As we said goodbye to 2025, everything stops, there’s not alot of shows, it’s cold and dark and our practice space is not very inviting and currently full of lots of ‘Made by Harriet’ Ceramics. It’s a typically a difficult time for singers / musicians / performers unless you are doing a Panto.
At the start of 2025 I was working on producing a new show which was suggested by ADB Theatre Agency to put together – ‘The 60’s Talent Show’ – and started planning the show for its tester show scheduled for June at The Lights in Andover.
The year started with a show at The Old Picture House following the sad temporary closure of The Seaton Gateway where the band had also played the year before. We had Ben Martin on bass pictured below as Neil was doing another show. We also played with Ben later in November 2025.
Early in the year the snow fell in Wiltshire. Our only show in January was a private gig at Oxford Town Hall. Its a legendary cornerstone of the UK’s live music heritage. While the current Jacobethan masterpiece opened in 1897, its Main Hall truly earned its reputation as a premier mid-sized venue during the mid-20th-century music explosion.Its stage has hosted a pantheon of icons, including The Rolling Stones, The Who, and David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust era. From historic performances by Led Zeppelin to modern sets by Radiohead and Supergrass, the venue’s soaring Victorian acoustics have amplified generations of rock history.
In February Jamie was interviewed in February by Kirsten O Brien on BBC Radio to talk about The Zoots show at Norden Farm which sold out. Kirsten used to be a presenter on Children’s BBC TV.
Also this month work started on our house in what would become my new workspace.
In early February we performed at The Pavilion in Bath for an amazing private event. Built in 1910, the Bath Pavilion is a legendary cornerstone of the UK’s live music scene. Originally an Edwardian skating rink, this iconic venue evolved into a premier concert hall that hosted the titans of rock history. In the 1960s, its stage was graced by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, cementing its status as a pilgrimage site for music fans.
With its vaulted ceilings and historic maple floors, the Pavilion continues to host modern icons like Oasis and Coldplay.
On Valentine’s Day I enjoyed my home coming gig at Norden Farm in Maidenhead which sold out, mostly because it was full of my family, friends and old school buddies. We played a lot of new songs and new medleys, which I put together with painstaking detail, performed really well by the band. I also performed 30 songs in 5 minutes on the acoustic guitar. It was especially nerve-racking to perform in front of so many people that I know. I recognised the whole audience it was crazy!
We performed a sold out show at the end of February which was filmed as a promo for our new 60s Talent show. It’s a venue we have performed many times and there is always a fab atmosphere. The video is below.
On the 14th March we had yet another sold out show, this time at The Beehive in Honiton, which we played before in 2023 as The Sounds of the 80s. Honiton is a special place for me as its where I used to spend many holidays visiting my Aunt and Uncle Rob who were very close to us growing up. The Beehive in Honiton is an award-winning community and Arts centre that was first imagined in 1985 and eventually built in 2014.
In March I started rehearsing in London for the 2025 Bootleg Sixties Farewell tour, I will tell you all about it in the next blog.
