Witchfest Day 2

Breakfast started the day with all the Crow Dancers/The Dolmen crew gathering together. we then had plenty of time to ourselves to go and have a mooch around the stalls at Witchfest. We went off to meet friends, chat to folk, buy stuff etc etc. Spent a good bit of time catching up with Helen and Keith.

At 4pm Crow Dancers all met up to attend the talk that Taloch was giving on Crow Dance spirituality. It was an interesting talk although there wasn't a lot of participation from most of the group. After the talk there were a few more CD signings to be done. This was a fun little excursion.

After the talk Toni and I grabbed a bite to eat with Kayleigh and Locana before we went off to help Helen and Keith pack down their crystal stall. After everything was broken down we helped transport it to the car before we headed to a Greek restaurant to have a much needed meal.

Our evening entertainment was provided by The Dolmen. They were on great form as usual.

After the gig it was time to break down all the stage gear and get it all packed up back on the trailer again. It's always the worst part of doing a gig but a necessary evil! Hard work complete we then headed to the rock/metal disco for some banging cheesy choons!

It was a brilliant night!

Crow Dancers @ Witchfest International 2017

Crow Dancers hit the stage bang on time tonight and we played the best gig we've ever done (at least from my perspective). It was such a blast and I was all over the stage like a demon as I've finally gained the confidence to go for it! Once again out set was organic and evolved in line with the reception that we received and all the transitions were great.

After the gig it was off to the merchandise stand to sign copies of the CD for those that wanted them. This in itself was a bit of an odd experience as it's not something that I've really done a lot of.

Signings over we then had a chance to chill with friends:

It is such an privilege to share the stage with such a talented group of musicians and to perform in a way that transcends a normal gig (Taloch Tony Jameson, Kayleigh Marchant, Locana Crowdancer, Chris Harris, Josh Elliott, Connach Caswell-Jameson).

THANK YOU to everyone that came to see us, bought the CD and came to the signing. Without your support we would be nothing.

Witchfest Day 1

It was off to Brighton today for Toni and I to attend Witchfest International 2017. We arrived before the rest of the Crow Dancers/The Dolmen crew but it wasn't long before we could load in. Here's some views of the main auditorium from backstage.

I was delighted to get my grubby mits on the debut limited edition Crow Dancers CD:

After the sound check it was time to go to the hotel to check in and chill out before getting ready for the Crow Dancers gig.

Witchfest Day 2 (The Dolmen)

Despite having a pretty wild night we were still up bright and early today to go and get breakfast After that it was back to the Brighton Centre for a day and night of fun. In London we have the London Eye, in Brighton they have what we call the Bright Ring Piece.

During the day we spent time talking to so many wonderful friends. The market was brilliant with so many fabulous stalls and it was really busy all day. We spent a lot of time with Helen and Keith on their crystal stall and helped them pack everything away once the market area closed up.

After that we all went off to a lovely Greek restaurant called Steki and had some delicious food. It really was good.

Once noms were done we headed back to the Brighton Centre for the evening's entertainment. The Dolmen were on fine form once again with some new material thrown into their set.

As is often the way when The Dolmen perform I was honoured to be asked up on stage for a wee spot of drumming :)

It was the perfect way to end the night and round off a brilliant Witchfest weekend. We loved the Brighton Centre as the new venue (having moved from Fairfield Halls in Croydon which is now being refurbished) and hope that Children Of Artemis might consider running it here for many years to come.

Witchfest Day 1 (Crow Dancers)

Toni and I packed our bags and jumped the train to Brighton for a weekend of Witchfest fun. When we arrived in Brighton I was most amused by this sign outside a pub getting into the spirit of Black Friday whilst channeling punk.

It was a nice leisurely stroll along the seafront to get to the Beach Hotel. It was a quaint old hotel wth loads of character and our room was lovely.

There was also a very good view from our fourth floor windows.

There was also an old school health and safety risk cage lift! It was great fun but a little scary.

Once we had chilled out for a bit it was off to the Brighton Centre to meet up with the Crow Dancers and load in for soundcheck. The main stage was pretty impressive.

After soundcheck Toni and I went off for some food and had a brilliant meal at a fish restaurant right next to the hotel. It all tasted so fresh it was amazing. After foods we went and chilled out in our room for a bit before getting ready to hit the Brighton Centre for the evening shenanigans.

Being on stage with Crow Dancers tonight was an absolute blast. Despite some technical difficulties it was so much fun. The energy was amazing and the crowd reaction was great. There was much good feedback afterwards which was very humbling. Here's a few pics that I've managed to grab from various sources.

After the gig there was walking, and drinking, and walking, and more drinking. It was a very good night and an amazing way to start the weekend.