooms.
This one stood out for a couple of reasons: the very pleasant pre-gig stroll around Ludlow Castle, and the warmly appreciative — discerning, even — audience. One of whom (a properly-trained violinist) commented that me playing an up-bow when I should have used a down-bow made them feel most disoriented! Sorry about that.
Next: not a gig, but on 5 August, Radio Cardiff DJ Andy Roberts played FiddleBop's version of 'My Favourite Things' (as arranged by John Coltrane) during his "Preview of Brecon Jazz Festival 2024" show. Click on the control to the left to listen.
And then, with the excitement at fever pitch, it was time for Brecon Jazz Festival 2024!
FiddleBop played twice, first under the aegis (nice word, that) of Brecon Fringe, outside the Foundry on Friday 9 August. No rain for this, thankfully. And then as part of Brecon Jazz Festival itself on Sunday 11 August in St Mary's Church, Brecon. Guess what? It was raining outside while we played.
And guess what (again)? For our next outing, down came the rain yet again!
It was absolutely hammering down when FiddleBop played on Saturday 24 August, at the 2024 Talgarth Festival of the Black Mountains. Thankfully, we were under cover, in a tent, for our set. But before we played, in came the water. We had to keep moving our equipment to keep it out of the tent-traversing torrents. And while I think of it: thanks for coming all this way to hear us, Urse and Graham!
Our sound engineer at Talgarth was Dan James (I mentioned him earlier) who suggested — after we'd played — that FiddleBop might want to record a live session for his community radio show at BGFM.Wales ("Blaenau Gwent for Music" is what it stands for).
"As long as it isn't raining in your studio", we said.
As a very very welcome change, it wasn't raining when we played on 29 August 2024. In fact, it was quite a nice day.
This gig was at The Small Space Theatre in Barry. Which of course is the spiritual home of Gavin and Stacey, with its coincidental-to-me-and-Jo Essex-and-Wales connection. But I digress .
Anyway, the Small Space bills itself as "The UK's Smallest Theatre". And that isn't wrong. Jo had a stiff neck on the day after the gig, from playing her guitar while jammed under the stairs. That aside, we had a memorably fun gig, with lots of Jo's family in the audience. Thank you for coming, everyone!
Sadly we then had to cancel several gigs due to illness. So it was well and truly autumn by the time of FiddleBop's next musical outing, on 22 November. This was at the relaxed and friendly Red Lion, Llangors. We followed this with a gig at the warm (there was an open fire just behind us) and very welcoming Rose and Crown, Redmarley, on Sunday 8 December. We greatly appreciated the enthusiasm of some members of the audience!
FiddleBop's final gig of 2024 was a landmark for us. Lynne and Roger of Brecon Jazz Club ("... providing live music in Brecon since the 1970s") asked FiddleBop to be the guest band at the 🔔 Xmas Special 🎅 edition of this prestigious jazz club. Which was on Sunday 15 December in the Muse, which is a rather wonderful venue in Brecon, and a really great place to play.
We all donned Santa hats — we're not proud — and enjoyed ourselves hugely. Not just the "Gypsy Jazz plus": we also ate a lot of the excellent food that was provided. And the wine was good too .
Still with me? OK then, off we go again. Into 2025!
Our first gig of the year didn't happen. We were very disappointed! It should have been in Barmouth's Dragon Theatre ("An imposing former Victorian chapel... on the west coast of Snowdonia") on Friday 24 January, but it was cancelled due to Storm Eowyn.
"Impacts of anthropogenic climate change on Gypsy Jazz performances in the UK", anyone?
So the next FiddleBop outing was on 27 January. Down south we went, to Blaenau Gwent. (That rhymes.) To do — at last! — that recording session for DJ Dan James. It was an odd sort of experience to basically play a gig, but with no audience in front of us. However we are very grateful to the lovely people that Dan gathered together elsewhere in the studio, to cheer and clap at appropriate moments, and to keep us supplied with cups of tea, and biscuits, and crisps. Thank you!
The recorded session was broadcast on Dan's show on BGFM.Wales the next day. You can listen to a selection from the session by clicking on the controls below (with thanks to friend Baze for doing some EQ wizardy on these).
Jo sings 'Bei Mir Bistdu Shein' which means 'To Me, You're Beautiful', which was a big hit for the Andrews Sisters in 1937
This is FiddleBop's version of 'Naima', an exquisite slow tune written by jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane in 1959 for his first wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs
A medley: 'Joseph Joseph' from 1938, which is now a popular song with gypsy jazz players; and 'Odessa Bulgar', a dance tune from Ukraine
'Night in Tunisia' is a bebop tune composed by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in 1942. Here is FiddleBop's version
By the way, the astute amongst you (no, probably everyone) will notice that, for some unknown reason, I often interrupt Jo as she introduces the next number. Sorry, Jo! What, me get nervous?
After that, it was a treat to get back to a normal gig. And this was in a community-owned pub (what a good idea!): the Oxford Arms, in Kington. We played at this "Community Pub and Hub" on Saturday 15 February. It was cold outside but we got a great warm welcome from the lively audience. There was even someone there who was, like me, from the uninspiring land of south Essex. Members of the Essex disapora both, we nonetheless had a great time swapping memorable "Do you know such-and-such?" stories. The drive home through thick Wye-hugging fog was memorable too.
Which brings us close to the present! On Saturday 15 March FiddleBop trundled eastwards once again, to play in the George Inn, Brailes. And we had old friends (not "old" as in "old" of course) galore at the gig! What a brilliant time we had! Thanks a lot, Tim, for organising this .
So... that brings us to the end of this what-we-did-in-the-last-year saga. Well done for reading this far. (If you did.)
And what of the future? OK, next is a currently-correct list of FiddleBop's future gigs. We'd love to see you at one (or more) of them. Before you set out, tho', take a look here since this list is always up to date.
All the best 
Dave (and Jo and Paul and Graeme... the FiddleBoppers)
PS I hope you enjoyed this newsletter, despite it being such a bumper size. I should have worked on it more: "Perfection is finally obtained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away." (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "Wind, Sand, and Stars").
PPS I also need to check that you wish to continue to receive FiddleBop newsletters like this one. If you don't, then click here to unsubscribe, or send an unsubscribe-request email to info@fiddlebop.org. If you don’t do either of these things then I’ll assume that you are happy to receive future FiddleBop newsletters.
This list of gigs is correct at the time of writing, but the list on our website is always up to date.
| The gig! | When/where is FiddleBop playing? | Venue, occasion, whatever... | Contact details |
Admission free |
From 8 pm |
Live at the Old Street Tavern (LOST) |
Old Street Tavern |
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Free entry! |
From 7.30 pm |
The Foundry |
The Foundry |
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Admission TBA |
From 7.30 pm |
Geshmak |
Geshmak Cafe - Bar - Bistro |
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Free entry! |
From 7 pm |
The Apple Tree, Onibury |
The Apple Tree |
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5 - 5.30 pm |
How |
How |
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7 - 7.30 pm |
How |
How |
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Tickets TBA |
From 3.30 pm |
Cheltenham Fringe Festival 2025 |
Cheltenham Playhouse |
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Tickets TBA |
From 7 pm |
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Ludlow Assembly Rooms |
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From 6 pm |
Upton Jazz Festival 2025 |
Upton Jazz Festival |
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Free entry! |
2 - 2.30 pm |
Chipping Norton Town Festival 2025 |
Chipping Norton Town Festival |
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Free entry! |
4 - 7 pm on |
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The Rose and Crown |
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Brecon Jazz Festival tickets TBA |
3 - 5 pm |
Brecon Jazz Festival |
The Wellington Hotel |
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From 3 pm |
Aberjazz Jazz'n'Blues Festival 2025 |
Aberjazz |
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Admission TBA |
Time TBA |
Magic Lantern Cinema |
Magic Lantern Cinema |
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Admission TBA |
Time TBA |
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The Market Theatre |
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Admission TBA |
Time TBA |
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Under the Edge Arts Centre |
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info@fiddlebop.org
01982 560726
07968 950870
FiddleBop
@FiddleBop@fiddlebop
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