Last week I wrote about the brilliance of live music and how a decent gig is a redemptive, communal event that can inspire and uplift in sometimes a profound way. Well, this week, I return to a couple of previous stories that will be familiar to regular readers of these scribblings. Firstly, my father, whose slow slide into the abyss continues its unabated and relentless progress albeit in almost freeze-frame slow-motion and secondly, my brilliant wife’s choir exploits or rather other exploits related to the choir. The BGT finals were not IMHO the choir’s finest hour but rather an offshoot of NSO (Northants Sings Out) called DSO (Dementia Sings Out) must hold that honour. Way before Vicky McClure (and it’s not a competition as all good work is exactly that – good work) DSO (have you guessed it yet?) was set up on Thursday morning in a large hall solely with the purpose of bringing dementia sufferers and their carers/families together for and hour and half of singing and dancing.
DSO are all volunteers. They’ve jumped through safeguarding hoops and spent hours setting up collection routes, chair rotas, coffee rotas, risk assessments all for the sole purpose of bringing some joy. The choirmaster of NSO leads the 70-strong attendance as well as several care homes linked on Zoom and displayed on a large screen (and along with song sheets) through a medley of ‘classics’ from the late 60s to somewhere in the 80s. It’s an extraordinary thing to be part of, almost religious really. My father is very uncommunicative these days unless prompted but without any help he starts singing along quietly and by the end of things is singing from memory and with gusto. There is a huge smile on his face – is it the music, the sight of others dancing, just being in a room with lots of people (always a social creature my father sees very few people these days, they just don’t visit like they used to…) I don’t know but it’s powerful ju ju. Every week my heart breaks and the tears flow as we both launch into “I am a lineman for the county……” or “I can see clearly now the rain has gone..” DSO – Bless ’em all.
So let’s have some Glenn – this clip is wonderful, a great version and him sitting amongst some greats, I’m literally weeping listening to it whilst writing this, goddamn it. And some interesting new stuff from The Clearwater Swimmers who are tickling my fancy at the mo with their Red House Painters/Sparklehorse vibe. The radio show was recorded in the midst of man-flu so the voice has dipped a tad lower making it audible to bats and indeed badgers but it’s a cracker featuring amongst many others CVC, The Delines, Joni, Grant Lee B and three from Van. As ever take what you want or need.
