Rye’s Brewery Yard Club glittered and glowed alluringly on a warm Friday night in July, while the duo of Martin Wimbush and Merv Cotcher performed 30 marvellous different turns, and the audience – sartorially elegant – experienced manager Jane’s expert hospitality.
Merv took us on a fast-paced ride through popular rock’n’roll from the USA, guitar instrumentals, Rolling Stones’ and Eagles’ hits, quieter plaintive songs and satirical ditties. Undaunted by his guitar’s ‘d’ string that wouldn’t stay tuned, and undeterred by the loss of his top ‘e’ string, Merv reached my personal favourite, Mac Davis’ witty song:
‘Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble,
When you’re perfect in every way!
I can’t wait to look in the mirror,
‘Cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me,
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble,
But I’m doing the best that I can’.
From start to finish of these memorable performances, audience participation was guaranteed. For ‘Sugar Baby Love’, Sue, Sally and myself morphed on to stage as the Mervettes Trio, swaying behind the microphones as we sang repeatedly “Bop Shawaddy Waddy Shawaddy Waddy!” to much applause.
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Interspersed between each musical turn was Martin, telling his richly sourced anecdotes from stage and screen, with his exquisite sense of timing, and in his delectable voice. Voicing actors’ stories of triumphs and comical disasters, Martin’s stories from performers old and new sent us a clear message: “Always say YES – seize the moment. Don’t say ‘Why?’, say ‘Why not?’. My best Martin moments: his recital of Betjeman’s poem ‘Middlesex’ and Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day…’
Merv’s incredible grand finale segued from ‘I hear You Knocking’ ‘Honky Tonk Woman’, ‘That’s All Right’, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, through to ‘La Bamba’, with’ an Encore of ‘Shake Rattle and Roll’ and ‘Rock Around the Clock’.
What a warm and affectionate evening this was – a gathering of friends entertained for free by the fabulous generosity of Martin and Mervin, in an excellent venue.
Image Credits: Isabel Ryan .