Cultural experiences

this last week has seen us taken in quite a range of gigs!
last Tuesday we headed to a quaint little venue in Frome called the cheese and grain, to see New Model Army, 25yrs since they were last in Frome gigging, and they sounded just as good as when they started! For once I didn't feel like I was the oldest person in the audience! Not only was their music great but their politic message as ever outstanding!
Saturday took us to Portland Sq - not a place I would normally suggest spending a Saturday night, but we went to see Circomedia's contribution to Bristol Old Vic's Mayfest programme. The artists spuspended themselves over the audience in the refurbished church. One company was a single artist working on the ropes, the other company was 2-4 artists working on a bar and ropes. AMAZING is the only way to describe what they do! It was like watching ballet in the air. Their sense of balance and lack of fear of dropping to the floor had the audience gasping. If you get a chance to visit this venue to see circus skills in action I would highly recommend it!
Bank Holiday Monday then took us to St George's Hall to see Martha Wainwright, singer song writer, daughter of Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, and sister to Rufus Wainwright. Having only recently been introduced to her music by Gayle I was not sure what to expect, but we had a very entertaining night, with beautiful music including guest star Kate McGarrigle! and highly entertaining and witty chatter from Martha. She is extremely talented but is not at all pretentious and came across as extremely normal, she laughed her way through her guitar going hideously out of tune mid-song and the string then breaking and then having to ask an audience member to fix it for her as she continued the show. If you get a chance to see her - do! She is brilliant (next local gig is next weekend at the Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham! Unfortunately we can not go)
A weeks feast of the arts!