Idle Frets gig at Chester
 By Chris Wilson
, Skelmersdale.
After recovering from the excitement of all my jet-set adventures your roving reporter decided to spend the evening of 17th June in the company of Idle Frets, John Prytherch & Tony Keysell, who were performing in the fair city of Cestria (or Chester, if didn’t know). After the usual warm-up pick we were entertained by our guitar-playing guests assisted by your jovial Editor (who announced the band as “Bone-Idle Frets!”). Speaking as a guitar player myself, it was a pleasant change from the usual BG line-up; it just shows with a bit of thought and the right select-ion of material, what can be achieved. John & Tony worked their way smoothly and competently through a program that included such numbers as Don’t Say Goodbye, Nellie Kane, Old Devils Dream, Ages And Ages Ago and a fine instrumental version of Wildwood Flower-Under The Double Eagle. When they did the likes of Stars In My Crown, The Road To Gloryland and Foolish Heart, Derek complained “I think they made up the keys and sequence for some of these songs by drawing chords at random from a hat! Good job they sent a tape!”
The evening was further enlivened by an oriental gentleman who became very excited-nay, agitated, at the sight of all these guitars - he kept shouting “Beatles Beatles!” “Never heard of ’em mate.” But he kept on so we had to sing him one (well that’s enough for anyone) just to keep him happy. Flushed by the success of the evening Derek said to me “These lads went down so well I think we'll try to book Doc Watson and Jack Lawrence next time! Of course, that’ll be provided one of us wins the lottery!” The evening served to demonstrate that in this age of super-groups, etc., it’s a change to get back to the basics of our music. Don’t forget: Bill & Charley Monroe were a duo in the early days, as were the Blue Sky Boys, and later, more famously, The Louvin Brothers, while today we have The Whitstein Bros. As well as our own Duffey Bros. In conclusion, a thoroughly enjoyable evening, even it did take me an hour and a half to back my car out of that garage! Chris Wilson.
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