Hailsham Pavillion is a magnificent looking building from the outside and from the inside is a beautifully decorated cosy little venue, its only downfall being the lack of a bar.

We were entertained for the first half hour by the West Sussex singers, dressed in their 1700c garb, singing traditional Christmas songs, then the stage was quickly changed and the Albion Christmas Band were on.

They gave a fantastic performance with the usual mix of festive anecdotes, songs, tunes and dances. During the very long interval we were treated to wine, beer or soft drinks and plenty of nibbles which made up for the lack of bar facilities The CD tables were well stocked and I was very pleased to come away with an old Albion Christmas Album from 1999 and the new hot of the press 'Vintage Albion Band' CD.

The highlight of the evening for Dennis...during the last song Ashley threw Dennis the tambourine to play! So now Dennis can say that he's played with the Albion Band. As Simon said afterwards, another box he can tick

It was a fabulous nights entertainment, which really gets you into the Christmas spirit. Very well worth the long journey there and back.

Originally posted on the Talkawhile Message Board - used with permisson 

It was a very welcome return to the Rose and Crown for Kris Dollimore.

For those of you who don't know the Rose and Crown, it is a smallish pub, which nevertheless manages through the enthusiasm of Tommy, the landlord's son, to put on excellent live music at least once a month. Check out www.myspace.com/theroseandcrownpub for future listings.

Anyway ... Kris Dollimore had done one previous gig here, at which he went down an absolute storm, and reputedly he has said that it is his favourite venue. People in Charlbury like their blues, this gig had been looked forward to for weeks in advance, and sure enough the pub was full to overflowing.

For the technically minded, Kris used three different guitars, a 1965 Gibson LG1 acoustic, a 1969 Gibson 330, and a Jean Larrivee acoustic.

He opened with a Robert Johnson song played to a John Lee Hooker boogie-type riff, by which time most of the audience who had not seen him before were beginning to get the idea. Through the course of his two sets he covered songs by Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and others.

He also played a number of songs off his excellent CD, "02/01/1978", including his version of John Lee Hooker's "Groundhog" (which is quite brilliant), and several of his own songs.

Another highlight of the evening was his tribute to 1960's cult guitarist John Fahey. Fahey, who died in 2001 aged only 61, should have been far better known, and perhaps this fine Dollimore instrumental will help to make that happen.

Kris Dollimore is a fine finger-picker and has an excellent and very precise slide playing style. This, combined with a voice that is just perfect for the blues and the excellent sound quality gave us a wonderful night of music.

Please don't ask for a set-list - I was having far too good a time to bother with such matters! But for his third and final encore - yes, THAT is how much the Rose and Crown clientele liked him - he finished off with a rousing version of Robert Wilkins' "Rolling Stone", which is apparently where some band or other got their name from.

Kris Dollimore is due back at the Rose and Crown in March. Check the above website for details. To find out if he is on near you, have a look at www.krisdollimore.com.