Tuesday 13 November 2007

Combine Harvester

I wasn't going to blog tonight but Lesley has been reviving memories for me and her blog has got me in hysterics! Do go and visit if you have the time and need cheering up. She's on a musical reminiscence at the moment.

Lesley has reminded me of a great night out DH and I had 2 years ago on holiday in St Ives. We found out that The Wurzels, of Combined Harvester fame, were doing a concert on our last night and bought tickets. At the time I knew nothing about them apart from their chart hits way back when. We poled up at St Ives Guildhall Theatre at the appointed time not knowing what to expect. The first surprise was that people were strolling about the theatre with pints of beer in one hand and pasties in the other. The whole thing had the atmosphere of a working mens club and everyone seemed to know everyone else. There was a great preponderance of red neckerchiefs too. Suddenly we felt underdressed!


The Wurzels came on after a support act and we thought they would only be on for a short while but, boy, were we wrong! They were fantastic! And the audience went wild! Those cornish folk certainly know how to party! It was a cross between a working mens club and a day out from the asylum! Definitely very yokel - complete with a stag night party and a group of Young Farmers. The Wurzels played all their 70's hits accompanied by clapping singing, whistling, stomping dancing and a conga line minus the conga! The piece de resistance was the accordionist lowering his trousers to reveal adiamond-studded thong! Don't go there! The noise was deafening and "Combine Harvester" brought the house down with the Young Farmers and stag party bouncing up and down at the front of the hall! Definitely a night to remember! And who said the British are reserved? Oh sorry, I forgot, these were Cornish folk! :o)) (I'm quarter Cornish myself.) Not bad for a group with a 72 year old drummer. Well that's what they said anyway.

PS Don't ask why DH has his signed neckerchief tied to his side of the bed! Sigh!!



6 comments:

Shirley Goodwin said...

As in "I've got a brand new combine harvester and I'll give you the key?" One of those quintessentially British songs! What more could a woman want?

Anne Wigfull said...

I do wish you hadn't mentioned this song, and Shirley adding in the first line has made it worse, now I have the whole darn thing going through my head :}.

Gina said...

Sounds like a great night out. I've been laughing along with Lesley this week too... she's a great tonic!

The WestCountryBuddha said...

Well, I've tried a couple of times to leave a comment, one more go and fingers crossed! I'm going to do a claim to fame thing now because I know the Wurzles - or did. They used to do a lot of their filming for top of the pops (in the days before videos) at my friend's farm between Portishead and Pill (remember the song Pill, Pill I love the still?) Ah such happy memories of being drunk on scrumpy, haystacks, and falling down the grooves in ploughed fields. That's me not the wurzles. Thanks for the memories! I do miss somerset.

Julie said...

Wow Annabel! I'm impressed! I've been looking for our Wurzels CD to see if it's got the song Pill Pill etc but it's gone walkabouts. Not sure I realised you had come from Somerset. It's a lovely part of the country.

Annabel said...

It might have helped if Ityped the song title properly. It was supposed to be Pill Pill I love Thee Still. To be honest, it probably wasn't one of their best. I was born in Taunton and lived in many places around Somerset including Portishead, Clevedon, Nailsea, and Bristol.