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August 2010
Sunday 01  'Hi Ho' as they say !! A nice 240 mile journey to work today as I travelled up to Embo in the Highlands to perform at Grannie's Heilan' Hame Holiday Park.I have performed up here quiet a number of times, the first being about 20 years ago and have to say that this normally not one of the busiest of the Parkdean Holidays venues. That being said, it is a lovely big hall and the entertainment team are one of the hardest working in all the parks. Tonight was exceptionally busy though and I did a couple of sets to a very apreciative crowd. One lad came up at the end and thanked me for doing the 'best version of Chasing Cars since Snow Patrol' which I thought was really nice.....but then again I don't think the lead singer in Snow Patrol is that good ....so I will reserve judgemet on that compliment. It is always a pleasure to work with good people and thanks to Lee and his team, Katy & Craig. I am back up there in November in the last week of the season....... only the 7 hours of driving that puts me off !! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Tuesday 03  Well tonight saw my 2nd time co-hosting 'The Tuesday Show' on BHIG Radio with my younger brother Sean.The featured year tonight was 1978 and we had a great show covering 1978 and loads of requests . Each week we have a different featured year and then play a mixture of requests and material from my fellow performers. We played material from Edinburgh rock band 'The Blind Assassins'plus tracks by Gary Law, Robert T Leonard, Corrinne Oliver and singer songwriter Roy Henderson. With the usual mix of music and humour, we were asked if we could play on for an extra hour but opted to do only 30 minutes more, being a school night and all that. It also seems that things are going in the right direction because on the first show last week we had 45,000 listeners but that figure increased to 67,000 tonight !!! You can tune in every week through the BHIG Radio page or join the Facebook Group to put in your requests. Any recorded material that you wanted to be aired can be emailed to music@markmulgrew.co.uk
Friday 06  Tonight saw me do a rare Gig in Edinburgh and the bonus was that it is only 5 minutes from home too ! I had never performed here before so was unsure what to expect ...... but was surprised at how well the gig went ! I arrived to find that I would be setting up in the bay window area in the bar where there was a customer sitting having a quiet beer and reading his paper....... then soon realised it was actor Billy McElhaney who plays "Jimmy Mullen" in River City ! Ha ha..... tough luck, you were on my stage !!!! After a wee bit arranging of tables and setting up, it was showtime and I started off with my 'Tom Jones Tribute' spot. I have to say that this was very well received and the crowd were fantastic with their appreciation and applause. One woman in particular seemed to enjoy it lots and was up dancing with me a few times.....wiping my brow, etc !!! After a short break it was on with the show and 2 spots of upbeat material covering everything from The Beatles and The Drifters to Snow Patrol and The Killers ! The place was bouncing and even though there was not a dance floor, people were dancing wherever there was space. I love gigs like this and it really makes it all worthwhile when people come up and shake your hand and tell you how much of a great night they have had !!! This is clearly a venue where the punters know how to enjoy themselves and my night was made even better by having my wife and family and friends there too......which doesn't happen too often so was an added bonus ! As I have said, this was my first visit to The Balmwell for a gig and I hope it is not too long before I am back performing there ! Thanks to everyone in the venue for making it such an enjoyable night ! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Saturday 07  Well it was a good start when I turned up at Dunnikier Park Golf Club to find that they had got my name wrong on their flyer for the night ha ha !!! But, short of phoning my brother Mike, I thought I should just take it on the chin and crack on......All set up and ready to go and then had to endure a lot of bingo....... which I hate with a passion, and then on with the show. It was not the busiest night tonight but with around 50 or so in this wee lounge it was actually a very good atmosphere. From the 2nd song there were dancers up for the whole night and that always makes it so much more enjoyable. This is a nice laid back Club and the mixed age group of the members allows you to do a good mixture of material. It was also good when a lady of more senior years asked me if I was going to do The Killers...... which I duly obliged with Human to finish off and had the dancefloor jumping ! This was my first time here at Dunnikier and Alec, the convener, has assured me that he will be booking me again ! I hope so because all in all it was a great night ! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Sunday 08 This was my 3rd time performing at Methilhill Bowling Club but my first for a couple of years. In my opinion this is one of the best wee gigs in the country...... maybe due to the fact that you only do two 35 minute spots ? There is a resident band here and you play in between their sets and work on the very large dancefloor which gives you such an opportunity to get close to the audience and really work the gig. this band have been here for a few years and they come in at the end of your last number and continue from your track whilst rallying the crowd for an encore. Very good stuff ! The wierd thing was that they were playing in the hotel next to last night's gig at Dunnikier, so we both heard each other during breaks and then worked together tonight ! What a small world it is ! I had great interaction with the crowd tonight and had the cowd up dancing during both of my sets. It was nice to have some people come over at the end and say 'You are the best singer we have had in here in a long time'.... 'When are you coming back?' and 'that is the first time we have had people up dancing when the act is on for a long time'........ I must have done something right then ?! Always a pleasure to perform here, in what I would describe as a busy Club for a Sunday night, but unfortnately I will not be back until at least next year...... but looking forward to it already ! My thanks to Sharon and the band and to the Committee and mambers for making it a great night ! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Tuesday 10  This was my 2nd time at Pettycur Bay Holiday Park this year and I was hoping it went better than the last time I was here......because my amplifier packed in 10 minutes before my performance last time out !These midweek gigs are good to have and you never know what you are gonna get at Pettycur Bay. Unlike the weekend gigs, which are upstairs in the big hall, midweek you are in the corner of the lounge, above the swimming pool, so it is always very, very warm when performing. As I said, you never know what you are going to get audience wise, but I was pleased to find a half-filled lounge with a mixture of holiday makers, families, couples and resident owners too. Booked to do 3 x 40 minute sets, I planned out to have a mixture of old and new songs in each set to hold as many of the families as possible. Well that was the plan anyway and a lot of them left after the 2nd set taking the kids to bed. That left a good wee 'intimate' crowd to finish the night off ! There were 2 great wee events that occured tonight and have stuck in the memory. During the 2nd set, a family of maybe five or six, were sitting having a real good time, clapping along and singing away. It was then that I saw, maybe a 16 year old lad, had put on app on his iphone with an LCD type scrolling message which read 'GREAT SINGING' which he held up and showed it around the room !!! Thought that was pretty cool ! Then after the set, I was going out to get changed and when I came back in, the same family were just leaving and the same young lad said that his little sister had a 20p in her hand that she wanted to give me because she thought I deserved to be paid for singing.....I looked down and saw this 4 year old girl with a 20p in her hand !!! How cute is that ???? I was tempted to take it as well ! It is things like that, that really make my job so worthwhile sometimes and it is always in my mind that sometimes my performances and rapport with the audience can make someone's holiday more memorable ! I am not booked for Pettycur again this year but no doubt will be back there next season. Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Saturday 14  Tonight saw me hosting a wedding reception at Braid Hills Hotel in Edinburgh for Caroline & Chris Donlevy.There was no singing involved tonight, but along with my brother Sean, we provided a night of entertainment and humour to make the reception a night to remember ! I don't do a lot of these nights and have stopped taking bookings for them now, but I have to say that it was a fantastic night with a brilliant crowd who enjoyed themselves and participated in making it a memorable night for the happy couple ! I think the highlight of the night for me though was having Caroline & Chris leading the congo all around the hall whilst still in their wedding outfits....one to be remembered I think !! My best wishes go to Caroline & Chris for a long and happy future together ! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk One person has left a Comment already ! Sunday 15  Back on the road tonight and I was through to Udston Social Club in Burnbank (Hamilton). It is always a pleasure to perform in this very small intimate lounge whether it be on a Saturday or a Sunday night simply because the members, committee and staff are very, very friendly. Although Davie behind the bar has a tendency to wind you up with the 'last orders' bell ..... much easier if you ignore him !You can always have a great bit of banter with everyone in here although you are kind of stuck in a corner behind a small pillar so you need to move a bit to work the room. I performed a couple of upbeat sets with some power ballads thrown in tonight and had a great time. I finished up with 'A Boy From Nowhere' which was requested before as an encore and a respectful silence fell over the room as I belted it out. Thanks to Lorraine for requesting one of my favourite show songs ! I then finished off with 'Human' as an encore and had most of the punters up jumping around daft to it....which is always a highlight of my night. It was also nice to see one of my fellow acts Paul Fernon and his wife Kate, who had come along to watch my set ! Thanks guys and was nice to meet you ! I am back at Udston Social Club on Saturday 16 October and looking forward to performing there once again Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Tuesday 17 Tonight saw me again co-hosting 'The Tuesday Show' on BHIG Radio with my younger brother Sean and we had a content packed show tonight.The 'theme' for the show tonight was 'Boy Bands' and we covered everything from The Drifters to Boyzone with some Pink Floyd and The Jam thrown in too ! The show is mostly request based and we had some great requests and feedback from our 58,000 listeners tonight ! The show is becoming more and more slick and we also had a competition tonight with tickets for the Chinese State Circus at the Edinburgh Festaival being won by a listener (courtesy of Hugh Dalziel at Emkay Entertainments) With a mixture of humour and interaction with the listeners, we had a throughly enjoyable show and will be repeating the same format next Tuesday with the for the first hour being 'The 2-Tone Years'. If you have any requests then tune in and we will air them and your shout -out too ! Did You Listen to this show? Why not Leave A Comment Friday 20  Today saw me doing the horrible journey through rush hour traffic to get down to Ayrshire for a 6pm set up ! Nightmare at anytime but a Friday is especially bad. But, hey, I made it bang on time !!!Sandylands Holiday Park is another holiday park that you are never sure what to expect as in crowd numbers. The last time I was there it was very quiet but tonight was much busier and I was happy to see so many families staying for both sets. This is a big room and has a great stage area and big dancefloor to work ! Holiday Park gigs are what they are and it is only what you put into it that gets the result and satisfaction of seeing the kids and their parents having fun. My set at the parks involves lots of clapping and waving arms etc to keep the crowd involved and I love to see them especially up at the back of the hall joining in !!! The only downer on tonight, apart from the journey down through that traffic, was that for some unknown reason my laptop decided to switch off with a song and a half to go !!! Nightmare, but I padded out, ever the professional, until the entertainment team covered with some disco music. My thanks to Claire and her team, Amber & Dan, for their warm welcome and assistance on the night. Next time down at Sandylands is Friday 15 October at the end of the season.....here's hoping it is still as busy !!! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Saturday 21  Sometimes it is best not to follow your Satnav !!!This was my first time down at Burrowhead Holiday Village at Isle Of Whithorn so I thpought it would be best to use the trusty Satnav to get there ! That was probably not the best idea. Anyone familiar with South-West Scotland will be a ware that being taken through New Galloway Forest may technically be the shortest route, but it is one hell of a drive ! Anyway, I arrived safely and well on time. It is always a good sign when you walk into a venue and they say 'Oh here are your keys for your accommodation' ....that saves worrying about the drive home tonight ! As I said, this was my first time here, and despite the journey I had a fantastic night with a great crowd who wre up dancing from the very outset. In particular there were 2 young sisters who were strutting their stuff and doing cartwheels etc so I decided to get them up on stage and dance eiter side of me to 'My Girl'...... they kept fantastic time and had a great laugh too. This is a nice sized hall with a good set up. There is a stage and a good-sized dancefloor so there is a great area to work. there is also a lounga area through to the side where there were a number of customers but through the open alcove I could see them all joining in and singing, clapping & waving away. I love it !!! The owners of the park were in the lounge and seemed suitably impressed with the show I had put on, as were so many of the locals and owners with one in particular telling me that I was the 'best singer we have had here and that you should be in much bigger places' !!! Agents please take note ha ha ! I never get a great sleep in a caravan and this was not any different but I must say that to wake up to a view over the Irish Sea was very refreshing.
I would be happy to travel down and perform in this friendly little park in the future and thanks to the owners, staff and customers for making us feel very welcome !! So up and at them and back up thr road for the next gig tonight !!! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Sunday 22  Well, after a long drive up from last night's gig and a short rest, it was off to Linlithgow Rose Social Club for my final job of the week. Now, if there is a way to be greeted at a club, then Linlithgow Rose have got it right !! As son as I went in the door, a satff member said 'You must be Mark?' and then showed me throught to the lounge area to the changing area behind the stage and said that the convenor will be with me in a minute. Although I have bee here before, that kind of courtesy is always nice. Davie, the Social Convenor, then came over, shook my hand asked me what I would like to drink? How many Club's do I go to and get that kind of welcome? Not many !!! If you love bingo, then this is the Club to goto on a Sunday night in the East of SAcotland because they have 2 lots of it ! Not my favourite pastime to be honest. In this Club, the sets are a bit different to most, with you doing a 60 minute set and then a 30 minute set to finish. It has been a couple of years since I performed in this Club, butwhat I love is that with the mixed age group you can do a wide and varied set but also put in classics such as 'The Answer To Everything' and my finishing number 'Love Is All' . They are a great and very appreciative crowd in Linlithgow Rose and don't get me wrong, this is a big hall but it is never overly busy on a Sunday night but the members do sit and listen and show you that they are enjoying themselves. A lovely club and nice members too. Thanks to Davie for the booking and his kind words when thanking me over the mic at the finale of the evening.
Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Tuesday 24  Having taken a short notice booking yesterday, I had to cancel on hosting The Tuesday Show on BHIG Radio and head down to a gig in Southerness Holiday Village on the Solway Coast.I have been down here quite a few times over the last couple of years and I normally find it to be one of the quieter parks but tonight was different. This is a great sized hall and it was good to see both the lower and upper seating areas very busy for my first set with maybe around 250 people in the hall. It is sometimes fdifficult at Southerness to see the reaction from the crowd because of the lighting set up directed onto the stage but I could see people waving their arms away and had lots of dancers throughout the first set. More over though, I could hear the appreciation from the crowd after eac song and finished off the first set to a mass of applause, cheering and whistling !!!! That makes you feel good. it was a lot quieter in the 2nd half, which is the norm for parks because the parents take the kids off to bed, but still had a good set and again finished off with a great cheer and big applause. This is a lovely big venue and it was good to see it busier than normal. One more thing that must be said is the quality of the entertainment team here. They are amongst the hardest working in getting the kids involved in the show. Hats off to Paula, Chelsea and the rest of the team and I will be back at Southerness next year ! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Friday 27  Some people might say that it is a tough wee gig at The Village Tavern, Duntocher but I love this pub !Whether you are there on a Friday night, Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, there is always a decent crowd in here ! There are some of the locals who are there most times and they always give me a warm welcome and also a bit of banter which makes the night start off weel right from setting up the gear. Don't get me wrong, if you are a 'Prima Donna', then don't go and perform in the Village Tavern. You are wedged between to entrances to the toilets with only a small area to work but the locals will make a dancefloor out of any area they can and are always determined to enjoy themselves. A totally jumping gig tonight and a couple of good comments from within the bar. The manageress, Lorraine, said that it had went well and that the punters really like 'that old stuff' !!! Not sure how to take that but I presume it was a compliment....... note to self, learn some new material !!! And it is always good to get comments from fellow performers, one of which came up and said he plays in the Tavern sometimes and finds them a tough crowd to get going but also that I had really rocked the place, got them jumping and that I am "some singer" ! Thanks for that mate !! I am back here maybe a couple of times before the end of the year and will look forward to it as always ! Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Saturday 28  Well here was another night where I was not entirely sure what I was booked for at Sweepers Longe, Cambuslang Rangers Football Club ...... I remembered something about the number 40 but was not sure if it was a 40th Birthday or a Ruby Wedding ???I soon found out when I turned up and saw some brilliant imitation posters of the Glasgow Evening Times headlining the story about Harry & Linda being the 'Couple of the Year' and celebrating 40 years of marriage. I probably didn't start my night of too well when, whilst setting up and moving tables, I knocked one over which landed square on top of my big toe ! I actually thought I had broken it and was in so much pain, but had to set up and do the show regardless of the blood that was seeping through my sock !!!! I managed to get set up and changed into stage shows but still in great pain but as they say "The Show Must Go On" !!! It was not the busiest of nights but Harry & Linda and their family had a great time and that is what counts. I recieved so many compliments and requests for business cards so must have did something right. Lovely big club to play in too ! Final note, you always know when a family are having a good time when 2 of the males decide to get up and dance together too....totally no cares about who is watching ! Legends !!!  Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Sunday 29  Tonight was always going to be a good gig I thought ! And I was not wrong ! The owners of the Panmure Hotel, Monifieth had seen me performing at a gig and had asked me if I would do the cabaret at their celebration of their first anniversarry of owning the business.Of course, i was happy to oblige, and set off to find a packed room of family, staff and suppliers waiting to be entertained. I had 2 spots to do in between the disco and was pleased to find that I was going to finish at 10.30pm ....result !!! I had 2 very good sets and the punters were dancing and enjoying the whole night ! I have to give thanks to John & Nigel for the opportunity to perform tonight and also for the additional booking for a wedding next July ! Also nice to be asked to do Hogmany but I am already booked !! I really will look forward to my next gig up there in a lovely big hall with a nice stage area and great dancefloor! Great people and great hospitality !  Were you at this gig? Why not Leave A Comment or Email any pictures or video's to gigs@markmulgrew.co.uk Tuesday 31 What more can I say than these shows on The Tuesday Show on BHIG Radio just get better and better !Tonight we featured 'One Hit Wonders' and we played some really classic tracks from McFadden & Whitehead and Eddison Lighthouse among others ! We also featured some new tracks from some of my fellow artistes that we have not played before.....Annie Dee, Hayley J, Johnny Dee and One Dollar Bill. We are on every Tuesday from 8pm and if you want to hear yur material played then email it through to music@markmulgrew.co.uk . Did you listen to tonight's show, Why not Leave A Comment ? |
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