Well, here it is folks just four more sleeps until the big red fellow drops down ya chimney with a shed load of presents for you all. So, are you ready? If you’re anything like me, Christmas has snuck up behind you and whacked you in the head with a giant snowball of ‘I need to do this….oh and this and shit! I need to go shopping!’. With so many friends and family with birthdays in December too, it’s a very expensive month. I’ll be heading off to Tesco about 3am to avoid the crowds of panic shoppers, there is a bright side to being nocturnal after all!
Reflecting back on 2016 we have had a truly awesome year. This fine city is spilling over with talented musicians and bands, just walking through the city proves this time and time again. Our city’s buskers are some of the finest I have heard. It’s not until you spend time in other cities that you feel privileged to be part of such a vibrant music scene. It’s one that welcomes everyone with open arms, no restrictions, all genres are catered for and the support network in itself becomes an extended family. That’s what music it all about, bringing people together. It’s heartwarming to see it thriving in our glorious Norwich. How lucky are we???
We have seen this year, in excess of 1300 acts over our two stages. An eclectic mix of genre and ages. It’s a huge amount of talent and yet, it’s only the tip of Norwich’s musical iceberg. With such great venues out there now the whole scene is buzzing and we are proud to be a part of something so magical. Please keep going to gigs guys – don’t sit at home watching a streamed gig online that looks awesome – it will never be as awesome as it is if you’re in that venue immersed in the sound and the feeling. Without you guys in venues, there is no scene. It is really that simple. Keep it real, and keep it live. Saying that, we are so very lucky to see so many awesome bands week after week and to have such lovely customers who come out sometimes on bloody awful rainy nights to dance, sing and party to these bands. Thank you all for your support throughout the year, as always, it’s the bands and you guys that make The Brickies what it is.
Ok, so what’s in store for next year we hear you ask. Well obviously more of the same, we are booked up for the whole year already with all your favourite local bands. However we have a few new bands stepping up to weekend slots and a couple of brand new tributes for you. I will also be doing a second quiz night by request from you quizsters out there. It will be totally different from our Sunday music quiz as for a start, It’s a general knowledge quiz! There are some interesting prizes in store for the winning team with the chance to gamble for more – sounds good???. The first one will be in February so keep an eye out on social media for more information. We got plenty in store for 2017 and look forward to sharing it all with you.
It’s Wednesday night and we’ve just seen some fantastic musicians on stage for our Acoustic Open Mic night. I enjoy most nights here at The Brickies but Wednesdays are always full of anticipation as you never know what or who you’re going to hear. Tonight we had a talented pianist in playing the baby grand which was a treat. She was tuned last week too by the lovely Glen Butcher (Thanks Glen – great job!), if any of you need a good piano tuner I can certainly recommend him, he cares for both my pianos here and at home. It was nice to hear it played so well. Now the juke box is blasting out a really early Def Leppard tune as Josh and I prepare for a late night Line Cleaning session ready for the Christmas weekend. Then once that is done I’ll be off to Tesco so if any of you lot are having trouble sleeping feel free to come and push my trolly round the supermarket! lol.
Just to recap the Christmas schedule in case you didn’t know…. Christmas Eve we are going to be dancing with ‘Nightlife’ who will be presenting their new singer and guitarist. We expect plenty of Christmas cheer and lots of jingling bells. On Christmas Day, Mum, Emma and I will be here from 12pm for those of you that fancy a festive pint or two while the turkey is doing it’s thing in the oven. We’re open til 3pm when we head home for some much needed family time. We reopen on Boxing Day from 7pm and plan a night of crazy Pot-Luck Karaoke. By now you should all know what that means – You put your name down and by random choice we pick the song. It’s fun, especially after a few beers! We are then open as normal from then on. New Years Eve – the big bash with Pure Passion & Enigma. If you haven’t got a ticket yet you had better get a move on as there is NO DOOR ADMISSION on the night. Tickets are £7.50 each and now are only available from the pub. If you need to book a taxi to get home that night, make sure you do it in advance. Music finishes at 1am and we kick out at 2am so book it somewhere in-between then. From experience, trying to get a cab last minute on NYE is a nightmare. New Years Day is on Sunday and we are open as normal from 12pm for our usual Lee Vasey Band session. The festive season is pretty jam packed, we hope to see you all at some point to raise a glass!
Right, I’m going to shut up waffling now and go and do some ‘real’ work. We wish you all the most Happy Christmas and a lovely shiny Happy New Year.
Much love
Charley xx (Em & Pam)xx
THE BRICKIES - BLOG N' ROLL 