Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Next OWC Show 7th November 2011 Plus 5th September 2011 Show Report

Website: www.oneworldclubmk.co.uk Email: mkoneworldclub@gmail.com

Dear Folks

The highlights of our 5th September show are now up on Youtube. We had a magical night, playing to a capacity audience of 100.

You could hear a pin drop when Tomas Jimenez socked it to us with his superb Flamenco guitar playing.

http://www.youtube.com/user/OneWorldClubMK#p/a/u/1/9EqbH5Q4wbA

Sharon, Jenny and Maureen, three beautiful ladies who together comprise Jamaican Folk Group. They were so special that I’ve put their whole set onto Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/OneWorldClubMK#p/u/5/iF8iAU81ghY

George Anthony & Ayo

This act topped the bill for pure energy and stage presence! They’ve performed before as individuals, always stunning the audience with their professionalism, but having teamed up they have an act that must be set for stardom. They actually performed as an Open Mic act and were instantly booked for our next show on 7th November! Don’t listen to me, see for yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/user/OneWorldClubMK#p/u/6/3ZYpMHeoVHA

Lauren Holgate, Tracks Of My Tears. This stunning seventeen year old has the moves and the voice that you’d expect to pay good money for. I booked her there and then for our annual ‘Best of One World Club’ show next June, along with George and Ayo.

http://www.youtube.com/user/OneWorldClubMK#p/u/4/QTUY6phdV-k

Milton Keynotes, the city’s newest acapella harmony group. Brought together by former MK Acapella leader, Bob Stott, this group breaks traditional boundaries by including both sexes and being open to occasional instrumental accompaniment. Trampling established boundaries is what One World Club is all about!

http://www.youtube.com/user/OneWorldClubMK#p/a/u/0/1yqTASWRTz0

Natasha Gilbert, Stones

http://www.youtube.com/user/OneWorldClubMK#p/u/3/sdRcoB21ldA

We usually see guitar played like Hendrix from Natasha, known as the girl with the big hair and the big voice! This time we saw the deeper, introspective side of her performance, playing acoustic guitar just as professionally as she rocks when electric!

Rupert Smith, Surfing With The Aliens

This act was an absolute must for rock guitar lovers. You are unlikely, in your entire life, to see anybody else playing rock guitar this well. We all just looked and listened with our mouths open in amazement!

http://www.youtube.com/user/OneWorldClubMK#p/a/u/2/qjQoYP7iQHE

If you’d like a DVD of the whole show, send a stamped addressed jiffy bag and a cheque £5.00 payable to One World Club to :One World Club, 22 Canterbury Rd. Flitwick MK45 1TZ.

The DVD was filmed on a new, super quality state of the art movie camera, but teething problems prevented us uploading from that camera to Youtube. That means that the film quality on the DVD is better than what you see online.

Now it’s time to tell you about THE NEXT SHOW.

MONDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 2011.

Same place as usual, CRUCK BARN, MILTON KEYNES DISCOVERY CENTRE, BRADWELL ABBEY, MILTON KEYNES, MK13 9AP.

Doors open 6.30 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. start.

As always, entrance and parking are free.

Let’s take a look at who’s on.

Looking at the list, I don’t know who to tell you about first!

Rachel and Sabina. These two stunning young ladies performed their superb Bollywood dance on our opening night two years ago. Their return is long overdue!

George Anthony & Ayo. There’s nothing I can say about these two guys I haven’t already said!

Concrete Cowboys. Milton Keynes’ premier country band last played for us a year ago. If you think you just sit and listen to this band you’re at the wrong gig! Everybody sits for a while but it’s not long before you can’t help but get up and dance!

Cathy Woodward Band. Cathy has performed for us before fronting popular Blissworth Tunnel Rats and Meercats, but now we finally see her taking full glory as leader of her own band. If you think you just sit and listen to this band you’re at the wrong gig! (Do I sense déjà vu?) When you feel the passion and excitement she puts into favourites by singers such as Cher and Manfred Mann you’ll be singing along with!

EnerGy is a band performing drum and bass fusion. With drums, bongos, bass and vocals we’re treated to a performance that highlights the diverse flavours of One World Club.

Lydia Singer is a 9 year old who took MK theatre by storm at September’s Diverse Arts show. She captivated a 1000 strong audience with a voice and delivery rarely seen in adult performers. This act is one you won’t want to miss!

Yaw & Shania Asiyama

Yaw is one of this city’s biggest celebrities. As playwright and poet Yaw has written, produced, directed and performed in theatres across the UK and beyond. His daughter, Shania, joins him in this show; we’re all waiting with baited breath to see what surprises Yaw has in store for us this time!

Sing & Perform knocked us out when we saw them top the bill at the World Picnic festival in summer. Some 30 strong, they closed the show with a performance proving that modern music can pack an even bigger punch when sung in perfect harmony by a large polished group than is usually seen by an individual performer.

See you there

Andy

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Monday, June 6th 2011 - The Best Of One World Club

The Best of One World Club!

This happens once a year, in June.

One World Club becomes a major event in the Stony Live festival, and for one show only, moves to The Cock Hotel (Marquee Suite) Stony Stratford.

Last year the hotel staff instructed us to close the doors because we’d hit capacity! People then stood outside in the courtyard trying to catch the show through the windows!

We invite the most popular acts to take part in this show. It’s a tough choice as their are so many great acts lining up to perform in this prestigious show, so we narrow it down to the audience’s favourite act from each genre.

ONLY THE FIRST 100 PEOPLE (including performers) WILL BE ALLOWED IN. As entrance is free there are no tickets bookable in advance.

10 acts, no open mic this show, just the best guaranteed performers!

Flamenco with Tomas, Maria, Josefa and Monica.
This show-stopping act comprises music and dance. With Tomas on guitar and Maria, Josefa and Monica dancing and playing castanets this act alone is a spectacle worth paying good money for. In fact, they are worth much more than the entrance fee, which, as I said earlier, is nothing at all!

One World Zeidaco Band
Zydeco is the music played in the New Orleans are where French is the spoken language. Veteran of Zydeco festivals around the world, accordionist/singer Phil Underwood has put together The One World Zydeco Band especially for this performance. Local celebrity vocalist Cathy Woodward has joined the band for this performance, which is great news as Cathy simply knocked out our audience when she appeared in her own right, and got the audience stamping and clapping to her feel-good music!

Julie Herlihy Irish Dancers
If you thought Riverdance were good you ain’t seen nothing yet! This all girl group amazed us when they kicked, skipped and clogged their way through 10 minutes of Irish dance last November. If you didn’t think you could get emotional about dance this act will convert you!

Sue Gray
Sue is considered by many to be the best singer of popular,  soul  and blues in the MK area. After a short set with her own band she will team up with Andy Gilbert (OK, that’s me) on slide guitar, Mike Forrester on bass and Vicky Scrase on guitar, as well as all the other singers in the show to perform something too special to tell you about here, but, believe me, this is not an act to miss. Make sure you’ve been already when they appear!

Danni Antagonist
Danni is this show’s representative of the poetry culture of Milton Keynes. As well as writing her own material, she performs it with a passion that makes her stand out from all the poets we’ve seen, giving her a well-earned place in this prestigious show!

Paul Jackson
Paul has embraced Indian culture and regulalrly earns his daily pitre bread playing citar at Indian functions, where he is accepted as a native-born Indian. Everyone who sees Paul play is spellbound by the speed and dexterity of his fingers as thet fly up and down the  sitar’s huge neck!

Ayo came to us like a gift out of the blue, and people haven’t stopped talking about him since. After performing for us in March, he was singled out to sing live on BBC Radio Northamptonshire on  24th April, where his selection of soul and pop, together with a passion and drama rarely seen on the UK stage made him an instant star!

Chordination
These four ladies sing barbershop like you’ve never heard it before. With no instruments, their voices do all the work. They recently played to a packed house at MK theatre, where they stood out among more than 200 performers as one of the most professional acts!

Shona Shah
Shona is this show’s Bollywood representative. At 14 years old she just bowls everyone over with her dance  and self-designed costumes. When it comes to Bollywood, it simply doen’t get better than this!

We are also promised a short performance by no less than Stony Live chairman, Andy Powell. Andy did a spot for us on May, when he compered the show. Our vidiographer, John Meachen, decribed him as a film-maker’s dream, as he puts so much passion and movement into his performance that John just left the camera zoomed in and let Andy’s performance do all the work. You can see that film at http://www.youtube.com/user/OneWorldClubMK#p/u/2/bd80ed21VQg

Date: Monday,  June 6th 2011
Location: Marquee Suite, Cock Hotel, 72-74 High St. Stony Stratford, MK11 1AH
Doors open 6.30, show starts 7.30.
Entrance free
Meals available in the restaurant from 12.00 noon.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Showtime: 9th May, 6.30 p.m.

One World Club is your show. That doesn’t mean you have to perform, but it’s there for you to enjoy. No matter what your background, you and your entire family are welcome to what is essentially a free night out with live music and dance featuring a diverse range of styles.
It’s free because my tuition agency, together with Lynda’s counselling practice, covers all the costs.

What’s the point of One World Club?
1)                To bring people together from different backgrounds in friendship.
2)                To help undiscovered talented performers share their talent.
3)                To enjoy a great night out without wondering who’s making a mint!

It seems that most entertainment involves expensive theatre or cinema tickets, or clubbing for the young.

At One World Club you’ll be met at the door, shown to a table in the spacious function hall, get a drink if you want one, then relax as the show begins at 7.30. Apart from the bar (all profits to MK Council) everything is free.

We stage six of these shows per year. Since switching from monthly to bi-monthly shows our audiences have increased dramatically, but the atmosphere is always like a family having fun together!
                        
Let’s take a look at who’s entertaining us on 9th May:

We have a very full show with 8 top acts booked. In the March show, gifted singer/entertainer Cathy Woodward did a short ‘Open mic’ spot, and so impressed everyone with her audience involvement that I snapped her up there and then for the next show. Fronting her band, Meercats, her style is ‘good time – join in’ music. She might even hand you a percussion instrument so you can join the band from the audience!

African born Ayo made his debut performance in March. Performing soul and pop classics such as ‘Let’s get It On’ and ‘Stand By Me’ Ayo’s infectious personality and passionate performance soon had the entire audience singing and clapping along with him. I was determined to squeeze him in for a song or two in May even though the show was, strictly speaking, full.

If you like classical or flamenco guitar, Demetri Petrou is your bag. Greek Cypriot Demetri always stuns the house to silence with his expert guitar playing.

Expert guitarist Peter Webster fronts 4-piece band Off The Beaten Track, with music from Dire Straits, Dylan, Beatles etc. Peter and his band are well known faces in venues from Cambridge to Stony Stratford. Mark Knopfler fans are in for a treat!

Regular performer Vicky Scrase is a member of the One World Club team, and simply blows us all away when she sings in her native Greek! I’m due to accompany her, so find myself once again learning bouzouki style on guitar! What I only get myself into.....
Stop moaning; get on with it!

Palmerston are a big 5-piece folk-rock band, playing a range of instruments while they all sing. This band is a big production!

Twice Nightly is a duo comprising Kevin Magill on flute and Clive Woolf on guitar. They play modern music and Irish folk. Kevin is well known on the Stony Stratford music scene for his performances in pubs and sessions.

Middle Eastern Cultural Group dancers. Booking this troupe was a real scoop! (That wasn’t intended to rhyme!)

MECG are a group of dancers whose members stem from across the Middle East, and are almost never seen performing in public! They are the friendliest group of people you’re ever likely to meet and it’s very possible that they’ll invite you to join in!

With such a range of performers I would definitely go if I wasn’t already going!
Where? Same place as usual.

Cruck Barn, Milton Keynes Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes, MK13 9AP
ENTRANCE FREE
PARKING FREE
Doors open 6.30 for 7.30 start.

I was invited to appear on the radio yesterday to talk about One World Club. You can hear it at
Fast forward to 43 minutes in, that’s where I start. The interview is the main feature of the programme and lasts about 45 minutes in between records, performing and the news. I was fumbling and bumbling all over the place but people who’ve heard it say it’s very moving.
It won’t be up there for long so check it out soon if you want to hear it.

Best wishes

Andy Gilbert

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Monday 9th May Show

Time to tell you about our next big show!
Date: Monday, May 9th 2011 
Time: 7.30 p.m. till 10.30 p.m.,
Location: Cruck Barn, Milton Keynes Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes, MK13 9AP.
Doors open 6.30 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. start. 
Entrance: Free.
Parking: Free.
Bar available.
Home made pies and cakes on sale
Line-up:
Off The Beaten Track
Fronted by Peter Webster, this 4 piece band is very well known in venues from Milton Keynes to Cambridge. Playing music by the likes of Knopfler,  Dylan and The Beatles, their line-up includes local celebrities Michelle Welborn and Ross Fergusen.
Shore Tars Rapper (pictured) are a fun dance group who look like morris men with swords. They are all over six foot tall expcect for one very small Welsh member who occasionally can’t seem to find his way into the scrum!
Palmerston Are an exciting five-piece folk-rock band who all sing as well as play a multitude of instruments. They impressed us not only with their musical versatility, but they all sing well too. We are very privileged to have such a large group with such varied talents at One World Club.
African Born Ayo is a knockout act! If you were there for our January show you will have left feeling great even if you came feeling miserable! Ayo is a ‘feel good’ singer wou puts his heart, soul and passion into performing African dance music and western soul.
Greek Cypriot Demetri Petrou is a welcome face at One World Club, playing classical and flamenco guitar to such a high standard that you’ll wonder why he isn’t on the telly. Watch out for his wife, Chrissy, who has been known to join him on flute from the wings. Chrissy is also our official photographer, but she’ll need extremely long arms to take the pictures while she’s playing!
Twice Nightly is a Duo comprising Kevin Magill on Flute and Gary Wolfe on guitar. Relax to their talented performance of Irish folk and modern music.
The Middle Eastern Cultural Group dancers are a unique experience and have agreed to share their culture with us. These lively dancers inspire you to join in with their infectious rhythms and sense of fun. This is going to be a night not to miss!
Vicky Scrase, is our Greek member of the One World Club team and can be regularly seen performing at the club. A runner up in Greece’s X Factor, we see why she got so far as she sings another Greek song in this show.