jimmy the dog - Live!

Playing Bunkfest, the UK and Europe's biggest free music and arts festival taking place in Wallingford, Oxfordshire is always a pleasure for us. To be part of the Bunkfest Fringe is fab and this year we were fortunate enough to be asked back for two dates over the three-day event. It's amazingly well-organised considering everything is done by volunteers and we congratulate them all on a job well done.

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While we weren't playing, we managed to see some really good acts on the various Bunkfest Fringe stages. All kinds of music and all ages of music fans, all bopping, singing and drinking. I found it funny to hear a bunch of fifty- and sixty-somethings singing along with a covers band; "I'm just a teenage dirtbag, Baby!!". Then I realised they were my vintage and I joined in, singing along to lyrics of the song my thirty-something kids used to love when they were young, sitting in the back seat of the car asking me to turn up the volume. Good music is timeless.

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Sometimes we think we're getting too old for this game, what with the aching knees, dodgy backs etc., but that disappears every time we step on stage. We played the smallest 'stage' ever when we played our raucous brand of dirty boogie blues to a crowded Clos á Vin wine bar on the Friday night - two solid hours of rocking our socks off to great applause. The floor space we had was so small that Neil ended up playing standing on a table and I went out the back door into the street, still plugged into my amp to play to the considerable crowd gathered outside. And we were loud! By midnight we were hauling all our gear on our way to the car which was parked about a half a mile away due to road closures in Wallingford. Where are roadies when you need them? We then readied ourselves to do the same on Sunday, albeit a shorter set, at The Keep which we were told was THE place for any fringe artist to play as it drew huge crowds. And it was true. When we played our afternoon set at The Keep, the pub had been emptied of seating and it was 'standing room only'. And not only was it full to the brim, there was just as many revelers outside on the road and in the side alley. And true revelers they were as they joined in the the choruses of our songs and enjoyed our humorous banter. Having an audience like that really makes you up your game and we sweated our way through a good solid non-stop hour-and-a-quarter before making way for the final artist of the day. This was one of the most exhilarating gigs we've done in recent years and we were thankful to the venue for providing us with free beer when we'd finished, most of which didn't even touch the sides! I woke up this morning stiff and sore, but very, very happy!

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Thank you to everyone who came to see us and support us at Bunkfest 2025. And to the Bunkfest organisers and volunteers who made it a spectacle to remember, despite the often inclement weather. We are very grateful and we hope to see you all again soon.

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