THIS IS ARCHIVE 2          

HAPPY BIRTHDAY  YOUNG GEOFF!!!!

          The sax playing supremo and general all round lovely bloke who
           makes up a third of the STREETLIFE horn section threw a party
           at The Westcliff Hotel on Saturday 2nd October to celebrate his
           60th year on the planet which was shared with his son Philip who
           coincidentally was  30 on the same day.

           Music on this occasion was performed by 'Jackie Wilson Says' the
           Southend Soul Band. A great night was had by all and at one time
           the whole of STREETLIFE were on the floor strutting their stuff.
           It has to be said that Jackie Wilson were excellent .

            Congratulations to Geoff and massive thanks for a brilliant
            evening.

            Love from   Buster and  the Band.  October 3rd 2010   

NEXT PUBLIC GIG  
    FRIDAY 29th OCTOBER
    @ THE LODGE

   

IT WAS A TEENAGE WEDDING and the old folks wished them well.................................

          Oh alright so they were'nt teenagers, but Andy and Alison looked
          about as excited as anyone could get at the prospect of tying the knot.
          A few of the band went to the church to see them say their vows and
          to throw stuff at them ( I mean confetti, mostly)
          Good to see that  the church was full to bursting with friends and
          family and even for the godless among us the service was  on the
          money with the sentiments and true meaning  of matrimony....(I'm
          welling up now.)
   
          Here are the lovely  couple, ' 'avin a snog' as the bridesmaid put it .
          
         


          Then it was all back to the Westcliff Hotel for  some tucker and a big
           party. Guess who was  playing the music?  Yep, STREETLIFE!

         

       The evening  was a lot of fun for the band and guests and good to see
       a  bride take full advantage of her special  day .Poor old Andy looked                      shattered by around  ten in the evening and that's before the nuptials :)  
       
        The band would like to thank them both for their hospitality.

         Top night!  

         Buster          Sept  2010

NEXT PUBLIC GIG  
    FRIDAY 29th OCTOBER
    @ THE LODGE

SUMMER LOVIN...........................

           STREETLIFE  GOT TOGETHER ONE SUNNY SUMMERS SUNDAY
           AFTERNOON AND HAD A BARBEQUE . IF YOU WOULD LIKE
           TO SEE SOME PICTURES OF GROWN MEN  AND WOMEN ON A
           TRAMPOLINE CLICK ON THE PIC BELOW.
 
        

LEIGH REGATTA  , The real story............

           By Buster on  18th September 2010

           The band were collectively a little miffed about the story in the local
           newspaper  regarding their  scheduled performance at the Old
           Leigh Regatta. Just to clear up any confusion,
           contrary to the newspapers story STREETLIFE did  not 'pull out' of the
           gig.
           In fact the whole band turned up with their gear  at 9.30 am fully
           intending to play  the afternoon  event as planned. On arrival they                            discovered  that the flat back lorry on which they were supposed to
           set up did not have a cover. Pretty daft  as  it was forecast to rain
           (and it did)  All the bands gear as well as the  band  themselves would                  have got wet with a high risk of electrocution.
           The organisers then  arranged to construct a cover  during which time
           a marquee  further down the road  came adrift from its fixings and blew
           onto the railway line causing a London bound train to stop after it was
           hit, breaking its windscreen.
           As you can imagine this meant that every emergency service in the land                was called to give their opinion on the situation including the Health and              Safety Executive. Realising that this might present some problems the
           people erecting our makeshift cover refused to sign it off  as safe until
           the train sitiuation was resolved . By this time it was 12am . The  band
           were cold  and wet and still had no idea when they could set up and
           play.  So they went home.

            And that is how it happened.

             You can't believe everything you read in the papers these days

           
             Buster
 

TOP GEAR.......

           By Buster 0n 24th August 2010
           
           Yeah , I know what your thinking, but I am talking about  band
           guitarist and general all round 'broom up the botty' jack of all trades,
           Cliff 'disco thong' Elgar.

           
           A very nice bloke and his beautiful wife  got Cliff  a voucher  which
           entitled him to a  trip to Goodwood Motor circuit  and a  drive of a                              Lamborghini Diablo around the track in a very controlled
           way on an overcast morning in August.
           Tone and I  went along to take  some pictures of ' THE STIG' in action
           
           
.

            Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button  should be afraid. I know I was

 ROOM with a view

             By Buster on  2nd August 2010

             Room 24 was the place to be  last Saturday night .Andy and Aran
             had  their engagement  celebration at the function suite with
             food, fruit juice and friends PLUS some fun, frolics and funky music
             supplied by STREETLIFE.

             ANDY AND ARAN


             Everyone had a blast of an evening epecially the STREETLIFE horn
             section , Trombone player JB and trumpet  player Graham .
             (Unfortunately the bands saxophonist  Geoff, was away in
             Switzerland for his six monthly blood transfusion so the boys had
             to make do without him .)
             At one point they suggested that members of  the audience
             might like to stand in.....................

             
         
             Although the girls  won through aesthetically, they couldn't quite
             cut the mustard musically, though it was a close call.

              Despite the weather being hot and humid virtually everyone in
              the place had a dance  with ex spice girl Emma Bunting turning
              up for a twirl halfway through the evening and  even the barman
              spent some  time having a boogie.
              The band would like to thank Andy and Aran for their hospitality
              and congratulate them once again on their engagement.

              A big thumbs up for Room 24 too , friendly and accommodating
              staff including an amiable but 'not to be messed with' bouncer and
              great food.
           

             
              EMMA BUNTING GETS JIGGY WTH IT

             A selection of pics from the evening can be seen by clicking on
             Emma 's nose

           THEY'RE ALL GOING ON
     A SUMMER HOLIDAY

            As ever  sun sea and sand beckon the easily swayed bunch
            collectively known as STREETLIFE . They are all heading off
            in different directions during August  for some much needed
            rest and recuperation.
            The second half of the year opens with it a gig at Leigh Regatta
            on the 11th September . The band are performing outside the Smack
            Inn  in Leigh Old Town at various times throughout the day.
            STREETLIFE vocalist Tony will also be performing a one off
            show with his old band Changes Bowie at The Ship Pub in Leigh
            one week later on the 18th Sept. Then there's a band wedding  in
            October (Ciff and Jen are tying the knot) and  also Geoff's birthday party.
            They know how to live this lot.
     
            Enjoy  the summer whatever the weather and see you for a news
            update in September. 
 
            Buster Diamond

 Stoned

             By Buster on 1st July 2010

             Hello to Lee and Laura who got married last weekend and
             celebrated in style at Stone Yacht Club in St. Lawrence bay.
             It was a beautiful afternoon and  they and their guests all
             danced and drank the night away to the throbbing rhythm packed
             entity that is STREETLIFE.
             The band would like to say a big thank you  for  the luverly grub
             and to Jan for pouring the beers and to Elco Jones for gifting  the
             band  their song 'SWEET CAROLINE  , thanks guys
 .
             CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW  FOR ANOTHER AWESOME
             BUSTER DIAMOND SLIDE  SHOW. PHOTOS COURTESY OF
             TONE.

           
             

 Streetlife at the palace

             By Buster on  21st  June 2010
             
            No they didn't get a knighthood and I am talking about The  Pier Park
            Palace Hotel in Southend on Sea , not the one where the Queen lives.
            As always the TGS  crowd  were  up on the dance floor from the word
            go and they didn't stop until it was time to go home. Special thanks
            to Rachael and Nic  who pretty much organised the whole thing  and
            to Lisa who's birthday it was. Of course I should also mention that it
            was STREETLIFES drummer Kev and his wife Carolyn's wedding
            anniversary as well ,so they got a dance  AND a round of applause too.

            The  Hotel which has recenty been refurbished  has a cliffside bar
            with panoramic views over the estuary and Southends own pier and
            has a cocktail bar and restaurant  with very reasonable prices.
            Judging by the dinner the food is pretty good too.  

            As a rule  I don't  like to single out  any one band member for  praise 
            for fear of offending the rest of them , (they are a sensitive bunch)
            however, on this occasion I feel I must  sing the praises of  band                             saxophonist Geoff. He played a great  set and  from where I was                             standing his Soloing was  awesomely good.
            Of  course the rest of   the band were brilliant too !!!

            Click on the picture below  for  one of my slideshow specials.  
 
               

FOOTBALLS COMING HOME

          By Buster on  16th June 2010
   
          Well, if you are a fan of the game then about now is a good time to                         support the home team. If you're not then the world cup will just
          torment you for the next few weeks. STREETLIFE played The Lodge          
          on Friday 11th June , the opening night  in South Africa of a tournament
          that is the scourge of any public house that doesn't have a TV .
          Fortunately The Lodge does , which meant that  the bands Bass player                 Darren ,could   keep up with the game as he played.....skills!

          Despite  the football  the pub was almost full by 9 and as the band                         waited tentatively for trumpet player Graham to arrive fresh off  his
          flight  f rom  Dubhai  they talked about JB and his absence from the gig.
          I bet his ears were burning.  

           As ever the gig was  a blinder  and they will be back at The Lodge in
           October of this year.

          DOGS LIFE

            Loosely connected to the band is Cliff and Jens new dog who
            they  thought would be 'small poodle size' once grown up WRONG!

            Ollie, who will be  4 months old at the end of June has paws
            like a shire horse and already  comes up to my waist  (no I am
            not a midget) He is though, one cute  puppy.

           
     OTHER NEWS
      After a break of exactly 5 years, STREETLIFE  singer Tone, has
           joined with  fellow Bowie  band members for a  one  off gig at
           The Ship  pub in Leigh on Sea  in September. Their last gig as
            the band Changes Bowie was  at Club Riga in June 2005  .
            Exact date and full details will be posted soon.

            Last but not least if you are into photography  make sure you
            pay a visit to the  Tate Gallery before the end of October '10.
            If you are interested  here's the link.
             
            Buster

   

On the sunny side of the street...........

           By Buster on 24th May 2010

              
       
            CLICK ON THE PIC ABOVE FOR A SLIDESHOW

           The band that is STREETLIFE went to Kent  for an afternoon and
           evening  last Saturday. The weather was beautiful , the food at  The
           Crown in Edinbridge was more than adequate and the plethora of
           real ales available at the bar a joy to behold.
           Gavin and  Emma were married on one of the sunniest days of  the
           year so far and they and their guests danced the night away despite
           the heat.  The bands thanks  go to the bar staff at The Kent and Surrey
           for making them welcome , but not unfortunately, to the jobsworth with
           half hundred weight of keys dangling from his belt loop , who it
           seemed   was intent on making ALL the other staff feel inadequate and
           the band an annoyance. Everyone had a great time despite him.
           Big love also to the Chinchilla who watched the band  get changed
           upstairs next to his cage without even a smirk. Sadly the same cannot
           be said of the bands trombone player John who basically smirked
           constantly. I did take a lot of pics of the band in many poses that you
           have probably seen before if you come here often. Unfortunately owing
           to a faulty compact flash card I did not manage to get any pics of the
           evening and the happy couple and their guests. Sorry about that.

            Next gig for the STREETLIFE gang is at The Lodge in Woodham
            on Friday 11th June.  If its a 'wash your hair' night then put on a hat
            and come along . Always a fun night and FREE!  
            
 

no place like home, no place like home......

           By Buster 26th April 2010

           Well  I'm not the only one glad to be back on the green and
           pleasant  land . Band vocalist  Jenny, has been on an extended
           stay in Paris owing to the intrusion of volcanic ash  across the
           whole of European airspace. All in all she spent around seven days
           in the French capital . Luckily for the band she  returned in time for
           their gig on the 24th.
 
           Their is a rumour going round that the volcanic activity in Iceland
           started around the time of STREETLIFES last gig at The  Lodge.
           There is no scientific evidence to support this theory.
     
           The band played  at  Mike Coles 50th Birthday celebrations on
           Saturday and  a bloody good night it was too!
           Many thanks to Mike for the bands bar tab (they still managed to get
           all the  way through the set) and for making them learn
           'Sweet Caroline'  Tones' favourite new song and Kevins worst
            ...ha ha ha.
           Friends and family danced , chatted and drank  the night away
           in The  Marquess Room at  The Lords G.C ......as did most of  the
           band, though they did play some mighty fine music in between.
.  
            Tony has known Mike for some 35 years  and was very pleased to
            see a few  familiar faces  at the party including  Mikes mum and
            dad who were younger than he is now when he first met them
            (does that make any sense?) along with  some  mutual ' old'
            friends and some young ones too.   

            Tony would also like to thank David and Karen for the lovely black
            coffee served in the camper van  at the end of the night.
             
             
           
      MIKE  IN THE STARTING BLOCKS  FOR FIRST PINT OF THE NIGHT

                                          MORE PARTY  PICS HERE
                                                    (coming soon)

The Bells are Ringing........

           For Carla and Richard . After a  sunfilled wedding and
           honeymoon all rolled into one  on the sandy beaches of Cuba,
           the happy couple returned home to celebrate with their friends and
           family in Waltham Abbey.
           Of course STREETLIFE were there to make sure the music for the                          evening  didn't disappoint .
           Thanks to Darren for his organisational skills and to  the Bride and
           Groom , along with their friends and family  for a  great evening.

            The band would also llike to thank the  Rajah  indian restaurant
            for their  excellent food  and  hospitality.  

        
                               

    JANE AND DAN WERE  
    VERY WELL RECEIVED AT
    THE LODGE..     
           
           Their rendition of 'Suspicious Minds' drew  rapturous applause
           from the crowd at The Lodge on Friday 26th
           Their efforts raised £100 towards the Haiti Relief  Fund .
           The band  also had a briliant  night and their thanks go
           out to all those who attended, including the XBS gang,
           The Woodham Posse, Paula (Happy Birthday!!!) and her friends
           along with some of the usual suspects and some unusual ones.
           Thank You.

            The Band are back at  The Lodge in June.
   
            We also have some photos of Dan and Jane which are now up on
            the  photo section  Just click on the PHOTOS heading on you right
            The Lodge meanwhile have added some pics on their FACEBOOK
            site have a  look HERE ...you just might see yourself.

           
            Buster   02.03.10

jane AND dan PUT IN A SPECIAL APPEARANCE.............

           By Buster on Wednesday 17th February 2010
 
           Band trombonist  John Blackburn aka JB recently put forward
           the opportunity to sing a song with  STREETLIFE at their next gig,
           as a prize in a works auction to raise money for the relief effort in
           earthquake stricken  Haiti .
           Staff at XBS Aon Romford , Essex , auctioned off all sorts of stuff  
           on a friday afternoon in early Feb  where two of his colleagues
           outbid  their  workmates  for the privilege
           of  unleashing their vocal chords on the public  , with  Streetlife
           as their  backing band. , adding £100 to the fund.

           Dan and Jane took time out to attend a STREETLIFE rehearsal at
           Mushroom Rehearsal Studios in Hullbridge and after choosing  their                    song  , along  with a stiff drink  and a brief warm up , they managed  a                    couple of run throughs  in preparation for their  performance at  
            The Lodge  next Friday 26th February.
           
           
   
           
            If you know Dan  or Jane.......................

            Then you need to be at The Lodge on Friday 26th February to lend  
            your support and experience for yourself  first hand this one off,
            never to be repeated performance by  the  fabulous duo.

             All of us at  Streetlifeband.co.uk  wish them  all the very best  on
             their debut.

            Jane and Dan t - shirts can be ordered HERE
  
            Their chosen song will not be divulged until the night., but we can
            tell you that the folks at  AON raised over £2000 for their trouble.
           

            Brilliant!

             Buster
 

LORDY iT's february already!!!!

          By Buster on Tuesday 10th February 2010

          Well , the band have a gig at The Lodge this month if you hadn't
          noticed already. ( On Friday 26th Feb at The Lodge if you weren't
          sure )
          In preparation for this and another little excursion
          up to Waltham Abbey at  the end of  Feb, the boys (and girls) have
          learnt three new songs, argued relentlessly about the  merits  of
          Wang Chung and played  a word association game that started
          with the word  'Cock',  (as in in male chicken)providing some interesting               results .  Band  vocalist Lin was disqualified for 'being rude' and
          JB scored highly   in  'most  interesting  laugh'  Category.
          The  aforementioned  three  songs are .... 'Sweet Caroline'  originally
          a Neil Diamond song, but  Street life play this now as a tribute to  'Elco                   Jones' . The Noisettes ' Never  forget you'  with a completely new brass                  arrangement and  that old pub stalwart ' Ruby, ruby, ruby!'
           All three will be played at The Lodge  and  dependent entirely on
           audience reaction may (or may not ) be played EVER again.

           After some cross words from some of the bands fans  the guys
            have also rearranged  the brass parts in Gimme Gimme
           Gimme a man after midnight and Tone has promised to sing the
           chorus with somewhat less enthusiasm.

            All mention of Cliffs previous birthday has been removed from
            the site and he is really only 21.....honest guv, he's just had a hard
            life. 

            Here's a lovely pic of the brass section to whet your appetite.....

         

NEXT GIG  at The Lodge on Friday 26th feb 2010 . NEW year, new songs , new shirts. free entry. 

JANUARY UPDATE

           By Buster on Monday 25th January 2010

           The bands first gig of the new year was a 50th Birthday party for
            the lovely Gayle and her friends and family who all looked the
            part for the 'Through the Ages ' theme
            The band would like to thank her and her guests for dancing all
            night  long and  for  the  special band buffet  .
            Keyboard player  Matt,  who is an expert  on buffets and party
            food in general gave the spread a massive 8 stars , the best score
            in the  'home prepared buffets' category  since June 2008!

            Thanks also to the 'Tony Martin music show' for some great tunes
            played whilst the band took a breather and  the lovely bar staf f at
            'The Barn Theatre in  Dunmow.'

             Tony managed to get a few pictures which will go up very soon.
             Meanwhile here are a couple to  be going on with.
           
           

Happy New YEAR!

           By Buster  on Saturday  2nd January 2010

           A big thank you to all those who came to The Lodge on the 20th Nov
           It was the bands last public gig of the year and  despite the cold
           weather  and the fact that it was 'children in need night' , the bar
           was probably fuller than ever. Some great singalongs and lots of                            respectable (and some not so respectable) dancing.   

           The  band are already working on  new songs for 2010  and
           a few of these will be aired at the first  Lodge gig of 2010 on
           February 26th

            Watch this space for a  STREETLIFE facebook page  , updated
            website , new photos and more Streetlife stuff.

            Have a good one.

            Buster x 

                 

UPDATE

           
           Here are a few Regatta pictures from 2009 courtesy of Gary
           Hubbard.  Thanks Gaz   CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW ACTION

2nd Sept update

           By Buster on Tuesday  22nd September 2009
           
           
             DANCING IN THE STREET

        Leigh Regatta  brought  sunshine ,laughter , music and beer .
        Thanks to all  those who came to say  hello and gave the band
           a cheer. They started at  midday and played three sets finishing at
           five.. Special thanks to Cliff for sorting it all out  and to JB for pointing
           out some sites of special interest on the day . Also thanks to The
           Mayflower public house for an excellent stock of real ale.
           A few people have promised photographs which I will add
           as soon as I get them. Meanwhile here's a pic of the band on
           the day courtesy of the Evening Echo which was published
           on Monday 21st.

         
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