The Lucky One

I’m mindful of the fact that current events around the world can make such matters appear virtually meaningless. It feels crass to place any significance upon them beyond what they surely are: petty distractions in the face of the harshest of realities. Like most of us, I imagine, I simply don’t know how to process these days, nor do I know how best to reconcile the contrast between the petty and the portentous, except maybe to acknowledge that the former does not altogether cease to be in the face of the latter. At least not for the lucky ones. I am fortunate to be in that number, and I hope you are also.

As for the shows I played this Autumn, I think I enjoyed this tour more than any I’ve previously played. I got to return to some of my favourite ever venues, as well as play some for the very first time.  I met old friends and made new ones. Never more so was this in evidence than the first show at Art & Soul Café in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.

I grew up in St Neots. I lived there from age 5 to 21. I get back there occasionally - my parents still live in the same house - but I hadn't done anything music-related there in 30 years. It felt exciting and nerve-racking to be performing there again, though I hope to God that I’ve improved since I was there last! It was a near sell-out gig and turned out to be a great night in the regular sense. In another sense, it was extraordinary: there were friends I'd not seen since school... people I'd worked with...  others I'd known for years but not seen for years... the guy who engineered my first attempt at a demo of original songs back in 1989... the keyboard player and leader of a local band I was in back in the late 80s... the guy who first persuaded me ever to play solo in front of a crowd... the teacher who taught me my first few chords at a lunchtime guitar lesson when I was 8 years old... a guy who I'd been aware of all my life but had never met called Steve Pledger! He was a local runner whose name would often be in the local paper, and whose name I'd later see online: he came because we share the same name. And brought along his brother! I'm probably forgetting some... it was remarkable! It set a high bar for the tour in many ways, and though it would be a unique night, something of the spirit of that evening stayed with me through the next couple of weeks.

You can read the folking.com review of the show I played in Devon here, and a fantastic review of Pebbles Tavern in Somerset here that includes photos and a few words on the gig I was playing there at the time!

I can’t thank enough everybody who put gigs on; put me up (and with me!); came along; bought CDs; signed up to the mailing list, and more… it always blows me away how much support there is out there. X

Keep an eye on my social media over the next week or so for news of a little something about which I’m rather excited. Oh, and if you are a subscriber on Patreon, there’s an exclusive live recording of The Louisa Miner that has just gone up from the tour. For anyone who isn’t currently a subscriber, head to Patreon now and sign up to one of the three available tiers, should you so wish to do. There’s a bunch of exclusive bits ‘n’ piece on there, and more to follow. It’s a greatly appreciated means of supporting what I do, as well as allows access to material and such which is otherwise unavailable. (You can even check out a video of me performing a brand new song as well!)

That’ll do for now, don’t you think? I have things that I’m currently working on, plus new songs taking shape… more of which I’ll tell at another time. The road goes ever on.

At least for the lucky ones.

Peace…

Steve x

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