Magnificent 2016

It's been a Magnificent year, even by our high standards, so worth recapping a few moments to savour them all the little bit more...

From top left moving clockwise, spiraling into the centre...: the caged lions of song before they unleashed the sound of testosterone and thunder at Stroud Fringe; those 'ombres at Bath Old Theatre Royal; Singing in The Barn, Ciren; Singing in the cold in Cricklade; a suitable reward for our ChoirMeister; #MagnificentDerry; Singing in the Shed; More utterly #MagnificentDerry; Singing on the seafront at Lyme Regis; Singing in Bath Abbey; Singing on Giant's Causeway...

And we thought we would celebrate another Magnificent year of art work from our ArtMeister and CartoonMeister...  some more superb material.

And it is also worth noting that we have been in the media more than ever before which is a testament to the hard graft and unseen work (until it's published!) done by our splendid MediaMeisters.  Here is a sample of some of the media highlights.

Highlights of Magnificent 2016?

#MagnificentDerry has to be the stand out memory... what a trip!  So much packed into those five days.  The fun of being a big black-clad gang boarding the plane, singing all over Derry and the surrounding parts, the Bushmills Distillery visit, the Choral Competition, the "Sing-off" with all the other choirs, the trips, the hanging out, the Radio Show, all legendary.

BlokeFest 2016 - another brilliant event that surpassed all others to date, more fun, more food, more cake.  A great souvenir video.  Well done to the organisers and here's to whatever is in store for 2017.

Other highlights include:
"Singing in The Shed"; singing in The Barn; a grotto; a distillery; on city walls; in the oldest building in the land; all over the SS Great Britain; on a sea front stage being dive bombed by seagulls with the waves lapping nearby; on Giant's Causeway with the waves crashing very nearby; in Bath Abbey and that immense acoustic; Bath Old Theatre Royal / Masonic Lodge; the most diverse and inclusive Beer & Carols yet... the list is long but must end here.

Great times, places and people and song - Let's do it all again in 2017!

Calendar should start working soon

In exciting news, we need to inform you that The Magnificent AK47 2017 calendar should start working any day now, so to help you get to grips with the niceties of using it, try copying out our known schedule for 2017.

Already we have a host of fun packed features planned, including a few exciting trips, a return to the Ashton Keynes Music and (now also) Arts Festival and some other stuff that hasn't quite materialised yet.

The past twelve months have been quite Magnificent and we look forward to another imperious year ahead, wishing you all well and thanking you for all your support in whatever capacity.

Much Magnificent Love to one and all.

Beautiful? Us?? On the BBC Radio again

One of the ladies who visited us the other week has been busy editing what she recorded and, dare we say it, has made us sound actually quite good!

You can judge for yourself on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04h5y5w if you scroll in around 1 hour and 12 minutes and you can hear Marie come out with quite a remarkable statement towards the very end.

We've never been called beautiful before...

Ladies everywhere #2 & #3

"It is a rare occurrence to have a community choir that is this dominated by blokes" ("bottom heavy" some might say), was more or less what our belovéd ChoirMeister, Mr Chris Samuel proclaimed at our workshop last Wednesday.

Indeed, a rare moment of allowing a second set of ladies into our secret lives of BlokeSong in the one evening as we were joined by some of the finest women folk of Ashton Keynes to rehearse some Yuletide pieces that are being especially prepared for the forthcoming "Beer and Carols" in The White Hart Inn pub Thursday 15th December.

And talking of the pub, here is a very happy Abbie a little later that same evening with her copy of our Magnificent 2017 Calendar hot(ish) off the presses.

Come and join us in the pub for what promises to be another great night out simply singing and enjoying great company.

Ladies everywhere #1

Interesting evening at our Workshop rehearsal last night as we were infiltrated by a number of non-Blokes...

First we had Marie from Radio Wiltshire with some very high tech kit recording some of our singing and conducting a couple of interviews.

More to come in the next couple of postings.