Tag: remembrance

Ruby Plays Glasgow’s Barrowlands with The Charlatans

How did you celebrate your seventeenth birthday? Did you pop up to Glasgow to accompany The Charlatans, on bagpipes, at the historic Barrowlands ballroom, and then have your latest single spun by Chris Hawkins on BBC Radio 6?!

Being honest, the memory of my seventeenth birthday is vague at best, but I’m pretty certain it wasn’t even in the same ballpark! A huge happy birthday, then, to our upcoming superstar Ruby Darbyshire, and an even huger “wowzers;” although this is amazing news, it’s fully deserved in my humble opinion. In what she dubbed her “biggest gig yet,” on social media, last weekend was a huge success, playing with The Charlatans at Barrowlands.

Ruby now lives on a narrowboat on the Kennet and Avon Canal near Bath with proud dad, Brian, who happened to call me with this astounding news last week. Exploding in exhilaration, he then told me I would have to wait to publish it. I think he just wanted to relay the story to someone, to best contain his understandable excitement!

Previously from Dumfries, Ruby used to busk in Buchanan Street, Glasgow, on many Saturdays, playing guitar and singing, where she raised thousands of pounds for Save the Children. Taken under the wing of the wonderful Pipe Major Jim McConnechie in Dumfries at the age of eight, while Ruby loves playing traditional music, for Remembrance Day, Burns suppers and other fitting occasions, she’s also known for using the pipes for rock music.

Homeschooled, Ruby now studies music at Bath College, and has become an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and Highland bagpiper. You may well have seen her busking in the Brittox of Devizes, and various other local locations. Particularly memorable in town, was her impromptu appearance with Wayne Cherry on his one-hundred hours of Remembrance fundraiser. You may have been lucky enough to see her play live locally, after listening to and reviewing her debut EP, Don’t Give Up Now, We’re Nearly There, I made it top priority to attend her next gig, supporting Amelia Coburn, with Meg, at Trowbridge’s Pump.

On the couple of occasions I’ve had the honour to meet Ruby she remains modest about the attention, but if she doesn’t like to blow her own, erm, bagpipes, journalist for the Times, Nick Fraser reviewed the Charlatans’ gig, stating her guest appearance as the “most startling moment” of the event. 

Her forthcoming single “Caller Unknown” was made possible by the support of Tim Burgess of The Charlatans who spotted Ruby at Kendal Calling Festival, and through his new charitable initiative, Help Us Help Bands, Ruby won a recording session at the Cheese & Grain’s Bert Jansch Studio in Frome. I, for one, can’t wait to hear the latest song, once I’ve gotten over how simply fantastic this is for our locally-based artist; I’ve gone all goosebumpily! Well done Ruby, we are rooting for you.

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Remembrance Service in Devizes, 2022

Featured image: Remembrance Sunday 2019, Devizes by Gail Foster.

With thanks to the secretary of The Devizes Branch of the Royal British Legion, Vera Richmond, we have some details of this year’s remembrance service in Devizes. An important year, 2022, because it’s the first time since 2019 there has been a full remembrance service….

On Monday the 2nd of November there will be the opening of the Garden of Remembrance at 10.45hrs at the War Memorial.

On Friday the 11th of November there will be a short service at 10.45hrs to Join with the Nation for two minutes silence at 11.00hrs for Armistice Day.

On Remembrance Sunday, the 13th of November, there will be an inspection and parade from the Market Place to St Johns Church in Long Street, where will be a service. Afterwards, the parade will reform in Long Street, and around the War Memorial for the Last Post and two minutes silence at 11.00hrs.

The wreaths will be laid by the Representee of the King, Royal British Legion, local councils and organizations, after the Last Post. The parade will then return to the Market Place, given the salute to the Kings Representee, Mayor and Chairman of The Royal British Legion.

‘God of our fathers, known of old, Lord of our far-flung battle line, Beneath whose awful hand we hold, Dominion over palm and pine—Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!’

Rudyard Kipling

Devizes Town Band Comes to You for Remembrance

Had everything gone to plan, Devizes Town Band would have been taking their places right now, to perform another sell-out Poppy Concert, raising funds for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

Sadly, that was not to be.

We are in a second lockdown, so things are slightly different…

… As you can’t go to them, they’ll come to you!

Sit back and enjoy their latest video; a compilation of a recordings from their last rehearsal in the Wyvern Club and other pieces! Due to the social distancing restrictions on space, some of their musicians joined in via Zoom. Which I always marvel at the harmony of without timekeeping together in one place.

Our wonderful town band are still collecting funds for the Poppy Appeal; they would be very grateful if you would click on the link provided below to make your donation. The band give a huge thank you!

We Will Remember Them.

https://fb.watch/1FmaUORIFr/