December 12th - Day 238

The Dulwich Ukulele Club Xmas Balls-up, doubling as a fundraiser for the local Athenlay Youth Football Club (Dulwich Uke's ten-ish members have eight sons between them playing for the club), featured six acts other than the eponymous musicians. Live music filled the upstairs and downstairs of the Mag pub in East Dulwich. We stayed downstairs and got there in time to hear the end of The Puff Daddies' musical turn (featuring another Athenlay dad - all these guys are bona-fide musicians, they're not just parents having a go for the night!). Sadly, we couldn't see them, because the place was heaving.

I'd already seen The Dulwich Ukulele Club on my quest (Day...erm...some time in June) and since The Puff Daddies played only a fleeting part of our evening, it was the act sandwiched between the two who counted as today's unique musical experience. Unfortunately I didn't find out their name...and still haven't done so...will do soon. I can tell you that the lead singer had a big hat and very spangley shoes, though not quite spangley enough to shine through my murky camera-phone photo.

Below are the words to The Dulwich Ukulele Club's song for England for next year's football World Cup, There May Be Glory. This is the song that will be officially sanctioned by the FA (the DUC hope), thus necessitating the presence of all Dulwich Uke members at every England game in South Africa. The tune for the verses is self-explainatory. The chorus to There May Be Glory sounded familiar, but it may just have been a generic football type chanty-anthem thing. All very catchy. There was even a Scotsman mouthing the words (though thinking about it they may not have been the same words that everyone else was singing). Altogther now..."Weeee waaaant aaaanuuuther, Star on the shirt, Star on the shirt! Weeee waaaant aaaanuuuther, Star on the shirt sewn on!!!"

One more thing about the Dulwich Ukulele people (okay they're not today's "featured artist", but I didn't write much about them last time). It made fabulous viewing, watching the ten of them lined up alongside each other giving it their all, each flaunting a slightly differering manner of unbridled enthusiasm. Also, they feature among the number the best uke-solo player I've seen since...well...ever.

2 comments:

Yang-May Ooi said...

We were upstairs at The Mag that evening, mesmerised by the acoustic folk and rock guitars so missed much of the ukelele band downstairs so I enjoyed reading your write up of them. In case you're interested, my write up of the upstairs event is at http://www.fusionview.co.uk/2009/12/nashville-south-london/

skitter muster said...

Thanks Yang-May, I am interested! I'll have a look.