Graeme Clark: An Clachan Cafe June 2015

Graeme and I after the gig

Less than two weeks ago, my Mum and I went on another of our mad music treks to Glasgow to see Graeme Clark, bassist of Wet Wet Wet who happened to be playing an intimate gig in a tiny café named An Clachan situated in Kelvingrove Park. I first attended one of Graeme's solo concerts last year when he played a gig at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine. Had we not picked up one of those "What's On" guides in our local supermarket we'd probably never have even heard about it. Thankfully on that occasion we did and decided to go along-if you know me well you'll know that I never need an excuse for live music! Both Mum and I thoroughly enjoyed the gig and were extremely excited to hear that Graeme was holding another gig in Glasgow this year. Literally the very second that the show was announced and tickets went on sale; I quickly added them to the online shopping basket and confirmed the order just seconds later.

So on Wednesday 24th June, we arrived at the tiny café situated behind the gates of Kelvingrove Park just a short period of time before the doors were due to open. At this point a small crowd of people had already accumulated and there amongst them was Graeme Clark and his fellow bandmate/drummer of Wet Wet Wet, Tommy Cunningham chatting with those who had come along for the gig. Having spoken via twitter on a couple of occasions, Graeme recognised me and came over to chat before popping off to get a bite to eat whilst everyone else went inside to get a seat.

The café was so small, very cute and reminded Mum and I of a café we often visited during my regular visits to London as a small child. It's small, intimate setting was the perfect place for live music in my opinion! Initially, there was meant to be only 25 tickets available for the gig but due to such high demand they managed to increase the numbers to something like 42 (I'm pretty sure that's what I heard anyway!) which considering the size of the room, was pretty remarkable.

At around 7pm, Graeme's support act took to the stage to perform for us all. Fiona Cuthill and Stevie Lawrence are a Scottish contemporary guitar and fiddle duo who successfully warmed us all up by playing a range of music from their album "A Cruel Kindness". Throughout their entire set, the sound of people clapping along to the beat of the music filled the room around us. It's infectious in a way, without warning you find yourself joining in and clapping along-there's nothing wrong with that though! I'm sure those who were in attendance would all agree that their set was most definitely a great start to what was most definitely a great evening!

After a short interval Graeme arrived through the backdoor, with his guitar in hand to a warm applause from the Glasgow crowd. Over the course of the evening we were treated to a set list which was filled to the brim with music from Graeme's career as a solo artist and as a member of Wet Wet Wet. I'm pretty sure there'd have been a few disappointed members of the audience had the Wet Wet Wet hits not been included! In between songs we were entertained with Graeme's humorous stories of his time in the Wets and the back stories of how they came to write some of their biggest hits, which is always interesting to hear as you really learn a lot.

As I mentioned a little earlier in the post Tommy, drummer of Wet Wet Wet was also in attendance and filmed the entire show on Graeme's behalf with the intentions of uploading the footage to Graeme's YouTube account. At one point towards the end of the concert, Tommy decided to film from a different angle which happened to be just a short distance in front of me. Being the camera fanatic that I am; I couldn't help but find myself engrossed in the recording of the gig-it was rather fascinating to watch I must admit! Tommy's evidently got an eye for filming and from what I could see captured each moment in an unique and creative perspective. So be sure to pop over to YouTube and check out the concert footage once it's uploaded but in the meantime why not check out Graeme's other videos via the link at the end of this post!

Like I said, Graeme played a bunch of songs from his solo catalogue which I've been a big fan of ever since I first heard it performed live at his concert in Irvine last year. Graeme is a very talented singer, songwriter and musician and I really admire the work he's produced over the years. Not only does his music sound great recorded on an album, it also translates perfectly when performed live in front of an audience.

As well as performing a selection of his older songs, Graeme treated us, the audience to a new acoustic track named "Sometimes". Just a couple of weeks prior to the gig, I'd seen a clip of "Sometimes" that he'd posted up on his Facebook account. I instantly fell in love with this song and was absolutely delighted that Graeme had decided to play it live at his concert. Just like his other songs it sounded great and I for one can't wait until it's released as part of an album or on iTunes so I can purchase a copy and listen to it on the move.

Just as I had the previous time I saw Graeme in concert, I left the gig absolutely raving about his cover of "Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers. Of course I love the original, but Graeme's cover absolutely blew me away on the two occasions I've heard him sing it live. "Summer Breeze" is a magical song anyway but Graeme's take on it is something extremely special! It's absolutely breath-taking to listen to! To be completely honest I actually prefer Graeme's version to the original recording and would've been extremely disappointed had he not included it in the evening's set list. That was the one song that I really wanted to hear him sing so as you can imagine I left the venue one happy girl after hearing it again! I really hope that one day Graeme might even record his version of this amazing song to include in one of his future albums-it's far too good not to in my opinion!

As the concert came to an end, Fiona and Stevie who opened for Graeme were invited back up in front of the audience to perform Wet Wet Wets' biggest hit "Love Is All Around" much to everyone's delight! There was such a nice buzz within the room as everyone joined in singing the lyrics we all know and love. It's so nice to look around and see so many people enjoying themselves and of course enjoying the music. That's the power of music for you; it brings people together, uplifts them and puts a big smile on their faces! That's one of the very reasons why I love it so much! 

Unfortunately, all good things have to come an end and so did the gig! It was another excellent show from Graeme, filled with amazing music and good Scottish humour! I seriously hope it's not too long until next time! If you ever get the chance make sure to pop along to one of Graeme's future gigs in your area-you don't know what you're missing out on!

 

If you want to find out more about Graeme's music be sure to click on one of the following links:

Official Website: http://www.graemeclark.co.uk

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/graemeclark1000?ob=5
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraemeClarkOfficial?sk=wall
Twitter: https://twitter.com/graemeclark1

 

Meeting Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) & Orianthi Panagaris

Last July I had the opportunity to meet Richie Sambora, former guitarist of the world famous rock band Bon Jovi and Orianthi Panagaris who has played guitar alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry including Michael Jackson, Prince and Alice Cooper. I've been a big fan of Orianthi ever since I first saw her in Michael Jackson's This Is It film when I was just eleven years old. Watching Orianthi play guitar alongside one of my all-time favourite singers Michael Jackson was what inspired me to learn guitar. I was completely mesmerised watching her perform and wanted to one day play guitar with the skill and talent that she has!

Orianthi & I

Around this time last year, I heard that Orianthi would be joining Richie Sambora on his tour of the UK and Europe. The best part was that the final show of the tour would take place here in Scotland! I'd previously seen Orianthi perform live with Alice Cooper and was extremely hyper that I might actually get to see her live in concert for the second time! I was also extremely delighted about the prospect of seeing Richie Sambora in concert as I've always loved Bon Jovi-who doesn't?! For me, it was one of those win-win situations.

One of my biggest dreams was to one day meet Orianthi. With this in mind my lovely Mum managed to get in contact with a member of her team who kindly arranged for me to meet with Orianthi prior to the show in Glasgow! I cannot begin to describe just how excited I was!

On the day of the show my Dad and I were also invited to watch Richie and Ori's pre-show sound check. By the time we arrived at the venue that day there was a huge queue of people also attending the concert spanning right up the street. As we walked past them, I could feel the infectious buzz coming from those waiting. 

After letting the appropriate people know that we'd arrived, we were then escorted inside to watch the sound check. I'm extremely interested in what goes behind the scenes at events such as concerts and loved every second of it watching all of the comings and goings happening around me. Instruments were being tuned, the merchandise stall was in the process of being set up and the lighting was being adjusted. So much work goes on behind the scenes to make each show run smoothly and to the perfection that we the audience see. We're all unaware of just how much time, hard work and effort each member of the crew puts into every show. Without them there would be no show! From spending such a short period of time in that environment it was evident that both the crew as well as the band are extremely close. I can only imagine that whilst on tour everyone becomes like an extended family.

After a short wait both Richie and Ori arrived at the venue in time for sound check. They appeared on stage from the darkened wings and began to set up their guitars with the help of the guitar techs. Once organised, Orianthi looked in my direction and waved! It was one of those exciting moments in life where it all seemed like a dream. Even if I hadn't actually met her, having Orianthi wave in my direction would have made my night!

Watching sound check was such a cool experience-it was like having your own private concert! During sound check they performed a bunch of songs by some of the biggest names in the music industry. I can't remember the exact list of songs they performed however, I'm pretty sure it included numbers from artists such as Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles.

We were then taken backstage towards the end of the band's sound check. As you can probably imagine at this exact moment I was rather excited! I'd wanted to meet Ori for years and the moment was finally going to happen!!!!

We waited in the hallway outside of the dressing rooms whilst Ori got ready for the show. I'd never properly been backstage before, so I really enjoyed soaking everything in. For whatever reason I had always imagined backstage areas to be quite glamorous (I have no idea why to be honest!). However, it wasn't at all what I expected. I liked it though, there was a nice buzz about the place.

After waiting for a few minutes, a small crowd of people appeared at the other end of the hall. It took a few moments for my brain to click and for me to realise that there, at the other side of the corridor was Richie Sambora himself! He immediately came right over to me and started chatting. Richie was such a lovely, genuine and down to earth type of guy! He certainly wasn't one of those rockstars/celebrities that couldn't care less about their fans. I wish I could tell you more of what he said but I had one those star struck moments-typical me!

I had my photo taken with Richie but didn't realise until later on that our camera had decided to play up and didn't save the photograph which was frustrating-but at least I have the memory! Before bidding us farewell and heading to his dressing room, Richie gave me a big hug and shook hands with my Dad! What a special moment!

Before long one of the dressing room doors opened and out came Orianthi! Both Dad and I shook hands with her and she then gave me a big hug! Ori was seriously one of the loveliest people I've met! I felt at ease chatting with her, which was lovely as I really got to enjoy the time I spent with her. It wasn't one of those moments that I had gotten so hyped up about, my mind went blank and then all seemed liked a blur afterwards. Instead, I can replay the moment in my head, recalling every detail and remembering the exact conversation.

I really admire Orianthi's sense of style and one of the first things I really noticed was her outfit which you'll be able to get a glimpse of in the photo I have added to this post. She was even wearing one of her famous hats that I'd admired in so many of her photographs posted on Instagram. But before I could even mentioned how much I love her style, she complimented my outfit and hat!

I chatted with Orianthi about her time touring with Alice Cooper, I'd seen them live in Edinburgh almost two years before. She told me about one of their shows (which funnily enough I happened to have watched footage of on YouTube) where during School's Out, Alice and the rest of the guys in the band all appeared wearing blonde wigs similar to Ori's hair. It was interesting to hear her account of what happened, as I often watch concert videos and wonder what it's like from the musician's point of view.

Orianthi even told me about some of the new musical projects she'd been working on such as recording at the legendary Abbey Road Studios and her greatest hits album which at the time was just weeks away from being released in Japan. She also told me a little bit about the new album that both her and Richie are currently working on, which of course I can't wait to hear as it sounds like it'll be right up my street!

I brought along my copies of Orianthi's albums in hope that she would sign them for me. Kindly obliging, she turned to me and thanked me for supporting her work and purchasing her albums. Meeting someone who I really admire and having them thank me for my support really meant a lot! It's lovely to hear directly from the artist that they appreciate their fans support. Before making our way to our seats to watch the show, I then had my photograph taken with Ori. Fortunately, the camera decided to cooperate this time-phew!
This just so happened to be the final show of Richie's tour of the UK and Europe and it was great end to the tour I must say! Richie played a range of songs from his time as a member of Bon Jovi and also performed material from his solo albums. Together, they even performed a song named "You Don't Wanna know" which featured as one of the tracks on Orianthi's latest album "Heaven In This Hell". As you can imagine there was some amazing guitar solos which of course I could happily sit there and listen to for days without end. And of course, I can't forget the amazing Glasgow audience who love to have a good time!

At the end of the show one of the roadies came and found me with a Richie's copy of the show's set list that he had on stage with him for me to keep. I've never had the opportunity to stand at the front of the stage at a concert before because of my health. Due to that I've never had the opportunity to catch a plectrum from the band or a copy of the set list. As you can imagine I have and will continue to treasure the set list and plectrums I received that evening as memento from the amazing night that I had.

I highly doubt that Richie, Ori or any or their wonderful team will ever come across this post but if they do, I just wanted to say a huge thank-you to each and everyone of them for making my dream come true! They were all so sweet and kind and really made me feel special! I also owe a huge thank you to my amazing Mum as without her this would never have happened!