Clive (a.k.a. Torchy) says:

Last gig of the tour is The Sportsman in Croxley Green, Monday 4th June between 3-6pm
This is an open gig with free admission but I would also like to see friends, relatives and acquaintances of Steve Dunster here to raise a glass to him.

Steve, who died recently, was a good mate and one of those blokes who would do anything for anyone. There are not many people who have never had a bad word said against them but I am sure Steve was one. A true gent. He loved the Harper Brothers and indeed all music, so it would be great to see a fair few here for him.

I realise it is Jubilee day but just try and spare a little time between 3 and 6pm to honour a man who would definitely spare some time for you!
It is the last date of the UK tour so lets make it a good one!
Clive
The Sportsman
2 Scots Hill,
Croxley Green,
Tel: 01923 443360

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Many thanks to a regular at Serre Chevalier, Lee Garrett, for sorting out a gig for the ‘difficult to fill’ Monday night of The Harper Brothers UK Tour 2012.  This should be great fun as it will be after a weekend of gigs in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, so not too far to travel.

Here’s some info about the pub:

The Admiral Rodney Hotel is a delightful traditional pub that has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Why not dine on some classic pub grub while soaking up the sun on the large patio area.

Some reviews from Qype:

• Good English pub. Has the old well of Southwell inside which adds interest.
• Food is excellent as well as drinks.
• Good location, friendly staff, cracking food and great prices on the food.
• Nice pub, good food!
• Good pub, excellent selection of beers, and live sky sports footy!
• Good pub. Attracts young adults.
• Snooker room. Good selection of beers.

The Admiral Rodney Hotel
King Street,
Southwell,
Nottinghamshire
NG25 0EH
Phone: 01636 812292

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We are all massively pleased to see that Ash has now secured a gig at this excellent pub in Gloucester for Thursday 31st May 2012. We are well excited about getting this gig.

SoGlos.com says “The Ridge and Furrow in Abbeydale, Gloucester is a popular local pub which pulls in nearby residents in droves.”

A review on Qype says:

I went here last night and it was much cosier than I remembered – there are a couple of sofas and a great big open fire.

The staff are pretty young, but they served our drinks without delay and without issue (even served the stella in a proper Stella glass!)

They have Setanta sports for those of you who like to watch games on big screens, and this seemed to be popular last night with the football.

They also have special nights – like Wednesday is curry night, Thursdays and Saturdays they have a band on….

There is a fairly large car park, and a play area for the kids, when it’s warm enough to be outside!! Lots of outside benches to enjoy the sunshine too.

Tables were cleared of glasses promptly when we were there last night, which is nice – I hate it when tables remain littered with empty glasses for hours afterwards!!

Toilets were clean and pleasant too.

The Ridge and Furrow
Glevum Way
Abbeydale
GL4 4BL
Telephone: (01452) 500012

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Harper Sister-in-Law, Mary and Dave

I was trying to work out why we seemed a bit ‘gig short’ for the UK trip, but I guess it was because I actually forgot about the reason we are going in the first place. This is of course Mary and Dave’s wedding up in Melton Mowbray – it’s invite only (I believe) so if your names not down, you ain’t comin’ in.

However if you are in the Melton Mowbray area on the last weekend in May, do come down to the Generous Briton gig on the Saturday.

This is ‘going home’ as much as it can ever be for The Harper Brothers. Unfortunately it is, however, a Tuesday, so you are going to have to make the effort to drag yourselves away from your local quiz night and come and see The Harper Brothers.

The great thing about playing The Horns is the fact that we have tons of mates in Watford who are going to be there to make the party, and hopefully we can persuade a few Berkhamsted people to pop down on the train and join in too.

The Horns has some lovely beer that I miss so much in Serre Chevalier, so that’s another plus.

The Horns
1 Hempstead Road
Watford,
Hertfordshire
WD17 3RL
Phone: 01923 225020

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The Harper Brothers are massively pleased to announce that Jim the Woodman has managed to get us a gig at The George in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. This is on the Sunday after the Melton Mowbray gig, so it all fits in perfectly.

The Market Rasen Guide says “The George is a public house for all tastes, with a female friendly area, large, covered and heated beer garden, with an outside bar and barbecue area for the warmer nights. Real wood fires for the colder nights and a warm friendly atmosphere.”

I quite like the idea of the friendly female area, what? Oh I see it’s female friendly!

The George Inn
George Street
Market Rasen
Lincolnshire
LN8 3HN
Tel: 01673 844227

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I just got off the phone from a chat with Gail at The Gade & Goose in Galley Hill, Hemel Hempstead. We confirmed that The Harper Brothers will play on Friday June 1st 2012. This fits in with the Herftfordshire leg of the tour perfectly as we have Berkhamsted SkinFest on Saturday 2nd June and The Oddfellows Arms on Sunday 3rd June.

The Official Pub Guide says,

“The Gade and Goose is an estate pub situated in Hemel Hempstead. They serve a full selection of draught beers, wine and spirits for your enjoyment.”

“With its great atmosphere and warm and friendly welcome this makes it a fantastic place for everyone one to be, young or old.”

“There is a lovely beer on the premises, which is a great place to enjoy a refreshing drink in the summer months and with disabled access and a car park also on the premises this makes The Gade and Goose easily accessible for all. The entertainment nights are excellent, and are always a great success; so make sure you join us for a good time. Come on down and join us for a drink, we are sure you will enjoy every minute.”

I’m really looking forward to this gig as it is very near to where I used to live in Berkhamsted. On a side note, if anybody knows how to get hold of guitarist and ex-Harper Brother, Andy Horn from The Waveney, please ask him to get in touch we would love to have him guest on a few songs.

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The Gade & Goose
Galley Hill
Hemel Hempstead
Hertfordshire
HP1 3LB
Tel: 01442 253 477

We have another gig confirmed for The Harper Brothers UK Tour 2012. This is the Wednesday night, May 30th, 2012, which is in the middle of the tour. This is at Café René in Gloucester. This is Ash’s home town, so we’ll probably get to pop round to see his mum for a cup of tea too.  I had a quick look on Google Maps to see what it was all about and I quite liked this review:

“Best pub in Gloucester: By far and away the best pub in Gloucester. This is inarguable. Not full of absolute chavvy morons with IQ’s of under 50, like the rest of the pubs in Gloucester.”

another one said:

“Nice to have somewhere that caters for both younger drinkers and older diners. Liked: Food, Service, Atmosphere, Value, Delicious food, Good price”

Café René
31 Southgate Street,
Gloucester
GL1 1TP,
United Kingdom
+44 1452 309340 ‎

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Yesterday another gig was added and confirmed for the UK Tour 2012. This is the night after Berkhamsted Skinfest, so hopefully a few Berko people will come along if they have not had enough of us on the Saturday night. I think the last time The Harper Brothers played at The Oddfellows was about 2001, so it should be yet another trip down memory lane. I think it will be good if you get there at about 8pm.

The Oddfellows Arms, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP3 9SP, Tel: 01442 249338

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