Occasionally you find yourself at a gig thinking 'I wish more of my friends were here to see this, because they won't believe it when I tell them'.
This sentence was running through my head a lot last Sunday as I enjoyed mixed emotions of regret and smugness, regret because my friends were missing something quite unique and smugness because I knew that they would be thoroughly jealous that they hadn't joined me in my trek to one of the shires' most beautiful but far-flung outposts (Well that's how it felt for a city boy anyway!).
I was standing, pint in hand, in a beautiful Cotswold pub called the Rose and Crown in a lovely Cotswold village called Shilton a few miles from Burford.
The solid stone building is far from usual in terms of gig venues, but its rustic charm was part of what made this gig unique... along with what we were about to see and more importantly hear.
The unusual element to this afternoons entertainment was provided by one of this country's foremost rock drummers.
John Coghlan was the original drummer with legendary band Status Quo joining in 1962 and in the next 20 years he and the band had unprecedented success with hits such as pictures Of Matchstick Men, Down Down, Caroline, Rocking All Over The World and many many more songs that have become rock standards.
John has always played and toured since splitting with Quo, including his own take on the '70s and '80s legends called, not surprisingly, John Coghlan's Quo.
He was setting up his kit in this charming venue to show off his new project called 'JC's Five B's Band' a four-piece who were playing only their second gig together, although you would never have guessed.
The band is made up of John, Mike Grady (Guitar & Vocals), Jimmy Glynn (Guitar) and Chris Gleeson (Bass) who are loving the opportunity of playing with such a professional musician.
When the gig started there was little room left in the bar area of the pub, with people watching from all available vantage points, including several dozen people in the car park watching as best they could by peering in through the open windows!
But nobody was disappointed.
The fare was as expected with classic renditions of such hits as Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival, F.B.I. by The Shadows, Twist And Shout by The Beatles, along with many, many more great tunes from legends including The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin and of course a large handful of Quo classics.
This was about a far away from a standard pub gig as you could get in terms of quality, and those who were witnessing it really felt that they privileged to be watching something utterly unique.
For those in the know there was another treat, in the form of John's kit.
This was his original Ludwig Super Classic Oyster Pearl kit which he bought in 1961 from Drum City in Shaftesbury Avenue.
Naturally almost 50 years of Rock and Roll 'exuberance' had taken its toll on the tools of John's trade and they had become a little battle scarred, to say the least!
So they had been sent for a total restoration and we were privileged to see them unveiled in their fantastic opalescent glory.
His customary Avedis Zildjan cymbals sat on top and you had to think 'if this kit could talk imagine what tales it could tell about the last five decade of British rock music!'
And for those of you who are now feeling very jealous at having missed this intimate performance, I have some good news.
At the end of this month John will again be playing a small venue in the county, on a date to be confirmed, he will be playing at The Seacourt Bridge pub at West Way, Botley, Oxford.
Watch this space for details.
I can thoroughly recommend that you get there and see it for yourself.
I will be the guy at the bar, pint in hand - and hopefully this time a few more of my friends will be able to make it.
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