The Chipping Acoustic Sessions

Songwriter and guitarist Marcus Whitehead plays at the Tillotson

FINE English beer in the pub. It's left many of us with bad heads and big guts but it's what we do. Our industrial northern legacy. And what better than to combine bitter with the sounds of guitar and vocals.

That's what the pub session is all about. Yes, dreams of superstardom, a darts board, the pub dog running around sniffing at your crisps and musicians you've known for years spinning out heart and soul in the comfort of a fireside snug with pictures of sheep on the walls. The whole palava. Everything you ever dreamed of in music, or contemplated over a two pint euphoria-equivalent of a Buddhist epiphany, with chords thrown in. And then home to bed when it's over!

The Chipping Acoustic Sessions, run by musicians Neil Hunt and Sue Dutton, has been a fine and friendly happening for years of our lives for a group of us under various different guises, names and venues. I personally have been pouring out song in their good company since the late 90s. Presently held at the Tillotson pub in a close knit Lancashire village on the outskirts of Preston/Longdridge, once a month.

 It may act as a semi-spiritual lifeline to some lost in the meaninglessness of every day work-sleep dirge. To others it's simply better to have a pint with friends over a guitar song than watch dire tv or play in bed with your iphone.

Hannah Spurgeon of The Remedy

Either way, you can't argue with the tradition of musicians gathering together to play mostly original self-penned tunes and express who we are as human beings.

This session took place in April 2013 with ourselves, Sweeney Astray, taking on the main role as a kind of headliner with a 45 minute set. 

Bob Buller (who plays cello on the recording of Red To Blue on reverbnation

 https://soundcloud.com/sweeneyastray-1/red-to-blue-mp3

arrived to join in the playing. Elliott Dryden of The Remedy guested on bass and Anna Ashworth played djembe.

We were greeted by a bunch of friends, the warm doggy, beer and a fire,as I've already said. Personally I'm glad to play at all once I've covered the bills and managed to exist in this post-industrial virtual neo liberals greed paradise. Teaching guitar being my first employment activity and songwriting merely a habit.

Red To Blue, Cafe Rendezvous, The Good Side of Time, Like There's No Tomorrow, Whitley Bay Blues, we played them all. And there was a home made video shot to prove it.


 Here's a video link to youtube of Whitley Bay Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzASIsyvEX4

Made by Neil and Sue who run the event and play music as a duo Esanen. http://www.esanen.co.uk/ 

The Remedy, David Jaggs of the Ragamuffins, Marcus Whitehead, Glyn Shipman, Joe Martin of the Mirrortones and Neil and Sue also performed that night.

http://theragamuffins.bandcamp.com/album/irony-curtain

http://www.myspace.com/glynshipman

http://www.themirrortones.co.uk/about-the-mirrortones/

Jaggs rocks acoustic. Star man.

Glynn bares his heart and soul on his sleeve.

Just to let you know, Sweeney Astray have been booked for the 10th Beer Festival at the New Continental at 1pm on June 1st. Plus we'll also be playing a double bill at Fanaki's ( a cool cafe on Friargate Preston) on Friday June 14th with the Susie Jones Band.

Joe Martin of the Mirrortones

"The Ragamuffins are a little bundle of joy of a band from Liverpool whose deft harmonies and catchy melodies have earned them widespread recognition and airplay far and wide & seen their music played at some of the most famous football stadia in the world."

Glyn Shipman plays at folk and acoustic venues in the North West and has made a number of festival appearances producing "finely crafted songs about love and regret, death and disillusionment, compulsory purchase and holidaying in Newquay with the Holy Trinity." He is currently recording a new album at Shamrock Studios in Balderstone near Blackburn.


"The Mirrortones are an acoustic duo from The Ribble Valley who formed their band last year following a chance performance together at a local gig. The song they performed was a cover version of Lucky (Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat) and when you hear them, you may well consider this encounter was a lucky one indeed."

For a review of the Remedy see the previous blog on Industrial Hedgerows.

There was more space at the bottom here to write something truly philosophical but I didn't think you'd want to hear it so I left it blank. See you at the next gig.