Sam Brothers + Frances Knight and Ginger Bennett

Sunday 14th July 2019
secret woodland location near Canterbury

I put this one together for Dave's 63rd birthday, a semi-surprise. He knew a gig was happening, but not what it was. Sam played a powerful bluesy/soulful set, followed by Frances and Ginger doing a soul-jazz thing ("Georgia On My Mind", "What's Going On?", "Move On Up", etc.). Their cover of Nick Drake's "River Man" was really special (Frances' playing/arrangement of the end sounded to my ears like what Robert Wyatt would do with that song). A funk-and-soul dance party followed, with me DJing on my new 12v rig (thanks James!). I played a six hour set, and when the dancing had stopped, everyone was sitting resting, I concluded with the Grateful Dead ("Mountains of the Moon", "Dark Star", "Death Don't Have No Mercy") for Saul, a very switched on 12-yr-old British Deadhead who turned up with his mum for the gig in a tie-dye shirt. No complaints from Dave, despite him usually needling me about anything Dead-related. This went on last, a late 16th c. Catalan lullaby, to send everyone off to bed. Sounded celestial!