Spotted at the BBC 2 Folk Awards 2014

Did you enjoy the BBC 2 Folk Awards 2014 the other night?  If you are lucky to have one of those modern colour tellies that have a "magic red button" you might have been able to bear witness to the spectacular that had luminaries like The Full English who feature an Alfred Williams song on their album.

If you were even luckier you might well have actually been there in person to witness the return of the, er, magnificent Fisherman's Friends after their tragic events a while back.  

And we know someone who was that lucky man, namely Chris Samuel, sat here in the audience with his good lady wife and captured as the camera swept round the audience during Fisherman's Friends rendition of our popular shanty "North North Wiltshire", which they have nattily re-titled "South Australia" to help ingratiate themselves with that particular market*.

Can you spot him?  And whose T-Shirt is he wearing . . . ?

* P.S. On checking our facts much of that sentence may not be completely accurate - the bit about Fishermen's Friends and South Australia.

BlokeFest 2014 cranks into action

"BlokeFest cranks into action" shocker according to a recently spotted update on http://www.blokefest.net

At long last, we hear you say . . . what have they been doing??!!  

Well, to be fair, with our insider knowledge we can reveal that they have been busy behind the scenes plotting during the long winter nights and are about to emerge butterfly-like from their chrysalis to flutter around and enliven the summer with their beauty and delicate ways.

A more believable image is that they are about to emerge "bear-like" from their pit of a cave and collective slumber, scratching their nether regions, yawning and stretching before launching into devastating action to produce this year's event that promises to have More Men! More Singing! More Stuff!

Check out the updates and complete the Expression of Interest form at the bottom of the page to get ahead of the rest of the blokes to have a better chance to secure your place when they finally open up official registration.

Friday Night is Music Night #2

FNIMN Friday Night is Music Night cranks back into action...

Still fed up of Friday nights in watching BBC4?  Still waking up having fallen asleep in front of a documentary about aged Rock Stars?  

Wish you had made it along to Friday Night is Music Night (FNIMN) #1?

After yet more muttering and "pubtalk" (and some action) we had the first FNIMN and people are keen for more, especially after the singing on the bus, sorry, coach on the way back from the Colston Hall gig.

The basic idea is still very simple, to provide a format for people to meet up in the Back Room of The White Hart, learn a few new songs and sing a few old ones.

The approach will be very informal with a couple of blokes acting as Meisters of Ceremony, coaxing people through a warm up then teach a new song, sing some others, teach another song and then sing a bit more.  

Sheets with the worms and tadpoles (words and music) will be provided.

Open to all who would like the excuse to go down the pub and sing a bit, so bring along WAGs & FoBaFoBs (Friends of Blokes and Family of Blokes).

We will aim to start around 20:30 and see how it goes.  So be there, and be at the start of something possibly, er, Magnificent.

Georgian Singing Master Class with Malkhaz Erkvanidze and The Magnificent AK47

We are very proud to announce that we are organizing a "Master Class with Malkhaz Erkvanidze", one of the top people in the world of Georgian singing who has been at the forefront of the revival of Georgian folk and medieval sacred music for the past 25 years.

The event will be held on Thursday 6th March in the Ashton Keynes School Hall, opening around 19:15 and starting around 19:45.  Tickets for this special one off Master Class cost of £10 per bloke, £5 per Mini-Bloke (kid).  Non-blokes are welcome to attend but because of the nature of our all bloke group we have asked that he focus on pieces more suitable for our range, so please bear that in mind.

This should be viewed as an unmissable opportunity to learn from one of the greats of this genre so to book your place, email themagnificentak47@gmail.com and we will sort out the details.

More about MALKHAZ ERKVANIDZE

He is one of the world's foremost authorities on traditional Georgian folk and sacred music. Born in the central mountainous region of Imereti, Malkhaz grew up singing folk music in his family and with a local master-singer named Benia Mikadze. 

His unique background growing up in a family singing tradition allowed Malkhaz the opportunity to develop an ear for indigenous Caucasus tuning systems. A graduate of the Tbilisi State Conservatory, he has spent much of his professional life rescuing traditional Georgian orthodox chants suppressed under Soviet communism. 

His seven books of Georgian hymns and folk songs have been published with CDs,and he has written many articles about the distinctive musical structure of Georgian polyphony. In 1988 Malkhaz founded the Anchiskhati Choir, dedicated to preserving the authentic Georgian tuning system and traditional singing styles. Malkhaz currently teaches at the Tbilisi State Conservatory and consults for and directs numerous choirs, including Sakhioba Ensemble, with whom he has produced five albums

Gurt Lush in full flight at Gurt Magnificent People

Gurt Lush's turn this time to be featured as part of the on-going, collective "still-bathing-in-the-glory-of-the-wonderful-evening-that-was-Gurt MAGNIFICENT People".

Uploaded just moments before this posting is another sampler of their first half set, featuring the four pieces they performed, including the highlight of their "first ever comedy number", the sonic treat that is "Nempnett Thrubwell", with some of the "local character2 sneaking in just before the track fades!

Rest assured that their show was up to their usual towering standards with a fantastic audio feast and hopefully a fuller, higher quality version of the show will emerge from the editing room eventually.

That wraps up the initial releases of the recordings for the show, we hope you have enjoyed them and that they will help you to continue to treasure the memories of a very special evening - we must do it again some time!

People of Note in full flight at Gurt Magnificent People

Passing on to our second installment of excerpts from the wonderful "Gurt Magnificent People" evening, we have the people part, namely People of Note.

Opening the show with great enthusiasm the massed ranks of PoN entertained the audience with obvious enjoyment and extremely tunefully too!

Now you can judge for yourself with this four and a bit minute snippet of their first half set, culminating in a heart warming rendition of the Beach Boys classic "God only knows".

Gurt MAGNIFICENT People - what a show!

Every once in a while one has those very special days that shall be remembered and treasured for many, many more days to come.  

Saturday 8th February 2014 was one of those days for us in The Magnificent AK47 with our premier performance at Bristol's Colston Hall as part of a triumphant multi-choir event that was "Gurt Magnificent People".

Many lovely compliments have been made to us since the performance and you can hear some of it for yourself with this edited version of our 2nd half set.




And not forgetting a massive thank you to all at Gurt Lush and People of Note for inviting us in the first place.

One more sleep till Gurt MAGNIFICENT People

Scrapped from the Bristol Colston Hall website . . .  That's US listed there!!

Only one more sleep to go . . . if we can sleep for the excitement of a BIG day out with some of the BIGGEST and best community choirs round these parts.

Still a chance to buy tickets, apparently not quite sold out, but still probably more people likely to be there than the entire population of our village!

Gurt MAGNIFICENT People

Blimey, the blokes are only going to be performing at Bristol's Colston Hall, one of South West England's biggest venues, with two of the largest and best community choirs around . . . 

If you are interested, there will be a coach leaving from Ashton Keynes about 12:00 on the day, passing through to pickup at Cricklade Town Hall and the Sun Pub, Coates, Swindon on their way to the gig.  Tickets £10 per person, email themagnificentak47@gmail.com to make enquiries.

To book tickets and more info, visit http://www.colstonhall.org/shows/gurt-magnificent-people/