Hootanany!!!

Happy new year everyone! The above photo shows exactly what we were up to this NYE. Back to the castle favourites Bellowhead were given the chance to play at the Royal Festival Hall for New Year (as they are their band in residence no less) so they threw a massive nautically themed party and we all went. As usual fancy dress was entirely optional (I'm always suprised though by the number of people who don't dress up, mind you all we need is an excuse) so the girls donned corsets and the boys became sailors for the night. Bellowhead appeared throughout the night first to play nautically themed songs, then for a covers set (the highlights have to be Pete Flood doing ring of fire & Rachel MacShane doing blame it on the boogie, awesomeness) and then to play the classics (see photo of Auntie Sandy and I dancing the night away, photo by longtime folky mate JJ). Also appearing were the Eliza Carthy Abba Ceilidh band who were povding the tunes and moves for a truely 70's ceilidh, meanwhile the Belles of London City entertained the gentlemen upstairs (as did a scantily clad Camille O'Sullivan who joined JB for a rendition of fairytale of New York) and Jim Moray found time to DJ silently upstairs before joing bellowhead for all you pretty girls. The tunes flowed as did the ale and or gin and tonic. The fireworks at the end of the night and the fact that some of my avourite people were present all helped make this a very memorable night. 2010 if it;s as good as the beginning until the end we are in for a hell of a year!