The Tyne Valley is one of the most beautiful stretches of countryside I know with some wonderful towns and villages dotted along it. The Tyne Valley Railway services these communities, running from Newcastle to Carlisle it is blessed with some of the best views of any rail journey. When I first qualified as a Radiographer, back in 1988, I worked for a time in Carlisle and was a regular commuter along the line, invariably armed with a book and my walkman. The journey was usually uneventful, there would be the occasional disruptive drunk, screaming kids or excessively talkative stranger, the usual stuff, nothing out of the ordinary. On Sunday this journey took a stroll down Salvador Dali Way and on into Surreal Place via Whatthef**k Avenue.
Anyone who had not been forewarned could be forgiven for thinking they had passed into another dimension as they entered the train, their senses assaulted by the sight and sound of 10 ukulele players from the Ukulele Allstars strumming merrily away at one end of a carriage. To further add to their disorientation the other end of the carriage had been taken over by a couple of barrels of Real Ale and Cider kindly provided by the Wylam Brewery. Welcome aboard the second of this years Event Trains organised by the Tyne Valley Initiative (or something like that...couldn’t find a link), enjoy the ride.
Joining me on this...err...trip were Gill, Billy, Steph and my youngest sister Lisa. Everyone bar Lisa, who we met at Central Station, had been into Fenwick’s to pick up some nibbles from the deli and then on to the Duke for a libation or two prior to the journey. Suitably oiled we headed to the station passing a number of ukulele wielding people before bumping into George Welsh leader of the Allstars. George had been the star of a similar event last year which we had also attended and is a well known figure in the local music scene. On to the platform and there was the beer laden trolley waiting to embark, all the pieces were falling into place.
There were one or two passengers on the platform warily eying all this up with a mixture of confusion and amusement, wondering what was going on. Once aboard it all became clear to them and there was a frantic five minutes of seat swapping as people either moved to be clear of the beer/ukuleles or tried to get closer. We were lucky (depending on your point of view of course) and sat only a couple of seats from the entertainment. Through the journey we were treated to tunes by Simon and Garfunkel, Donovan, Bad Company, Jeff Beck and Status Quo amongst others, but no George Formby, unfortunately. As we progressed further along the line and more alcohol was consumed the ‘sing along’ atmosphere intensified and the volume rose accordingly.
Seeing the looks on the faces of unsuspecting travellers was as much fun as any other part of the journey. Some would enter the train, take one look and head straight to the other carriage whilst others would stand and watch for a minute or two before deciding we all looked relatively harmless and that the beer looked particularly appetising and so joined in. I was invited to show my ukulele prowess for one of the songs as they no doubt recognised a fellow muso, so I strummed my 2 taught-there-and-then cords along to...well I don’t know really, I was too busy trying to play the correct cord at the correct tempo (I failed) to worry about what song I was playing. I’m sure it happens to Clapton all the time.
After three and a half hours the frivolities came to an all too soon end leaving us all wanting more. I think we will make a point of turning up at one of the Allstars sessions at the Cumberland or Stout Fiddler and maybe, just maybe, join in with the playing again. Apparently you can pick up a good ukulele for about £40 in some of the instrument shops in town. Even Gill professed an interest in giving the ukulele a go because it looked like fun so I might have stumbled upon an idea of what I could get her for Christmas! (I now await a panicked call from Gill telling me that something from Richard Sinton’s would be a much better idea thank you very much.)
Photos on the way as soon as I feed the dial up hamster.
Anyone who had not been forewarned could be forgiven for thinking they had passed into another dimension as they entered the train, their senses assaulted by the sight and sound of 10 ukulele players from the Ukulele Allstars strumming merrily away at one end of a carriage. To further add to their disorientation the other end of the carriage had been taken over by a couple of barrels of Real Ale and Cider kindly provided by the Wylam Brewery. Welcome aboard the second of this years Event Trains organised by the Tyne Valley Initiative (or something like that...couldn’t find a link), enjoy the ride.
Joining me on this...err...trip were Gill, Billy, Steph and my youngest sister Lisa. Everyone bar Lisa, who we met at Central Station, had been into Fenwick’s to pick up some nibbles from the deli and then on to the Duke for a libation or two prior to the journey. Suitably oiled we headed to the station passing a number of ukulele wielding people before bumping into George Welsh leader of the Allstars. George had been the star of a similar event last year which we had also attended and is a well known figure in the local music scene. On to the platform and there was the beer laden trolley waiting to embark, all the pieces were falling into place.
There were one or two passengers on the platform warily eying all this up with a mixture of confusion and amusement, wondering what was going on. Once aboard it all became clear to them and there was a frantic five minutes of seat swapping as people either moved to be clear of the beer/ukuleles or tried to get closer. We were lucky (depending on your point of view of course) and sat only a couple of seats from the entertainment. Through the journey we were treated to tunes by Simon and Garfunkel, Donovan, Bad Company, Jeff Beck and Status Quo amongst others, but no George Formby, unfortunately. As we progressed further along the line and more alcohol was consumed the ‘sing along’ atmosphere intensified and the volume rose accordingly.
Seeing the looks on the faces of unsuspecting travellers was as much fun as any other part of the journey. Some would enter the train, take one look and head straight to the other carriage whilst others would stand and watch for a minute or two before deciding we all looked relatively harmless and that the beer looked particularly appetising and so joined in. I was invited to show my ukulele prowess for one of the songs as they no doubt recognised a fellow muso, so I strummed my 2 taught-there-and-then cords along to...well I don’t know really, I was too busy trying to play the correct cord at the correct tempo (I failed) to worry about what song I was playing. I’m sure it happens to Clapton all the time.
After three and a half hours the frivolities came to an all too soon end leaving us all wanting more. I think we will make a point of turning up at one of the Allstars sessions at the Cumberland or Stout Fiddler and maybe, just maybe, join in with the playing again. Apparently you can pick up a good ukulele for about £40 in some of the instrument shops in town. Even Gill professed an interest in giving the ukulele a go because it looked like fun so I might have stumbled upon an idea of what I could get her for Christmas! (I now await a panicked call from Gill telling me that something from Richard Sinton’s would be a much better idea thank you very much.)
Photos on the way as soon as I feed the dial up hamster.
1 comment:
You've hit the nail on the head. Sintons any day!! Just need the cash
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