Fish Pie

Sock Monkey fully intends to make fish pie tonight. In addition to the million other things I have to do tonight. I have salmon but I don't have any cod. Or prawns.

I mentioned to P that I''m sure I can just scrape the breadcrumbs off a couple of fish fingers and stick them in but she considers this a not-very-nice solution.

However I just checked Fish Pie Etiquette with my colleague and she recons she wouldn't even scrape the breadcrumbs off. She'd just shove them in unpeeled for extra crunch.

I could go and buy some cod but I haven't even got round to buying my Christmas presents yet. And have you seen the price of fish these days??

Well. Alison Moyet playing the mouth organ is something I hadn't imagined I'd ever see

Sock Monkey wasn't dragged to the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday but Sock Monkey was fairly ambivalent about the whole thing.

P had booked tickets to see Alison Moyet performing the London leg of her 25 Years Tour. I'd seen Yazoo in 1983, seen her at the Glasgow Apollo in about 1989 and saw her playing Mama Morton in 'Chicago' years ago, I think she was in the play 'Smaller' when I saw that too so I wasn't really that bothered about seeing her again.

I'm glad I did because my God she was bloody amazing! She appeared on stage literally half the size she used to be (and looking very slinky in a long black dress) but with all of the voice remaining. Her voice hasn't changed a bit, its still wonderfully deep and husky and bluesy.

Chatting in between songs she was also a very funny lady, preceeding every anecdote with 'Thankyouverymuch' and sounding a bit like a cross between Tommy Cooper and a Fish Wife then laughing at her own speaking voice.

She sang a huge selection of her back catalogue, including all of Yazoo's best-known material, her biggest solo hits and 'Windmills of Your Mind' which is one of her favourite songs. Some of the older songs were rearranged to accommodate the difference between synthesizer accompaniment and the more traditional guitar/bass guitar/drums/piano/backing singer band and they worked really well. And she wasn't afraid to highlight parts of her performance which she felt weren't up to scratch:

• "Stop. Hold it. I lost it there. Start again"
• "I was singing in a different key to the music there"
• "I can never remember the lyrics to the second verse and Annie has to mouth them to me."
• "I missed a verse out there. You paid your money, you need to get your money's worth" - then she sang the missing verse acapella.

A particular favourite moment for the audience was when Alison performed 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty'. She introduced this song with the following comments:

"I'm not going to sing 'Invisible'. I'm not being coy then say, oh ok I will sing it. It ain't gonna happen. And if I don't sing that one I can't not sing this one. I can't not sing both of them."

It was interesting to hear her basically say that she does not like two of her most successful numbers.

She then went on to tell us that the original recording featured a trumpet solo but the performer on the record wasn't here (the way she said this was if to say 'yeah, as if he would be here') and that they improvise. Either Annie (her wonderful backing singer) or her pianist play the part of the trumpet. Alison said she had been told not to do it but being told not to made her want to do it more. So in the middle of her performance of 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty' Alison Moyet, very well respected, hugely successful singer stood in the middle of the stage and made trumpet sounds in time to the music. It was a highly entertaining moment which the audience really enjoyed rewarding her with huge applause.

She interacted with the audience in a really nice way too. To the comment of "Very well done Alison" she laughed and said, "Wait till next time".
When someone asked her how she was feeling she said "I'm really enjoying myself." And she looked like she was enjoying herself too.

And the following conversation:
Person in audience: "Mwaf woof bloop"
Alison Moyet: "Pardon?"
Person in audience: "Mwaf woof bloop"
Alison Moyet: "Pardon??"
Person in audience: "Mwaf woof bloop"
Alison Moyet: "Oh I can't understand what you're saying....But I'm assuming its positive so thank you very much!"

During one of her anecdotes she told us about how her father used to come home with lots of mouth organs and that this is the only instrument she can play. She then went on to play the harmonica accompaniment to the next song. And yes she actually can play.

At the start of her encore she said, "So you can plan your getaway: you are getting two songs. So don't waste the skin on your palms. The first one is a bit Boo Hoo then a happier one." She introduced 'Je ne quitte pas' by telling us that her mother phoned her after a previous date on this tour to inform her that she had mispronounced two words in the song. This, Alison said, had made her feel so nervous for the next gig that she mispronounced another seven words trying to concentrate too hard. And that anyway, 'How many people speak French in Grimsby?"

Two hours after she walked on stage, she left to a well deserved standing ovation from some very, very happy punters.

One of the best performances I have seen this year.