The second set included a great track and was superbly played, from their 1969 album Willy and the Poor Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son”, excellent stuff, insofar as I am concerned they could play this all night long! Hopefully we’ll see this band back again later in the year.

First Set

1. Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
2. Cigarettes & Alcohol - Oasis
3. Time Of Your Life - Greenday
4. She’s So Lovely - Scouting For Girls
5. 20th Century Boy - T. Rex
6. What A Life - Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
7. You Really Got Me - The Kinks
8. Gravity - Embrace
9. Laid - James
10. Rocking In The Free World - Neil Young

Second Set

1. Molly’s Chambers - Kings Of Leon
2. Rock N Roll - Led Zeppelin
3. Higher & Higher - Jackie Wilson
4. Sweet Child O’ Mine - Guns N’ Roses
5. Valerie - Amy Winehouse
6. Rocks Off - The Rolling Stones
7. Mr Brightside - The Killers
8. Highway To Hell - AC/DC
9. Times Like These - Foo Fighters
10. Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
11. Nutbush City Limits - Tina Turner
12. Sex On Fire - Kings Of Leon
13. Dakota - Stereophonics

First Set

1. Jumpin’ Jack Flash - Rolling Stones

2. Tush - ZZ Top

3. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream

5. Let’s Work (Stick) Together - Wilbert Harrison & Canned Heat

6. Wishing Well - Free

7. Down To The Doctors - Dr. Feelgood

8. Black Magic Woman - Santana

9. Come Together - Beatles

10. Moby Dick - Led Zeppelin

11. Bring It On Home - Witten by Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson & Led Zeppelin

12. Stone Fox Chase - Area Code 615 (Old Grey Whistle Test Theme)

Second Set

1. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones

2. Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh

3. Just Got Paid - ZZ Top

4. The Hunter - Free

5. Superstition - Stevie Wonder

6. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

7. Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters

8. Walkin’ By Myself - Jimmy Rogers

9. Honky Tonk Women - Rolling Stones

10. Highway To Hell - AC/DC

11. Alright Now - Free

12. Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac

13. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

14. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf

15. Roadhouse Blues - The Doors

17. Wild Thing - Troggs

18. A real tease with the opening riff from Voodoo Chile - Jimi Hendrix

You’ve got to admit that’s one heck of a play list, add The Stones’ “Midnight Rambler” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” and you have a couple of superb driving cds. Many thanks to Hooch with great vocals, drums, guitars and harmonica, for all of you who missed them they should be back on Friday 16th March.

I’d be interested in reading others’ views who were not up close and personal, thanks.

ADDENDUM SUNDAY NIGHT

I’m told the vocals and guitars were fine however the drums were non-existent even up to the first column/post/near the back door!

Any more views other than let BB at ‘em?

Most people are aware of the wide range of songs Klout perform except for one,  this time they introduced a new tune towards the end of the second set and I haven’t a clue what it was therefore if anyone knows, obviously the band do but I forgot to ask, then let us know.

Last time they performed I was very critical of their sound quality which was fine in the mosh however from halfway down the bar both vocals and guitars were lost although the drums were fine. Once again the drums were fine, the guitars were mostly audible however still not enough and especially on some of the fine riffs they play they were just not loud enough. They must have turned-up their volume towards the end since the guitars on the last few numbers were much, much better.

Congratulations to Kev for getting through the night even though his voice was very strained on some numbers however he has been suffering from one of the blessed sore throats for a couple of months which doesn’t help whatsoever…here’s a tip Kev, give up the ciggies:-)

Update 17th January 2012

The next scheduled date for Klout was Saturday July 7th during The Louth Music Festival however they’ve can’t do that therefore don’t be at all surprised if they appear again before then.

Quite simply, and most probably, the best harmonies and medleys we’ve ever had. Just For Kicks are not a one genre covers’ band, they’re not a rock, pop or tribute band, certainly they do covers in their original style however they are, simply, so much more. A trio comprising of a drummer, two guitarists and a keyboard, yep, the bass player also does the keyboard, for extremely well-crafted and executed songs with the main vocals being equally shared between the drummer and lead and who have obviously practiced, and practiced and practiced, seamless, well-rehearsed and melded lyrics. An absolute joy to watch and listen to.

I would say at least 50%, maybe 60 or even 70% of their covers have never been attempted at The Kings, you would probably know them all, they’ve not been done because they are such awesome and classic tracks to tackle and featured three and four track medleys from bands such as ELO, Queen, Beach Boys, Take That, Amy Winehouse, Robbie Williams, Sam Cooke, The Glitter Band, Sweet, Hollies, Bryan Adams and Wings.

Needless to say the regulars to a person were enthused by Just For Kicks and can’t wait for them to return with even more of their repertoire. I have the feeling that they’ll not have that long to wait.

The Kings as a business needs to make money to survive and Richard and Sharon have tried their best to promote The Kings for the last five years by being the ONLY regular live music venue in the area. One would have to go to Grimsby/Cleethorpes, Horncastle or Lincoln to find other such places. In 2011 there were 90 live music gigs at The Kings, everyone of them free to all customers.

This live music is provided free of charge therefore The Kings HAS to make enough money over the bar to be able to afford them and for we customers to have a good night. Believe me when I write that several times the band costs have not been covered either through the band not being popular or it clashing with some other event(s) such as a Town Hall special gig or function.

Secondly the sound engineering provided by Balding Bloke is provided free of charge, it is all his own equipment, he is the one who dedicates himself to doing this, he alone stands the costs of repairs and spares. Very rarely does a band offer to assist him carting his excellent kit in or out and whilst most bands thank him for his expertise I believe only a couple of bands have ever offered him any money or beer in kind. Why does he do this?

We all know that BB’s life is music however he does it for The Kings because he has many years of vested interest there from when he was the tenant, he wants it to be a success not just for Sharon but also for the customers and the town plus by becoming recognised as a quality music venue we can encourage more well-known bands to visit the town. And therein lies a financial conundrum for everyone, are customers prepared to PAY say £10.00 a ticket to see such bands? People seem to be prepared to travel to Lincoln or Sheffield on coaches at £20-50 ticket yet unwilling to support local venues promote named bands…I know what I’m writing about since I personally lost £600 on one band alone a couple of years ago.

Insofar as the website is concerned I have been a webmaster since 1994 (yikes 18th year coming up) and I also provide my services for free since I am similarly like-minded to BB, Sharon and Richard and trying to get people to interact positively is a constant uphill task since so few give any feedback until such time they feel I have been too harsh or critical. That is the last thing I ever want to write about any band however when something is not right, it is not right. Many less-experienced bands make the fatal mistake at The Kings of not having their top speakers high enough for the sound to travel down the bar, sure it may sound good in the mosh pit but more than halfway down the bar quite often their vocals are totally lost in a melee of bodies and if the guitarists start competing with one another turning up their backline, then quite often the situation can go into meltdown.

When I keep posting does anyone else want to write the blog I am serious, I have very little spare time, but when writing a blog to be taken seriously one must be honest about a band’s performance. Just because band members are your friends it does them no good whatsoever to be told they were good when they were not or that you could not actually hear them properly. It should be helpful for bands to know this since when practising they rarely have a crowd around them plus acoustics vary in every venue. What may sound brilliant in practice can sound awful live on stage, unfortunately that’s life and the sort of thing why BB puts his neck on the line!

SO, SINCE I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE’S ATTENTION FOR ONCE:

Q. Why is the image gallery never updated?

A. Because no one ever gives me any to post…simples. For security reasons I am averse to let anyone upload images to my programmes and server. If anyone uses a social imaging site and wants to do this for The Kings, please let Sharon know: sharonatthekings [ at ] hotmail.co.uk

Q. Do you want a forum board where you can discuss all these things and post images etc?

A. Not a problem.

Q. Why is The Kings Facebook page not linked?

A. I believe because it is locked down to signed-in members only. I don’t use Facebook so have no idea other than I can’t see it.

Q. Why did I remove Twitter?

A. No one was using it other than porn spam!

Q. Can we be notified by SMS text or email of what’s happening?

A. Again not a problem, let Sharon know and it can be done: sharonatthekings [ at ] hotmail.co.uk

Q. Are there any other features you would like to see?

A. Let Sharon know however The Kings site is not a social networking site, it is primarily a business site therefore if you fancy something broader and more encompassing it would not be a problem to create something with a direct link to The Kings. For instance I own Louth.eu which currently points to The Kings site and would be an ideal domain to use.

And finally, thank you for taking the time to reading this post and I look forward to your positive contributions.

The Editor

PS The one thing me and BB always forget - Many thanks to the brilliant bar staff who tolerate us every week!

Guy Fawkes Night saw the return of The Backstreet Blues Band  who always give a fabulous performance but even more so this time during the second set with some of the best guitarmanship at The Kings in a long, long time. Saturday 12th November and The What…just What can I write about them that’s not been written before? Yet another great night from them and enjoyed by all their supporters.

Children In Need Night with Balding Bloke was a fun night again and as of today, 6th January 2012, so far £26,332,334 has been raised and that includes a few hundred from The Kings’ regulars, thank you. Stolen Fridays appeared on Saturday 19th November. I didn’t make the gig however I am reliably informed by ALL the bar staff that they were up on the counter dancing the night away.

26th November and one of Lincolnshire’s gems, The Zimmer Band. If you’ve never seen them before then they are a “must see” band, they are simply superb and in 2012 The Kings has them appearing TWICE! The Xmas month of December arrived on Friday 2nd featuring local classic blues maestros Stunz and Harpman who seem to be appearing at venues all over the place, although it’s hardly surprising such is the quality of their musicianship, yet another superb night.

On the Saturday night we had the loadsa energy band, The Influential Factor, with all kinds of thoroughly entertaining music, enough genres for everyone! The following Sunday afternoon was the Xmas shopping and market in town and for a very busy bar The What performed three very varied sets over nearly four hours. I have a feeling we can expect more Sundays like this in 2012…yay:-)

Circa made a return visit on December 10th, their first in more than a couple of years and I’d forgotten just how good they are, please don’t forget where we are again:-) A week to go before Xmas and Witt-Less made a return but this time for their first-ever gig on a Friday night. Unfortunately they had some sound engineering issues in the first set with some of their kit conflicting with BB’s however by the time I got there it had mostly been resolved which just goes to show that when using a sound engineer don’t go around plugging stuff in willy nilly.

I missed The Soul Solution on Saturday 17th and by all reports their non-regular sound engineer struggled all night to “push” the vocals more than halfway down the bar which is a great pity since they normally give an all-round good performance. Xmas Eve Eve with Dave and Co from Rough Trade complete with new drummer up on a podium! Of course we had all their usual stuff and some new…Blues Brothers…however, being honest, the unexpected surprise of the night was the new drummer. Obviously a pro and obviously thoroughly enjoying himself with hardly any effort.

Xmas Eve and who else but The What and an absolutely heaving bar. As always a solid performance from them plus one or two not-so-surprising guests these days especially John’s rendition of The Manics “Design For Life”. Strangely the bar closed extremely early for a Saturday night whilst it was still very busy and the band willing to go on for another hour or more…ah well, at least I didn’t have a hangover on Xmas Day.

And finally to New Year’s Eve and a new band to The Kings, Funk’Defino. Say it quickly and I think you’ll probably get the gist that this was a very newly-formed band with vocals and instrumentals all over the place leaving Balding Bloke with the almost impossible task of rescuing the night…and he successfully did so once they completed their last set!

The idiom “Practice makes perfect” comes to mind here.

So what did I make of 2011’s performances?

Constantly reliable plus ready to step in for an emergency - The What

My favourite performance of the year - The Steve Fulsham Band

Surprise bands of the year - Mr Stiff and The League of Mentlemen

Disappointed they’ve split-up band - Joker

Most improved band - Trip to the Roses

Constant favourites - Starvin’ Sid, Stunz and Harpman, The Legendary Night Owls

Bring on 2012, some fresh bands already booked and ready for the slaughter:-)

Friday kicked off with Dr. A’s Rhythm & Grooves…not a nightclub DJ that I know some thought they were but a classic British rock and blues band with excellent vocals, instruments and a surprisingly good self-engineered sound.  Altogether nice people with a great sense of humour and especially so with the Ronnie Barker “Open All Hours” Arkwright tribute.  For sure they will be back, a Sunday afternoon with these guys could be great fun.

Saturday night saw the annual return of the multi-talented Mister Pink for the Hallowe’en Ball with many regulars taking the opportunity to find and apply as much make-up as they possibly could. Two classic rock sets with not only covers but also some of their own songs, as always there was some Rolling Stones, a ZZ Top medley and probably one of the best versions of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”you’ll hear anywhere plus as an encore the fantastic, and I agree with Mister Pink, better than The Beatles version of “Helter Skelter”…oh, and for the second weekend running we ended up with “Gay Bar”…how weird is that? Another great night of fun and I expect Mister Pink will be back next Halloween?

Sunday afternoon was entitled “Fun & Folics With Witt-Less” with a kids party upstairs plus a pool tournament. I didn’t get there until after their first set and was greated by the sight of Trip To The Roses making a guest appearance. Even with a thumping, self-induced hangover, Ali managed to keep himself together and belt out some seriously good songs. I have to say that this trio sounds better and better every time I hear them, practice makes perfect eh:-)

Witt-Less performed a second set of all kinds of stuff seemingly jumping from one genre to another nevertheless it all sounded good and everyone present thoroughly enjoyed their performance. We also had revealed their new logo designed by Lee and since it looks a little small on the Kings website I’ve decided to include it below.

Witt-Less Band

Set one commenced with “Word Up” from Gun, “Slither” by Velvet Revolver, Audioslave’s “Show Me How To Live”, a superb “Enter Sandman” from Metallica, Green Day’s “Basket Case”, the not very commonly played “Prime Mover” from Zodiac Mindwarp, Terrorvision’s “Pretend Best Friend”, “I Wanna Go Where The People Go” from Wildhearts, “Ghost” from Slash, Audioslave’s “Cochise”, “All My Life” from Foo Fighters and ending the first set “Hysteria” from Muse.

How do you follow the first set? Try “Just A Woman” from Nickelback, then into Queens Of The Stoneage’s “”No One Knows”, “Remedy” from Seether, and then into a tremendous Rage Against The Machine “Wake Up/Killin’ In The Name” which had the busy bar cheering and applauding for quite some time. Next came “She Hates Me” from Puddle Of Mud, the band’s own “Burntout”, “Harder To Breathe” from Maroon 5, another Foo Fighters with “The Pretender”, an interesting “Whiskey In The Jar” from Thin Lizzy/Metallica, it worked…then time to swap over guitars for Jazz to do Status Quo’s “Caroline” and returning to normal we had “Darkness” from The Darkness and wrapping up the night was a medley of “Roadhouse, Paranoid, A Jiggy Bit, Whole Lotta Rosie, Roadhouse” and just for extra good measure a cracking “Gay Bar” from Electric Six.

There you have it, 25 superbly performed songs by a really nice bunch of guys who thoroughly enjoyed themselves. A special mention must go to Jazz who broke his arm a couple of weeks ago and played the entire two sets with it strapped up in pins! I bet that aches today. Diaries were out at the end of the night for their next appearance which will obviously be next year.

Apparently there was a set list however I understood they strayed from that very early on therefore I can’t give you a run down of what they actually played but I do remember their final number was a great Chuck Berry medley starting with “Roll Over Beethoven” into “Johnny B. Goode” and finishing with “Go Johnny”. Question…Why does no one ever do “Bye Bye Johnny”?

The band seemed to really enjoy themselves and certainly the Kings’ customers did since I don’t think I’ve seen so many people/couples all dancing all the way down the bar at the same time for ages. Compliments as always for their excellent sound which was engineered by Balding Bloke. I have no doubt Cappuccino will be back again, what do you reckon, Xmas time?