It's about time...

 

And so it came to pass, that The Magnificent AK47 would be no more, but that The Magnificent AKs would rise up to continue the legacy of spreading the joys of BlokeSong to the good people of the world, or England and Ireland at least as it turns out so far, to be totally accurate.

And after far, far, far too long, your dedicated BlogMeister has stirred into action to sort of close off this tome and labour of love for so many years, with a somewhat belated Last Post to celebrate the amazing times we all have had in our funny little singing group, and to celebrate the future that has been happening for quite some time over at https://themagnificentaks.com/ and also https://www.facebook.com/themagnificentaks and https://www.instagram.com/themagnificentaks/ and even https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+magnificent+aks

We hope you have enjoyed the adventures on this little corner of t'Interweb and will join us as we plough our sonic furrows on the new fangled social platforms and we very much hope, in actual person in what passes for real life.

Welcome to the new world - thanks for being here and see you soon.

Manly, blokey Love

The Magnificent AKs
(formerly formally known as The Magnificent AK47)

Beer & Carols 2019

Yes, it is that time of year again, when all the blokes try to remember all the parts of all those extra carols we don't sing except for this event...

As ever, expect a packed pub overflowing with song and fine ales.

Aim to get there in good time to find a spot and get your round in and then join in the hearty community singing, with a few extra special pieces this year...

The main singing should start around 8pm.

Our Thanks giving for Johnny

What a wonderful evening of song celebrating a wonderful bloke of song!  

All involved in our November Thanks Giving gig raising funds for The Donor Family Network to celebrate the forty (and counting!) years of extra freedom and life it has given a very special member of our group, one Johnny Mayell, basso profundo extraordinario.

Well over £400 was raised on the night from just the lapel pins and collection bucket and more to come from the tickets.

Thanks to Corinium Community Choir for being such fun and we all enjoyed singing with them immensely.

Help us sell out the Sundial as Thanks Giving for 40 years of Johnny

Hello!  It's been a while... things have been outwardly quiet on the Magnificent front but that is about to change as we crank back into action at one of our most regular haunts... The Sundial Theatre in Cirencester.

This concert will raise funds for the Donor Family Network, a charity which supports families who have lost a loved one who has donated organs for transplant, and at the same time raising awareness of organ donation and the NHS Organ Donation Register.

And we have much to thank this amazing organisation for, in the shape of the small but (otherwise reasonably) perfectly formed Mr Johnny Mayell, has been one of our brothers in song these many years at BlokeFest and The Magnificent AK47.  He in turn is indebted to one such family who made it possible for him to undergo a successful kidney transplant in 1979.  Forty years later Johnny and the kidney are still going strong!

We have already sold out the venue and they have put more tickets on sale so please try to come along to what should be an emotional and memorable concert, help us sell it out for a second time (!) and raise lots of money for a great cause.

Tickets are available from www.ticketsorce.co.uk/sundial

If you can’t, but would like to make a donation to the Donor Family Network, Johnny has set up a Justgiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-mayell.

Beer Tasting on a Thursday Night

Says it all really - good on Freya and Seb at The White Hart for putting this on having been suitably encouraged by one or two blokes from the group...! 

Education for all (over 18!).

Sun. Sea. And Singing. At LymeFest 2019

Another rather Magnificent weekend down on the South Coast at the LymeFolk Festival - casting long, black shadows and nearly spelling something!

Thanks to all who came and saw us and said such nice things about our performances.

More photos and info can be found at https://www.facebook.com/lymefolk/ and https://www.lymefolk.com.

Sea-side singing ahoy!

Fair warning to all the fair folk of Lyme Regis, that this day they will be invaded by the Be-blackened Singing Hordes from the North (North North Wiltshire branch) of Those Magnificent Singing Blokes from Ashton Keynes.

Quite a line up to enjoy!  Should be a cracker.

Full details at https://www.lymefolk.com/.

The Costwold Distillery incident

It's fair to say that we had rather a pleasant time at our first trip to Cotswold Distillery and their festival... flags were fluttering, we lumbered around the place, blackening the scene with our outfits and purveying quality BlokeSong at every opportunity and location, without the aid of amplification.

All good fun indeed, topped off by a decent spot of nosh and a darn good sing-song in a pub not too far away and more or less on the way home.

And the "incident"...?  We'll draw a veil on that for now until it is lost in the myths of time...

The Magnificent AK47 in another distillery...?

A rather wonderful line up including The Magnificent AK47 popping up around the place and propping up the bar.

The Magnificent AK47 ...? In a Distillery...? With our reputation...? Should be a Grand Day out for all.

Hope to see you there.

Full details at https://www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/blogs/news/the-cotswolds-distillery-festival

A Spooky Summer of Love

It is with no little sadness that we mark the passing of another summer of Spookyness.  Very much a case of sad they have left us, but glad that they came.

Many of us had the good fortune to see them once or twice and marvel at their acute harmonies and utter daftness and sheer deftness of performance, teasing us with plaintive songs about the modern, much-muddled, male and many others.

If you are not familiar with their oeuvre, then venture towards https://spookymen.com and https://www.facebook.com/spookymen/ and all other places and you will not be disappointed.

Truly inspiring stuff.
 

He is the effervescent choir leader extraordinaire, CyberSinging enthusiast, Pop-up ChoirMeister and  creative genius behind two Magnificent BlokeFest classics that we have wholeheartedly adopted ("Alone in my Shed" and "Man flu") and our very own, specially commissioned (first) 10th Anniversary Song "Bloke", and he is coming to Ashton Keynes tonight to lead a summer session whilst our belovéd ChoirMeister Mr Samuel is away with the Spookys.

What does he have in store for us?  No one knows (probably not even himself).  Will it be something to remember?  Most definitely.  Will there be a spot of popping into The White Hart to rehydrate afterwards?  Only time will tell but be warned and be there after 9:30pm if you wish to witness the consequences of letting Roger loose with a bunch of singing blokes...!

BlokeFest Brilliant (again)

What can we say that hasn't already been said by anyone who attended "BlokeFest Up North"?  Nowt...

It was yet another fabulous weekend of bonhomie and beautiful singing, some of it even in the bar.

Thanks to all the Blokes who made it happen and quite so brilliant - here's to next year - an anticipation that brings a smile to one's face at the mere thought.

BlokeFest is calling us North

It might go a little quiet around here for a wee while as Magnificent activities tail off for the summer and other things take up our time, such as trogging up North for BlokeFest.

This inspired annual gathering of the clans of BlokeSong is hitching its Big Top and pitching in the very lovely locale of Ilkley, being hosted thanks to some regular BlokeFesters from thereabouts.

Its sure to be a cracking affair so we will provide a post match review in due course.

Till then, keep singing in the sun!

Rattlebone Postponed

Sadly despite it being a lovely late Spring day today the anticipation is that it is going to proverbially rain cats and dogs and possible frogs tomorrow so as the gig was due to be conducted largely in the Open Air the decision has been taken to cancel our scheduled performance due to or owing to the bad weather forecast*.

Sorry about that.

* any grammarians care to enter into a convoluted debate about the good/ungood aspects of the previous sentences will be encouraged to fill the time we would have otherwise spent singing...

Returning to Rattlebone

They say "never, go back, never seek to repeat your previous glories", well we ask, "what to 'they' know?"!

It's a cracking good pub, we had a lovely time when we first performed there, they clearly enjoyed us because they've asked back (and they didn't have to!), it's not too far away, and they serve quality food and ales...

What's not to like?

Even the weather might have perked up by the time we get there to lower the tone - https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/gcnmtd84t#?nearestTo=Sherston&date=2019-06-07.

Magnficent Pewsey

Reports have come back of a rather splendid time that was recently had in Pewsey in aid of fund raising for a local charity.

Photographic evidence has emerged, but accurate memories are still a little "hazy" so it may take another posting to fully surface, but suffice to say "a Magnificently good time was had by all"...!

High jinks and low notes

They're at it again... The Magnificent AK47, singing in alehouses across Pewsey?  In aid of raising funds for a well known local charity?  

With their reputation...? 

Whatever next?  

A darn good night out for one and all in aid of a good cause by the sound of it...

Didn't we have a loverly time, the day we went to... Portsmouth!

To misquote the bards of Fiddler's Dram, didn't we have a loverly time, the day we went to... Portsmouth!  A Grand Day was had by all the blokes, so much so that we have even made a short video to commemorate the day for your delight and edification of what goes on during these sort of days - all wholesome fun and much singing, in case you don't to see for yourself, but it would be nice if you do have a watch, it's not that long and very tuneful!

As has been said before in many emails, thanks to all who made it possible and all the blokes who made it such brilliant fun.

Click on the image or follow the link here to the video and enjoy the moment.

Portsmouth Ho! We're bound for South, South England

We hereby give fair warning that our multi-award winning blokes will be invading the world famous docklands of Portsmouth this coming Saturday, singing near the water, on the water, and possibly under the water.

Our multi-hatted singing machine will wend its way from South South Gloucestershire & North North Wiltshire and is scheduled to pop into the following locations throughout the day

HMS Alliance, Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport
Waterbus to Portsmouth
HMS Warrior & HMS Victory, National Museum for the Royal Navy
Only "The" Mary Rose
Curry at TJ Mahal, Southsea

Then for some "Afters" at the Barley Mow,
39 Castle Road Southsea PO5 3DE where we will be joined by some singing friends

Please warn anyone you know in the vicinity. 

Top night in AK topping £1,000 raised

A Big thank you to everyone who made our return to the Ashton Keynes Village Hall such a HUGE success with well over £1,000 raised towards the funds to repair the hall floor.

It was an emotional evening for many of us, not having sung in front of a paying audience in the hall for more years than we can remember, but the blokes sounded on top form, in part because of the inspiring performance given by our fellow Ashton Keynes singers, the lovely ladies from Siren Sisters.

And what troopers they are!  They were missing one of their regular members and then on the day one of their key ladies was too poorly to perform, but the remaining Sirens still managed to pull out a superb set of close harmony and vibrant vocals, ably assisted by Heather Milnes on piano and with a guest slot from Caroline Harper singing a spine-tingling version of Skyfall.

The hall was rammed, the bar was busy and the "Afters" Pub Singing was one of the best and longest for quite a while.

A final thanks to all who came along to support us and to the Village Hall Team who beavered away behind the scenes.

All in all a rather Magnificent evening.