NEWS

It’s been a while since I updated my news on the website. That’s not because nothing has been happening  – I’ve been buzzing happily around the country over the past few weeks and months, doing gigs and working on some new songs.

The Shock of the Old is about to enter its third year of touring. As a show, it continues to evolve in ways I never anticipated. Not only are there new songs pushing for inclusion but also  – rather interestingly, I think  –  the tone of the show has changed.

The idea behind it was to investigate and celebrate the business of getting old in the 21^st century, which is more complicated than I had thought it would be. To my surprise, it has become more chirpy, sunnier, less shock-filled over time.  Old age, it turns out, is like adolescence – it changes all the time. My perspective on the whole strange business continues to evolve. I think this makes the show more alive and interesting, and I sense that audiences are picking up on that, too.

Perhaps that is why I’m thinking of renaming the show. There have been one or two comments about The Shock of the Old as a title over the past two years, suggesting that it sounds less positive than it should be. Who needs another shock in this age of shocks? So, for my presentation to the rural touring organisation Live and Local, I rebranded the show as Old Enough to Know Better. So, when you see that title in my list of gigs for 2025, please don’t think it’s something new. It’s a de-shocked version of the old one.

I’ve been back in the studio recently with my old pal David Booth and hope to have a new album out there soon.

In the meantime, there are gigs lined up for the autumn which I am already looking forward to. They include a trip to the great BAAFest in Northumberland in September, shows in Burton-on-Trent, Chorley, Bungay and Lowestoft in October. A particular treat will be my return to the Pheasantry in London on 31^st October.

I’ll hope to see you at one of my shows.