Sweet success in sport and music

Northumberland musician Derek Allan, of We Steal Flyers, continues his weekly diary.
Rebecca and Ellie Allan with their cricket medals.Rebecca and Ellie Allan with their cricket medals.
Rebecca and Ellie Allan with their cricket medals.

September 1

Mel took Shaggy and myself to the 02 Academy in Newcastle for 2pm for a sound-check.

Ellie and Rebecca loved hanging out there. We left for food and I watched the support players, picking one up for future Acoustic Magic nights called Melissa Rose.

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It was a brilliant night, lots of fans and a couple of friends.

More people need to go to see live music, as well as play it at open mic events. Venues are all closing down throughout the whole of the country. If music is all about today and one player then fine, but surely it is about past, present and future, and all the musicians working on sets to play a show.

September 2

It has been a great year for Ellie and Rebecca at Morpeth under 9s, 11s and 13s. They have enjoyed it.

They love getting their medals and Ellie was lost for words when winning Player Of The Year with a hard ball.

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Thank you to all of the people involved at Morpeth Cricket Club, a nice, friendly world.

Melanie joined in and played a game with Rebecca’s team. It was a great day.

September 3

We love being at Alnmouth. It was the last under 9s game of the year today. It was not easy for them all in the wind.

Our county is a very cold and windy one. I walk it, watch Rebecca at athletics and both kids at cricket, and go to Durham a lot.

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After the game We Steal Flyers went to Think Tank in Newcastle, supporting Dick Valentine of Electric Six. It was a great gig, we loved playing and I stayed to watch him with Melanie. We loved him and afterwards we got a CD and made some plans with him, as we always do.

September for me means the end of the year is nearing and I am now booking dates for spring next year.

Time for autumn – I love this season, I love all seasons.

September 4

A few years ago when I was on tour in Switzerland I met an American in an English bar. We made friends – making friends is what I do.

People are everything, they invent everything we see and are the reasons we have everything; they are happiness, comfort, hope. Well, they should be anyway.

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When We Steal Flyers was touring Texas we stayed with this friend, John Castle, for a few weeks. It was a great tour. Today, he stayed with me once again.

Last time he visited Mel and I took him to see lots of Northumberland’s castles, he loves them.

Today he joined the Monday walk with Ellie and I. It was from Warkworth Castle to Druridge Bay.

We went to the shops at the pods on the Harbour in Amble. We bought some things and loved being there. John lives days away from a beach or harbour.

He then bought us a curry and we watched Indiana Jones.

September 5

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Ellie and Rebecca were back at school today, both in middle school now. I miss them a lot, but I love hearing their stories when they run in with smiles and love.

Tonight was a great night at The Hastings, putting on singer-song-writers from the North East. There are some great songs written in the North East. They only don’t make it big because they can’t afford to go on and believe they can’t make it. It is a shame.

Tonight Kitchy Retro, Chris Warnock, Sam Bosworth and Dave Cowan were great. They played 30-minute sets. We were offered three more months so we can help a lot more.

Acoustic Magic is a great thing and we work very hard for musicians, venues and the North East. Nights like tonight is the reason we do it.