21 October 2021

A reminder today that there will be no intimate Christmas concerts this year, but after half term we will have a new set of songs. 

We chose to warm up with Make You Feel My Love because it was very, very cold. And for seconds, with no feedback at all we went into If You could Read My Mind and Ed requested VOLUME and HAPPY FACES. Twice. 

We sang Happy Birthday to Carol then went back to Make You Feel My Love but this time with feedback and pointers. I’m afraid that I concentrated more and blogged yes, but you should also find good pointers on last weeks and the other blogs too. 

Wartime Medley came next. Topical perhaps, but we will leave that there. I thought this sounded brilliant DFS. I’ve not asked if I can bring Ben yet. 

Next the wonderful I Still Have Faith In You prefixed with a little warning in the shape of a tale from Dorchester. 

Just before running through our concert set we sang California Dreamin’ but we didn’t have our kazoos for the instrumental bit which was a dreadful shame. 

We stood. And Ed said it was good. 

1.45 for rehearsal 

7.30 in the room of the ocean. 

Be there and bring your cheekbones!

God Only Knows what we did with the last 8 minutes. Well. Ed talked for one. 

Well done DFS, keep singing and definitely keep smiling. Until we meet. Cat xxx

14 October 2021

Jack forgot his bag for life …

Details about our concert follow - 

1.45 dress rehearsal. Which is actually not about what you are wearing but where you will be standing and practicing getting on and off stage. Wear a coloured but not patterned top and black on the bottom 

In the evening we meet in the ocean room at 7.30pm. 

And we dived into Make You Feel Love and Ed said lovely, lovely. But harmonies need to be louder please. Ed demonstrated the syncopation requirements and didn’t do it wrong at all. We will never sing of it again. 

It’s still a little too bouncy, apply a little more smooth, but support with good diction. Don’t forget this is our first song on the night. So be ready to come in strongly, powerfully accurately and what ever else Ed said. 

We stood to perform. Perfect, said Ed. 

It was Wartime Medley time so the place was filled rats, cats and bats all getting packed into old kit bags … after a first run through it was sounding pretty good. We just worked on the harmony parts, higher and lower. 

After a pitch transpose we sang I Still Have Faith In You. We are doing so well with this and stood to perform with a backing track too. 

Then for a treat we had some Coke. We didn’t. We attempted First Time and I was a teenager again. Watch out for the nuns. It’s a nun charted sea. And a nun opened door? Maybe not. 

Bodyform advert next, said Ed. I smell an eighties Advert medley. Hope it comes with free merch. 

A little California Dreaming and God Only Knows to wind down our evening. Or wind up Ed maybe. We stood to perform the latter! 

Wow super smashing DFS. Don’t stop singing. See you next time xxx

7 October 2021

Beaking news - Jack is getting a hair cut tomorrow! 

Concert is still going ahead and getting closer. The backing tracks are ready and waiting in Dropbox 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j5xtil6hd6eeocq/AABJRU4ApiOsnKImZgsZeTvAa?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR36wSRpMwYkdY0v-QV50qeR9e6XqKUP_MPuCBsuxX9Fb3XdfmivxL8SonE

We started tonight with California Dreamin’ and I hope Dorch don’t read this. He said we were worded, but we decided to count that as a warm up. Off we went again, from the top. It was better. 

With a brand new backing track and Ed out from behind the keyboard we sang I Have Still Faith In You. After a run through we broke it down because it does have interesting gaps and beats. This song needs us all to be soloists, in effect. Make like divas DFS. We do have in it us, we do. Have Faith! 

Don’t forget that wonderful overlap, and come in gentley with the ‘I still have …” And we stood to perform, and Ed was happy with the way that’s progressing. 

Make You Feel My Love will be out opening song. The start of verse two either needs some work or the audience will think, oh what a dynamic overlap. So there’s that. Do sing it a lot smoother. 

The War Time Medley has a backing track too. And wow what a lovely thing it was. Apart from our key change. And our ‘so’ … 

We had a sing of First Time and I really wanted a fizzy drink for some reason. And just for fun God Only Knows which was nice. 

Well done DFS, I still have faith in you. Aaaaah doooooo. So! Keep singing xxx