At last, after endless gigs with crappy sound systems, misbehaving banjo pick-ups, noisy punters, forgotten plectrums, unplugged cable TV sessions and dodgy cameraphone clips Wookalily have finally SORTED THE WHOLE THING OUT – and not only that, but this PA/public relations epiphany has happily coincided with a brilliant live performance, a convenient camera crew, a gay disco classic, and a huge white room with NO PUNTERS WHATSOEVER!
The Wookas doff their collective cap at Abba and feature the closest they’ve yet got to fusion solos – terrific flute, banjo and bass improvisations. And WookaLyndsay, not only causing jaws to drop having only taken up the bass four or five months ago – and having to sing at the same time… and being left-handed… – is not even wearing shoes!
This is a blistering performance – let’s rock!
Worra faackin’ racket 🙂
You mean ‘wow, Col, that’s sensational’?
Same thing Col, innit?
Saw them do this same number at The Limelight on Rhod Gilberts Best Part Time Band programme last night – were you at the actual gig Colin?
I was! And also the pre-selection gig in the upper room (up several flights of steps) in a near-derelict ‘artists’ studio’ at the back of Royal Avenue, also glimpsed in the TV show. Each band had to perform one cover and one original , at both their pre-selection gig/rehearsal-for-cameras and the post-selection Limelight gig. The Wookaladies performed Van’s ‘Bright Side of the Road’ at the derelict show (already in their act) and learnt the Abba cover specifically for the Limelight. It went down well on the night. Their original on the night (‘Hands Pass In Time’) had some technical issues – which poor old WookAdele was distraught about (thinking that BBC4 might show them not at their best), but she needn’t have worried!
The Boos Band performed ‘Cold Turkey’ as their cover – a great version, but it’s a bit of a ‘flat’ song, doesn’t really go anywhere. They might have been better picking a bluesy number that had more potential for crescendo, or ‘lift’.
The Edinburgh ska band were a powerful live act, which I think came across in the show, but not terribly original – but then that’s not really the point with ska, is it? Had a feeling the singer might have been a bit up himself, though…
they all looked good fun on the programme – speaking as one who prefers to spend no more than a tenner on a ticket and stand no more than 10 feet from the stage.
and usually have the band come on from behind you rather than the sides…although this can complicate encores 🙂
The Wookas are a bit of a (loveable) shambles when it comes to getting onstage – people could drift in from all over the place. It’s fine once they get there (except for the PA stuff I mentioned… and constant instrument changing… but it’s getting better…).
Great stuff! Love the music. But I hate that barefoot look. It may say “laidback, hippie chic” where they are, but it says “Typical Aussie slob” where I live.
With the Wookas it may, in fact, say, ‘Drat, I’ve forgotten my shoes…’
“…no daughter of mine’s goin’ ahht wiv an ‘ippie….”
It seems there’s another performance from The White Room – this time in a Cyprus Avenue style. Astoundingly – in contrast to EVERY show they do – Clare McWooky’s acoustic lead playing is audible! (It’s fine when she sticks to flute, violin, concertina, mandolin, etc, etc, etc, but to date her dobro and acoustic lead playing is just pointless on stage – no one can hear a bl**dy note of it, including at the ‘UK’s Best P-T Band’ show!)
Normally the very sight of a banjo will send me screaming from the room, but I rather enjoyed that. Nice Macca-style Hofner bass too…
I think WookaLyndsay only bought the Hofner cos she’s left-handed and its architecture (the lack of jutty-out bits where the body meets the neck) made it easier to play/put on. She still plays it upside down, though – heavy strings at the bottom – as that was how she learnt it, on a borrowed right-handed bass. I’m always amazed when people can sing while playing bass at the same time – vastly different to guitaring/singing.
WookaLou on drums, though, is the secret weapon. I think her groove/style is brilliant. I hired her for two tracks on my own album a while back, and will undoubtedly do so again.
Excellent stuff Colin. That went straight onto my FB page. Let’s see what the Swedes think.
You have sentient vegetables up there?!? Wow… 🙂
WookAdele (red hair, guitar) hits back at the footwear detractors (gently, of course, via email):
“The place was bloody roasting. The underfloor heating had been on 24/7 for months to dry out leaking pipe damage and it was a hot sunny day. It was seriously like a sauna. I was stupidly wearing long boots.
Can’t please everybody, besides there’s nothing wrong with hippies or people who don’t wear shoes. It’s actually healthier not to wear shoes. Rant over. Lol ?”