tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17878576150515777672024-03-13T12:20:23.520-07:00Steve Drewett' s Jenga SocietySteve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-38095888242489246542021-09-26T06:21:00.000-07:002021-09-26T06:21:00.888-07:00Is the new Newtown Neurotics album any good?<p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Posted this as a reply to someone who suggested we use younger punk musicians to get a more "hi octane" performance...</span><br /><br />"<span style="font-family: arial;">Very pleased that you are looking forward to our new album, but puzzled by the ‘less older’ bit. I will be 67 next month therefore am I too old to be a punk? The rest of the band are younger than me so they are less older than me. We have been together for a long time now.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span data-outline-text="true">Punk to me is to be honest in all you do, and if it’s music, then that too. We are an older band; we are not teenagers anymore and would never try to make music now as if we were. That would be less honest. We are now not as fast, not as hairy, and not as pretty anymore but we are still a fucking good band. We bring our experiences to our music to enrich it, we don’t see our age as baggage. You may not like the new album, but I see no reason why you shouldn’t. We put more into it and are true to ourselves, more than most other bands.</span><br /><span data-outline-text="true"> If you listen without prejudice, you will be enriched and not disappointed.</span><br /><br /><span data-outline-text="true">The vast majority of musicians are always convinced that their latest album is the best they have ever made. I make no comment on our new work other than to say, I hope everyone experiences the excitement we feel right now as we work on it. It will be another perspective lyrically, It would never be another ‘Beggars Can Be Choosers’ (In a good way. but it will be something else and it will be angry, and in anticipation there is excitement. It is up to the listener to judge where it sits with our other work.</span><br /><span data-outline-text="true">There is one constant though, in the message behind it all… “Kick Out The Tories!”</span></span>Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-15461008929232296812021-09-20T04:04:00.000-07:002021-09-20T04:04:20.699-07:00Newtown Neurotics first album for nearly forty years<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Hi all,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yeah I know, a stupid long time to get around to writing and recording a new album. Especially as we have been back in existence for ten years now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The reason for this is that we have never considered ourselves as a proper evolving band during that time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Our songs were still as relevant as they were in the 1980's so why write new material? We felt that each gig may be our last but it became evident that there was a great demand for what we were doing so we carried on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When Trump came to power in the United States, and then the arrival of Brexit and Covid, it seemed that the band needed to reflect the world as it is now and so I started writing again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It is not a great time to be recording and planning to put out a new album when the music industry has been destroyed by Brexit, helped along by Covid, but it has to be done.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We have a documentary film made about us called 'Kick Out' which was shelved when 'Lockdown' occurred the first time, and as yet, things have not turned a corner with the virus to allow us to plan documentary, new release, tour. But we will do these things, it is just gonna take some time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So today, we go into the studio to begin our first day of recording on our new album: 'Cognitive Dissidents'</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Wish us luck!</span></p>Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-8654474280287209242017-03-21T04:51:00.005-07:002017-03-21T04:51:52.442-07:00Afropunk album 'Disgraceland' by Steve Drewett is Out Now!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is of greatest pleasure to announce that an album of Afropunk by myself, Steve Drewett & The Indestructible Beat has now out. Originally available briefly as a download, it has now been given a proper release by Cruel Binary. I am immensely proud of this album and am so pleased it is now out in the world. It is available at steve-drewett.com.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #17365d; font-size: 20pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disgraceland <br />
Steve Drewett &The Indestructible Beat</span>
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Focus date: Monday 20th March<br />
Label: Cruel Binary - Cruel 0003<br />
Distributed by Boss Tunage</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IO842O10MfQ/WNEQ2v1TyeI/AAAAAAAAEFk/83V3l4mSUqkob3KYUXu5cGdl1KAZNVNlQCLcB/s1600/large-Disgraceland-sleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Front cover of Disgraceland by Steve Drewett & The Indestructible Beat" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IO842O10MfQ/WNEQ2v1TyeI/AAAAAAAAEFk/83V3l4mSUqkob3KYUXu5cGdl1KAZNVNlQCLcB/s1600/large-Disgraceland-sleeve.jpg" title="Disgraceland by Steve Drewett & The Indestructible Beat" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Musicians:</span> </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve Drewett</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:</span></span></b><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Guitar/lead vocals</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mac:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Bass guitar/trombone/backing vocals</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sarah Ross:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Vocals</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Neil Tye</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: Percussion</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ian Bristow</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: Percussion</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greg Caburn</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: Sax/backing vocals</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adam Amore:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Sax/backing vocals</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isaac Prevost:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Drums</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tony Bennett:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Drums</span> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notes: </span></span></b><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recorded: The Square studio, Harlow, Essex, England.<br /> 1990 - 1993</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Engineer: Nick Robbins, Richard Holgarth and hris Fallon (On separate sessions).</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><b>Links:</b></div>
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steve-drewett.com</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Biography: <br />
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Originally released in 1993 in cassette format, and briefly on Brooklyn based download
site ‘Anthology’ in 2000, it has since been much sought after, originally
titled ‘The Broad Church of the Indestructible Beat’ it is now named after one
of it’s tracks ‘Disgraceland’, this title reflects more fully on the state of
the nation as it is now, so once again this album is available enhanced and
remastered on CD and available for streaming and download from all major
vendors.</span></span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Indestructible Beat (taking its name from the album ‘The Indestructible Beat of Soweto” <br />on Earthworks International 1985) and along with it, the musical genre ‘Afro-punk’, was created by Steve Drewett in 1990 (long before the James Spooner film ‘Afro Punk’ in 2003,</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that inspired the Brooklyn Festival of the same name starting in 2005.) He had just called it a day with his punk band the ‘Newtown Neurotics’ (1988, Reformed in 2005), a combo he had spent the Eighties fronting, producing eight classic singles and four classic albums. Trying to decide where to go from there, Steve avoided the formation of a Newtown Neurotics 2.0 by sticking to the original spirit of punk which demanded constant creativity, of pushing barriers, of challenging pre-conceptions. He wanted the next band he formed to be different, very different, but still within the framework of punks’ ‘concise excitement’.</span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve remembers the formation of the idea very clearly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“ I was listening to a lot of African stuff at the time. It seemed to me that African music was<br /> being perceived by many to be a highly sophisticated music played by master musicians, <br />due mainly to the </span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">popularity of Paul Simon's ‘Graceland’ album and leading African stars<br />like Youssou N'Dour. The stuff I was listening to was from ordinary folk with lesser dexterity,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bashing out inspirational music with cheap shit guitars and drums.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They were not aspiring to one day appear on MTV, but were expressing their culture <br />and lives through the joy of music. It was basic, it was raw but it really moved me. <br />It made me think that it had many similarities with punk, and inspired by the Pogues <br />fusion of traditional Irish folk and rock, I decided to attempt a similar fusion, coining it <br />‘Afro</span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Punk’ as I worked on it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rock'n'roll had long repeated itself, trying to find slightly different variations on the <br />Blues/Rhythm and Blues influence but there was a whole range </span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of fantastic African <br />rhythms that hadn't really found their way into the rock melting pot. <br />It seemed to me that Punk and African music had a common bond in the same way <br />as Punk and Jamaican rhythms had in the late Eighties.</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I formed the Indestructible Beat to try to create a type of punk that was danceable, <br />opinionated, raw, held together with a memorable song structure, but was at the same time,<br />looser than a three minute pop song and layered underneath with fresh, </span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hypnotic African <br />percussion. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disgraceland was the result, 13 tracks of early Afro-Punk that demanded to be heard <br />and now for the first time they can! Their first proper release will be on Monday March 20th.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>“Glad I came across you!! Your music is gorgeous, power, passion, <br />unforgettable dreamy melodies with a unique quality. . . lovely!!” <br />(‘Urgent Fury’ Facebook comment that sums up the album very well)
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</span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"His (Steve Drewett & The Indestructible Beat) is a jagged music, the rawness of <br />prime new wave forged with the lilting rhythms of African dance, <br />two seemingly impossible partners, a match made somewhere other than heaven,<br />the results can only startle". (FRoots issue 21)</b></span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Scum Class Tourists </b></span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>(The Indestructible Beat Manifesto)<br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They say that travel broadens the mind but you need a little money first, </span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just listen to a tape of some township jive and I feel I’ve travelled the earth</span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chorus:</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'If feels so right, sending, shivers up and down my spine,
It’s alive, with the hopes and the dreams of countless lives.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s all mine, every time I press play but the trouble is,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m just a, scum class tourist cos’ I never leave this town.'
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Give me cheap guitars and songs from the heart out of a cut price studio,
</span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether from Camden Town or Johannesburg, the truth still needs to be told.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chorus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And we gotta stop these fascists with their cultural purity</span>
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t know about you, but Morris dancing’s not for me,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, no, no it’s not for me. That’s why I play… (plays African guitar motif)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tenderest forms of communication
</span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">does not need the power of speech.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while nations sing unto their neighbours,</span></span></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They’ll always be the chance of peace.</span></span></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chorus.</span></span></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Drewett Cote Basque Music Publishing Limited 2017</b></span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<pre style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></pre>
<pre style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Track listing:</span></span></span></pre>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thinking About You </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Of Both Worlds </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little Miss Indecision </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Capitol Radio </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something Kinda Critical </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disgraceland </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No No No </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I Can Rise </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take My Advice </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Real Pornography </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scum Class Tourist </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When The
Oil Runs Out </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 33px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somethings
Going On</span> </span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-68346306263200650832017-02-13T03:02:00.001-08:002017-02-13T03:17:32.808-08:00Squaring the Circle as housing developers 'Circle' the Square<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">It is always
a strange feeling when you see your own town featured on television, especially
when in the last 12 months, the reasons for that national attention, has not
been in the least bit edifying.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2WSruAlmPic/WKGR-BnXtjI/AAAAAAAAD-w/xstsPDopyjA0NDDiewy9quhdnzbyVUFaQCLcB/s1600/Squaring_the_circle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2WSruAlmPic/WKGR-BnXtjI/AAAAAAAAD-w/xstsPDopyjA0NDDiewy9quhdnzbyVUFaQCLcB/s320/Squaring_the_circle2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">On Friday, I
witnessed a feature on Sky news about the growing concern about the amount of
small venues being lost across the county, and there on my screen, was the nationally
acclaimed Harlow Square being featured predominately, as they interviewed one
of the Square One partnership about the size and implication of the loss of
this facility to Harlow and beyond. This publicity, about its imminent closure,
was on the back of it also being discussed on BBC 6 Music, BBC Essex and Music
Week and expressions of the importance
of the club by members of some of the now famous bands (Like Blur, Coldplay etc.)
who played there in their early days, dismayed at its loss.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">It then
occurred to me that the last time I remember Harlow being on the national news,
was when a Polish man was attacked and killed by a gang of feral youth. It made
me wonder how people outside our town must see us, as it seems everything that
is reported about Harlow is negative.<br />
Both of these storied ended up on the front page of the Star with a rosette
displayed about them asking us to rejoice at Harlow Town being 70 this year!
How wonderful!<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">My 14 year
old daughter loves the Square; she recently took up playing the guitar, and
with the ‘Livewire’ initiative, working with young people within the venue, got
to play in a band for the first time. She is also interested in the workings of
Local Government and how they can make a positive difference in the town. She
was particularly pleased one night, when she witnessed every political party in
the Council Chamber, vote a pledge to help save the venue, but this rare
solidarity of stated intent, later came
to nothing when the Secretary of State <u>overturned </u>the council’s decision
to block the land it stands on ,from being swallowed up by developers. This
Whitehall official, thought Circle housing was helping to relocate The Square
and therefore this community resource would not be lost. This was incorrect,
they no longer were, they had previously offered financial help for the venue
to relocate, but then withdrew it. However,
they were happy to let the Secretary of State believe that their offer still
stood, because they then got what they wanted. The council decided not to
appeal his decision. It is true that Harlow Council had been trying to help
with finding alternative premises for the venue, but without the financial
assistance needed to relocate and repurpose an existing building, nothing can
come of it. Not a great day for Local decision making, not a great example to
my daughter.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Young people
are being consistently frozen out of the very society they are expected to
contribute to, and as I was enjoying a drink in Weatherspoon’s before
performing at the venues final gig, I witnessed ten to twenty teenage youths on
foot and bikes, chasing somebody. They briefly invaded the pub and then started
fighting outside; this is all they had to occupy their time apparently.<br /><br />
What is this town coming to, to lose an asset like the Square? It’s all well
and good gaining a new cinema but that only helps consumers, where is the home
for creators such as my daughter , or other young musicians living in a town,
originally created with the pride of supporting the Arts and music, as a corner
stone of its community? Or the band The Orphans who opened Saturday’s final
show, 14 years of age and playing only their second ever gig, never to be able
to return to improve their craft. What about my daughter who, when challenging
the Councillors lack of success, by simply saying “Where the hell am I going to go to be able
continue to develop my musical career now”, threw Councillor John Clempner into
an embarrassed mumble of seemingly empty promises and misinformed bluster. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Yet
the question is still valid, and still needs to be addressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br />
<br />
Steve Drewett - Newtown Neurotics<br />
Harlow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-no-proof: yes;">http://steve-drewett.com/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-2056006173815323562016-06-10T05:38:00.001-07:002016-07-06T03:24:02.615-07:00Brexit is the biggest act of economic suicide in the history of commerce<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Brexit is the biggest act of economic suicide in the history of commerce, with the latest news that Germany’s finance minister, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/10/no-single-market-access-for-uk-after-brexit-wolfgang-schauble-says">Wolfgang Schäuble has said that we would not have access to the single market if we were to leave the EU</a> (that sounds like common sense doesn't i</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">?</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> If you leave something you don't have access to it!) where are we to trade? Even the couple of counties that do have access to the single market whilst not in the EU have to agree to the free movement of travel for people wishing to work there, and many other EU rules that Brexit says it wants to do away with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Brexit has no economic plan, it has no idea and on this basis, the British People are being asked to trust the likes of Boris Johnson and Micheal Gove, that everything will be alright.<br />No electorate would vote a party into government on the basis of such a flimsy (ie no) economic plan. At the time of the election, I don't remember a great clamour from the public for a referendum on Europe, that came from a small clutch of hard right Tory MP's. I seem to remember that the election was clinched on the current governments economic plan, as awful as it was. If that is so, then if Brexit was to happen, how could this Tory government have a mandate to rule?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If Brexit wins it will be based on a xenophobic mistrust that would be a waste of time because this is a world were people move to work. Raising borders around our Island would be like demanding the sea not lap on our shores. It is not refugees or Europe who have devastated the NHS, it is not refugees or Europe who have created our housing crisis, it is not refugees or Europe, who have destroyed Local Government, it is not refugees or Europe, who starve disabled people and drive them to suicide, I could go on and on but I won't, you know what I am saying, it is this...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The enemy is in our midst, it is the current Tories, and successive governments before them fed by a culture nurtured by Rupert Murdoch to see only the worst in people and undermining the belief in co-operation and solidarity. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/28/how-margaret-thatcher-and-rupert-murdoch-made-secret-deal">On 4 January 1981 in a secret meeting with Margret Thatcher, she allowed him to own 40% of British Newspapers</a> and since then we have not been able to have an free and balanced political debate in this country. So it finally comes to this, call this a debate? This country is planned to be remade, but not for the likes of you and me. Under the gise of Brexit, their encouragement of the suspension of disbelief, of the idea of the wings of freedom from Europe, lies just below the feathers, the chains that will bind us all, at the feet of the powerful. </span>Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-4905906513944095862016-01-05T03:23:00.001-08:002016-01-05T03:23:26.271-08:00Colin Dredd lives on via his NME collection<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_568ba5f05d6309a49478127">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year to you all. A little bit of good news from the end of last year I didn't have time to post. Really pleased that Colin's memory is being preserved in this way, he would have been so pleased about this.<br /><br />The Eighties were a really significant decade and it will be great that students will be able to get an insight into those turbulent times via the effect that politics were having on Music and Arts at the time.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">25 November 2015<br /> Re. New Musical Express 1980s: The Colin Dredd Collection</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_hide"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...</span></span><div class="text_exposed_show">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We would like to thank you for your very kind and generous donation of ‘New Musical Express: The Colin Dredd Collection’ to the Archives of Popular Culture/Counterculture at Liverpool John Moores University.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The Archives of Popular Culture/Counterculture were established over ten years ago and currently house a world-class repository - including the world’s largest Punk archive. ‘New Musical Express: The Colin Dredd Collection’ makes a significant addition to the repository and will be preserved in perpetuity alongside the other archives. The collection will be made accessible and will be of great benefit to current and future generations of researchers, staff and students. <br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We would like to invite you to visit the archive anytime you are in Liverpool and we would be pleased to meet you for lunch and show you around the various collections.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Thank you for this wonderful addition to the Archives of Popular Culture/Counterculture at Liverpool John Moores University.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Yours sincerely,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Prof. Colin Fallows <br /> Professor of Sound and Visual Arts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Dr. Sian Lincoln<br /> Senior Lecturer in Media Studies</span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
</div>
Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-79725902232528458442015-12-08T04:38:00.000-08:002015-12-08T04:49:25.499-08:00The power of words (Part 2)<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you have been following my posts recently you would have seen one titled 'The power of words'</span><br />
<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In it I point out the way George Osborne describes Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters as 'Left Wing Insurgents' so as to create the perception </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">of a decent, principled and compassionate man </span></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">(and his supporters who have been blamed by Tony Blair of having a heart!!!) into that of an armed rebellion trying to overthrow a legitimate government by illegitimate means</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Nonsense of course, but the point is, he is attempting to change reality for his own ends.<br />All politicians do this (I can almost hear you say) but...there is a difference with interpretation of an aim or act and the deliberate distortion of this sort.<br /><br />It happened again</span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> the other day when Bombing Syria was being discussed in the Commons.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Cameron this time said that anyone who disagreed with the airstrikes on Syria was a terrorist sympathiser. This outrageous claim was a crude attempt to close down discussion on the matter, and clearly shows that whatever reasoned arguments he had for killing Syrians, they were not (even in his mind) robust enough to stand on their own. But let's think about what he was actually saying.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That if we disagree with the bombing, then we are terrorist sympathisers, which therefore implies that the only people to get killed in the airstrikes will be terrorists (which is clearly not true). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">So he is saying, there is no real opposition to the airstrikes in Britain, except from terrorist sympathisers and they are a threat as they are trying to stop us killing the terrorists in Syria.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Ok, now squeezed out of this warped logic are the ordinary British people who do not think that killing more innocent people is going to help and on the Syrian side the innocent people caught up in this have been left out too, their deaths not considered important by our government.<br /><br />Logic goes out of the window, innocent people are slaughtered in Paris and our response is to slaughter another lot of innocent people in the hope of hitting a terrorist and then claim we have the moral high ground. This to me, it is no more that 'tit for tat' poorly disguised as 'doing something' to stop Isis, Isil or whoever. The same thing has being going on for months in Iraq and Afghanistan without any significant disruption of the enemy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The people who voted for this should be taken to see the results of waging war from an armchair, see how their point scoring in parliament results in a hell they obviously cannot conceive anything of. They must comfort themselves that, as they have never actually held a weapon in their hands that they have never been responsible for the deaths of anyone. If so, they clearly do not understand power or their place within it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am not a pacifist and I want theses fascists to be stopped with force, killed if necessary but not by carpet bombing everyone around them. This is a complex problem that requires a more comprehensive and intelligent approach to end the terror of Isis. Cameron's knee jerk reaction just shows that he has no idea what to do to counter this jihadi threat but he knows that the easy option is to just throw a few bombs at the problem. The arms industry are always close to government making sure they have the weapons of their desire at their disposal and once bought, need to be used. Running low, forget new hospitals or any other public service, divert that money to more weapons, government does it's bombing, government looks tough, job done. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">They can then claim they have acted to secure the safety of the British people.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">All that Is left is to get ready with propaganda when the reaction to that is bloody atrocities on civilians in this country. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But, as we are </span><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">all</span></u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> terrorists now, what does it matter?</span></span></div>
Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-69783546203453089472015-12-02T11:39:00.002-08:002015-12-02T11:39:59.850-08:00Do they know it's Christmas? <div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_565f48163d0e96f93277596">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With Christmas about to engulf us all, it has been on my mind about the plight of the Syrian refugees many of which will be spending life in a different type of hell in refugee camps around Europe with barely anything between them and the unthinkable. <br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So this is Christmas eh? Do they know it?<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> With the news services dominated on whether or not to bomb more of the Syrian population, it is our turn it seems to show our brand of barbarism. </span><span class="text_exposed_hide"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...</span></span><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> With that in mind and a feeling that I want to do something (non-violent) no matter how small, I just wanted to suggest that all profits from my Christmas CD single this year, should you wish to buy it from here </span><a href="http://steve-drewett.com/steve-drewett/physical.html#christmas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://steve-drewett.com/steve-drewett/physical.html…</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> will be donated to one of the Charities put forward by the Guardian Syrian appeal. If you want to donate and not buy the single that is fine too and you will find the links below to help you do so.<br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/24/guardian-and-observer-refugee-appeal-2015-the-charities" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.theguardian.com/…/guardian-and-observer-refugee-…</span></a><br /><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> let’s turn to love not hate!</span><br />
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-62039168664305403052015-11-14T04:12:00.000-08:002015-11-14T04:12:08.567-08:00Vive la Rock!<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_56471ff7b79844915344097">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can imagine that for Islamic extremists, because the west trumpets democracy all the time and we vote in our murderous leaders, they think we are responsible for what they do, as these politicians are our elective representatives. This seems to make some sense, but it ignores just how truly unrepresentative our democracy is now and the fact that millions marched to try to stop the invasion of Iraq. Our political representatives are letting us down and we have now run out of</span><span class="text_exposed_hide"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...</span></span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> choices. </span></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What were once wars of proxy fought by our so called leaders in far away lands are now being fought in our streets and the winners are the arms manufacturers including those wined and dined in the Tower of London directly after the First World War remembrance 'Poppy' exhibition. All conflicts are now lethal (and very profitable) all acts political. The Islamic State has now declared war on rock music, think of that for a moment. Laughingly (not!) that means that I play the devils music, that I play music that is evil? What sort of warped logic makes the murder of innocent people good and playing and enjoying music evil?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> See you at the next gig!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Vive la Rock!</span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-78713334587758339782015-08-31T09:34:00.000-07:002015-12-08T04:41:12.771-08:00The power of words!<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">Language and words are very powerful things, from Murdoch's newspapers to the way the Tory Government frames an argument, it is used to control perception of the world to the needs of the powerful elite.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">This is not new, the frequently used example is the way strikers 'demand' and bosses 'plead'. These two words frame the argument in favour of perception being on the bosses side.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">Today George Osborne called Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters 'Left Wing Insurgents'. In doing t</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">his he is trying to turn the perception of a decent, principled and compassionate man (and his supporters who have been blamed by Tony Blair of having a heart!!!) into the perception of an armed rebellion trying to overthrow a legitimate government by illegitimate means.<br /><br />This is not an insurgency! It is a profoundly legitimate democratic process and is offering an alternative view of how this country could be run. But to this government, ideas are dangerous and are to be considered as lethal as a weapon.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;"><br />As I say, language and words are very powerful things.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;"><br />For those of us that believe in Corbyn's alternative view, lets re-frame the argument, our vocabulary is our arsenal, lets change the perception of what we can achieve for the common good.<br />Let us turn our anger to persuasion and build a grass roots movement committed to winning the argument and creating a government that serves the people and not the other way round.</span>Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-87178305041952396912015-07-25T03:38:00.000-07:002015-07-25T03:40:20.354-07:00Newtown Neurotics 'Triumph Over Adversity' One of the greatest live albums ever? Discuss!<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
It is so hard for me to relate to you how good 'Triumph Over Adversity' is (for those of you who have not already bought it). If I tell you what I really feel about the album, I will just come over to you as vain, conceited and perhaps delusional and this is the problem!</div>
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How do I convince you? With just words!</div>
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How do I get you past that "yeah, yeah it's a live album yawn, live albums are boring" feeling?</div>
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I know that an artist/band can truly believe that they have just released their best album ever, only to find that their audience turns their backs on it. But I also believe that there are times when the artist/band knows, that what they have done is something special, and it really is, and that is then echoed back by others.</div>
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Today, I found out that 'Triumph Over Adversity' has seven 5 star reviews on Amazon, and the latest one says everything I'd ever thought would come across to anyone, who cast aside their doubts and made the purchase (and no, it wasn't written by me under a pseudonym, would I do that to you?).</div>
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Personally, I think that 'Triumph Over Adversity' is the greatest album the Newtown Neurotics have ever put out.</div>
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This is what a reviewer on Amazon thought...</div>
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PASSION, ENERGY, INTEGRITY, TENACITY - GET BLOWN AWAY BY THE NEUROTICS<br />
By uktoady on 24 July 2015</div>
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"I’m not always a big fan of live albums – much of the joy of listening to a band playing live is actually being there, at the gig, being part of the crowd, immersed in the atmosphere – and it’s difficult to capture that in a recording. However, with the insight gleaned from Steve Drewett’s candid sleeve notes, recounting the background to this particular gig and the exceptional circumstances under which they went on to perform, you are taken into that University hall and you are there, with the Neurotics…</div>
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From the opening chords of Wake Up (surely one of the best intros ever – and what a way to open a gig!), you can hear and feel the angst and frustration being vented – a seething torrent of guitars, drums and vocals delivered with an urgency and energy that grabs you and carries you along with the force of tsunami!</div>
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The sound quality is amazing considering the low-tech way it was recorded. Steve Drewett is at his impassioned best - his words are from the heart and it is impossible not to be affected, whether it is listening to his vocals and lyrics, or reading his sleeve notes … what he so brilliantly manages to convey is direct, honest, raw emotion – and you know he means every word. Simon Lomond’s beat-perfect drumming leaves you breathless with its intensity, all the while driving and holding each number together, while the chance to hear again the late Colin Dredd’s bass and backing vocals is a privilege in itself – and a reminder of how well the three of them worked together. The unity and closeness of the band shines through.</div>
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This is music that deserves to be heard – and should be heard. It has so much more value and sincerity than some of the contrived, cultivated pop fodder so often served up today – and with the Newtown Neurotics still relevant and active today, (with Steve and Simon joined by bassist Adam Smith), you might be lucky enough to catch them at one of their (sadly, all-too-rare) appearances.</div>
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Meantime, if you want to hear – and feel - the pounding heart of the Newtown Neurotics, then just listen to this!"</div>
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Triumph Over Adversity can be bought via Amazon or if you want to avoid Amazon,directly from the band (whose prices include the p&p) at<br />
<a href="http://steve-drewett.com/neurotics/mailordr.htm" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://steve-drewett.com/neurotics/mailordr.htm</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Triumph-Over-Adversity-University-04-04-1987/dp/B011A2A7SQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1437818619&sr=1-1&keywords=newtown+neurotics#customerReviews">5 star reviews of 'Triumph Over Adversity' on Amazon</a></div>
<br />Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-11272447121773206072015-07-03T05:09:00.001-07:002015-07-03T05:09:49.952-07:00The Last Chance of a Lifetime<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
The Neurotics have a gig coming up on Saturday. It will be the last gig the Neurotics will ever do in the Square as the venue is closing down at the end of the year.<br /><br />For me, saying goodbye is becoming a bit familiar recently, I will be saying goodbye to the venue that nurtured the Neurotics and myself for 35 years, Colin Dredd of-course spent many an hour in The Square and I've had to say goodbye to him recently too.</div>
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Yesterday a biker in a some slow moving traffic yelled at me as I ambled along the street "Steve! I heard you were dead!" Mortality and time have been forced into my attention these last couple of months<span style="line-height: 21.466667175293px;">, and the fact that nothing lasts. Here's an example, I have had a CNT sticker on my Les Paul for years, it is now a famous characteristic of my guitar, everyone who loves the Neurotics is familiar with it. It seemed to be cemented into the body of my instrument, as over the years it has stayed put, it just became worn by my arm movements.</span></div>
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Yesterday, to my horror, I noticed it was beginning to peel off so I quickly made for the super glue and stuck back the offending corner. I was not prepared to say goodbye to this sticker and this time I had some control, unlike the closing of the Square or the death of Colin. I attempted to cheat time.</div>
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Of-course, I will eventually loose.</div>
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<br />If you've ever seen us at the Square, why not come and enjoy that experience once more, for the last time. And what a gig it is going to be!!!! Solitary Confinement and Living With Unemployment on the same night anyone???</div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-66711918306539943712015-06-25T02:55:00.002-07:002015-06-25T02:57:49.026-07:00Final Newtown Neurotics gig at the Square Harlow July 4th, not final Neurotics gig though.<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.466667175293px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
I'm off to play Glastonbury solo on Friday at the Leftfield stage at 3pm but I thought I'd just flag up the next gig the Newtown Neurotics are doing. It will be the last gig the Neurotics will ever do in the Square as the venue is closing down at the end of the year.<br />
If you've ever seen us at the Square, why not come and enjoy that experience once more, for the last time. And what a gig it is going to be!!!! More acts to come... Solitary Confinement and Living With Unemployment on the same night anyone???</div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-5686202650621235532015-06-09T04:15:00.001-07:002015-06-25T02:57:12.138-07:00Colin Masters aka Colin Dredd 1956-2015 - The final goodbye.<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.0799999237061px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last Sunday night was a lovely evening, big thanks to all
who came and to those who performed, Howard and Clack, Murray Torkildsen,
Attila. Also to Rosa Goodwin Drewett, Simon Lomond and Sarah Ross for joining
me on stage for my set.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A big thank you also needs to be said for the Square One
Partnership for making the Square available to hold this event, Chris Fallon
for doing the sound and to all the staff who were so helpful throughout the
evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For my wife Clare, I thank for loving me and helping me
to hold myself together in these difficult times, and I needed help, it has
been such a strain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a very moving night and I managed to be moved
without actually breaking down, which I have been prone to do at the drop of a
hat recently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Personally, Colin was very special to me and all I wanted
to do since his last hours and the time after his death, was to make sure that
I gave him the goodbye that he deserved. In the process, we all got to be
involved in that goodbye, and during that time, I have experienced the greatest
side of Social Media because it enabled me to reach out to so many people who's
lives have been touched by him, and the love and the support that came back has
been phenomenal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But, there is another, more personal and more private
mourning going on behind this, my thoughts are now with Colin's family, his
former partner Sylvie and also Val, who spent so many years together with him,
revelling in their common interests, and later looked after him in his ill
health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The non public side of Colin will be cherished in a
different, more quiet way. We have celebrated his public rock 'n' roll life in
music and images and seen how far and how loved the man as a musician is
regarded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But away from the limelight, his character, his love and
regard for people, was every bit as important as the mark he made in music.
There was a lot of his life I had no part in, so I cannot help illuminate that
in which I did not share. I just did the bit I knew, I hope it didn't over
shadow the man behind the rock star.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now I have to let him go, no more tributes, no more rock
gigs in his name, nothing left to make me feel that I am stopping him from
sliding into the abyss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But, I have seen lives transformed by this man and I know
that if I say that 'he lives on in our hearts', it is not a trite meaningless
response to loss, because I feel it, I know it is real, we all do. And when you
realise this fact, you begin to see the man, still alive, still with us, still
vital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And in that, is a true comfort and a revelation that can
only come when words gain true meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have learnt so much from these past couple of weeks and
one of the things I learnt, is that, quietly and in his own way,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He changed my life,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">forever,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was transformed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thank you Colin, what a gift you gave me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-76354460220056870052015-06-05T11:46:00.001-07:002015-06-05T11:48:04.848-07:00My speech to say goodbye to my friend Colin Masters aka Colin Dredd 1956-2015<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
This was my speech for Colin at his funeral on Wednesday 3rd June, shared so that those who could not make the funeral can get a taste of our goodbye to him.</div>
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Stand by me.</div>
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The early Eighties were a very divisive time politically, and in London there were a couple of right wing groups who were determined to make their Nazi ideology popular by targeting young people. The National Front and the British Movement started by recruiting muscle from outside football grounds and then they turned to music fans. They leafleted live gigs and then attempted to take out bands they deemed to be left wingers. They attacked audiences and performers alike, smashing up or disrupting gigs by the likes of Sham69, Redskins, Madness and many more.</div>
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Into this seething cauldron of hate came the Neurotics and being anti-racist and lefties in nature, were added to the list of rock bands that had to be stopped. There were some informers within these fascist groups who would warn us in advance of trouble and in May 1982, as we prepared, with Attila The Stockbroker, to play a club in Islington called Skunx, we got the message…</div>
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“They are coming for you”.</div>
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As was predicted, when we took the stage there was a wall of Nazi skinheads staring malevolently at us. We played like our lives depended on it, hoping beyond hope that the music alone would change their minds. We were left untouched that night, but that was because they were after the headliner Attila who, once he took the stage, they attacked and smashed his instrument over his head, whilst glasses, tables and chairs flew in an orgy of violence.<br />
Subsequently, we were sent a ‘single’ of ours disfigured by race hate slogans, my publisher’s life was threatened over the phone and I had death threats left on my answering machine.</div>
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And whenever we did a gig in London, we would often get the message once more</div>
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“They are coming for you”</div>
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My point here is that Colin wasn’t a fighter, he was a very sensitive man and he wasn’t even able to defend himself if attacked. But never, did he say “do you really think we should do this gig? Never did he voice concerns about our safety in playing these concerts. He knew, like we all did in the band, that this was intimidation, and if they couldn’t physically stop us playing then psychological warfare may do the trick. It didn’t.<br />
At these gigs, with Simon Lomond on drums behind us, Colin would take his place at the mike beside me, our legs shaking and our hearts gripped by an icy fear, standing in front of hostile audiences, high up on the stage like targets at a fairground at which pot shots of glasses, pool cues, bar stools and chairs could potentially be aimed at us.<br />
And as I’d announce our first number, I would look down the neck of my guitar and just beyond would be Colin, as white as a sheet, but resolute, showing enormous courage, time and time again.<br />
Gig after gig, he stood by me, he stood by his beliefs and like bothers in arms forged in the crucible of war, we too became brothers in that time.</div>
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I recently had the privilege of spending his final night with him and every now and then he would open his eyes to check if I was still there, I stood by him, like he did for me.</div>
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My friend, my bassist, my brother, Colin.</div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-33040462410021508042015-06-02T05:12:00.001-07:002015-06-02T05:14:29.176-07:00When flowers are not power and money is.<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_556d9cbacfc688f11589929">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ahead of tomorrow's funeral at the Harlow Crematorium at 1pm, a final bit of information</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Colin would not have liked money spent on flowers, rather he would like to have seen the money that would have been spent on them, instead go to a good cause.<br /> The family have now announced the cause that you can donate to in his memory if you should wish to, details below...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSIC via the donate button on the web site </span><a href="http://www.youthmusic.org.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.youthmusic.org.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <br /> or text 70070 and text message YMUS10 £ (amount donated-£3, £5 or £10)</span></div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-30712127252924593542015-05-27T12:00:00.004-07:002015-05-27T12:02:11.618-07:00Update on the funeral of Colin Masters aka Colin Dredd.<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Colin's coffin is going to be painted white and there will be special pens supplied on the day for mourners to graffiti it with final messages to him (there will be the duration of a medley of two songs playing in which to do this). I thought I'd let you know in advance in case you would like to contemplate what to write.</span></div>
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This way of saying goodbye is in place of flowers which Colin would have disliked as being a waste o<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">f money. I understand that a charity chosen by the family will be available to donate to instead.</span></div>
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You don't have to dress in black, dress how you would if you were meeting up with him normally. He'd always turn up wearing his rucksack so you turn up how you would.</div>
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There will be a photographer present to record the event, let's make it special!</div>
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Recap on date and times...</div>
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Colin Masters' funeral is at 1.00pm Wednesday 3rd June Harlow crematorium CM19 4SF</div>
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Drinks afterwards at the Greyhound pub 12 School Lane CM20 2QD</div>
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All welcome.</div>
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I know I am about to shout but on this occasion I think it is acceptable to do so!<br />
PLEASE SHARE THIS POST AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND SPREAD THE WORD TO PEOPLE YOU THINK KNEW COLIN BUT ARE NOT ON FACEBOOK. There I did it, I just want to avoid heartache for anyone who loved him and who only find out about the funeral after the event.</div>
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We are beginning to put together an evening at the Square on Sunday 7th June for friends, family and fans to remember Colin. We are sort of thinking of displaying images of him, playing some of his favorite music and maybe some short solo acoustic spots.</div>
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This will help those that were not able to attend the funeral and/or wake due to other commitments a chance to say goodbye, and it gives us all another chance to enjoy our memories of him together.<br />
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All welcome!<br />
<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br />Check your diaries and watch this space</span></div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-17129666342909548572015-05-25T09:58:00.002-07:002015-05-25T14:01:17.906-07:00A statement from Steve Drewett on the passing of Colin Master aka Dredd on behalf of himself and the family.<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Below is a piece written for the people who have responded on Facebook. Realising that not everyone uses facebook I have reproduced the piece below so that we can keep as many people in the loop as possible. If this is all news for you, go to the bottom of this thread and read upwards.</div>
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At this point, now a little time has passed from the loss of my dear friend Colin, having communicated a very personal account of my part in some of his final hours, and of my devastation at his passing. I must take a moment to give a little perspective on this.</div>
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I want to pass on thanks from myself and Colin’s family, to everyone who has posted their thoughts about him on Facebook. The response has been truly amazing, only now are we able to get an idea on how much he and his talent was revered both locally and globally, both by close friends, distant friends, fans and the famous. He name is legend.</div>
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And the thing is, he would be even more amazed, because he had simply no idea about this at all. Colin was one of the digitally excluded; he had no PC, no tablet, no internet, only a dumb phone which he rarely turned on.<br />
In contrast to me, where I could luxuriate in peoples appreciation of our music through Facebook, day in and day out. He had little idea. Of course I would tell him every opportunity I could and sometimes show him a bit on my PC, but we wanted to spend our time together talking not looking at a screen.</div>
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He had no idea.</div>
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Again, I would like to thank you. I have been amazed how considerate and sensitive everyone’s contribution on Facebook has been. On what appears to be thousands of messages, only two perhaps have asked what he died of. Your respect for his privacy has been inspiring.<br />
The omission of this information was put into place to respect Colin’s feelings, and was a measure intended to help prepare for his future after a major operation. As he sadly did not survive that operation, I can now reveal some details of his misfortune, both because you have all deserved it and, to prevent speculation that he may have had Aids or Cancer etc. Any speculation is understandable, I do not criticise it, it is a part of being human.</div>
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Since my intense and close friendship with him changed when he left the band, we of course kept in touch. As he forged himself a new life without the Neurotics, it was one I knew little of. When we had the chance meet up, we always had a blast remembering the old days and that invariably left little time for his news. Also, Colin was always intrigued about what everyone else was up to rather than talking about himself.</div>
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In recent years, ill health began to have a greater impact on him. Asthma plagued him every year, pleurisy finished off his ability to remain in the Neurotics, he then suffered deep vein thrombosis and finally diverticulitis, a pernicious condition where in some cases (in Colin’s case) your waste is able to enter the upper digestive system.</div>
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You throw up shit basically.</div>
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He was treated for this but not cured, it returned, as it often does, causing a fresh bout of abdominal pain. Colin was once again suffering acute discomfort and was in and out of hospital until recently. Eventually, he was kept in while doctors tried to fight massive infection within his body.<br />
They threw everything at it, but to no avail. The only option left was to remove his colon and try to flush out what infection that was left. Once opened him up it was worse than they thought, they removed his colon, this spleen and probably some of his intestine too. After the operation, he fought for a week to recover, but the toxins in his body were too great and Colin too weak to fight it. Eventually, the doctors ran out of everything that might improve his condition except morphine, and that would just make him as comfortable as possible until the end. He died of toxic shock.</div>
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It was little wonder that in the last few years, he became more and more private, almost hermit like, insular and hard to contact. He also had to deal with signing on every day and at one point having his benefits stopped, leaving him penniless. I have no idea how much discomfort, pain and misery he suffered on his own in his little flat, but that would make anyone unwilling to get out and about more.</div>
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The thing is though, he wasn't alone. Since he left the band, he forged a relationship with a woman who would become a fantastic friend, a soulmate even. Her name is Val and she has loved and cared for Colin as a friend since 1988.<br />
Every step of his deterioration she was there to support and comfort him, every hospital visit, she was there for him, she was his rock.<br />
Because he had become so private, he didn't really want people to know whenever he had to stay in hospital, and so I didn't find out myself until very recently. By then, I knew he was going in for the opp and after he had it, I left it a few days before seeing him so that he could recover a bit before having visitors.</div>
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My point here, and it is a very important one, is that by the time I arrived on the scene, Val had spent uncountable hours supporting him in and out of hospital, I, made a couple of visits and then rushed to his bedside as he started to fade. I had the honour of spending his last night with him whilst Val caught up on a bit of sleep; she was with him when he passed away whilst I was catching up on mine.</div>
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My role was very small, Val’s was unmeasurable.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>Colin Masters</b>' funeral is at 1.00pm Wednesday 3rd June Harlow crematorium CM19 4SF</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Drinks afterwards at the Greyhound pub 12 School Lane CM20 2QD</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">All welcome.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Please spread the word to people you think knew Colin but are not on Facebook.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">There will be 'a celebration of Colin's life' event put together in a couple of weeks time or so which will enable all those who hear late about Colin's passing or cannot make the funeral/wake to be able to attend and we can then get friends and family and fans together for a big do.</span></div>
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<b>Just putting it out there, </b>we are beginning to put together an evening at the Square on Sunday 7th June for friends, family and fans to remember Colin. We are sort of thinking of displaying images of him, playing some of his favorite music and maybe some short solo accousitc spots.<br />
This will help those that were not able to attend the funeral and/or wake due to other commitments a chance to say goodbye, and it gives us all another chance to enjoy our memories of him together. All welcome! Check your diaries and watch this space</div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-71765794807351234612015-05-19T11:39:00.003-07:002015-05-20T13:15:05.160-07:00Colin Masters aka Colin Dredd 1956-2015<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the last two posts have written on my dear friend Colin Masters, the sequence runs from bottom of the this post to the top.</span><br />
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<abbr class="_5ptz timestamp livetimestamp" data-shorten="1" data-utime="1432047624" style="border-bottom-style: none; color: #9197a3; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.0799999237061px; text-decoration: none;" title="Tuesday, 19 May 2015 at 16:00"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a class="_5pcq" href="https://www.facebook.com/sdrewett/posts/10152726236172303" style="color: #9197a3; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.0799999237061px; text-decoration: none;" target="">3 hrs</a> ago 19th May</span></abbr></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Colin Dredd aka Colin Masters passed away at 10.45 this morning. These were the last moments I had with him...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"After that was done he had woken up to some degree and we continued to try to communicate. I then noticed that half of the cards he had received had still not been read to him so I suggested I read them and Colin agreed.<br />I did and he really really enjoyed listening to them being read. I can therefore tell all of you who sent him cards, that he received and heard the<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">m all, and they were read to him, just when he really needed them. Thank you to all who took the time and effort, as not only did he know about all the people thinking about him, but it gave us a very special moment that was to usher him out of the physical world.<br />When I eventually said I had to leave to get some sleep he turned in his bed to wave goodbye to me and that was to be my final memory of him."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am aware that there are those of you who have sent cards that are still in the postal system. Do not be sad that your letters did not reach him in time, be reassured that the family are going to take great comfort in all of them, they are like echoes of the music he made, from the friends he leaves behind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Colin Masters aka Dredd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bassman Newtown Neurotics 1978 - 1988</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Born 1955 (I think) - 2015</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are all heartbroken.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #9197a3; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"><span class="fsm fwn fcg"><a class="_5pcq" href="https://www.facebook.com/sdrewett/posts/10152725748802303" style="color: #9197a3; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target=""><abbr class="_5ptz timestamp livetimestamp" data-shorten="1" data-utime="1432026144" style="border-bottom-style: none;" title="Tuesday, 19 May 2015 at 10:02">9 hrs</abbr></a></span></span><span style="color: #9197a3; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"> ago 19th May</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Update on the condition of Colin Dredd:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We nearly lost him last night, I had a text from his close friend Val to say the hospital had rung to say we had better go in. When I arrived Val was there and Colin was unresponsive. After a good while of talking across the bed, I saw his eyes begin to open and then he was back with us to some degree. After a while,seeing as he had perked up, Val left to get some sleep before she is back by his bedside again. I remained to stay by his <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">bedside through the night. He kept trying to talk to me and I kept putting my ear next to his mask to work out what he was saying but failing miserably. Then on one of these occasions, he appeared to be making sounds that were not words and I said to him "Colin are you singing" and he nodded yes!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He sang to me! And I said Colin, I haven't heard you sing for years, that's brilliant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually he fell asleep and I watched over him through the night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the morning came the nurses, came to give him fresh meds and cleaned up the mask and his face. After that was done he had woken up to some degree and we continued to try to communicate. I then noticed that half of the cards he had received had still not been read to him so I suggested I read them and Colin agreed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did and he really really enjoyed listening to them being read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can therefore tell all of you who sent him cards, that he received and heard them all and they were read to him, just when he really needed them. Thank you to all who took the time and effort, as not only does he know about all the people thinking about him, but it gave us a special moment or two also.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I eventually said I had to leave to get some sleep he turned in his bed to wave goodbye to me and that is the most I have seen him move for some time</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Colin had massive infections before the operation, and these are now what are debilitating him, the doctors have thrown every type of meds they have at the problem and they now have nothing left. The disease will next go for the lungs and Colin's lung capacity has been debilitated by years of smoking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess you know what I am saying here, because I'm not actually able to say it.</span></div>
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I've got to go to bed, I'm so tired.</div>
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<a class="_5pcq" href="https://www.facebook.com/sdrewett/posts/10152722228502303" style="color: #9197a3; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.0799999237061px; text-decoration: none;" target=""><abbr class="_5ptz" data-shorten="1" data-utime="1431882078" style="border-bottom-style: none;" title="Sunday, 17 May 2015 at 18:01">17 May at 18:01</abbr></a></div>
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The most famous line up of the Newtown Neurotics came together this afternoon as myself and Simon Lomond visited our old friend and comrade Colin Dredd as he lie in the Critical Care unit of the ICU. I was relieved to see that although he still had an oxygen mask on to help with his breathing, he was not so distressed this time, albeit completely out of it. He is in great pain hence he is on morphine and although his surgery was a week ago, he is now fighting toxins and infec<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">tion that has riddled the lower part of his body. The aim is to neutralise this poison before it reaches his vital organs.</span></div>
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It is almost, (although not completely) impossible to communicate with him as when he speaks, you can't hear him over the hiss of the oxygen or what words fall into the bottom of the mask, destined never to reach our ears, and he is in cloud cuckoo land with the drugs of-course. The life support machines around him randomly make sounds that unfortunately sound like the phrase "uh oh" and they unnerve me each time it happens, drawing my eyes to the read outs each and every time. The bewildering array of changing numbers are like medical dice but they never stop long enough to tell me if he is winning or losing. I try not to look anymore.</div>
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He continues to get loads of cards and I bought another batch of them today. He has had at least some of the first batch read to him but if he understood what was being said I don't know. The cards will do their job as soon as he has recovered a little more.</div>
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Simon told him to hang on it there and get better soon and we managed to hear him say "I am doing my best"</div>
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The Newtown Neurotics were and are a gang, that's rare in a band these days and as Simon and I left, we were anguished in a way only a gang can feel when one of their own has been laid low for some reason or other.</div>
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It's been a week now since his operation, he is still here, still fighting and with the tick tick ticking of the clock, all this friends hope that he inches closer to recovery.</div>
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You are with him with your cards,<br />
he knows you are there,<br />
that's the main thing.</div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-90242339796362366572015-05-16T09:12:00.002-07:002015-05-18T13:19:42.501-07:00Colin as I found him yesterday<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
This is what happened when I visited Colin yesterday, I will be visiting him again this Sunday.</div>
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Hi all, I visited Colin in the ICU today and I'm afraid that I lasted around 30 seconds. He had an oxygen mask on and was breathing with great difficulty, I was alarmed by how distressed he was and felt that my presence would only distress him further. He lifted his arm and shook my hand. I asked how he was (at a loss what to say to him) and he gave me a thumbs down. I then told him about all the cards I had for him and placed them on the table near him. Thinking I wasn't hel<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ping being there I told him I would come back another day when he was feeling a bit better, he smiled and he shook my hand again.<br />The nurses wouldn't tell how he was doing in more detail as I wasn't family, they said he was stable at the moment which I take as "hanging on in there "</span></div>
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I couldn't stand seeing him is such pain</div>
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I left in tears.</div>
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He is going to be in hospital for some time, I think he is going to be a long time healing, If you haven't sent him a card because life is so busy and you forgot, it's not too late but the sooner the better.</div>
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Just in case.</div>
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Colin Dredd,<br />
c/o No Wonder<br />
154 Bishopsfield<br />
Harlow,<br />
Essex CM18 6UR</div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-74209745287593541922015-05-11T06:20:00.003-07:002015-05-12T02:57:37.550-07:00Colin Dredd in Intensive Care but recovering <div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Just to let you know that Colin Dredd, original bass player with the Newtown Neurotics is in Intensive Care at the moment. Without invading his privacy I can tell you that he has been very ill recently and the condition led finally to major surgery. In these last 48 hours we have been worried that he might not recover. However the good news is that he appears to be pulling through and is on the road to recovery.</div>
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From people I know who have been in the <span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">unenviable</span> position of ha<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ving to be treated in the ICU, cards and letters of encouragement play a very important role in helping the patient to recover. It is not surprising, as it is the power of love (to coin an old rock ballad) and knowing that people care, that makes all the difference.</span></div>
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Now Colin is 'Old Skool', he has no internet connection, no computer, no smartphone and therefore no Facebook or email, so lovely messages left on these platforms are not going to do the trick for him. He needs something he can hold in his hand and read easily.</div>
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So I was wondering that if you have enjoyed what Colin brought to the Neurotics over the years and you could spare a moment, could you send him an old fashion card with one of those old stamp things, or drop him a line with some words of encouragement to the address below, I will then take them to him in his hospital bed. Because he is not online, he barely knows the pleasure he has brought people with his music as there is no easy channel for that appreciation to reach him. But of all the years he has been alive, this is the time he needs to hear it.</div>
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If you could do this, I would be so pleased.</div>
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Colin Dredd,<br />
c/o No Wonder<br />
154 Bishopsfield<br />
Harlow,<br />
Essex CM18 6UR</div>
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I will of-course keep you updated on his recovery here.</div>
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The great photo attached is courtesy of ©Tony Mottram</div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-41795844019647940352015-05-06T02:18:00.003-07:002015-05-06T02:19:51.206-07:00Election agony<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It makes me feel uneasy, and I can't for the life of me work out who would find it enjoyable, but the way TV presenters and programme executives frame their Election coverage, is that we are in for an exciting time watching a new and unpredictable political landscape unfold over the duration of an evening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only people who could possibly find this exciting are the TV people themselves, anyone who doesn't live here or is so wealthy and disconnected from harsh reality that they can luxuriate in some fascinated chin stroking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am in my 60th year now and therefore have experienced enough Elections to get a clear overview of this phenomenon. I have found every election coverage programme like a slow torture as the first part of the evening is unmitigated bullshit because no-one knows what is happening and as more seats are declared a thick cloud of despair and depression descend upon me as I realise that our lives are about to get even worse. It really is the most demoralising programme on TV, so much so it makes Big Brother seem hugely enjoyable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Even when the results herald in the party I have voted for, it doesn't bring the joy and satisfaction I'd expect to feel, like I was seeing democracy bringing in a bright new future. This is because Murdoch's influence in the political process had hollowed out the manifesto from anything that might possibly be left wing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even when Labour won with the landslide that brought Tony Blair to power for the first time, I felt similar to having ate a wonderful but very greasy meal and immediately regretted it. Queasy doesn't adequately describe it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are on the verge of calamitous change and I don't know what to do tomorrow, I will feel like I'm by the side of the road watching a car crash in slow motion. I will feel my eyes are pinned open like Alex in 'A Clockwork Orange',unable to look away. I will feel a dissatisfaction that builds so slowly, with the ticking clock, with each passing minute, a dissatisfaction creating an anger that cannot be expressed externally and so I can only internalise it. Not nice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know the reason people now hate politicians? Instead of seeing them as being there to help us, they now seem like they are there to hurt us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But despite that, I will vote Labour tomorrow. That is definate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite my politics never being fully satisfied by the choices I get laid before me, I will fight the Tories until my dying day.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10px;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Although it is akin to the Myth of Sisyphus in which a man is condemned to roll a heavy rock to the top of a mountain, only to see it roll down the other side and then have to repeat the process for eternity, I don't want to be under that rock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having said all that, I still don't know what to do with myself tomorrow evening. I can't bear to watch that programme, however on this occasion ignorance is not bliss.<br /><br />I think maybe, in my darkest hours I will watch the clip below and prepare to</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> "Roll away the stone, why be cold and so alone".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's kick out the Tories, vote Labour Thursday May 7th and we'll take it from there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/may/05/no-normal-election-dont-let-your-voice-be-taken-away-owen-jones</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10px;"><br /></span>Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-16096978310854109492015-04-14T02:23:00.000-07:002015-04-14T02:23:11.458-07:00I've had some great news!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have just had some great news.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been contacted by Billy Bragg asking if I would like to play some songs with him at the Left Field stage at Glastonbury at this years festival. This is brilliant, I will get to play Glastonbury for the first time in my life, Glastonbury has been a thread throughout my life as I attended the second ever one in 1971 during which I witnessed David Bowie play. I have then attended it sporadically over the years but haven't been there for 15 odd years now. To think that when I turned up in 1971, part of a crowd of 12,000, that all these years later I would play there myself. Amazing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 1971 event was only the second Glastonbury festival and the first one to have a pyramid stage.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember being waking up after late night of overindulgence around late morning or early afternoon and dragging myself over to the remains of the fire in front of my tent. I then tried to revive it with a branch or two just as the performer on the stage sang...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> " Put another log on the fire for me, I've made some breakfast and coffee, Look out my window and what do I see</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me, All the nightmares came today</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it looks as though they're here to stay"</span><span style="color: #474747; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Oh You Pretty Things lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, TINTORETTO MUSIC</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of his strange delivery (as it seemed at the time), I remarked to the other hippies around the fire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He sounds like I feel"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The stage was a stone's throw from our tents and it was David Bowie, I was woken up from sleep by David Bowie playing outside my tent!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once my head had cleared of sleep, I was able to enjoy his set and this has remained a very strong memory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other bands on at the festival were Hawkwind, Traffic, Melanie, Joan Baez, Fairport Convention and Quintessence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing at Glastonbury this year will make me feel I have come full circle in my life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-57042555988001412062015-04-11T08:53:00.002-07:002015-04-13T02:16:38.712-07:00Liars, liars, liars!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I, last night, played with the Newtown Neurotics at the Pipeline venue in London at a pre-election show to encourage people to Kick Out The Tories!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always face a conundrum at these gigs, as I want the set to not only be a high energy display of punk rock but give people something to think about too. However, I am so intoxicated in the moment, that I have a real problem articulating my political beliefs in-between numbers. Even without having a drink, my thoughts are dashing across my synapses far too fast to take a single idea and run with it. I try to express my ideals though my lyrics, but at times like these, I feel I should say more. When, in the past, I have attempted that and later gone on to view them on YouTube, I am embarrassed that I was not able to more skillfully articulate what I was trying to say.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I decided to keep it simple last night and just said, "we have got to kick out the Tories because we cannot contemplate another term with them in power". And that was it,basically, but underneath I was seething with a frustration that even my music could not burn away, I had a head full of indignation that, if allowed to be expressed, would come out so fast that it would just be an expression of anger and not reason. That is why I could never be a politician. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, in the early hours of the morning, I saw George Osborne's 'absolute commitment' to plug the NHS funding gap and I could take it no longer, I just had to get my thoughts out there, and below, if you would care to read it, is what I needed to say, if for no other reason than to give me room in my thoughts for something nicer (we live in hope).<br /><br />Thank you for your patience in reading this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of us see politics as the mechanism for bringing about real change to improve peoples lives, others see it as the smoke and mirrors of liars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I despair to see crass examples of the latter, politics should be so much better than this. The Tories are now claiming they are going to plug the NHS funding gap by pumping into it £8bn above inflation, year on year until 2020.<br /><br />I despair that some people will actually believe this is good news, as for many of us, this announcement brings a cascade of questions which prevents us from believing that the health service is safe in their hands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There they are...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. If the NHS is so important to you, how come we now have a £30bn funding gap between now and the end of the decade. At best this shows indescribable incompetence, at worse a deliberate attempt to starve the NHS of funding so that it no longer works and then, you can claim, that only the private sector can save it. This is a common template of the Tories, they have used this bullshit time and time again to justify privatisation. The railways for one comes quickly to mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Did you not undertake an enormous and un-needed reorganisation of the NHS, one that was not mentioned in your manifesto and therefore, you did not have a mandate from the people to play around, with a national institution that plays such an important part of everyones life? This is a matter of life and death for people and Cameron and his team, who had no record of competency in government, who did not even win a majority, (so doubtful were the electorate that they could run the country at all), who had no idea how to operate the levers of power or how to work with civil servants to best bring about change, decided that they would dismantle the NHS and move it over root and branch to the private sector. What they did next was both completely incompetent and, willful vandalism at the same time, and behind it all was the slavering mouths of private health corporations, at the thought of the easy acquisition of such large amounts of cold hard cash. The cocaine of the ruling elite and their friends in big business. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And what a mess they made, deliberately I think, and now with Labour gaining in the opinion polls, the sorry state of the NHS is suddenly discovered, as though they hadn't noticed there was a problem this big, during the full lifetime of a parliament. Either, as I said before, they were incomprehensibly incompetent or they deliberately reduced the service to this. Either way they do not deserve to remain in power.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Now, out of the blue, you have found money for this? When last week you never mentioned it? Huge amounts of money, £8bn a year until 2020. Where is this money coming from? Only a few weeks ago the Welfare State which surely includes the NHS, was to be cut back to the levels of funding unknown since the 1940's because, these are the times of austerity and we can no longer afford to be human, to feel empathy, to really care. We can no longer afford to look after the health and wellbeing of the nation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Whatever you say now, with this 'late in the day conversion', with money seemingly plucked out of the air, that has nothing to do of-course with the gaining popularity of Ed Milliband and his promises for the NHS (that still don't go far enough for my liking, but that's another thing). How do we know that once in power you will do this?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />No-one is going to believe you</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but you know what,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I do...<br /><br />5. Your tribe, the Tories have often said that throwing money at something does not necessarily improve it, the subtext of which, is saying that it is important how the money is spent, this is the touchstone of good governance. So how will this £8bn above inflation increase, year on year until 2020 be spent.<br />If you get into power in this election, you will completely privatised the NHS and then shovel this windfall of £8bn per year of taxpayers money, into the pockets of the shareholders of multinational companies, who will then release some of our money back to the health service, which will then be festooned with shiny logos, crass mission statements and glass fronted triage centres. A fragmented misfiring, backfiring service with lawyers benefiting from money that should have been spent on peoples health but will, instead, be wasted on finding out why one service didn't communicate with another which led to a string of deaths or abuse. Or why one company wasn't allowed to bid for potential a pot of gold even though the service was already working successful in the NHS and giving value for money.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Then, when privatisation fails to improve the NHS, on top of the money that taxpayers routinely pay for this service, we will then be asked increasingly, to pay again for services that were once free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, a renewed Trident fleet will patrol silently deep in the oceans, protecting us from an imagined threat, while the austerity bomb explodes across the land destroying the life and soul of a nation,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, so proud of Britain, so proud of being British that the Tories would willingly shit on it in a display that leaves us with nothing left to be proud of as a people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The NHS, the greatest of all humanising ideas, the greatest we, as human beings can be, we reached for the impossible and we made it real, the British State did this and we become a beacon for the world.<br />Since then successive governments have lost the will to recognise this achievement, which was born of aspirations to improve a brutalised country after the Second World War. It was the greatest thing, the greatest idea, because it showed that money does not just buy bombs, it also buys peace and health and a stronger country. It was an ideal free of profit unless it was a profit that could be enjoyed by all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But now these despicable Tories and Rupert Murdoch are barbarians wishing to destroy everything so they can remake it in their own fashion, the brave new world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember, Britons never never never shall be slaves,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except we are, now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Break off your shackles everyone, there is a future to be won.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Update, </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My incredulity was matched by Andrew Marr when he interviewed George Osborne who repeatedly refused to say where the Conservatives will find the extra £8 billion they have promised to plough into the NHS if they are returned to power. Check it out here<br /></span></span><br />
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787857615051577767.post-86373239060203458652015-04-08T14:27:00.000-07:002015-04-08T14:35:09.257-07:00The Newtown Neurotics live at the Pipeline London this Friday 10th April<div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next up is a pre-election blast this Friday 10th April, a Kick Out The Tories evening to encourage everyone to stand against a party that is turning the population into slaves for the rich elite. It's at the Pipeline in London, the venue is near Liverpool Street follow this link for more details </span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1415566418745675/" style="color: #bb5421; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">https://www.facebook.com/events/1415566418745675/</a><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Really, looking forward to it, I hate the Tories so much that playing live helps to expunge all the bile they create in me after listening to so much of their propaganda. Great to play live anyway and to meet up with my extended family of Neurotics appreciators. Brand new line of Kick Out The Tories t-shirts and badges will be on sale on the night and I hope we can all fortify ourselves for the battle ahead.<br /><br />Hope to see you there if you are close enough to the gig to make it. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Oh, one last thing, there has been a Drewett solo acoustic gig cancellation since I published my gig list on this blog in the last post.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">The set with Attila the Stockbroker at the Harlow Square for his book launch on Tues 8th Sept, has been cancelled as the venue will be closed by then to enable a housing project to be built on the site. Hopefully the venue will have a new home by then but it is not signed sealed and delivered yet and so we don't know if there will be a venue ready at that time for the gig. Hopefully it will be rescheduled and if it is, I'll let you know. Watch this space!</span></div>
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Steve Drewetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851258885458531930noreply@blogger.com0