Double Gig

Thank you for all your well wishes! I was a little under the weather this week and certainly not in the best of voices, but I still came away from all the rehearsals feeling on top of the world. I'm a little behind on my admin, and my voice is still sounding a bit raspy and unpleasant but I'm looking forward to being fighting fit next week.

We seem to bring sunshine and good fortune wherever we go. I'm writing this between our final two outdoor gigs of the year. This morning at Trinity Park was brilliant and I've already had a lovely message from the organisers. This evening promises to be, if not sunny, at least dry.

A big thank you to everyone who came along this morning and likewise for this evening. Special mention for those who are doing both! Two gigs in one day! We are the hardest working choir in showbiz!

Half Term

We've one more week of rehearsals before we take a short break for half term. We'll be meeting Monday 7th October to Thursday 10th October as usual and then regular rehearsals will resume in the first week of November. But don't worry! There's plenty going on in October so you'll hardly notice!

So, next week we'll be learning the second half of Fairytale Of New York, running through Suspicious Minds, I Can See Clearly Now and Love Is In The Air. If there's any time left, our Hot Hopeful will be the magnificent Don't Leave Me This Way. The lyrics for this, and everything else, are of course in the Downloads folder. Shout if you're having trouble finding them.

October

We've barely scratched the surface of October though. Next Saturday (12th October) we'll be helping raise money for St Elizabeth Hospice at Ipswich Sports Club, and we'll be joined for a few numbers by Harry Isaac Presley, Little Bealing's 12th best Elvis Impersonator. Many of you will remember him from our gig at Portman Road.

Please do bring along any supporters. Entry is free and there'll be collection buckets for the charity dotted around.

The following day, I'm directing a concert at Ipswich School and though it's not a Pop Club Choir event, you will be there in spirit because I'll be bringing the concert to a close with a rendition of our arrangement of I Can See Clearly Now, backed by a full orchestra. Tomorrow's job is to put the finishing touches to the orchestral arrangement in fact!

On Sunday 20th October we'll be singing at Croxton Church. All choir places are taken for this one so email me if you'd like to take part and I'll run a "cancellation" list. Spectator tickets are available from the organisers. I believe they're £10. Email or message me if you'd like tickets and I'll put you in touch with them.

Halloween Party Saturday 26th October, Ipswich Sports Club

Our final event of October is our spooky Halloween Party. It's very much open to all so friends, family etc are welcome.

There'll be live music from The SERIOUS Hat Band (previously my "day-job" and because I'm loving Pop Club Choir so much, soon to become my "side-hustle"). There'll be the opportunity to sing with the band for those that are feeling brave.

We'll be going to town with the decorations and special effects, as those of you who've been to one of my Halloween Parties before will know, and we'll be razzling up some nice winter hot grub for everyone, courtesy of our resident chefs Gill and Dariusz.

It is officially a fancy-dress party and you can go as wild as you like. Feel free to just stick a witches hat on, or go for full makeover. The choice is yours. (There's no obligation to "dress-up" but I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't let you know that people do tend to go for it.)

Tickets are £15 for Pop Club Choir members and your friends and family. I should mention that capacity is limited so do jump in and get your tickets! They're available from popclubchoir.uk/shop.

Norwich

As mentioned last week, we'll be adding a new choir to the roster for 2025. It'll most likely be on a Tuesday afternoon, in or around central Norwich. If you know anyone who might be interested, they can register for more information at popclubchoir.uk/norwich.

Do get in touch if you have any questions or comments. You can email me at ed@popclubchoir.uk, or whatsapp, call or text on 07973 110075. Or hit me up on Facebook!

Ed X