Ipswich in noughties

sa 14 Nov 2009	As we drove to Ipswich last night the roads were covered with small bits of tree and not surprisingly the sails on the Saxtead mill were turning. Equally not surprisingly Baka Beyond played compulsively engaging African music with the singers' dancing as intrinsic as the vocals and the drummer (a proper journalist would have got the players' names) using an exotic combination of western and African percussion. Peppery said they'd like to return to the near the coast heartland but can't find a venue ... any ideas?
th 12 Nov 2009	Despite the cutesy name we're confident Baka Beyond will supply the expected Peppery Prods good time tomorrow night in the Manor Ballroom, Ipswich. (The Baka people live in the rain forests of Cameroon, Congo, Gabon and the Central African Republic, and we still miss you Peppery <sob> at Easton Farm Park.)
mo 19 Oct 2009	This happened near the council dump in Foxhall Rd, Ipswich around 4pm yesterday afternoon, the 38 year old motorcyclist is in a serious but stable condition.
fr 25 Sep 2009	Charlie Haylock entertains in Saxmundham tonight at Gardeners Question Time and its an oompah band on the penultimate evening of the 2009 Ipswich Beer Festival.
fr 10 Jul 2009	Woodbridge's free Music in the Park at the end of the month has been cancelled. Sunday's Summer Mela in Ipswich's Christchurch Park is free AND hasn't been cancelled ... all that lovely Indian food!
su 22 Feb 2009	A pedestrian hit by a car in Ipswich and it would seem maliciously.
we 11 Feb 2009	The Cliff Quay Brewery in Ipswich started its first brew last week and the first tasting yesterday, by the Earl Soham brewer from a dirty tea mug, was fine.
mo 5 Jan 2009	Good news for ntc musos, strong rumours that the Ipswich Railway will re-open with the last landlords of the Ipswich Milestone (another muso pub) behind the bar and the Milestone is expected to re-open today with Roy Hunt previously of the Framlingham Crown and presently the Ipswich Station in charge.
sa 3 Jan 2009	Bad news for ntc musos, Sandman reports that the Ipswich Railway has put up the boards.
sa 29 Nov 2008	What a double bill in Ipswich last night! The Outlaws were rocking a packed Milestone and Earl Soham Brewery's new venture The Brewery Tap at the Tolly Brewery did open and was serving a good selection of beers including, not surprisingly, Wychwood Hobgoblin. (Until very recently landlord Jeremy Moss was head brewer at Wychwood.)
tu 10 Jun 2008	With her daughter Frances Framlingham town councillor Gwen Gibbs completed Sunday's 5km Race for Life in Ipswich on crutches!
sa 12 Apr 2008	To say BBC Radio Suffolk is hard to find is not an overstatement. To say the recording area is tiny would be an overstatement, we've been in smaller demo studios ... but not too many. To add to the fun last night the floor was covered in cables and kit and the engineer was recording the session from an outside broadcast van in the garage. Inevitably The Outlaws were not entirely at ease outside their natural environment (sweaty and heaving pubs) but the bit of playback we heard (on a pair of LS3as, what a brilliant little speaker) ♫sounded fine♫ and as we left Dave the engineer maintained you do get biscuits at the BBC if your on Lesley's Sofa (didn't seem to be Simon or Nick's experience).
we 9 Apr 2008	... and it was the drawing room door it lay inconveniently close to.
th 3 Apr 2008	It came seventeen years ago – and to this day, it has shown no intention of going away ... starts tonight until Saturday at The Wolsey ... didn't it lie inconveniently close to the stairs?
sa 26 Jan 2008	As Lesley the Librarian left at the end of a great night she told Ogz the band's accordionist that Orkestra del Sol are brilliant. She's not wrong, in fact when the sell out 300 audience started doing the polka (most having just learnt the dance) we feared for the floor! Without doubt Edinburgh band Orkestra del Sol know their musical chops, Marcus Britton on sousaphone never runs out of puff and occasionally sounds like an inevitably slightly less agile cross between Bernie Edwards and Willie Weeks, but with Calypso Collapso, the Clockwork Violinist and El Presidente the band have to be actors as well. The only disappointment of the evening was when just 94% of the audience joined the conga line. Discouraging because as signees of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol the UK is committed to 96.43% conga line outreach and engagement by August 2008 but then, maybe it doesn't apply to Scots, either way we loved Miss Olga's hat ... actually, we love Miss Olga.
th 22 Nov 2007	St Mary's at the Quay looks pretty damn dramatic amidst the massive development of Ipswich docks. It's equally dramatic inside for The Ebony Box where a minimalist cast make up for their numbers with a high energy performance that often looks spectacular from simple effects. The show runs until Sunday and we do have to point out that Milly Jupp was playing a male character when she gave her nose some attention ... gender stereotyping we call it!
sa 14 Oct 2006	Motorcycle Enduros are a very spectator unfriendly sport as it takes place on tiny, winding forest paths but still impressive when a rider flashes by. Our pic in the Ipswich Evening Star ... the sordid matter of coin was not mentioned of course.
fr 11 Feb 2005	Ipswich Winter Beer Festival des' dinners 48 The Brewer and NaTCH enjoyed Jolly Roger, were impressed by Somebody and Holbrook's Stowmarket Porter (recommended by the bar staff), NaTCH couldn't finish a brain numbing scrumpy, and neither got round to sampling the Jolabrugg. Not much conversation we just sat there and listened to Nigel. (first visit subsequent lunch previous lunch)
we 10 Oct 2001	Ipswich Steamboat Tavern des' dinners 19 Those present were Hugh who had to move all of 100 yards to get to the pub, and NaTCH who brought the rest of us from miles away - us being Dan and Malcolm. Most conversation was inevitably geared towards the marketing prowess of Earl Soham Brewery following the recent success at the Ipswich Beer festival with Victoria Bitter. It was a short lunch! The pub lacked any beer that was asked for, so most of us drank Tolly IPA which was not very interesting even after the second pint. It was a good fry up though. AfAR from Spadge (overwhelmed by work). Dan with Malcolm (first visit subsequent lunch previous lunch)

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