Long time readers of Got A Ukulele will know how much I think of the duo that is Chonkinfeckle. In fact anyone in the ukulele world should know Chonkinfeckle!
Showing posts with label chonkinfeckle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chonkinfeckle. Show all posts
15 Jan 2017
29 Jan 2015
29 Jan 2015T14:55
There are so many clubs around the world now, and most uke players I know get involved with one or more of them, but you really can't beat a good open stage, a microphone and a sound system to really test your mettle. I think there should be more of that - just get up and do a tune people! And that's what Tim and Les from Chonkinfeckle have had set up now in their home town of Wigan, every Tuesday night at the Raven Hotel (on Wallgate).
As my readers may know, I have been off the stage for some time now, not having played in anger since August, and then hit with an illness over Christmas. It was therefore encouraging when Tim and Les are giving you a nudge to 'get back on the horse' as it were, and so it was this last Tuesday I made the trip up the M6 to Wigan for a blast with the boys.
They've got a great setup and all a performer will need (PA, microphones, lines if you want to go electric) and if you want some accompaniment from Tim on drums, or Les on harmonica or uke they will be only too happy to help you out. It drew a great crowd too - not just performers wanting their go, but locals who come in to listen to the entertainment.
And it comes with a proper Wigan welcome - how anyone can not be encouraged to get up and play with these two guys at the helm is beyond me.
So a plug post, yes, but also one of thanks to them both for having me up there. Did a few numbers, felt rather rusty, but most importantly had a load of fun. Some more pictures below.
I'd encourage you (whether local or not) to make the trip - Tuesdays from 7.30pm - great fun!
http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk
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Chonkinfeckle's Chonkin' Tunes Day
Just something ukulele based that I wanted to give something of a plug to. Something that I think we should see more of and may help to get some, dare I say it, out of their ruts - the Chonkin' Tunes Day open mic sessions in Wigan hosted by the mighty Chonkinfeckle.
There are so many clubs around the world now, and most uke players I know get involved with one or more of them, but you really can't beat a good open stage, a microphone and a sound system to really test your mettle. I think there should be more of that - just get up and do a tune people! And that's what Tim and Les from Chonkinfeckle have had set up now in their home town of Wigan, every Tuesday night at the Raven Hotel (on Wallgate).
As my readers may know, I have been off the stage for some time now, not having played in anger since August, and then hit with an illness over Christmas. It was therefore encouraging when Tim and Les are giving you a nudge to 'get back on the horse' as it were, and so it was this last Tuesday I made the trip up the M6 to Wigan for a blast with the boys.
They've got a great setup and all a performer will need (PA, microphones, lines if you want to go electric) and if you want some accompaniment from Tim on drums, or Les on harmonica or uke they will be only too happy to help you out. It drew a great crowd too - not just performers wanting their go, but locals who come in to listen to the entertainment.
And it comes with a proper Wigan welcome - how anyone can not be encouraged to get up and play with these two guys at the helm is beyond me.
So a plug post, yes, but also one of thanks to them both for having me up there. Did a few numbers, felt rather rusty, but most importantly had a load of fun. Some more pictures below.
I'd encourage you (whether local or not) to make the trip - Tuesdays from 7.30pm - great fun!
http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk
28 May 2014
28 May 2014T19:07
This year we wanted to to make this one bigger and better than ever, the previous two N'Ukefests being small and ad-hoc affairs, and so the planning for this started in late 2013. A change of venue too this year, moving to the better equipped Cotton Arms in Wrenbury Cheshire.
After the months of work on the devilish details, physical setting up started at the venue on the Thursday before the festival, and we were surprised to note that some eager punters had already arrived on the campsite. After a day decorating and setting up gear and stages, we retired on Thursday to await the onslaught on Friday.
Friday was the informal start of the festival where people could meet for a chat and a drink, and enjoy it they did. After a hard day setting up the stages, the punters arrived in their droves on Friday and much beer was supped into the (very) early hours! The nice thing about uke players is they will always create a jam for others to join in with wherever they are. Top marks go to the guys from Carlisle Uke Club who led a jam and singalong (with some sublime playing) inside the pub on the Friday. But it didn't end there. The Pavilion building for which we were holding the evening concert on the Saturday was soon put to good use by Paul Elcock of the SUSSies who had rigged a projector showing song sheets for a mass play along with yet more players.
Up early on Saturday morning to rig the outdoor stage and the place was soon full. Our raffle tent was quickly set up by Mary Agnes Krell and family and was soon displaying the fantastic prizes that had been donated from around the world.
We then started the open mic performances with a day full of bands, solos and clubs from around the UK taking their turn on the stage, all ably mixed by Chuck from The N'Ukes. We really didn't know what to expect or how we would manage amplifying such a wide variety of acts, but aside from some very minor glitches, we are pleased to report that everything ran on time and nothing broke down! I shouldn't pick favourites really as all acts performed so well and with great gusto, but I particularly enjoyed The Splintered Ukes from Liverpool, Autumn McCann and Joe Grant Mills and Michael Adcocks sublime playing in the style of Roy Smeck (ably joined on stage by Peter Moss).
The highlight of the open mic day for me though was an idea created by Steve in The N'Ukes, in an attempt to make the event more inclusive for new or shy players. So we coined 'Play With A Pro' and offered people to sign up to form three groups of players to go away and work on a song they have never played before and then perform it on stage with one of the evening performers. It was a concept that could have crashed and burned I guess, but when you had pros leading the groups like Phil Doleman, Mike Krabbers and Tim and Jake Smithies, how could it go wrong?. The groups looked nervous, but the group leaders took them through it perfectly and the three performances had some of the best audience receptions of the day! Oh, and did I say that by the end of the open mic session, two thirds of all of our raffle tickets had sold out?!
With not much time to spare after finishing the open mic stage, the evening acts were ushered to the Pavilion stage for the quickest of sound checks. Minimal fuss from these artists who have performed many many times around the UK, and we were ready to go at 7pm. Kicking off the show were our pals Ooty And The Cloud from Chester who delivered a suitably dreamy and classy set and soon had the pavilion full.
Dead Mans Uke followed with their fantastic, thrilling sound that really did have the audience amazed - I love their style and attitude and it was so good of them to come.
Next up, Krabbers and his set of introspective and also funny self penned tunes was a particular highlight and drew a great audience reaction - love that mans voice.
Then on to some sublime technical skill and a guy we love and were so pleased to have along. Phil Dolemans sets are wonderful to watch and always delivered with total professionalism. He certainly went with a bang.
Then a trio of guys we have been friends with for some time who we just knew would get the audience bouncing - Chonkinfeckle. One way or another the guys from Chonkinfeckle have contributed to each N'Ukefest so far, so we were delighted to have them back for the third time and see them perform a really tight set as a full band.
Closing the night were the N'Ukes - we were rough and ready, and extremely tired, but I think the audience enjoyed it. A highlight for me was some of the other evening acts joining us on stage for the final thrash out of Should I Stay Or Should I Go by the Clash. Note to self - when organising a ukulele festival, don't think you will be fit to play anything at a start time of 10.45pm..... It was a blur really...
Accordingly, straight to bed for me after the gig, but I know that the fun and games carried on in the campsite until the early hours. ( I shall keep the stories to myself....)
Up and at them for day two and things kicked off with the guys from Carlisle again and I had been dying to see them on stage. They have a really tight thing going on and were a joy to watch.
Special mention to Wirral Uke Orchestra, and a couple of their spin off bands such as The Mighty Flea for their very tight and well arranged sets. With an 'Orchestra' it's not straightforward to play so many ukes with such variety, but they nailed it I thought.
Early afternoon we had sold out of raffle tickets, and Mary Agnes Krell joined us on stage to announce the prize winners (at all times being put off by the blowing wind and her billowing skirt!). The generosity of those who donated still staggers me. And the raffle was not all, we also had a cake stall set up by locals Eileen and Rosie Mason with all proceeds going to the charity too.
And I said I wouldn't pick favourites, but who am I kidding... later in the afternoon we had an act that we just knew would blow the festival away. Nervously taking the stage was Zahra Lowzley from Edinburgh who burst into one of the most impressive ukulele performances I have EVER seen. Quite incredible and everything from classical to flamenco, dub step to bluegrass. Staggeringly good. I say this as no exaggeration - some people in the audience were in tears at the emotional playing and she received the only (and well deserved) standing ovation of the weekend.
And soon it was over. The feedback from attendees has been amazing and we are so glad it went off well. And what of the reason for it all? Well, the event was put on to raise money for two very worthy charities, Macmillan Cancer Support and The Wingate Centre in Wrenbury, a disabled children's charity located close to the N'Ukefest venue. And the total? £3,731.58!!! We are totally thrilled with that sum and it smashes the target we had in mind by some distance.
Thanks on behalf of The N'Ukes go to all who attended, took part or contributed in any way at all. If I start listing names, I will miss somebody and don't want to offend, so, thanks to all - you know who you are!!
FINAL Word has to go to this performance from Zahra!
Read More »
N'Ukefest 2014 - A Roaring Success
Well another year over and we said goodbye to the third annual N'Ukefest Ukulele gathering in Cheshire UK. Here is a very quick look back.
This year we wanted to to make this one bigger and better than ever, the previous two N'Ukefests being small and ad-hoc affairs, and so the planning for this started in late 2013. A change of venue too this year, moving to the better equipped Cotton Arms in Wrenbury Cheshire.
After the months of work on the devilish details, physical setting up started at the venue on the Thursday before the festival, and we were surprised to note that some eager punters had already arrived on the campsite. After a day decorating and setting up gear and stages, we retired on Thursday to await the onslaught on Friday.
Friday was the informal start of the festival where people could meet for a chat and a drink, and enjoy it they did. After a hard day setting up the stages, the punters arrived in their droves on Friday and much beer was supped into the (very) early hours! The nice thing about uke players is they will always create a jam for others to join in with wherever they are. Top marks go to the guys from Carlisle Uke Club who led a jam and singalong (with some sublime playing) inside the pub on the Friday. But it didn't end there. The Pavilion building for which we were holding the evening concert on the Saturday was soon put to good use by Paul Elcock of the SUSSies who had rigged a projector showing song sheets for a mass play along with yet more players.
 |
| Carlisle Uke Club entertaining the pub |
Up early on Saturday morning to rig the outdoor stage and the place was soon full. Our raffle tent was quickly set up by Mary Agnes Krell and family and was soon displaying the fantastic prizes that had been donated from around the world.
 |
| N'Ukfest Raffle Stall |
We then started the open mic performances with a day full of bands, solos and clubs from around the UK taking their turn on the stage, all ably mixed by Chuck from The N'Ukes. We really didn't know what to expect or how we would manage amplifying such a wide variety of acts, but aside from some very minor glitches, we are pleased to report that everything ran on time and nothing broke down! I shouldn't pick favourites really as all acts performed so well and with great gusto, but I particularly enjoyed The Splintered Ukes from Liverpool, Autumn McCann and Joe Grant Mills and Michael Adcocks sublime playing in the style of Roy Smeck (ably joined on stage by Peter Moss).
The highlight of the open mic day for me though was an idea created by Steve in The N'Ukes, in an attempt to make the event more inclusive for new or shy players. So we coined 'Play With A Pro' and offered people to sign up to form three groups of players to go away and work on a song they have never played before and then perform it on stage with one of the evening performers. It was a concept that could have crashed and burned I guess, but when you had pros leading the groups like Phil Doleman, Mike Krabbers and Tim and Jake Smithies, how could it go wrong?. The groups looked nervous, but the group leaders took them through it perfectly and the three performances had some of the best audience receptions of the day! Oh, and did I say that by the end of the open mic session, two thirds of all of our raffle tickets had sold out?!
 |
| The Splintered Ukes |
With not much time to spare after finishing the open mic stage, the evening acts were ushered to the Pavilion stage for the quickest of sound checks. Minimal fuss from these artists who have performed many many times around the UK, and we were ready to go at 7pm. Kicking off the show were our pals Ooty And The Cloud from Chester who delivered a suitably dreamy and classy set and soon had the pavilion full.
Dead Mans Uke followed with their fantastic, thrilling sound that really did have the audience amazed - I love their style and attitude and it was so good of them to come.
 |
| Dead Mans Uke |
Next up, Krabbers and his set of introspective and also funny self penned tunes was a particular highlight and drew a great audience reaction - love that mans voice.
Then on to some sublime technical skill and a guy we love and were so pleased to have along. Phil Dolemans sets are wonderful to watch and always delivered with total professionalism. He certainly went with a bang.
Then a trio of guys we have been friends with for some time who we just knew would get the audience bouncing - Chonkinfeckle. One way or another the guys from Chonkinfeckle have contributed to each N'Ukefest so far, so we were delighted to have them back for the third time and see them perform a really tight set as a full band.
 |
| Chonkinfeckle |
Closing the night were the N'Ukes - we were rough and ready, and extremely tired, but I think the audience enjoyed it. A highlight for me was some of the other evening acts joining us on stage for the final thrash out of Should I Stay Or Should I Go by the Clash. Note to self - when organising a ukulele festival, don't think you will be fit to play anything at a start time of 10.45pm..... It was a blur really...
Accordingly, straight to bed for me after the gig, but I know that the fun and games carried on in the campsite until the early hours. ( I shall keep the stories to myself....)
Up and at them for day two and things kicked off with the guys from Carlisle again and I had been dying to see them on stage. They have a really tight thing going on and were a joy to watch.
Special mention to Wirral Uke Orchestra, and a couple of their spin off bands such as The Mighty Flea for their very tight and well arranged sets. With an 'Orchestra' it's not straightforward to play so many ukes with such variety, but they nailed it I thought.
 |
| Wirral Ukulele Orchestra |
Early afternoon we had sold out of raffle tickets, and Mary Agnes Krell joined us on stage to announce the prize winners (at all times being put off by the blowing wind and her billowing skirt!). The generosity of those who donated still staggers me. And the raffle was not all, we also had a cake stall set up by locals Eileen and Rosie Mason with all proceeds going to the charity too.
And I said I wouldn't pick favourites, but who am I kidding... later in the afternoon we had an act that we just knew would blow the festival away. Nervously taking the stage was Zahra Lowzley from Edinburgh who burst into one of the most impressive ukulele performances I have EVER seen. Quite incredible and everything from classical to flamenco, dub step to bluegrass. Staggeringly good. I say this as no exaggeration - some people in the audience were in tears at the emotional playing and she received the only (and well deserved) standing ovation of the weekend.
 |
| Zahra Lowzley |
And soon it was over. The feedback from attendees has been amazing and we are so glad it went off well. And what of the reason for it all? Well, the event was put on to raise money for two very worthy charities, Macmillan Cancer Support and The Wingate Centre in Wrenbury, a disabled children's charity located close to the N'Ukefest venue. And the total? £3,731.58!!! We are totally thrilled with that sum and it smashes the target we had in mind by some distance.
Thanks on behalf of The N'Ukes go to all who attended, took part or contributed in any way at all. If I start listing names, I will miss somebody and don't want to offend, so, thanks to all - you know who you are!!
FINAL Word has to go to this performance from Zahra!
15 Mar 2014
15 Mar 2014T19:30
I love Les' uke playing style and also got to play this myself with Chonkinfeckle's percussionist and vocalist Tim Cooke at the last N'Ukefest. We like these guys a lot so were are delighted they are playing on the evening bill of N'Ukefest 2014 too. As well as that, they are playing at this years Grand Northern Ukulele Festival and also at the second Czech Ukulele Festival.
And if you want to know how popular the song is becoming, take a look at the Chairman of Wigan Athletic Football Club singing it on TV!
Take a look at my interview with Chonkinfeckle HERE and be sure to visit their website too
http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk
ps - Les - that one from the C - its a Caug!
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I'm From Wigan Me - Ukulele Chords
Just spotted this video and as good friends and great performers, I had to share it here to get some more traffic for the lads. Les Hilton from Chonkinfeckle teaches the chords for their track 'I'm From Wigan Me'.
I love Les' uke playing style and also got to play this myself with Chonkinfeckle's percussionist and vocalist Tim Cooke at the last N'Ukefest. We like these guys a lot so were are delighted they are playing on the evening bill of N'Ukefest 2014 too. As well as that, they are playing at this years Grand Northern Ukulele Festival and also at the second Czech Ukulele Festival.
And if you want to know how popular the song is becoming, take a look at the Chairman of Wigan Athletic Football Club singing it on TV!
Take a look at my interview with Chonkinfeckle HERE and be sure to visit their website too
http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk
ps - Les - that one from the C - its a Caug!
28 Jan 2014
28 Jan 2014T20:16
N'Ukefest is a charitable ukulele get together on 16-18 May, that is free to attend and now in its third year. This year though we thought we would go a bit bigger, providing two full days of ukulele open mic performances and a special evening programme of some of the UK's biggest uke performers on an indoor stage. Let's take a look at the evening programme first. We are delighted with these acts!!
Phil Doleman
We are well and truly delighted to get this act to N’Ukefest. Phil Doleman is extremely well known in the uke world and one of the highest regarded performers on the circuit.
Phil has been at the forefront of the ukulele revival for over ten years and is hugely in demand as a performer and workshop teacher. He plays beautiful instrumental uke, some standards, some self penned and has performed at more festivals than we can shake a stick at. Ken Middleton of Ohana Ukuleles called him ‘one of the most talented players in the UK’ and we would fully agree. Fresh from the Ukulele Festival Of Great Britain AND the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival we are delighted to have him with us.
This is a real treat! Did we also say that he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet as well? He is!
Chonkinfeckle
Chonkinfeckle are a Wigan trio made up of Les Hilton, Tim Cooke and Peter Byrom and we are absolutely thrilled they are playing for us.
They are extremely well known on the ukulele circuit, having performed at both the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain and this years Grand Northern Ukulele Festival in Pontefract. They perform unique self penned tunes on ukulele, gob iron, percussion and keyboards that stay true to their Lancashire roots. They tell tales of everyday life, work, local characters and often including the local dialect. Beltin!
Krabbers
Krabbers hails from Surrey, and is a well known face on the ukulele circuit and was most recently seen running the ‘open no mic’ and the ‘Unplugthewood’ sessions at the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival.
He is the founder and host of the ‘unplugthewood' open mics and jams and has performed ukulele all over the world including the Ukulele Festival Of Great Britain. He is with us at N’Ukefest as a solo act, performing a range of his self penned material. A fabulous performer with a real songwriting skill and we are so pleased he has agreed to play!
Dead Mans Uke
Another addition to the N’Ukefest line up is a duo we were not sure we could get, but it all worked out good in the end!
Tim and Jake Smithies have been playing together for a while now, and are a father and son duo who play in the mighty Anything Goes Orchestra. Dead Mans Uke is a stripped down, simple and stomping ukulele and bass combo that plays blues, Americana and anything else they darn well please on reso uke and double bass. Having played most of the pubs and clubs in their native Yorkshire Dales, including the odd festival (including the Ukulele Festival Of Great Britain) they are now heading further afield, stomping all the way. You have been warned!
The N'Ukes
That'll be our band then! The N'Ukes are hosting the event and performing their high octane set on the Saturday night.
The N’Ukes play an eclectic mix of rock, soul, blues, folk and country in their own style, accompanied by keyboards, drums and bass. Never ones to lean on lamp posts or tiptoe through tulips, they prefer to rock things up a little. We will look to throw some surprises into the mix on the night and of course you will get to know us as we will be rushing around during the day to make sure the event goes well!
Ooty And The Cloud
Ooty And The Cloud are a Chester based three piece making their return to N’Ukefest! Ooty comprise Stephen Fowler (vocals, uke, bouzouki), Rekha Fowler (Melodica, whistles) and Sally Gallagher (vocals, uke) and make some lovely music, much of it self penned with some inspired covers thrown in. Guaranteed to give us a dreamy set. Did we add they are also lovely people too?
And, that is just the evening programme. All day on Saturday and Sunday we are delighted that the following performers, bands, clubs have agreed to perform for the crowds on the outdoor open mic stage.
SATURDAY
11.00 The N’Ukes - introdcution, welcome and song
11.20 Jan Hough - Wigan
11.40 Bridgnorth Ukulele Band
12.00 Marc Gallagher - Nantwich
12.20 Congleton and Biddulph Ukulele Clubs
12.30 Ray Welch - Reading
12.40 The Splintered Ukes - Liverpool
13.00 Bluddy Hell - Wigan
13.20 Clarice Wokes - Leeds
13.40 Stockport Ukulele Players
14.00 Surprise Event announcement!
14.10 Ukulele Club Liverpool
14.30 Bolton Uke Group
14.50 Rob Collins - Hebden Bridge
15.10 Aldridge Uke Group
15.30 Beer Of The Infantry - The Wirral
15.50 Macclesfield Uke Group
16.10 Pete Shurmer - Chester
16.30 Surprise Event and book on the day slots
17.20 Michael Adcock - Tenbury
SUNDAY
11.10 Carlisle Uke Club
11.40 Blue and Beyond - South Wales
12.00 Dylan Kennerall-Walters - Stone, Staffordshire
12.30 4ukesake - Skipton
13.00 Stuart ‘Pockets’ Crout - Edinburgh
13.20 Wirral Uke Orchestra
13.40 The N’Ukefest raffle draw - hosted by Mary Agnes Krell
14.20 Mighty Flea - Wirral
14.40 Peter Moss - Alsager
15.00 Acoustic Milkfloat - Wirral
15.20 Zahra Lowzley - Edinburgh
15.40 Ukulele Union - Halesowen
What a ton of music for you! And don't worry if you are not booked in - keep sending us applications through the website as we will be keeping a reserve list for the open mic, and having some slots available for day visitors.
All details are on www.nukefest.com. We do hope you can come along.
Read More »
N'Ukefest Ukulele Gathering Line Ups Are Finalised!
Well, not quite a Got A Ukulele post, but news that the ukulele gathering being hosted by our band The N'Ukes is now booked up for performances! N'Ukefest is GO!
N'Ukefest is a charitable ukulele get together on 16-18 May, that is free to attend and now in its third year. This year though we thought we would go a bit bigger, providing two full days of ukulele open mic performances and a special evening programme of some of the UK's biggest uke performers on an indoor stage. Let's take a look at the evening programme first. We are delighted with these acts!!
Phil Doleman
We are well and truly delighted to get this act to N’Ukefest. Phil Doleman is extremely well known in the uke world and one of the highest regarded performers on the circuit.
Phil has been at the forefront of the ukulele revival for over ten years and is hugely in demand as a performer and workshop teacher. He plays beautiful instrumental uke, some standards, some self penned and has performed at more festivals than we can shake a stick at. Ken Middleton of Ohana Ukuleles called him ‘one of the most talented players in the UK’ and we would fully agree. Fresh from the Ukulele Festival Of Great Britain AND the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival we are delighted to have him with us.
This is a real treat! Did we also say that he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet as well? He is!
Chonkinfeckle
Chonkinfeckle are a Wigan trio made up of Les Hilton, Tim Cooke and Peter Byrom and we are absolutely thrilled they are playing for us.
They are extremely well known on the ukulele circuit, having performed at both the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain and this years Grand Northern Ukulele Festival in Pontefract. They perform unique self penned tunes on ukulele, gob iron, percussion and keyboards that stay true to their Lancashire roots. They tell tales of everyday life, work, local characters and often including the local dialect. Beltin!
Krabbers
Krabbers hails from Surrey, and is a well known face on the ukulele circuit and was most recently seen running the ‘open no mic’ and the ‘Unplugthewood’ sessions at the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival.
He is the founder and host of the ‘unplugthewood' open mics and jams and has performed ukulele all over the world including the Ukulele Festival Of Great Britain. He is with us at N’Ukefest as a solo act, performing a range of his self penned material. A fabulous performer with a real songwriting skill and we are so pleased he has agreed to play!
Dead Mans Uke
Another addition to the N’Ukefest line up is a duo we were not sure we could get, but it all worked out good in the end!
Tim and Jake Smithies have been playing together for a while now, and are a father and son duo who play in the mighty Anything Goes Orchestra. Dead Mans Uke is a stripped down, simple and stomping ukulele and bass combo that plays blues, Americana and anything else they darn well please on reso uke and double bass. Having played most of the pubs and clubs in their native Yorkshire Dales, including the odd festival (including the Ukulele Festival Of Great Britain) they are now heading further afield, stomping all the way. You have been warned!
The N'Ukes
The N’Ukes play an eclectic mix of rock, soul, blues, folk and country in their own style, accompanied by keyboards, drums and bass. Never ones to lean on lamp posts or tiptoe through tulips, they prefer to rock things up a little. We will look to throw some surprises into the mix on the night and of course you will get to know us as we will be rushing around during the day to make sure the event goes well!
Ooty And The Cloud
Ooty And The Cloud are a Chester based three piece making their return to N’Ukefest! Ooty comprise Stephen Fowler (vocals, uke, bouzouki), Rekha Fowler (Melodica, whistles) and Sally Gallagher (vocals, uke) and make some lovely music, much of it self penned with some inspired covers thrown in. Guaranteed to give us a dreamy set. Did we add they are also lovely people too?
And, that is just the evening programme. All day on Saturday and Sunday we are delighted that the following performers, bands, clubs have agreed to perform for the crowds on the outdoor open mic stage.
SATURDAY
11.00 The N’Ukes - introdcution, welcome and song
11.20 Jan Hough - Wigan
11.40 Bridgnorth Ukulele Band
12.00 Marc Gallagher - Nantwich
12.20 Congleton and Biddulph Ukulele Clubs
12.30 Ray Welch - Reading
12.40 The Splintered Ukes - Liverpool
13.00 Bluddy Hell - Wigan
13.20 Clarice Wokes - Leeds
13.40 Stockport Ukulele Players
14.00 Surprise Event announcement!
14.10 Ukulele Club Liverpool
14.30 Bolton Uke Group
14.50 Rob Collins - Hebden Bridge
15.10 Aldridge Uke Group
15.30 Beer Of The Infantry - The Wirral
15.50 Macclesfield Uke Group
16.10 Pete Shurmer - Chester
16.30 Surprise Event and book on the day slots
17.20 Michael Adcock - Tenbury
SUNDAY
11.10 Carlisle Uke Club
11.40 Blue and Beyond - South Wales
12.00 Dylan Kennerall-Walters - Stone, Staffordshire
12.30 4ukesake - Skipton
13.00 Stuart ‘Pockets’ Crout - Edinburgh
13.20 Wirral Uke Orchestra
13.40 The N’Ukefest raffle draw - hosted by Mary Agnes Krell
14.20 Mighty Flea - Wirral
14.40 Peter Moss - Alsager
15.00 Acoustic Milkfloat - Wirral
15.20 Zahra Lowzley - Edinburgh
15.40 Ukulele Union - Halesowen
What a ton of music for you! And don't worry if you are not booked in - keep sending us applications through the website as we will be keeping a reserve list for the open mic, and having some slots available for day visitors.
All details are on www.nukefest.com. We do hope you can come along.
15 May 2013
15 May 2013T19:08
Anyway, since then I've been eagerly awaiting a track from the new one, and here it is - the title track!
(if you are wondering what Francis Powell's Foot is - read the interview - but also nice to see it tie in with Wigan Athletics win in the FA Cup final)
Love that slide opening - and great video.
( DIRECT LINK )
Read More »
Chonkinfeckle - Francis Powell's Foot
A while back I interviewed Tim and Les, the good guys of Chonkinfeckle and friend of Got A Ukulele and they told me about their forthcoming album - Francis Powell's Foot. (Read that here!).
Anyway, since then I've been eagerly awaiting a track from the new one, and here it is - the title track!
(if you are wondering what Francis Powell's Foot is - read the interview - but also nice to see it tie in with Wigan Athletics win in the FA Cup final)
Love that slide opening - and great video.
( DIRECT LINK )
22 Jan 2013
22 Jan 2013T18:59
I met the guys earlier in the year and had the pleasure of both hearing them play and played with them myself. They are a ukulele duo based in Wigan in the UK who, in their own words, play songs that “tell stories of everyday life, work, wives, kids and local characters, and often include a little bit of the local northern dialect”. On meeting them I also learned that they are very nice blokes with a great sense of humour!
Got A Ukulele reviewed their last CD “I'm From Wigan Me” and loved their easy style with songs that provide both a mix of the amusing to the contemplative and moving.
So thanks to Tim and Les for talking to Got A Ukulele. I very much enjoyed doing this!
Give me a bit of background – how did you guys get into making music and how did you first meet up?
Tim: I come from a musical family, and as the youngest of three, I was never going to escape listening to music in the home from any genres, be it classical, straight through to 70’s pop!
Dad was a church organist; Mum was in the local choral society, big brother Steve a club organist and sister Andrea a jobbing singer / guitarist. I had always wanted to be a drummer from an early age but Mum and Dad didn’t see that as an option! I eventually got a drum kit at 17, but it was too late. I loved playing but was limited as to what I could achieve. I played in a few bands including a Brass Band, but eventually got fed up at always being the first there to set up, and always the last one to leave by packing all my clobber away.
I thought there must be an easier way to enjoy making music! So, for my 40th birthday whilst on holiday in Cornwall, the wife bought me a Mahalo Telecaster type ukulele and a chord book. I went back to the caravan and found I couldn’t put the thing down! But I struggled with a few chords, so when I got back home I went to the newly formed Wigan Ukulele Club, and that is where I met Les.
Les: My first introduction to music came by way of my granddad, when we would visit as young kids he would entertain us by playing the harmonica… through his nose!
One day he gave me the harmonica as a gift. I reluctantly accepted. Now, this harmonica was a double sided one, and fortunately for me, the side with the least glazing on was in the same key as my favourite song of the day, Lindisfarnes ‘Meet Me On The Corner’, which in turn led me to seek out other recordings featuring the harmonica. So while all my school mates were busy platting their legs to the Bay City Rollers at the afternoon Penny Dance, I was telling them about Sonny Boy Williamson, “and there’s two of um you know”… now, it turns out, this is not a good chat up line for a 14 year old!
Tim: Les was performing with another lad at the time we met, but after a few months he asked me if I wanted to do something together.
Apparently he heard me sing ‘Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls’, and that was my secret audition. Les writes these wonderful stories with added music, with a ‘Lancashire / Wigan’ slant, and wanted someone with a local accent to perform these songs. I’d never seen myself as a vocalist, as not being blessed with the family musical gene, but we got together at Les’s house and tried various way’s of performing. Nearly three years later, here we are!
Les: I felt I’d seen his face somewhere before. He told me he had been the resident DJ on the Antony Cotton TV show. But I tend to think it was Bo Selecta myself….
And what about that name – explain to the readers where that came from and whose idea it was?
Tim: The name is made up of two words really. ‘Chonki’, which means good or great. And ‘feckle’ (fettle) as in order. So if you were ‘Chonki Feckle’ you would be O’reet and in good health or spirits.
Les: Yes, some years ago I used to work in a factory and as you walked into the canteen for your first brew of the day, one of the old timers Owd Jack would often greet you with the phrase “nah mon, what fettle?” ‘in fettle’ meaning to be in good order (he would pronounce it ‘feckle’). If you were at one with the world that day the standard reply would be “chonki i fettle, the best kind”. Now, if you happened to be in a bad mood for some reason, to much beer the night before or other symptoms often brought on by a nagging spouse, the answer would be “no fettle” i.e. Keep Away!
So when it came to sorting out an email address one day I remembered that little phrase and put it together as one word spelling it the way I remembered it spoken (Chonkinfeckle)…. It looked better than ‘LesH569 if you know what I mean.
Tim: I think it was me who started to use it right at the beginning, as I thought, there will be no other buggers going around with that name! Stick it into Google and just our ugly mugs pop up!
So how did your first performances go – tell us the good and the bad!
Tim: Well, we sort of hit the ground running, the first gigs we did we both playing ukulele and had the backing tracks on a minidisc player.
Les: I think our first performance was in Wigan town centre. We’d posted a YouTube video of the song ‘I’m From Wigan Me’, which had been spotted by the town centre manager – there was a festival going on in town and he called us up at very short notice asking if we would perform the song in the gap between bands changing over. One song was never going to be long enough to fill the gap, so they asked us to do ten minute slots! Luckily we took a few backing tracks with us. At this time we had only done a few songs together, and so after fumbling our way through we promised ourselves we would start rehearsing…. A promise we often find hard to keep.
Tim: Our next gig was a fair size smaller which was for a local art exhibition to which we had contributed some recordings of Lancashire dialect, and they asked us if we would like to perform at the end of the exhibition. It was in an old mill, very small audience of about 20, and you could see the whites of their eyes, but it was a great gig! And that experience really opened up all the other possibilities of playing our stuff live.
Les: Chonkinfeckle usually only perform when asked, which is not a bad thing as people generally know in advance what they’re letting themselves in for, and we usually have a lot of fun. But for me some of the low points of performing come when we turn up to events (often for no fee) that are poorly attended. Recently we have been involved in a couple of Local Heritage days that have included amongst other things, clog dancing, dialect story telling, steam engines, vintage cars, fairground rides etc. Lots of effort put in by lots of people only to see a handful of people turn up on the day. It’s very sad.
One thing I find refreshing about you, is that you are songwriters, not a covers band. Tell me about the writing process that works for you.
Tim: Well, Les writes all the music and lyrics, so this section is all his!
Les: We have only ever played original songs or instrumentals. There are plenty of other acts doing a much better job at cover songs than we could offer.
All our songs are usually conceived and written in my Taxi, often picking up on stuff I overhear or conversations I have with passengers about life in general and the things that matter the most…. Partners, or marriage, nostalgia (when I was a lad), kids, work, beer…..beer! This often reminds me of my own experiences, sometimes I write a song as my way of getting my own back on someone, like a mean boss or a cowboy builder, so be warned!
I keep a cheap ukulele and note pad under the drivers seat in the taxi and during quiet periods (and there are many) I’ll take an idea and slap it around a bit to see if there’s a song in there. To be honest I’ve had no training as a writer of songs, but most stories have a beginning, middle and end, and a reason to exist. The hard part can be finding a chorus that ties it all together.
So do you bounce ideas of Tim or find yourself writing for his distinctive vocal delivery?
Les: I usually record a bunch of songs first then let Tim have a listen. He then decides if a song would suit him. Some work only as recordings, it’s during the recording stage that we will alter some of the words or phrases to suit Tim’s style. As for live performances, Tim needs to consider what accompaniment he is going to use, and more often than not a song will come out different from the original recorded idea.
Tim: Les is very generous with his songs. He constantly asks me for any input or ideas I may have. The trouble is, I ain’t too hot on the song writing front. I may come up with a line or so, or a certain rhythm for a song, but generally it’s all Les’s work.
I did write one song though about how I met Fred Dibnah as a kid. I showed it to Les, who basically scribbled most of it out, and re-structured it properly. At the time though, he was preparing a meal in the kitchen, so as well as chopping & cooking, he was rewriting my song! Who said blokes can’t multi task! (Bloody smart arse!)
What do you make of the current ukulele ‘boom’ we seem to be in at the moment?
Les: The first time I picked up a uke was in 2005, and I’m pleased to see its still a very popular musical tool. I get the feeling that the boom has levelled out though. I think the days of it being considered as a novelty may be over and it seems to me more widely accepted for what it is. It’s the norm these days for music shops to stock a fairly decent range of ukes, when once your only choice was either Spongebob or Flying V.
I think it gains more credibility when it gets used by some young and new acts as well as old ones. Did I see a Robert Plant pictured with one somewhere? (Yes you did it's HERE!)
Tim: The ukulele boom has been around for quite some time now. I don’t really know if the ukulele ever really fell out of popularity, but I think the introduction of the instrument into schools has helped enormously. For a child to pick up the uke and be strumming a tune in a short scale of time is fantastic. Plus it’s a natural progression to the guitar. The thing about the uke is, it’s light, it’s easy to play, but most importantly it’s fun to play.
I saw that you played the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain at Cheltenham. How was that for you and what other highlights have there been?
Tim: Well, what can you say about that experience!! We were a little bit gobsmacked at first, as this is the premier ukulele festival in the UK. And with the calibre of artists we were on the bill with, I must admit, it was a bit of a ‘bum twitcher’!
The worst part about it was having to hang around backstage, waiting to go on. It’s a large, very impressive room, so that is the thing that makes you nervous. I wasn’t nervous really about playing, as we had put a lot of time and effort into the set, but it’s not your usual audience. What we primarily do is to tell stories over the music; we just hoped that came across. We had some great feedback afterwards, and once we’d done our bit we could enjoy the rest of the day!
Les: Cheltenham was a great experience for us, though as Tim says, a nervous one. My concern was how would our local stories and sayings go down in an international setting? The Jury’s still out on that one.
Tim and I had attended the two previous events as members of the audience, so you can imagine what a shock it was when we found ourselves on the stage! We had a couple of technical problems – the drum-kit decided to dismantle itself before and during the set, and EQ’ing the washtub bass for the sound engineer was not the easiest task. We learned a lot from it though, and I’m thankful for being given the opportunity. As an added bonus I got to busk a bit of harmonica with Manitoba Hal, not bad considering we would have been there anyway.
I think playing at the festival has given us more confidence as performers, plus we don’t have to worry about the drummer anymore… he sacked us!
Tim: 2012 really was the busiest we’ve been. Apart from the festival of GB we supported The Lancashire Hotpots at a big festival in town. We played the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre in Bolton – we are huge Fred fans, so this was a dream job! Getting to mooch around his home and workshops and chat to some of his old mates as well.
We also got on the bill at a very popular folk festival in Coppull where one of the other acts was Joseph Boe, brother of the famous singer Alfie! Joe Boe runs the Fleetwood Folk Club.
Les: Other highlights for me were performing at the St Helens Rugby stadium to a crown of more than 16,000, and having the chance to do some live radio. I think we made six appearances as well as a Christmas Special by BBC Lancashire.
Tim: Yes, we got picked up by the late show presenter John Barnes. From that experience we got to play for the BBC at the Great Eccleston Agricultural Show, and from that go to perform on the Sally Naden show on BBC Radio Lancashire. 2013 has a lot to live up to!
Les: Recently we received a request from Mike Harding for all six albums to be sent to his studio. Short on coasters no doubt!
Six albums is impressive. What’s next on the horizon?
Les: Yes, six albums are available at the moment from our website, and album number seven which is titled ‘Francis Powells Foot’ is already recorded and will be out last October…! Or, as soon as Tim gets the chance to come and do the vocal tracks, which ever is the sooner.
There may also be an album of instrumentals after that. I’ve been experimenting lately with some exotic drum loops, but with any luck this phase with pass and I can get back to writing daft songs. I get lots of ideas….. They’re not all good ones.
Tim: Les finds it hard not to write stuff down. He has quite a bit of time on his hands, so his creative ‘juices’ tend to be flowing nonstop! I literally can’t keep up with him. It seems that every time I go round to his house he presents me with new stuff. Trouble is, I’ve not learned the last batch of songs yet!
Francis Powells Foot – now there is an album title. What’s the story?
Tim: Sir Francis Sharp Powell, 1st Baronet (29 June 1827 – 24 December 1911) was an English Conservative politician. He was first elected as MP for Wigan at a by-election in January 1881.
Now, there is a statue of Sir Francis Powell which stands in Mesnes Park, Wigan. It was erected in 1910; the statue is made from bronze and is green in colour. The statue shows Powell sat in his office chair, deep in thought. It also shows his right leg crossing in front of his left, which makes his right shoe protrude out further than the statue's base.
It has long been a long standing superstition that the rubbing of Powell's protruding shoe will bring a person good luck. Local belief in this tale is so strong that the shoe of the statue is never allowed to turn green due to the constant rubbing by locals and tourists. And believe it or not, they have just had to do extensive repairs on his foot, as it was, basically worn out! So as kids, we would go to the park, and give the foot a good rub, but I’m still waiting for my 6 numbers to come!
Les: I tend to think there’s one in every town! Anyway I was talking to someone the other day about the statue and he said, “who is he anyway?”. And if you ask any of the locals, nobody seems to know. Then he said, “the only famous Powell I know is Baden!”
A few of the songs on the new album deal with luck (the lack of or need of)… but not all of them. The first one is about by Uncle Bill, but that’s another story as they say.
Tim, we have to talk about your tea chest bass. It’s become something of a talking point at your gigs hasn’t it?
Tim: Well, this came about way before the big Cheltenham gig. What Les and I had a problem with was, playing 'live' to backing tracks. They were great to start off with, but you become 'slaves' to it after a bit. You have not got the freedom to experiment, and to go off at a tangent. So without the backing tracks, just us two on ukuleles, the sound was a bit 'thin'. It worked on the instrumental tracks, but not on the others. So, I was in a charity shop in Wigan, and they had this old tea chest, on sale for £3.00! So, I parted with my hard earned cash, took it home and attached the washing line & a broom handle. And to be honest, I was well impressed with the sound. A deep, warm, resounding noise it made. Even more so when I stuck a pick up underneath! Plug that baby into a sound system, and we have got some serious bottom end to play with!
And that was that, it breathed new life into us, and playing live was a completely new experience again.
Then Les had an old water butt, which he cut in half, so the same thing happened again. So, I have two basses to play with. But the only trouble is, now I've gone onto percussion! I got an old Zimmer frame, attached a washboard to it, a couple of old pans and tins, and voila!! A homemade drum kit. So my dreams of becoming a drummer finally came a reality....only 40 years too late!!
So what ukuleles do you play?
Les: I only have three ukes. The one that lives under the seat of my cab is a Stagg Soprano given to me by a friend to replace my black Bruko Soprano that was stolen by a passenger (Bastard!!). I have a Risa Ukelectric tenor that I use on most recordings and gigs. I have it tuned F, B flat, D, G with a low F).
I also have a six string (no name) tenor ukulele which is my favourite one at the moment. I’ve changed the order of the strings to suit fingerpicking and also prefer it tuned down to low F. For anyone who is interested in the reason for the low tuning, it’s my attempt at trying to fatten up what can be, to my ear, a thin sounding instrument for our current setup of washboard and harmonica.
Tim: I still have my original Mahalo and I have a Risa soprano.
And finally, the question I ask all the people I interview – what are your best tips for new ukulele players?
Les: Don’t keep your instrument in its case… Once you polish it up and put it away nice and safe in its case you’ll be amazed how much effort it can take sometimes to get it out again, especially if there’s a good film coming on telly… Always have it to hand, that’s what I say.
Tim: I would say, join a club. Even if you can’t play a note, you will find someone there either in a similar situation or there will be someone to show you what to do. Plus it’s great fun playing with other people. And the main thing is to enjoy it and have fun. That’s why I do it any how!
Les: I would also recommend getting yourself to a club or similar. After all, that’s where I met Tim and we’ve had some cracking ukulele adventures so far.
I couldn’t agree more fellas. Thanks so much to Tim and Les, and be sure to check them out on http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk and on their YouTube channel.
Their impressive range of CD's can be bought HERE together with their Chonkin' T-Shirt which I regularly sport at our jam sessions!
CHONKINFECKLE GIG DATES
February 22nd -- Unity Club, Standish. All profits to Coppull Folk Club weekend of 'Free Music' 14-16 June
March 3rd - Mesnes Park, Wigan - FREE EVENT - 12.00noon - 3.00pm
March 9th - Wigan Town Centre - FREE EVENT supporting Lancashire Hotpots from 1.30pm
March 17th - Haigh Hall, Haigh, Wigan - FREE EVENT 12.00pm - 3.00pm
Read More »
Chonkinfeckle - INTERVIEW with Tim Cooke and Les Hilton
Time for another Got A Ukulele interview, and the first of 2013. I am delighted to have hooked up again with the good guys from Chonkinfeckle – Tim Cooke and Les Hilton.
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| Chonkinfeckle - Tim Cooke and Les Hilton (credit: Dylan Chubb) |
I met the guys earlier in the year and had the pleasure of both hearing them play and played with them myself. They are a ukulele duo based in Wigan in the UK who, in their own words, play songs that “tell stories of everyday life, work, wives, kids and local characters, and often include a little bit of the local northern dialect”. On meeting them I also learned that they are very nice blokes with a great sense of humour!
Got A Ukulele reviewed their last CD “I'm From Wigan Me” and loved their easy style with songs that provide both a mix of the amusing to the contemplative and moving.
So thanks to Tim and Les for talking to Got A Ukulele. I very much enjoyed doing this!
Give me a bit of background – how did you guys get into making music and how did you first meet up?
Tim: I come from a musical family, and as the youngest of three, I was never going to escape listening to music in the home from any genres, be it classical, straight through to 70’s pop!
Dad was a church organist; Mum was in the local choral society, big brother Steve a club organist and sister Andrea a jobbing singer / guitarist. I had always wanted to be a drummer from an early age but Mum and Dad didn’t see that as an option! I eventually got a drum kit at 17, but it was too late. I loved playing but was limited as to what I could achieve. I played in a few bands including a Brass Band, but eventually got fed up at always being the first there to set up, and always the last one to leave by packing all my clobber away.
I thought there must be an easier way to enjoy making music! So, for my 40th birthday whilst on holiday in Cornwall, the wife bought me a Mahalo Telecaster type ukulele and a chord book. I went back to the caravan and found I couldn’t put the thing down! But I struggled with a few chords, so when I got back home I went to the newly formed Wigan Ukulele Club, and that is where I met Les.
Les: My first introduction to music came by way of my granddad, when we would visit as young kids he would entertain us by playing the harmonica… through his nose!
One day he gave me the harmonica as a gift. I reluctantly accepted. Now, this harmonica was a double sided one, and fortunately for me, the side with the least glazing on was in the same key as my favourite song of the day, Lindisfarnes ‘Meet Me On The Corner’, which in turn led me to seek out other recordings featuring the harmonica. So while all my school mates were busy platting their legs to the Bay City Rollers at the afternoon Penny Dance, I was telling them about Sonny Boy Williamson, “and there’s two of um you know”… now, it turns out, this is not a good chat up line for a 14 year old!
Tim: Les was performing with another lad at the time we met, but after a few months he asked me if I wanted to do something together.
Apparently he heard me sing ‘Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls’, and that was my secret audition. Les writes these wonderful stories with added music, with a ‘Lancashire / Wigan’ slant, and wanted someone with a local accent to perform these songs. I’d never seen myself as a vocalist, as not being blessed with the family musical gene, but we got together at Les’s house and tried various way’s of performing. Nearly three years later, here we are!
Les: I felt I’d seen his face somewhere before. He told me he had been the resident DJ on the Antony Cotton TV show. But I tend to think it was Bo Selecta myself….
And what about that name – explain to the readers where that came from and whose idea it was?
Tim: The name is made up of two words really. ‘Chonki’, which means good or great. And ‘feckle’ (fettle) as in order. So if you were ‘Chonki Feckle’ you would be O’reet and in good health or spirits.
Les: Yes, some years ago I used to work in a factory and as you walked into the canteen for your first brew of the day, one of the old timers Owd Jack would often greet you with the phrase “nah mon, what fettle?” ‘in fettle’ meaning to be in good order (he would pronounce it ‘feckle’). If you were at one with the world that day the standard reply would be “chonki i fettle, the best kind”. Now, if you happened to be in a bad mood for some reason, to much beer the night before or other symptoms often brought on by a nagging spouse, the answer would be “no fettle” i.e. Keep Away!
So when it came to sorting out an email address one day I remembered that little phrase and put it together as one word spelling it the way I remembered it spoken (Chonkinfeckle)…. It looked better than ‘LesH569 if you know what I mean.
Tim: I think it was me who started to use it right at the beginning, as I thought, there will be no other buggers going around with that name! Stick it into Google and just our ugly mugs pop up!
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| Les and Tim in Wigan, alongside a statue of famous Wigan user - George Formby |
So how did your first performances go – tell us the good and the bad!
Tim: Well, we sort of hit the ground running, the first gigs we did we both playing ukulele and had the backing tracks on a minidisc player.
Les: I think our first performance was in Wigan town centre. We’d posted a YouTube video of the song ‘I’m From Wigan Me’, which had been spotted by the town centre manager – there was a festival going on in town and he called us up at very short notice asking if we would perform the song in the gap between bands changing over. One song was never going to be long enough to fill the gap, so they asked us to do ten minute slots! Luckily we took a few backing tracks with us. At this time we had only done a few songs together, and so after fumbling our way through we promised ourselves we would start rehearsing…. A promise we often find hard to keep.
Tim: Our next gig was a fair size smaller which was for a local art exhibition to which we had contributed some recordings of Lancashire dialect, and they asked us if we would like to perform at the end of the exhibition. It was in an old mill, very small audience of about 20, and you could see the whites of their eyes, but it was a great gig! And that experience really opened up all the other possibilities of playing our stuff live.
Les: Chonkinfeckle usually only perform when asked, which is not a bad thing as people generally know in advance what they’re letting themselves in for, and we usually have a lot of fun. But for me some of the low points of performing come when we turn up to events (often for no fee) that are poorly attended. Recently we have been involved in a couple of Local Heritage days that have included amongst other things, clog dancing, dialect story telling, steam engines, vintage cars, fairground rides etc. Lots of effort put in by lots of people only to see a handful of people turn up on the day. It’s very sad.
One thing I find refreshing about you, is that you are songwriters, not a covers band. Tell me about the writing process that works for you.
Tim: Well, Les writes all the music and lyrics, so this section is all his!
Les: We have only ever played original songs or instrumentals. There are plenty of other acts doing a much better job at cover songs than we could offer.
All our songs are usually conceived and written in my Taxi, often picking up on stuff I overhear or conversations I have with passengers about life in general and the things that matter the most…. Partners, or marriage, nostalgia (when I was a lad), kids, work, beer…..beer! This often reminds me of my own experiences, sometimes I write a song as my way of getting my own back on someone, like a mean boss or a cowboy builder, so be warned!
I keep a cheap ukulele and note pad under the drivers seat in the taxi and during quiet periods (and there are many) I’ll take an idea and slap it around a bit to see if there’s a song in there. To be honest I’ve had no training as a writer of songs, but most stories have a beginning, middle and end, and a reason to exist. The hard part can be finding a chorus that ties it all together.
So do you bounce ideas of Tim or find yourself writing for his distinctive vocal delivery?
Les: I usually record a bunch of songs first then let Tim have a listen. He then decides if a song would suit him. Some work only as recordings, it’s during the recording stage that we will alter some of the words or phrases to suit Tim’s style. As for live performances, Tim needs to consider what accompaniment he is going to use, and more often than not a song will come out different from the original recorded idea.
Tim: Les is very generous with his songs. He constantly asks me for any input or ideas I may have. The trouble is, I ain’t too hot on the song writing front. I may come up with a line or so, or a certain rhythm for a song, but generally it’s all Les’s work.
I did write one song though about how I met Fred Dibnah as a kid. I showed it to Les, who basically scribbled most of it out, and re-structured it properly. At the time though, he was preparing a meal in the kitchen, so as well as chopping & cooking, he was rewriting my song! Who said blokes can’t multi task! (Bloody smart arse!)
What do you make of the current ukulele ‘boom’ we seem to be in at the moment?
Les: The first time I picked up a uke was in 2005, and I’m pleased to see its still a very popular musical tool. I get the feeling that the boom has levelled out though. I think the days of it being considered as a novelty may be over and it seems to me more widely accepted for what it is. It’s the norm these days for music shops to stock a fairly decent range of ukes, when once your only choice was either Spongebob or Flying V.
I think it gains more credibility when it gets used by some young and new acts as well as old ones. Did I see a Robert Plant pictured with one somewhere? (Yes you did it's HERE!)
Tim: The ukulele boom has been around for quite some time now. I don’t really know if the ukulele ever really fell out of popularity, but I think the introduction of the instrument into schools has helped enormously. For a child to pick up the uke and be strumming a tune in a short scale of time is fantastic. Plus it’s a natural progression to the guitar. The thing about the uke is, it’s light, it’s easy to play, but most importantly it’s fun to play.
I saw that you played the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain at Cheltenham. How was that for you and what other highlights have there been?
Tim: Well, what can you say about that experience!! We were a little bit gobsmacked at first, as this is the premier ukulele festival in the UK. And with the calibre of artists we were on the bill with, I must admit, it was a bit of a ‘bum twitcher’!
The worst part about it was having to hang around backstage, waiting to go on. It’s a large, very impressive room, so that is the thing that makes you nervous. I wasn’t nervous really about playing, as we had put a lot of time and effort into the set, but it’s not your usual audience. What we primarily do is to tell stories over the music; we just hoped that came across. We had some great feedback afterwards, and once we’d done our bit we could enjoy the rest of the day!
Les: Cheltenham was a great experience for us, though as Tim says, a nervous one. My concern was how would our local stories and sayings go down in an international setting? The Jury’s still out on that one.
Tim and I had attended the two previous events as members of the audience, so you can imagine what a shock it was when we found ourselves on the stage! We had a couple of technical problems – the drum-kit decided to dismantle itself before and during the set, and EQ’ing the washtub bass for the sound engineer was not the easiest task. We learned a lot from it though, and I’m thankful for being given the opportunity. As an added bonus I got to busk a bit of harmonica with Manitoba Hal, not bad considering we would have been there anyway.
I think playing at the festival has given us more confidence as performers, plus we don’t have to worry about the drummer anymore… he sacked us!
Tim: 2012 really was the busiest we’ve been. Apart from the festival of GB we supported The Lancashire Hotpots at a big festival in town. We played the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre in Bolton – we are huge Fred fans, so this was a dream job! Getting to mooch around his home and workshops and chat to some of his old mates as well.
We also got on the bill at a very popular folk festival in Coppull where one of the other acts was Joseph Boe, brother of the famous singer Alfie! Joe Boe runs the Fleetwood Folk Club.
Les: Other highlights for me were performing at the St Helens Rugby stadium to a crown of more than 16,000, and having the chance to do some live radio. I think we made six appearances as well as a Christmas Special by BBC Lancashire.
Tim: Yes, we got picked up by the late show presenter John Barnes. From that experience we got to play for the BBC at the Great Eccleston Agricultural Show, and from that go to perform on the Sally Naden show on BBC Radio Lancashire. 2013 has a lot to live up to!
Les: Recently we received a request from Mike Harding for all six albums to be sent to his studio. Short on coasters no doubt!
 |
| Chonkinfeckle take to the stage at the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain 2012 (credit Peter Johnson) |
Six albums is impressive. What’s next on the horizon?
Les: Yes, six albums are available at the moment from our website, and album number seven which is titled ‘Francis Powells Foot’ is already recorded and will be out last October…! Or, as soon as Tim gets the chance to come and do the vocal tracks, which ever is the sooner.
There may also be an album of instrumentals after that. I’ve been experimenting lately with some exotic drum loops, but with any luck this phase with pass and I can get back to writing daft songs. I get lots of ideas….. They’re not all good ones.
Tim: Les finds it hard not to write stuff down. He has quite a bit of time on his hands, so his creative ‘juices’ tend to be flowing nonstop! I literally can’t keep up with him. It seems that every time I go round to his house he presents me with new stuff. Trouble is, I’ve not learned the last batch of songs yet!
Francis Powells Foot – now there is an album title. What’s the story?
Tim: Sir Francis Sharp Powell, 1st Baronet (29 June 1827 – 24 December 1911) was an English Conservative politician. He was first elected as MP for Wigan at a by-election in January 1881.
Now, there is a statue of Sir Francis Powell which stands in Mesnes Park, Wigan. It was erected in 1910; the statue is made from bronze and is green in colour. The statue shows Powell sat in his office chair, deep in thought. It also shows his right leg crossing in front of his left, which makes his right shoe protrude out further than the statue's base.
It has long been a long standing superstition that the rubbing of Powell's protruding shoe will bring a person good luck. Local belief in this tale is so strong that the shoe of the statue is never allowed to turn green due to the constant rubbing by locals and tourists. And believe it or not, they have just had to do extensive repairs on his foot, as it was, basically worn out! So as kids, we would go to the park, and give the foot a good rub, but I’m still waiting for my 6 numbers to come!
Les: I tend to think there’s one in every town! Anyway I was talking to someone the other day about the statue and he said, “who is he anyway?”. And if you ask any of the locals, nobody seems to know. Then he said, “the only famous Powell I know is Baden!”
A few of the songs on the new album deal with luck (the lack of or need of)… but not all of them. The first one is about by Uncle Bill, but that’s another story as they say.
Tim, we have to talk about your tea chest bass. It’s become something of a talking point at your gigs hasn’t it?
Tim: Well, this came about way before the big Cheltenham gig. What Les and I had a problem with was, playing 'live' to backing tracks. They were great to start off with, but you become 'slaves' to it after a bit. You have not got the freedom to experiment, and to go off at a tangent. So without the backing tracks, just us two on ukuleles, the sound was a bit 'thin'. It worked on the instrumental tracks, but not on the others. So, I was in a charity shop in Wigan, and they had this old tea chest, on sale for £3.00! So, I parted with my hard earned cash, took it home and attached the washing line & a broom handle. And to be honest, I was well impressed with the sound. A deep, warm, resounding noise it made. Even more so when I stuck a pick up underneath! Plug that baby into a sound system, and we have got some serious bottom end to play with!
And that was that, it breathed new life into us, and playing live was a completely new experience again.
Then Les had an old water butt, which he cut in half, so the same thing happened again. So, I have two basses to play with. But the only trouble is, now I've gone onto percussion! I got an old Zimmer frame, attached a washboard to it, a couple of old pans and tins, and voila!! A homemade drum kit. So my dreams of becoming a drummer finally came a reality....only 40 years too late!!
 |
| Performing on BBC Radio Lancashire |
So what ukuleles do you play?
Les: I only have three ukes. The one that lives under the seat of my cab is a Stagg Soprano given to me by a friend to replace my black Bruko Soprano that was stolen by a passenger (Bastard!!). I have a Risa Ukelectric tenor that I use on most recordings and gigs. I have it tuned F, B flat, D, G with a low F).
I also have a six string (no name) tenor ukulele which is my favourite one at the moment. I’ve changed the order of the strings to suit fingerpicking and also prefer it tuned down to low F. For anyone who is interested in the reason for the low tuning, it’s my attempt at trying to fatten up what can be, to my ear, a thin sounding instrument for our current setup of washboard and harmonica.
Tim: I still have my original Mahalo and I have a Risa soprano.
And finally, the question I ask all the people I interview – what are your best tips for new ukulele players?
Les: Don’t keep your instrument in its case… Once you polish it up and put it away nice and safe in its case you’ll be amazed how much effort it can take sometimes to get it out again, especially if there’s a good film coming on telly… Always have it to hand, that’s what I say.
Tim: I would say, join a club. Even if you can’t play a note, you will find someone there either in a similar situation or there will be someone to show you what to do. Plus it’s great fun playing with other people. And the main thing is to enjoy it and have fun. That’s why I do it any how!
Les: I would also recommend getting yourself to a club or similar. After all, that’s where I met Tim and we’ve had some cracking ukulele adventures so far.
I couldn’t agree more fellas. Thanks so much to Tim and Les, and be sure to check them out on http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk and on their YouTube channel.
Their impressive range of CD's can be bought HERE together with their Chonkin' T-Shirt which I regularly sport at our jam sessions!
CHONKINFECKLE GIG DATES
February 22nd -- Unity Club, Standish. All profits to Coppull Folk Club weekend of 'Free Music' 14-16 June
March 3rd - Mesnes Park, Wigan - FREE EVENT - 12.00noon - 3.00pm
March 9th - Wigan Town Centre - FREE EVENT supporting Lancashire Hotpots from 1.30pm
March 17th - Haigh Hall, Haigh, Wigan - FREE EVENT 12.00pm - 3.00pm
27 Oct 2012
27 Oct 2012T11:26
I actually think it's a real shame when I find groups out there who actually shun the use of non ukulele instruments in their jam sessions or club nights. For me the ukulele works brilliantly when accompanied by another instrument, and that got me wondering whether my readers have tried playing the ukulele along with something completely different.
Now, you might think that the diminutive size of the ukulele means that it doesn't really work with other instruments playing along with it - not so. Read on!
Perhaps one of the most common instruments, (if you can call it that..) that crops up at ukulele jam nights is the humble kazoo - it seems to work so well with a ukulele (if a little cheesy sounding for my tastes). For me, why not take the kazoo up a notch to the natural successor and full musical instrument - the harmonica? We are increasingly getting harmonica accompaniment at our N'Ukes sessions from members of the Malbank Ukulele Club and I think it sounds just great, particularly on bluesy stuff.
And of course if the harmonica was ok for Bob Dylan, why shouldn't it work with a ukulele which is, essentially, a folky instrument. It's used to great effect by Les from the mighty Chonkinfeckle pictured below with Tim.
And that picture brings me on to the use of percussion. Tim in the picture is playing his famous Chonkinfeckle Tea Chest or Washtub Bass - and what a great sound it gives. You see, when a dozen ukuleles are played together, their naturally bright sound can, well, naturally get a bit overpowering and 'plinky plunky' (technical term...). I also think that ukulele sessions would benefit from some percussion (and Tim in Chonkinfeckle plays alsorts from tambourines to bones, to washboards). I also think a handdrum like a Cajon would also work a treat and again, the N'Ukes have been lucky enough to have been accompanied by that as well - it really gives an extra dimension to the sound.
The percussion section does not need to be just about drums though, but a bass line is a tone that I think a ukulele club would really benefit from. Whether it be a home made tea chest bass such as Tims above or one of the dedicated ukulele basses that are now on the market, it's a sound that I think you should try to experiment with - let's face it - a bass sound could not be much further away on the scale than a ukulele sound, and as such it works wonderfully. And I don't think you need to be too obsessive about it having to be a ukulele bass - before those uke basses were on the market the Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain played with bass accompaniment via a full size acoustic bass guitar.
So what about other instruments? Well, the skies the limit really. Sure, a group of ukuleles may struggle to get themselves heard over a Tuba or a screaming electric guitar, but you would be surprised at what can work. Take the picture below of Chester player Stephen and his wife Rekha who thrilled us at our mini uke fest - Stephen on uke and his wife playing beautifully on tin whistle. Really worked a treat.
The Guildford based UkeJam club actually play with one of their members Adam Wolters playing a lead / guide line on a full sized acoustic guitar as you will see on pictures on their website. Whilst it would probably be tough to do a gig with just one uke and one guitar, they have a good number of uke players and the sound balances. In that case though the guitar adds an extra layer of tone to the many ukuleles giving a fuller sound to the performance.
And what else works? Well, I couldn't write this post without a nod to the N'Ukes own Dr Pete who plays with us so wonderfully on saxophone.
Now you may think a sax would be too overpowering for a ukulele jam, but nothing could be further from the truth. Pete's sax truly brings some of our tunes alive (helped, of course because he is such a natural player!).
So I hope you can see from this little ramble that it really doesn't have to end there, and the sky is the limit. If you are playing ukulele with other people, you don't need to be completely uke-centric - try experimenting with other instruments, whether throughout your set, or just for a bit of something different. What matters is making enjoyable music!
Read More »
Ukulele accompaniment
This is a ukulele site, that much is clear, and as such I pretty much only talk about ukuleles. And in the ukulele world out there so many groups and friends do just the same, naturally. But, is the ukulele exclusive - should it only be played with other ukuleles? Of course not!
I actually think it's a real shame when I find groups out there who actually shun the use of non ukulele instruments in their jam sessions or club nights. For me the ukulele works brilliantly when accompanied by another instrument, and that got me wondering whether my readers have tried playing the ukulele along with something completely different.
Now, you might think that the diminutive size of the ukulele means that it doesn't really work with other instruments playing along with it - not so. Read on!
Perhaps one of the most common instruments, (if you can call it that..) that crops up at ukulele jam nights is the humble kazoo - it seems to work so well with a ukulele (if a little cheesy sounding for my tastes). For me, why not take the kazoo up a notch to the natural successor and full musical instrument - the harmonica? We are increasingly getting harmonica accompaniment at our N'Ukes sessions from members of the Malbank Ukulele Club and I think it sounds just great, particularly on bluesy stuff.
And of course if the harmonica was ok for Bob Dylan, why shouldn't it work with a ukulele which is, essentially, a folky instrument. It's used to great effect by Les from the mighty Chonkinfeckle pictured below with Tim.
 |
| Credit - Chuck Belanger |
And that picture brings me on to the use of percussion. Tim in the picture is playing his famous Chonkinfeckle Tea Chest or Washtub Bass - and what a great sound it gives. You see, when a dozen ukuleles are played together, their naturally bright sound can, well, naturally get a bit overpowering and 'plinky plunky' (technical term...). I also think that ukulele sessions would benefit from some percussion (and Tim in Chonkinfeckle plays alsorts from tambourines to bones, to washboards). I also think a handdrum like a Cajon would also work a treat and again, the N'Ukes have been lucky enough to have been accompanied by that as well - it really gives an extra dimension to the sound.
The percussion section does not need to be just about drums though, but a bass line is a tone that I think a ukulele club would really benefit from. Whether it be a home made tea chest bass such as Tims above or one of the dedicated ukulele basses that are now on the market, it's a sound that I think you should try to experiment with - let's face it - a bass sound could not be much further away on the scale than a ukulele sound, and as such it works wonderfully. And I don't think you need to be too obsessive about it having to be a ukulele bass - before those uke basses were on the market the Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain played with bass accompaniment via a full size acoustic bass guitar.
So what about other instruments? Well, the skies the limit really. Sure, a group of ukuleles may struggle to get themselves heard over a Tuba or a screaming electric guitar, but you would be surprised at what can work. Take the picture below of Chester player Stephen and his wife Rekha who thrilled us at our mini uke fest - Stephen on uke and his wife playing beautifully on tin whistle. Really worked a treat.
 |
| Credit - Keith A Lees |
The Guildford based UkeJam club actually play with one of their members Adam Wolters playing a lead / guide line on a full sized acoustic guitar as you will see on pictures on their website. Whilst it would probably be tough to do a gig with just one uke and one guitar, they have a good number of uke players and the sound balances. In that case though the guitar adds an extra layer of tone to the many ukuleles giving a fuller sound to the performance.
And what else works? Well, I couldn't write this post without a nod to the N'Ukes own Dr Pete who plays with us so wonderfully on saxophone.
 |
| Credit Tim Cooke |
Now you may think a sax would be too overpowering for a ukulele jam, but nothing could be further from the truth. Pete's sax truly brings some of our tunes alive (helped, of course because he is such a natural player!).
So I hope you can see from this little ramble that it really doesn't have to end there, and the sky is the limit. If you are playing ukulele with other people, you don't need to be completely uke-centric - try experimenting with other instruments, whether throughout your set, or just for a bit of something different. What matters is making enjoyable music!
17 Jul 2012
17 Jul 2012T22:31
Thanks to Chonkinfeckle!
I'm a sucker for ukulele case stickers... In fact, sometimes I plaster my ukes with them as you can see here.
Big thanks though lately to Tim and the guys for a big bundle of Chonkinfeckle stickers which now adorn both my cases and my ukes.
Oh, and if you don't know who Chonkinfeckle are you can either Google it as the sticker says, or let me help you with this link. Give them your likes and support.
http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk/
Got a brand or band you want to promote with stickers? Get in touch. I may even be able to return the favour with a Got A Ukulele or N'Ukes sticker!
Thanks guys! Love them!
Read More »
Big thanks though lately to Tim and the guys for a big bundle of Chonkinfeckle stickers which now adorn both my cases and my ukes.
Oh, and if you don't know who Chonkinfeckle are you can either Google it as the sticker says, or let me help you with this link. Give them your likes and support.
http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk/
Got a brand or band you want to promote with stickers? Get in touch. I may even be able to return the favour with a Got A Ukulele or N'Ukes sticker!
Thanks guys! Love them!
2 Jan 2012
2 Jan 2012T21:51
Chonkin!
A really nice ukulele jam with friends tonight, and my first public outing of the chonkinfeckle tshirt.
In view of that, I thought it about time I shared a Chonkinfeckle video. Enjoy!
Read More »
In view of that, I thought it about time I shared a Chonkinfeckle video. Enjoy!
19 Dec 2011
19 Dec 2011T20:37
You can find out more about Chonkinfeckle (and grab your own T-Shirt) Here, and you may also want to look at my review of their latest CD, "I'm From Wigan Me"
Nice one guys! I am a sucker for a ukulele themed T-Shirt!
Read More »
A Chonkin' great Ukulele T-Shirt
With many thanks to Tim and Les, the Wigan Ukulele Duo who go by the name of Chonkinfeckle, my Chonkin' Uke T-Shirt arrived today!
You can find out more about Chonkinfeckle (and grab your own T-Shirt) Here, and you may also want to look at my review of their latest CD, "I'm From Wigan Me"
Nice one guys! I am a sucker for a ukulele themed T-Shirt!
10 May 2011
10 May 2011T13:03
Chonkinfeckle - I'm From Wigan Me - CD REVIEW
With many thanks to the Ukulele duo Chonkinfeckle, I am in proud possession of their latest CD, titled 'I'm From Wigan Me', of which I thought I would share a review.
Chonkinfeckle are a ukulele duo comprising Les Hilton and Tim Cooke, two players from Wigan, Lancashire in the UK who first met in 2009 at the Wigan Ukulele Club. They both had musical backgrounds, having played in several bands, and decided to set up Chonkinfeckle as an outlet for their unique brand of ukulele music. (The term Chonkinfeckle is one of many local dialect terms you will hear on the CD - made up from the Wigan phrase for "how are you doing" HOW YOU FECKLIN? To which the response is often "CHONKIN!")
The CD of 19 tracks claims to be "19 songs about Wigan and some of its more colourful characters". It certainly provides that. The Album is, on the whole, a set of amusing, funny songs and stories told in typical blunt Northern style (I can say that, I was born in Lancashire too!) In fact, the duo do bill themselves as a funny outfit, but the CD does go further than that, and I like that mix.
A good section of the album is made up of the amusing and funny stories about local characters (no idea if some of them are real or not!), and funny encounters the boys may have had. We hear songs about the poledancing club (Stilettos), the story of the betting shop and Billy getting locked in the toilet (Billy and the Bookies) and the intriguingly titled Gypsy Don Petulengro Boswells Magic Hedgehog Oil! All of those such tunes did put a smile on my face - they are cheeky and loveable.
But the CD surprised me at going further than that. I knew of Chonkinfeckle before and had heard bits and pieces and thought that they were all about the funny stories. Not so. What struck me was the number of quite poignant, wistful and very retrospective songs on the album. You have the notalgic but upbeat "I'm From Wigan Me", but also the songs that look back to a lost childhood, like "Nothing Like That" and "18 in Wigan On A Saturday Night". The song that really stopped me in my tracks though was the shortest on the album, a soft, sad elegy to a lost friend called "God Bless You". Perhaps it is because I was also born in the North West of England that I connected with this retrospective take on things (something us Northerners do get accused of!), but for me, 'retrospective and wistful' means pleasing and heartwarming.
The musical talent on show here is also beyond question. Whilst in their publicity photos you see a couple of guys usually in caps and waistcoats, their style is no one trick pony. In the space of the album we have an undercurrent of English Folk, but we move through Spanish styles, (This Old Town, Billy & The Bookies), to bluesy tracks like Canal Song, and Talking Behind My Back Blues. We get a hint of Hawaiian island stylings in the tale of the reclaimed industrial areas of Wigan called "The Wigan Wow", and we get a reggae feel in the story of the man who came to read the electricity meter called "The Lekkymon". You are not just getting straight up ukulele strumming on this CD either. They both also play the banjolele and pick them very well also to nice effect on many of the tracks. There is electric uke on show too, and some good use of harmonica here and there.
So there you are - I finished listening to this album with a smile on my face, but also a homely feel. I am a BIG supporter of championing music that is true to its local roots so this ticks the box for me. I'd urge anyone, and particularly those far away from the UK (never mind Wigan) to give this a try - learn a bit of the local dialect and feel Chonkin'!
You can read more about Chonkinfeckle on their website - http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk/ which contains some videos and songs, and of course a place to buy the CD!
Thanks guys!
Read More »
Image copyright Chonkinfeckle
Chonkinfeckle are a ukulele duo comprising Les Hilton and Tim Cooke, two players from Wigan, Lancashire in the UK who first met in 2009 at the Wigan Ukulele Club. They both had musical backgrounds, having played in several bands, and decided to set up Chonkinfeckle as an outlet for their unique brand of ukulele music. (The term Chonkinfeckle is one of many local dialect terms you will hear on the CD - made up from the Wigan phrase for "how are you doing" HOW YOU FECKLIN? To which the response is often "CHONKIN!")
The CD of 19 tracks claims to be "19 songs about Wigan and some of its more colourful characters". It certainly provides that. The Album is, on the whole, a set of amusing, funny songs and stories told in typical blunt Northern style (I can say that, I was born in Lancashire too!) In fact, the duo do bill themselves as a funny outfit, but the CD does go further than that, and I like that mix.
A good section of the album is made up of the amusing and funny stories about local characters (no idea if some of them are real or not!), and funny encounters the boys may have had. We hear songs about the poledancing club (Stilettos), the story of the betting shop and Billy getting locked in the toilet (Billy and the Bookies) and the intriguingly titled Gypsy Don Petulengro Boswells Magic Hedgehog Oil! All of those such tunes did put a smile on my face - they are cheeky and loveable.
But the CD surprised me at going further than that. I knew of Chonkinfeckle before and had heard bits and pieces and thought that they were all about the funny stories. Not so. What struck me was the number of quite poignant, wistful and very retrospective songs on the album. You have the notalgic but upbeat "I'm From Wigan Me", but also the songs that look back to a lost childhood, like "Nothing Like That" and "18 in Wigan On A Saturday Night". The song that really stopped me in my tracks though was the shortest on the album, a soft, sad elegy to a lost friend called "God Bless You". Perhaps it is because I was also born in the North West of England that I connected with this retrospective take on things (something us Northerners do get accused of!), but for me, 'retrospective and wistful' means pleasing and heartwarming.
The musical talent on show here is also beyond question. Whilst in their publicity photos you see a couple of guys usually in caps and waistcoats, their style is no one trick pony. In the space of the album we have an undercurrent of English Folk, but we move through Spanish styles, (This Old Town, Billy & The Bookies), to bluesy tracks like Canal Song, and Talking Behind My Back Blues. We get a hint of Hawaiian island stylings in the tale of the reclaimed industrial areas of Wigan called "The Wigan Wow", and we get a reggae feel in the story of the man who came to read the electricity meter called "The Lekkymon". You are not just getting straight up ukulele strumming on this CD either. They both also play the banjolele and pick them very well also to nice effect on many of the tracks. There is electric uke on show too, and some good use of harmonica here and there.
So there you are - I finished listening to this album with a smile on my face, but also a homely feel. I am a BIG supporter of championing music that is true to its local roots so this ticks the box for me. I'd urge anyone, and particularly those far away from the UK (never mind Wigan) to give this a try - learn a bit of the local dialect and feel Chonkin'!
You can read more about Chonkinfeckle on their website - http://chonkinfeckle.co.uk/ which contains some videos and songs, and of course a place to buy the CD!
Thanks guys!
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