It's that beautiful time of year where the flowers have started blooming and love is in the air!
We played an absolute stunner of a wedding on Sunday 21st, for Jack & Marls at Stone Barn near Upper Windrush in Cheltenham. What a stunning venue and the staff were so friendly!
We arrived with the sun still shining - a moment that has been immortalised by our bass player James Crosdale, who hid in the bushes and snapped shots of us like surveillance of a drug swap.
*No drugs were bought or sold in the arrival of this band.
We were greeted by the ever-talented Harvey and our wonderful Grandad. who were all ready to go with the PA. We had a little time before soundcheck was happening, as the speeches were taking place, and the atmosphere was just gorgeous.
We all enjoyed some time chilling out in the sunshine, catching up like we don't see each other every five minutes.
As aforementioned, we had the legend of Sir James Crosdale with us on bass, our little Hazardous Harry on drums and the supreme Teebs on the keys, as well as our latest addition to the fold, Dawn the La La lady. It was great to hang out and have a laugh together.
We could tell these wedding guests were well up for a party from soundcheck. Everyone was bubbly, happy and you could tell they'd just had a beautiful day celebrating Jack & Marls union.
Jack was dapper in his formal stuffs and Marlene was just stunning. They'd gone for a really natural, sagey, leafy scheme with gold and everyone just looked like the best fairies.
They made us feel so welcome and looked after us, making sure we'd got everything we need, which is a wonderful thing because the couple are so busy and called on for so many things, but they took the time out to make sure we were OK and happy with everything. Jack is hilarious. And Jack's mom is also hilarious and wonderful!
As the sun was setting, the staff at the barn came out an lit giant fire pits and torches around the grounds, and as the night started to come in, there were twinkly little lights everywhere and the wedding guests were definitely ready for some music! The DJ was great - really communicative and helpful, and played some real cheese as well as got the party started.
By the time we were ready to go on, the area we were playing was full of guests ready to go!
When we play weddings, we literally pass over our entire repertoire and ask the couple to choose the set. So we played all the classics - 54-46, Everything I Own, War inna Babylon, Three Little Birds, Shanty Town, My Girl Lollipop, etc etc. Much of the crowd were definitely into their reggae! Everyone was up and dancing. At one point we lost sight of Harvey because of all the people dancing!
The first set was not without it's casualties, however! At one point I turned around and Clive had lost some strings and Anna had got a screwdriver to her register key. The show goes on, though, and we managed until they were back in the game!
Having those three-part harmonies between Sugar, Dawn and Clive really has added a whole new dimension to Reggulites music. It just sparkles and we couldn't be happier. The guys have really put the leg work in to get everything ready in such a short amount of time, with extra rehearsals and a lot of homework, and it has really paid off. I'm absolutely chuffed to bits for this new chapter in Reggulites history, and Dawn just fits us perfectly - she's definitely a Reggulite through and through, not just musically, but from the heart.
We got some beautiful roast vegetable cobs with Sriracha sauce in the break and we got to sit at the above posh table. It was just a beautiful venue, and I'm so happy for Jack and Marls. Also, they kept doing the rounds and then coming back together for a little chat and a cuddle, which is just amazing and I know they're going to have such a wonderful future together! *cries into coffee*
The second set went OFF and everyone was extremely danced out and a definitely the other side of tipsy by the time we'd finished. Redemption Song, courtesy of Sugar and Teebs was so beautiful, all the crowd were involved, James and Harry added their little elements in the build up, and Dawn harmonised to perfection. Real tears were shed, my guys. It was highly emotional!!
The whole team just made an absolute vibe on Sunday. I wouldn't have done it without any of them. I'm so proud to call this band my band, and to experience the amazing music they create together. We're working extremely hard at the moment, with extra rehearsals out of the norm for us to complete our backing ready for The Masquerade Ball on June 3rd, and our show with Susan Cadogan on 17th June.
THANK YOU, REGGUFAM! And thank you Jack & Marls for inviting us to be a part of your day!!
Me (Helen) and Anna have also had the pleasure of depping (filling in) for RudeSix, at Going Feral Festival, and Ultimate 40 at a beautiful venue for a 60th birthday party, so we've learned a lot for that as well.
And the hard work definitely wasn't over by the end of Sunday, because most of us were back together on Monday night for a rehearsal to prepare for ANOTHER WEDDING!!
Tuesday 23rd marked a very special wedding for us in Reggulites land. It was Izzy's wedding to the absolutely stunning Sade, and Izzy asked us to do something a little bit special for him... He asked us to learn a special song for the occasion. Beres Hammond and Buju Banton's 'I Need Your Love'. So...what were we going to do about the Buju bits?
Well, in a blast from the past, we were joined by past drummer, Chris, who did the Buju parts to an absolute tee. Thank you for performing with us!
Izzy and Sade's wedding party was the best! We saw and caught up with so many familiar faces and had a wonderful time. We got to spend time with Andy and Errol (our sister on the trombone, Errol) of Ultimate 40, Sweet Sensimilia, Leonie Smith, Catherine, Basil, Nehemiah and Candice Gabbidon, Curtis Nisbett, and so many more. We enjoyed the music of The Marley Experience before we went on stage, and we met some really awesome people as well, like the man himself of Black Symbol, which was an absolute pleasure. Everyone was just vibes!!
We wish you all the happiness in the world, Izzy and Sade, because you deserve it.
Also, we really like that song, so we've nicked it for the set. Sorry, not sorry!
It has been an awesome long weekend of spending time in Reggulites land, and I am still buzzing!
We've given ourselves a little break now, until Saturday, where we'll be leaving in the AM to reach Eastbourne for the wedding of Larry and Katie, which I've been looking forward to for a long time! Then it will be back in the studio to put the final touches on our Masquerade tracks!
And right now, I'm going to see about putting some digital music out there on the interweb... *tries to be ten years younger and understand technology*
Life without music is just impossible!
All our love, everyone!
If you'd like to see Stone Barn, take a look at their website: Stone Barn | Cotswold Wedding Venues — Cripps & Co - Weddings Venues (crippsandco.com)
If you'd like to check out RudeSix, look here: RudeSix | Band: Home
If you'd like to check out our sound engineers, they are here: Event Production | DB Acoustics | Coventry (db-acoustics.co.uk)
If you'd like to see what Ultimate 40 do... Ultimate 40 Reggae Band | Facebook
And if you'd like to see us at the events we're working so hard to produce:
AND DON'T FORGET WE HAVE MERCH, K THANKS BYE
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