It was back up to Lincolnshire for some more walking and birdwatching this month.
There were no great earth-shattering shakes of a feathery variety on view but a satisfying assortment of plovers, godwits, ducks, geese, and grebes on the pools and saltmarshes. Standout water bird was probably the lone Pintail, a stately galleon of a duck sailing through the fleets of Wigeon and Teal.
Curlews probed the bund (painful), and always-elegant Avocets stood in calligraphic lines along the shallows. Many raptors kept the waterfowl on their webbies – Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks and Buzzards all quartered the skies above.
A female Marsh Harrier dipped down to investigate an ailing Pink-footed Goose, weighed up her chances but after a bit of a stand-off, took off in a hissy harrier huff.
In the dunes, Stonechats chipped away on lookout posts, and Goldfinches dripped their bling over scrubby bushes.
The October weather was proving to be much better than that of July and August – it was possible to see the sun for a start…
Nevertheless, there were plenty of indoor distractions to keep busy with.
First up, at the Regional Writers Meet Up, local author, Charlie Hill, was sharing his knowledge of the sector. A free morning of discussion for emerging and established writers, hosted at the Rep Studio during the Birmingham Literature Festival.
Bearwood has recently revived the comedy night at the Bear Tavern. Rising strong amid the excellent support cast was Lindsey Santoro – shortlisted for the Edinburgh Fringe’s best newcomer award.
The Bear Tavern comedy nights were once hosted by Frank Skinner. Sean Hughes, Ed Byrne, and some of The Fast Show’s stars have also appeared on the bill too, so Lindsey is following in some very funny footsteps.
There seems to have been a lot of gigs to go to this month…
Rival Sons were quite brilliant at the Birmingham Academy (Classic Rock magazine would be gob-smacked reading such scintillating reviewing).
A two-time Grammy nominated American rock band, Rival Sons are a brilliant live band. Every rock band worth their hair, leather and leotard need an ace singer to front them and Rival Sons have one in Jay Buchanan, whose voice is incredible.
Checking their touring schedule, it does beggar belief how Buchanan can sing like he does night after night.
Here’s a bonus taster from YouTube – not only showcasing Rival Sons exceptional musicianship and vocalship – but covering two of Black Sabbath’s best songs – War Pigs and Paranoid…
Haircut 100 are touring for the first time in over 40 years!
There were no heavy metal covers by Haircut 100 at the Birmingham Town Hall – just a gleeful, nostalgic romp through their eighties catalogue. The sounds of the original Pelican West album were on full alert – with a few newbies thrown in for good measure. Singer Nick Hayward may be no Jay Buchanan but does a more than decent job fronting the band, remaining as enthusiastic and charismatic as he did all those centuries ago.
Pelican West was their debut album, released in 1982 featuring three UK Top 10 singles including Fantastic Day, Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) and Love Plus One.
London rockers The Dust Coda hit Birmingham Institute in celebration of their latest album, Loco Paradise.
Attending purely on the recommendation of Classic Rock magazine as ‘ones to watch,’ it proved a worthwhile gamble. As mentioned, its not easy to forge ahead as a decent rock band without a decent singer (obvs) and it soon became clear that Dust Coda had struck frontman gold with John Drake – a great set of pipes on him to be sure!
They opened with ‘Rock N Roll Paradise,’ and performed ‘Come the Night,’ written about and dedicated to the late Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighter fame.
In the middle of the set, Drake played solo and dished up ‘The Streets,’ before the band popped back for the remainder of a powerful set, closing with ‘Call Out the Dogs,’ and the thundering ‘Road to Hell.’
Special mention should be reserved for the support bands – an impressive flexing from Doomsday Outlaw, and a brief, rollicking outing by local outfit Bunker 9.
A double bill of one-act plays by Harold Pinter – Ashes to Ashes and A Kind of Alaska were concise and precise enough to warrant a trip to the Crescent Theatre.
A Kind of Alaska sees a woman waking up after 29 years asleep, and her disorientating reconnection with consciousness. Bed-ridden Kate Owen as Deborah didn’t just have the best lines, she more or less had them all. Andrew Cowie and Sarah Jane Rose provide good back up as Doctor and little middle-aged sister Pauline (well, Deborah had been asleep for yonks!)
Ashes to Ashes zooms in on a couple facing domination and loyalty issues. Sarah Jane Rose pops up again as Rebecca this time, being interrogated by a former, menacing lover, Devlin, played by Joe Harper. It is a simple set with a couple of armchairs, a table and drinks. In fairness, it was so good, it didn’t need much else.
A final gig was shoe-horned in with the ever-dependable Father Teds at Irish pub, Nortons in Digbeth – what’s not to like?
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