WELCOME TO THE NEWS PAGE. HERE WE'LL HAVE SNIPPETS, INFO, UPDATES,
          OPINIONS, AND GENERAL ODDS & SODS ABOUT PLAIN LOCO ACTIVITY!
 
 
11.8.08

HI Folks.

The summer holiday is ove..... oops said that last year :)
Where did a year go!? Thanks to everyone who came to our 2007 weekends at Weymouth. It was great to see you all. We look forward
to seeing some of you again this september and october, and also some new faces.
Some places are still available on both weeekends, so if youd like to come, book soon.
Photos from April 2008 are now on the website, see homepage.

August is the busiest month of the year for us in 2008, and we'll be up & down the country, with 7 gigs in 9 days at the end of the month starting with Stroud on the 23rd, and ending in East Kilbride, Scotland on the 31st.
Chck our gig guide page for details.

 
 
 
16.8.07

Hi folks.
The summer holiday is over and its back to work for Plain Loco. Thanks to Julie at the Jolly Stompers for putting on a great night at Stroud - our first gig back after the holidays and people braved the floods to turn out for a good night's linedancing.
The following day had a darker note sadly; We and many other acts worked at the South Will Rise Again festival in Dorset - a good day and evening with many excellent artists, only to find later in the week that most of us had worked free of charge, as our - and many others' - cheques bounced!

After many attempts to contact the organisers - and speaking to other artists - we realised that we are highly unlikely to receive any payment at all for our work that day and that the organisers are no nowhere to be found.
Thankfully this sort of thing is rare in this side of the music business, but this is certainly a lesson to us all and in the unlikely event that the festival were ever to be held again , we doubt if many artists would agree to work on it, including Plain Loco.

We look forward to seeing you all out there in the 2nd half of 2007, and especially at Weymouth in September and October.

 
 
 
28.12.06

Hello all. Hope youve had a good xmas and are looking forward to the new year.
We've had heavy colds, but managed to croak our way through the last few gigs - apologies for the vocals!
Thanks to all who attended out Twixtmas show last night at Ditton, we enjoyed it immensely and are looking forward to
doing it all again on the same date next year.
The first of our 2007 Weymouth Weekenders comes up at the beginning of february with some places still available, so if you fancy
an early new year break, do contact us and come along. Its great fun.

We look forward to another busy year and to meeting new friends and old.

Happy New Year from Plain Loco

 
 
 
 
15.5.06

Hi Everyone. Oh dear! A year since an update - hmm.. a fair bit has happened since then. We've had two great weekenders so far this year in March and April, and are looking forward to seeing you all in October down at Weymouth.
We aso went to Majorca last month for the Dance Olympiad weekend, where we worked with Glenn Rogers, Grrowler , Max Perry, Peter and Alison, and Alan Haywood amongst others.

We're also looking forward to the 'zoofest' in Dudley, West Midlands in august, and the Isle of Bute festival in september (see links page)

We've been spending the last couple of months working on our new CD, which as always has taken longer than intended, but we think it'll be worth the wait. Tina Argyle has written a great new dance - 'Baby Blues' to a song called 'I got the Blues about you baby' which we're hoping will do very well - she taught the dance at Weymouth in April and it was very well received.

The CD is now available, and the tracklisting is as follows:

Lets stick together
The World
Fire
Down on the river of love
The words I love you
You need a man around here
T Bone shuffle
Black Horse
I got the blues about you baby
Where you gonna go

If you would like to order the CD, priced at £10 inc p&p please drop an e.mail to Steve from the homepage.

Our Weymouth Weekenders in 2007 are in February, April and October - again please e.mail for details

 
 
26.03.05

Hello all.
A long time since the last update to this page - apologies!
We've been doing what we do - travelling around the country, playing music and meeting new people all the time.

Its an enjoyable job, and we're glad to see that in many areas of the country, linedancing is still thriving.
We've recently played at such festivals as the Macmillan Nurses charity weekend at Prestatyn, Kingshill Holidays at Blackpool and the recently revived Butlins festival at Minehead. All were well attended and great fun. Notable gigs for us in the latter part of last year were The Camber and Ayr festivals - also both very busy festivals and well worth a visit.

Thanks to our friends at the 'ey up me duck' club in Derbyshire for a great night - we'll see you at your Xmas party this year.

We're also looking forward to our numerous trips to Scotland this year, and Maggie G's week in Rhodes in October.

Regarding the Plain Loco Weekenders, we are now sold out for April and October 2005, and have decided to run three weekenders in 2006 - 3rd March, 28th April and 27th October - all at the Riviera Hotel, Weymouth.
Acts booked for the weekenders are: Kate Sala, Tina Argyle, Ed Lawton, Calico, Sidewinder, Billy Bubba King, Paul Bailey, Chris Mezza & Vegas. Please contact us for full details of who's on when!

For all information please e.mail Steve or Pinky - address on home page.

 

Thanks again for all your support in 2004 and we look forward to seeing you out there soon.

Lastly, congratulations to our friends Dave & Warren of Diamond Jack for their success at the Crystal Boot Awards this year.

 

 
05.12.03

Hi all. First, the advert!
There are about 40 places left on each of our 2 weekenders for April 2004 and about 20 places left for October 2004 so if you want to come, dont delay.

Well, we're coming to the close of another year, and its been a busy one for us.
We've been all over the country through 2003, from Cornwall to the Ayr and Isle of Bute Festivals - both great events by the way - we flew to both festivals, and that's certainly worth considering if you want to attend but dont live North of the border, as for us, flying was cheaper, and of course a lot quicker, than hauling up there by road!
We've met some great people out there, and want to say thanks to all of you who've attended the gigs and made each one an event.

Sadly some clubs have also closed this year. Many people say that weekenders are adding to this problem, and if so, we are as much to blame as anyone - but there are of course many clubs out there which continue to thrive in spite of weekend events. After all, not many people attend weekenders more than a few times per year, which certainly in a weekly club shouldnt affect things too badly across the course of a year.
It seems that many people will only turn out to see the acts they really like too, which is understandable, and places a responsibility on the organisers to book suitable artists for their venue - and charge a realistic door price - be it a linedance or more traditional club.

We enjoy playing at clubs and festivals, we also enjoy running our own weekenders, and believe that the two can exist side by side, but PLEASE DO SUPPORT YOUR CLUB on a regular basis or it will disappear!

Have a great Christmas, and a very happy New Year to you all. See you out there soon.

Gig guide also updated today to April 2004.

 
 
29.04.03

Thanks to everyone who came to Weymouth last weekend and helped to make our 3rd weekender another great success. Glen Rogers, Billy Curtis, Rachel McAnaney and our DJ Peter Fairhead gave their all to provide great entertainment and tuition over the three days.We really enjoyed ourselves and we were glad to see that you did too.
Even the weather wasnt too bad!
We're looking forward to October which is now sold out. Watch this space - details coming soon of two weekenders at Weymouth in April 2004.

 
 
19.01.03

Hello and a Happy New Year from Plain Loco. We're glad to announce that our new
7-track album is finished and has gone to press, so should be available by the end of this month. It contains some great songs as we mentioned below, and also a new version of 'Silver Shadow', which was a very popular track from the 'River Road' album. The CD will retail at £7.99, and will be available at Plain Loco gigs, or by post, by e.mailing Steve at the address on the homepage.

Regarding the Plain Loco Weekenders at Weymouth, April 2003 is now sold out, and October is about half sold, so if youre looking for a fun weekend, book your place soon.

 
 
25.10.02

Hi there. We've had a very busy September and October, including our second weekender at Weymouth last month which went brilliantly. We also did 3 shows as part of the 'Thunder Rolls' Garth Brooks tribute band which went very well.
Look out for more shows early next year.

We've been all over the country over the past few months and a trend that we're noticing everywhere is that many of you want to bring some of the fun back into linedancing.

Many people have said to us that they are unhappy with a lot of the 'techno' type music which has come into linedancing in recent years, and an overtly serious attitude towards the dancing which seems to have come with it. Also, too many dances coming out and going again within weeks, before anyone can really absorb the information and ENJOY the dances.
We dont make any stand between Country or Pop - after all there is good and bad music in both genres - but when we play live, we try to ensure your enjoyment by playing a cross section of new and older songs so that everyone can participate in at least some of the dances.

The main positive comments regarding our Weekenders has been that the emphasis is placed on enjoyment and social dancing, and that people dont feel too intimidated to get up and have a go, even if they're beginners. Lets try and keep it that way.

Lastly, we're close to finishing our new mini album - it will probably be 6 tracks - all great old songs which we have revamped in our own way. Some are country songs, some not. We hope to have it released by Christmas.

We're up in Scotland this weekend, including the great 'Ayr Festival' on Sunday 27th.
See you out there soon.

 
18.8.02

As of today, we have about 20 places left for next month's weekender, so should be another good one. Its not too late to book, so why not come along - we can promise you it'll be a lot of fun.

We're now taking bookings for April 2003 at Weymouth, with Plain Loco, Glen Rogers and Billy Curtis, with Rachel McEnaney teaching, and Peter Fairhead Disco.
E.mail Steve for more details (address on home page)

Gig guide updated today to December 2002.

 
26.6.02

A copy of a review of our April Weekender by Alison Sturmer

We danced & laughed all weekend!

So were the comments at the end of the first PLAIN LOCO LINEDANCE WEEKENDER at the Riviera Hotel, Weymouth. 200 keen dancers converged on the Hotel from Friday Afternoon to Monday morning.

Live entertainment was provided by PLAIN LOCO - resident for the weekend, DIAMOND JACK and the zany WESTCOASTERS. All three acts were brilliant and the floor was packed. The DJ for the weekend was PETER FAIRHEAD who anchored the weekend's entertainment & played just the right mix of music for the dancers. He did a wonderful job & made a lot of new fans. Dance instruction was from ED the urban cowboy LAWTON & MARC CALEY.

The new leisure suite with pool, sauna, solarium, whirlpool & training room, proved very popular especially for soothing tired feet! Some great new dances were taught including Raw Vibe, Dance Little Lady, Take Your Time, & Tears of Love from ED & All Over It, Na Mara & Oops I Slipped (partner dance) from MARC CALEY. Saturday Night saw a Glitter Ball & everybody joined in. The Hotel will be finding glitter for weeks. A flying visit from Karen Pymble (dance & smile) proved interesting and when she teamed up with the Westcoasters, madness ruled! Wigs & Rubber chickens were thrown, blow-up guitars were played alongside a bemused Diamond Jack. Saturday night went on to 3AM!! Ed Lawton & Marc Caley did the Party DJ honours late night to give the hard working Peter Fairhead a rest. Friday & Sunday night didnt finish till 2.30 ish. The Dancers didnt seem to need much sleep & the floor was packed by 10-30 next morning for the workshop!

LONDON BOOTS & HOMESTEAD ACCESSORIES were in attendance & many people got some new outfits or jewellery. The Hotel staff were friendly which made it all the better & the food was excellent.

PLAIN LOCO should be congratulated for a faultless weekend especially as it was their first. They were so pleased with the event they are selling places for their second one already. Same Hotel, 27th to 30th September 02. PLAIN LOCO, PAUL BAILEY & DIAMOND JACK entertain. HONKY TONK CLIFF DJ, dance instruction from ED LAWTON & TINA ARGYLE.

Alison Sturmer.

 

23.4.02

Well, got back yesterday, tired but very happy with our 1st weekender at Weymouth. It went better than we could have hoped for really, with a great relaxed atmosphere and a lot of fun.
Thanks to all of the people involved, who without exception did a fantastic job - Peter Fairhead our DJ, Ed Lawton and Mark Cayley, the Westcoasters and Diamond Jack all gave their very best to help make it such a great weekend.
Above all, thanks to all of you who came along and enjoyed yourselves - we really had a good time. We'll have some pics up on the site soon.
We'll be back at the Riviera in September, and again next April - hope to see you there.

 
 
1.2.02

Hi there and a (belated) Happy New Year. Lots of news - some good, some not so good!
From 11th March this year, Bill will be leaving us and Plain Loco will be continuing as a duo.
We have had to make this change for various reasons and are sorry to see Bill go.
We've had a good time and wish him every success for the future.

We are currently reworking the music and sound system to accomodate this change and want to assure you that the duo will be working as normal under the same name, and offering the same entertainment as always.

One of the reasons for the change is that we recently accepted an offer to join the Thunder Rolls show.
For many of the Thunder Rolls shows we will have to travel to them directly before, after,or in between Plain Loco gigs and logistically, it is much simpler for the duo to work in both camps.

Steve will be on Bass and Harmonica, and Tony on Acoustic/Electric guitar. If rehearsals go well, we will be starting live work with them around the end of february.

The Plain Loco Weekends will be going ahead as planned (April now sold out) and we hope to see you out there very soon.

 
 
1.10.01

Still a few places left on our first weekender, and the flyers have just gone to print for the second one, to be held at the same venue in Sept 2002. Slight price increase on the first one, due to higher hotel costs, but still representing great value.
Please check out the details on the weekender 2 page, and give us a call or send us an e.mail.

October is a busy month for us, with 18 gigs all over the country from Somerset to Scotland - hope we see you out there.

 
14.9.01

As of today, only 25 places left on our Weekender at Weymouth next April, so book now if you want to come.
We're running the second one at the same venue in September next year and will post details here as soon as we start taking bookings.

20.6.01

Due to unforseen circumstances, The Drive will now not be appearing at our Linedance Weekender next April. The good news is we have managed to secure the services of Diamond Jack as replacements. Tickets are selling fast.

 
01.05.01

Few additions and subtractions to gig guide.
See our page about the Linedance Weekender next year featuring Lonestar Country
(now 'The Drive'), Westcoasters, Ed Lawton, Peter Fairhead and of course Plain Loco.

 
03.04.01

Gig guide updated to July 2001

 
02.04.01

News coming soon of the Plain Loco Linedance weekend to be held in April next year at Weymouth. Watch this space.

 
01.04.01

If anyone's listening to Ritz Radio 1035 out there on Wednesday April 4th, Plain Loco will be on between 10.40 and 11.15 am doing a live acoustic session and interview. Tune in!

 
20.03.01

Excerpt from 'Dance 4 U' Magazine, March 2001.

UK RADIO AWARDS

"Maybe its us , but how can country awards be given out for albums without even a mention for one of the best new country albums of the year 2000 - original songs and a great production - is a complete mystery. We're talking here about PLAIN LOCO's excellent 'BLUE MEMORY' album. How can folk ignore what for many is a milestone album?With classic cuts like 'Blue Blue Memory', 'The One That Got Away', 'The Bigger The Heart', and 'Pull the Pin', plus a blinding production by singer / songwriter Sean Kenny, this album stands out as a beacon for what artists can achieve here in the UK and it also shows that not all quality artists come from Music Row, USA.

Johnny S.
Thanks Johnny - we're saying nothing!

 
18.02.01

We were disappointed to hear that 'Blue Memory' didn't win the UK Country Radio award for best album - after such a good press and audience response, we thought we thought we may be in with a chance. Congratulations, however, to the winning band.

 
10.02.01

Couple of new pics posted today

 
 
22.01.01

Gig Guide to May 2001 Posted today

 

16.01.01

A belated Happy New Year to you all!! Sorry it's been a while since the last update, but you know how it is - Christmas, New Year, too much food and drink etc etc.
Anyway, 'hope you all had a good one. We had some good pre - xmas gigs at Walton on Naze, Pelsall and WYMONDHAM (Sorry it wasn't on the gig guide, Debs!!), and then a great time over the cold New Year as Resident Band at Vauxhall Park, Yarmouth, for HH Promotions. Along with the Deans, the Bunch, the Westcoasters, Glen Mitchell, Roger Shepherd and others, we really enjoyed ourselves. Thanks to Ray and Eileen for making us welcome and creating such a great atmosphere throughout the whole weekend.

January 4th saw us up in the North East of England for 9 gigs and then finishing off the trip at the Fort San Antone.

Will update the gig guide from March 2001 onwards as soon as we have the full details.

 

 
10.11.00

Just found out that 'Blue Memory' has been voted into the final three for the Southern Country Radio Awards 'Best British album of the year'.
Thanks to all the D.J.s for their support, and fingers crossed!

 
 
15.9.00

Thanks to all at Riviera Leisure Breaks for a great night at the Norbreck Castle,Blackpool
last weekend. Just under 800 linedancers were packed into the hall along with Rob Fowler, Johnny 2 step and Plain Loco, everyone seemed to have a great time - Riviera seem to know how to do it just right.
We're off the Belgian Country Music Festival at Bruges tomorrow (saturday) - provided
we can find some diesel!! - and we'll let you know how it all goes - should be fun!

Look out for a 2-page article on Plain Loco in 'Up Country' Sept issue, and also,
Jan Brookfield's dance 'Blue Memory' will be in the October issue of 'Linedancer'.

30.8.00

Well, we're back after a short break, and very excited that 'Pull the Pin', a track from the 'Blue Memory' album, is on its second week on Radio 1035's 'B' playlist, which means it's getting 23 plays a week on that station - great news - thanks again to 1035.

 

BLUE MEMORY ALBUM

Stop Press.
Country 1035 are now playing Plain Loco! Bill, our guitarist heard 'Pull the Pin' recently on the morning show, and Johnny S from 'Dance 4 U' called to tell us he had also heard the track on another 1035 show. Thanks Johnny for your help in this, thanks also to Maria Hunt and thanks to 1035 for realising that there are some British artists worth playing - let's hope this continues with other bands.

A BIG thank you to all the DJs who've been playing tracks from the new album. We've had only positive reactions so far, and seem to be getting a good amount of airplay Anyway, we're extremely pleased with the radio reaction and magazine reviews so far, and thanks to all of you out there who've bought the C.D.
If you have bought a copy, let us know what you think on the guestbook or by e.mail - good or bad - we can take it!!!

 

DALE WATSON - THE BORDERLINE - 7.8.00.

What a brilliant Gig! Dale Watson came onstage at around 9pm to a rapturous reception at the packed Borderline Club. From the first chord we were transported to a Texas Honky Tonk where we remained enthralled for the next two hours. The band moved smoothly from slow ballads to fast Texas Swing and all points in between. Dale has a natural charisma, and an easy rapport with an audience which meant the crowd were with him from the beginning, and although his famed views of the 'Nashville Machine' were not expressed quite so scathingly tonight ('I'd be preaching to the choir...') songs such as 'Country my ass', and 'Nashville Rash' said it all. Sound quality was excellent, and the band worked perfectly as a unit, with plenty of light and shade, great dynamics and nobody overplaying - in other words, like a band that has done a LOT of gigs! - A good thing as the two Borderline shows are being recorded for a live album.
So many good songs were played tonight, it's hard to remember them all, but some stand-out tracks for me were 'I saw Kentucky in a spin', 'Where is the Small Town', 'Truckin' Man', 'How to break your own heart', and a song apparently written on the plane on the way over here - 'A hangover ago', as well as versions of the Elvis hits - 'Return to Sender' and 'Viva Las Vegas'.
Dale Watson is a man born too late - his song 'When all the Legends have gone' mourns the loss of the Country Greats, and the lack of 'Country' in Country Music today. Lyrically, many of the songs deal with so-called taboo subjects such as drinking, womanising and unemployment - which, after all is what Country songs USED to be about, but all of these subjects are now to be avoided at all costs by today's politically correct, 'Radio-Friendly' Nashville songwriters.
Yes, Dale Watson is an anachronism - but a welcome one; he's doing it his own way, he's playing the music he wants to play, and above all, he means it!
Somehow, a gig like the Borderline is the ideal type of venue to see a band of this kind - small, packed and smoky, the atmosphere just seems to fit the music - but with music of this quality, I have a feeling that Dale Watson will be moving on to bigger things in the not too distant future - see him up close while you can!

TONY

 

LIVE AT THE BANDSTAND, SOUTHSEA - 6.8.00

The Bandstand at Southsea may sound like a strange venue for Country Music, but we had a great day here - no rain and some hot sunshine gave the event a relaxed feel, and after our one hour set, ( thanks to all of you who bought the C.D. after the set ) we were able to put the gear in the bus, sit back on the grass, and listen to some good bands.
'The Rimshots' were great, a Rockabilly 5-piece in the mould of BR549 but with a more 50's English approach, 'The Bunch' - 2 great guitar players and excellent lead vocalist, playing the rockier end of Country, and Sean Kenny with his new festival band on only their second gig together. They played some great songs and although a little shaky at times, a few more gigs and this band will be excellent - with top notch musicians and a great attitude, they are one of those bands who are doing it right - make an effort to see them if you can!
The Bandstand has music of all types for 16 weeks of the year, every year, and you can find out more at the website: www.liveatthebandstand.co.uk

T.J.'S, HERNE BAY, KENT - 22.7.00

Over 200 people turned out to our gig with Terry and Jean at the King's Hall. We want to say thanks to all of you for coming - we had a great night - 'hope you all enjoyed yourselves and please continue to support the club - it's a good one!

 

 

 

 

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