Diamond is a band’s best friend…

Last weekend saw another jaunt Northwards and an appearance at The Diamond in Sutton-in-Ashfield for Bootleg Counterfeit Sweet. The Diamond is an unassuming venue, yet one steeped in music history, some of the great rock bands of the last few decades have trodden its well-worn boards. We rattled off the Sweet canon in fine style, energized by our fans, some of whom had travelled from as far afield as Jersey for the gig. The people who put this kind of commitment, effort and expenditure into supporting what we do are the lifeblood of any band, and we salute them!

Playing a venue so close to my hometown also gave me a chance to catch up with family too, so that was cool.

2014 will see B.C.Sweet step up its on the road activities – see you further on up the road!

Kev Moore

Bootleg Counterfeit Sweet in Brean, Somerset

L-R: Mike Koch, Kev Moore, Marc Pearson

Just back from a whirlwind visit to the UK to play with B.C. (Bootleg Counterfeit) Sweet. It’s always a blast playing with the guys, and a privilege to play the amazing Chinn/Chapman catalogue that propelled The Sweet to stardom. Our band has a long and chequered, and frankly troubled history, formed out of the ashes of the late Brian Connolly’s Sweet, continuing for a decade or more as B.C. Sweet with ongoing member changes until we were forced to change the name somewhat due to various external pressures. Well, from my perspective, it doesn’t matter what it says on the tin, this band kicks major ass, and you won’t hear a more in-your-face rendition of the Sweet catalogue.

The crowd at the annual Yesterday Once More festival at Brean were phenomenal as usual, wonderfully appreciative and a pleasure to play for.

Expect to hear more from us in 2014!

Kev Moore

A Tale of Two Festivals – Part Two: The Cazorla Blues Festival

I’d only been home from Italy for a day when me and my partner Miki set off on our Motorhome, The Boomobile, inland towards the Spanish town of Cazorla. This beautiful place has hosted a Blues festival now for nigh on twenty years, and it’s somewhere we’ve been meaning to visit for a while, but my own gigs have often clashed, so this was the first opportunity we’d had.

Next to the Cafe by the Dam on the first day-Great Ice-Cream!

We broke the four hour journey by overnighting by an embalse, or dam, built in the 80’s, resulting in a beautiful vivid green lake in the middle of a hot dry wilderness. A cafe by the shore was a welcome sight, serving ice-cream and beer to die for, and we undertook a huge walk around the dam and surrounding landscapes to assuage our guilt at pigging out!

On top of the Dam.Our walk took us down and across the bridge you see in the background.

The following day we hit the road again, making a stop in a village called Tiscar, which means ‘Mountain Pass’ in the Berber language,  a reminder, like so many in Andalucia, of the Arabic influence of the past.  The winding road, before disappearing into a tunnel in the rock face, passes the Sanctuario de Tiscar, an old monastery, and opposite was a large parking area where we pulled over.

Las Cuevas de Aguas

A steep path and stairway cut through the rock led down to the Cueva de Aguas, an unbelievably beautiful place, where a thirty foot waterfall thundered through the natural caverns into an oasis below. It reminded me of my time on the island of Dominica in the rainforest there. To get to the falls, one had to bend almost double and pass through a fifty foot tunnel to reach it, making it all the more enchanting for that.

Tight Fit: Negotiating the tunnel to the waterfall.

Not content with the punishing journey to and from the caves, we noticed an imposing stone watchtower atop the rocky cliffs that loomed over the Sanctuario. It had been the last Arabian refuge in the area until the Christians took it form the Muslims in the 14th Century. As we climbed the cliffs a little, I noticed, seemingly clinging to the sheer rockface hundreds of feet above, a metal grille staircase disappearing up into the distance. Further exploration revealed an entrance, unmanned, over grown, but passable, that led us to the base of this amazing metal construction.

Stairway to Heaven – The Sanctuario in the distance.

Without a thought, we made our way upwards, on and on, higher and higher until we were within the foundations of the ruined tower itself, with no safety net, but, oh, what a VIEW! Stunning scenery stretching for miles, the rooftop of the monastery far below, the motorhome a speck in the distance. A tough climb, especially on the see-through grill of the staircase, but worth the effort.

The Watchtower at Tiscar

In Cazorla-La Yedra Castle in the background.

We eventually arrived in Cazorla a full three days before the festival was due to start quite deliberately, as we wanted to explore it as fully as possible before everybody descended on the town later in the week. It turned out to be a great idea, because Cazorla had so much to see and do, and the surrounding countryside was magnificent for exploring and long (and punishing!) walks.

A brief rest before exploring the Castle!

The castle of La Yedra watching over the town was a great visit, and a legend connected with it told to us by the guide has given me a new Witch Cross song, so you’ll have to wait until our third album to hear what it is!

We parked up on the big open space where the Market is usually held at the bottom of the town, and one could follow the river up to the old Plaza through a beautiful riverside walk, the myriad waterfalls and overhanging trees providing a welcome respite from the unrelenting Spanish sun. However, pretty much everywhere we walked was uphill!

Riverside walk through Cazorla town

We had a couple of days before the music started, so we planned a couple of hikes….more about them in Part Three!

Kev Moore

Communi- Dad de Turre….

This week is very special for me. It is the first time my Dad has been over to visit me where we live in Spain.  We thought it was about time, and my sister and I clubbed together to bring him over as an 80th birthday present last year. We finally agreed on a date that didn’t clash with any Derby County football Club fixtures!

Dad on the quayside in Garrucha

One great thing about having him over is that I manage to get out and about much more than I normally would, and get to see where I live anew through different eyes. I do believe it helps in appreciating everything we have.

Dad in the mountain village of Cabrera

We nearly didn’t make it though. The weather was so bad in England on Friday when we were due to leave, the plane was delayed by over and hour, and by the time we arrived in Spain, the airport in England was closed!  I don’t think Dad could have picked a better week to escape the weather, as we watch reports on the BBC of power failures, 20 foot snowdrifts and even deaths with growing disbelief.

Boy racer…in the Cabo de Gata National Park

Ignoring the old beleaguered homeland and its plummeting temperatures, we’ve been swanning about in the roadster visiting places of interest such as Agua Amarga, Garrucha, Mojacar and Carboneras. It’s wonderful to spend these days together, and finally get to show him where Miki and I have made our home.

Kev Moore

Off topic: Rain stops play

Sunday, a sunny but temperate day, and we thought we’d head out to the local tennis courts on the bikes for an hour or two knocking a ball about. We’ve been threatening to do this for a while, but the summer was just TOO hot, and what with one thing and another, we’d never got around to it. Which is a shame, because I don’t think we’ll be getting around to it anytime soon.

The courts have been totally trashed by the recent apocalyptic floods that battered our area a couple of weeks back. I hadn’t even realized that the large river channel some minutes away from us had burst its banks. (We arrived home from the North the morning after the floods) -and the river channel that passes our house hadn’t been breached. But on arrival at the tennis park, we dismounted and stood, dumbfounded at the devastation. Every lamp-post , fence, or child’s play apparatus was swathed in bracken, detritus and debris, given up by the river on its relentless march to the sea.  The whole of the ground had been layered in mud, up to 6 inches thick in places, which had now eerily dried and cracked into some kind of devil’s jigsaw. It looked like a tennis centre from Mars. The force of the water had ripped metal stantions and fences asunder, and left weeds and driftwood occupying the bleachers where spectators might normally be expected to sit. It was a sad and depressing sight, especially, in the light of the current economic climate, we can’t possibly know when it might be cleared and repaired.

The day was salvaged by turning it into a full fledged bike ride out to Los Gallardos and back to Turre, exploring the route of the (eventual) new railway and a new urbanization that I didn’t even know existed! (I need to get out more!)

But I couldn’t help thinking, as I cycled along, knowing how saddened I was to see the state of the courts and the despair of ever seeing them restored to their former glory, just how much worse it was for those who’d returned to find their homes like this, or, tragically, those who never returned at all.

Kev Moore

Two trips to the UK in a week – Business & Pleasure!

My heads still spinning from yo-yo-ing back and forth from the UK recently. My first weekend involved a trip to attend my Dad’s 80th birthday party, which was fabulous, and a great chance to catch up with extended family and old neighbours that I rarely get to see living in Spain as I do.

L-R: Dad, My sister Kaz, Me, My daughter Hollie, My son Corey

Dad had a great time, and I wrote a song especially for the occasion called ‘Eight-Oh, let’s Go!’ which you can listen to below:

He also gave a speech, so I’m going to cause him terminal embarrassment now by publishing it on here! 🙂
It’s certainly a great milestone, and I’m glad we could all be there to celebrate it together.

The following weekend saw me returning to the area for a show with Bootleg Counterfeit (B.C.) Sweet at The Diamond in Sutton-in-Ashfield. This historic venue has played host to Judas Priest, Budgie,and my great inspiration Glenn Hughes’ Trapeze over the years, so we had to be on our mettle.

We played to a packed house, were well looked after by owner Gary, and the fans were fantastic. An added bonus was that my son, studying for a music production degree at Huddersfield University, drove down to meet up with me and catch the show.

Next time I hit the UK I will be down South, for yet another B.C.Sweet gig and a recording session for the upcoming Witch Cross album.

Kev Moore

First Witch Cross videocast from The Indalo cave!

Yes folks, I’ve ‘gone public’ and posted a new video from my studio here in Almeria province, Spain, giving a sneak preview of a new Witch Cross song  and speaking a little about Metal Magic V. There will be more occasional videocasts such as this one, so keep a look out!

Kev Moore

Witch Cross live at Metal Magic V – Part 2

Here’s a few more shots from our gig at Metal Magic V in Fredericia, Denmark at the weekend. Hoping to really ramp things up in 2013 with a new album and more dates!

We were really encouraged by the fan reaction to the new song we’ve introduced to the show – ‘Demon in the Mirror’, and we’re hoping to put another couple of new ones in soon.

Don’t forget to check out THE WITCH CROSS WEBSITE for all the latest news, photos and merchandise!

Kev Moore

Metal Magic V in Fredericia, Denmark with Witch Cross!

Heading out to Copenhagen tomorrow for the pre-show rehearsal for our appearance at METAL MAGIC V in Fredericia, Denmark, on – what else? FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH!!  It’s a real honour to front the band for the first gig in their homeland for many many years.

Can’t wait to kick some metal ass!

Kev Moore

FLOGIC!

This is normally something I’d post in my Want Some Moore blog, as it is a song I wrote to accompany one of my comedy ‘rants’ that I have the privilege of presenting on Bay Radio. Bay Radio is an English language station with a listenership of over 1 million, that broadcasts along the Spanish costas, from Valencia all the way down to Almeria. I feature twice a week, on The Sunset Strip, Friday nights 9.30pm CET, and The Sunday Brunch, around noon CET. Find out how to listen live by clicking on the icon.

Anyway, the theme for this week is feminine logic, ‘flogic’ for short – and please ladies, don’t kill me, because it’s all very tongue in cheek, and a bit of fun. I really enjoyed writing the track. (If you want to hear the rant too, tune into Bay, or check back on my Want some Moore blog next week, when I’ll put it up on a player)

It’s a funky kind of thing, with a nice bass line, and very choppy staccato guitars, and a lovely contrasting guest vocal from Kay Frances, whose album I produced a few months back.  The guitar ‘solo’  such as it is, was a bit of an experiment, removing the low E and tuning Keith Richard style, and giving it a ‘chordy’ sort of vibe. enjoy!

Kev Moore