The Russet is a wonderful new restaurant/cafe/venue on the edge of Hackney Downs run by the brilliant Steve Wilson, the man behind the People’s Kitchen at Passing Cloud.
I will be singing a few songs at the launch party sometime in February. As you can see from the photo below, it is a lovely space.
Photo taken by Basia Bartz
We had a lovely show last wednesday at the RHS Harvest Festival surrounded by some of the largest and most impressive fruit and veg I have ever seen.
To the left of me above is Caitlin my new accordion player, on the right is Basia and then Helen Babbs with a copy of her delighful book ‘My Garden, The City and Me‘ which I have read and love. Find out more about it here – http://helenbabbs.wordpress.com/book/
Wow – an epic week up at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in which Basia, Jane and I managed to clock up over twelve shows in a week!
Click on the above image to hear us play ‘The Suitors Ballyhoo’ on the last Pleasance podcast of the festival.
Highlights included an amazing show at the last Golden Hour for The Forest Cafe and a lovely moment when we got to serenade a group of Maths academics in The Pleasance Courtyard who got another group of friends to watch us play via skype on their laptop.
Podcast recording and filming … L-R: Paul on camera, Robin on guitar, Basia on violin, Jane on accordion and Al on microphones.
A slightly tired Basia and Jane having a nap on the train heading north to Edinburgh.
July was quite the epic musical adventure with over fifteen gigs including a nature reserve, a squat, a farm, a cafe, a theatre, a library, a shopping mall, a canal boat and a floating stage by a pop-up cinema. Here are some of the photos…
Performing at The Big Day Out Festival at The Pleasance… That is none other than the living legend Ronnie Le Drew doing the puppetry! Photograph by Joey Toller.
This was taken at Helen Babbs‘ book launch on the summer solstice at Camley Street Nature Reserve.
These photos were both taken during our Folly For A Flyover show on a floating stage!
Teaching the kids how to hold a protest march at William Pattern Summer Fete with Jane and Basia.
A few months back I had a lovely recording session with Dean Firth and Tori Handsley.
Possible the most fun bit of recording I have ever done… I hope your ears can tell.
The Permaculture Song by Robin Grey
I don’t think I ever posted these online …a nice memory of a lovely trip to norfolk where we recorded quite a few tracks for my next album in a converted mill
Left to right – me, Iain Macleod, Amy Bowles, Basia Bartz, Ben Oliver and Joe Allen
this is the first of barbara’s photo’s from our time recording at The Mill in Norfolk – click on it to visit her blog and see the rest.
I have got back from spending the most divine three days with the band in an enchanted music studio tucked inside a mill in deepest sunniest norfolk. You can see the studio’s site here but it really does not do justice to the place.
There are loads of photos knocking about which I will post as they land in my inbox.
Barbara took this one of me emerging from the gimp-like vocal booth after the last take of the sessions and was able to email it to me straight away from her hi tech new phone so I thought I would post it up now.
Having enthusiastically accosted her after a seeing her perform with ‘Matthew And The Atlas‘ a while back, i have recently had the pleasure of working with Lindsay West.
We have been putting harmonies to some new songs of mine and learning a few of hers. At our rehearsal last week, Barbara (who has gone out and bought herself an accordion which she is playing beautifully) took a few snaps.
My favourite is this one above but if you click on the photo you can see a few more. Hopefully you will get to hear how ace the harmonies sound with accordion soon!
A huge thanks to everyone for making it such a special night – Lisa, Stu, Eoin, Emily and Iain for letting me take over their home, Wholefoods, Booja booja, Pukka tea and Yogi Chai tea for the food and drink, my band for being amazing and everyone else for coming and listening!
photos by film41.co.uk