Macaroni Penguins

Gig: 28th January - The Black Horse, North Nibley

2012-01-21T10:07:00.002Z

Today (21st January), is the 17th Anniversary of Macaroni Penguins first ever gig.

Yes, just 17 short years ago myself, Mark, Mike, Fred and a TR-505 drum machine crammed into Piggy's sitting room and played 11 songs, finishing, as has now become tradition, with Stepping Stone.

Next week - Saturday, 28th January 2012 - we will be playing at The Black Horse in North Nibley to celebrate their 1st Anniversary as the landlords of the pub. Come along and appreciate the polish that the intervening 17 years, 1 week and 119 gigs have given us.

Update: We will be playing at 9pm.

"When I was seventeen, it was a very good year"

Gig: 20th November - The Black Horse, North Nibley

2011-11-18T11:34:00.002Z

Macaroni Penguins will be returning to The Black Horse at North Nibley on 20th November 2011.

Apparently the exact time is "up to us", so naturally it hasn't been decided yet. But rest assured there will be some point in the evening when the entire band is there playing. More precise details when they are decided on.

Update: We expect to be kicking off around 8:15pm.

"Macaroni Penguins make the most impressive entrance."

Gig: 10th September - The Swan Inn, Birlingham

2011-09-05T09:52:00.002+01:00

Macaroni Penguins next gig will be at The Swan Inn, Birlingham on 10th September 2011. We are playing from around 8pm.

A good opportunity for all out Worcestershire based fans to catch up with us!

"Hello, Hello. I'm at a place called Birlingham."

Gig: 28th August - The Old Spot Inn, Dursley

2011-08-25T17:38:00.001+01:00

Macaroni Penguins next gig will be on Sunday, 28th August 2011 at The Old Spot Inn, Dursley.

I'm not quite sure what time we'll be playing yet, but as soon as I find out I'll let you know!

UPDATE: We are playing from 7pm. Be there or b².

"Don't spot 'til you get enough"

Gig: 16th July - Beer & Bands, Wotton-under-Edge

2011-07-08T17:10:00.002+01:00

I'm reliably informed - well, Mike told me, so I'm informed at least - that Macaroni Penguins will be one of the three bands playing at Beer & Bands 2011 at Conygres, Wotton-under-Edge. If you were at Beer & Bands 2009, we were the band in the middle.

I don't really have any further details (although I think the name of the event should give you a pretty good clue as to what it's all about), other than tickets are apparently £8 (£6 in advance), and are available in Wotton. If you live there you probably know more than me. More information if and when I get it. Hopefully someone will at least let me know what time we are actually playing.

Contact Email: lionsclub@wotton-under-edge.org.

Update 2011-07-14: I've just heard that we are "headlining" (or, if you prefer, playing last). Which means we will be finishing up at midnight, and expect to start around 10:30pm.

"Beer + Bands = Fun"

Gig: 11th June - The Star Inn, Wotton-under-Edge

2011-06-08T16:04:00.001+01:00

Macaroni Penguins will be returning to The Star Inn, Wotton-under-Edge on Saturday 11th June 2011. We are playing from around 9pm - (outside if the weather is amenable). Come on down and enjoy the fun!

"Wotton Earth Is Going On?"

Gig: 12th Feb - The Star Inn, Wotton-under-Edge

2011-02-04T12:10:00.001Z

Macaroni Penguins will be returning to The Star Inn, Wotton-under-Edge to play on Saturday 12th February 2011. We are playing from around 9pm. Come on down and enjoy the fun!

"You're a Super Star!"

Gig: 8th Jan - The Old Spot Inn, Dursley

2011-01-07T17:57:00.000Z

Macaroni Penguins will be playing our first gig of 2011 at The Old Spot Inn, Dursley on Saturday, 8th January 2010. I should think we'll be playing around 9pm. Come along and find out!

"They tried to make Santa go to rehab... but he said 'Ho, Ho, Ho'"

Gig: 4th Dec - The Star Inn, Wotton-under-Edge

2010-12-01T21:16:00.004Z

Macaroni Penguins next gig will be on Saturday, 4th December 2010 at The Star Inn, Wotton-under-Edge. We will be playing from 9pm - 11pm.

We've got a new song (to us) planned. It went well at rehearsal, but we're all quite interested to hear how it's going to go with real (electronic) drums. So do come along and find out.

"Woo-tton Clan"

Gig: 27th Aug - The Plough Inn, Wrington

2010-08-27T10:59:00.009+01:00

... (W)ring(ton) the Changes

>>> *UPDATE* The Venue for this gig has changed. <<<

The next Macaroni Penguins gig will now be taking place at The Plough Inn, Wrington on Sunday, August 29th 2010 at 8:30pm.

The weather for the Bank Holiday weekend is set to improve, so come down and join us for our first gig in this venue... and if you're lucky we'll be performing a couple of new (to us) songs!

Given Wrington's proximity to Bristol Airport, this would be the ideal gig for international visitors.

Please note that originally this gig was to take place at The Rattlebone Inn, Sherston (NE of Bristol), but has been reorganised to happen at The Plough Inn, Wrington (SW of Bristol). Please don't go to the wrong pub (this message is as much for the members of the band as the audience!).

"I've got a bass, but I'm not a bassist"

Gig: 3rd Jul - NibFest 2010

2010-07-03T09:23:00.002+01:00

The Show Must Go On...
... a bit longer than we were expecting!

Macaroni Penguins will be playing NibFest 2010, this evening (3rd July 2010), at 8:00pm - 8:45pm.

We are stepping in at short notice to replace one of the bands that has cancelled due to breaking it's arm.

If you're coming down, don't forget to check us out.

"Macaroni Penguins: Playing on into injury time"

Gig: 26th Mar - North Nibley Village Hall

2010-03-23T19:52:00.001Z

Ton Up

Macaroni Penguins next gig will be at Nibley Music Night at North Nibley Village Hall on Friday 26th March. The event starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are available in advance for £3.

This gig is particularly interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly it will be Macaroni Penguins 100th Gig. Yes, in just over fifteen short years we have managed to clock up one hundred gigs. Secondly we will be playing this gig without Mike, our usual guitarist (who has a better offer that evening). Liz will be donning a guitar for the evening and helping out Mark while the rest of us will be watching (and listening) with interest for the guitar solos.

"Macaroni Penguins: With or without Mike"

Roll Out The Barrel!

2009-11-21T12:05:00.012Z

Update [2009-11-26]: *** This gig has been cancelled by the venue. Sorry. ***

Macaroni Penguins next gig is at The Barrel Inn, St Mary St., Thornbury on 28th November 2009. We'll be on from 9pm.

If things work out well we may be playing a couple of new songs at this gig.

This will be our first time playing at this venue, so please come along and support us!

"Macaroni Penguins: May Contain Nuts."

Snodfest 2009 Video

2009-11-21T11:58:00.004Z

Macaroni Penguins are featured in the official Snodfest 2009 video.

There is video (but no audio) of Penguin induced crowd frenzy at 1:42 - 1:47 and there are stills of the band at 2:15 and 2:24.

"YouTube if you want to"

Snodfest 2009

2009-09-03T18:05:00.011+01:00

Macaroni Penguins will be returning to the wilds of deepest, darkest Worcestershire to play at Upton Snodsbury Music Festival 2009 on Sunday, 19th September 2009 at Upton Snodsbury Park.

I understand we will be finishing off the festival again this year (or headlining as we like to think of it), and that the festival itself is due to close at 9:30 pm. So I would expect we will be playing from about 8:30 pm, but I will provide more details as soon as I get them. Or keep an eye on the festival's own website for updates (snodfest.com).

Update [2009-09-18]: Macaroni Penguins are scheduled to play from 9:10pm to 10:00pm.

Here we are playing at Snodfest 2008:

"Things will be great when you're... Upton"

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

2009-05-31T12:36:00.000+01:00

The traditional festival/monsoon season is upon us, and Macaroni Penguins first engagement is to play at the 2009 Dursley Rugby Club Beer Festival on 6th June 2009. We are scheduled to be closing the festival (how could anyone follow us?) between 8:30pm and 11pm. Tickets are £5, see the web site for more details.

The current weather forecast for the area is, err, not particularly good, but I'm assured we will be playing under cover, so do come along, sample the beer, drown your sorrows and maybe yourself if the weather gets worse.

Also - if we can work out how to connect it all up - this gig will be the first outing for our new PA system, especially purchased to give Tim's bottom end a bit more oomph!

"Macaroni Penguins: 80% Entertainment by Volume."

It Was Fourteen Years Ago Today...

2009-01-21T11:56:00.002Z

... Macaroni Penguins played their first ever gig, at Piggy's Birthday Party, in his house.

We had just acquired a drummer, Michelle, the previous day, but she declined to play with us at such short notice, so the four of us - Mark, Mike, Jim and Fred (our former keyboard player) - struggled through 11 songs backed by a TR-505 drum machine and a dodgy amp.

The songs played were:

Keep Your Hands To Yourself
Vampire Blues
Is She Really Going Out With Him?
Hard To Handle
So You Think You're In Love
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Walking By Myself
R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.
Fearless Heart
Future's So Bright
Stepping Stone

Interestingly we recently played another 11 song set at Snodfest 2008 - due to time constraints - and that set had exactly no songs in common with our first ever set. Although having said that Stepping Stone is still our third most played song (after Another Girl, Another Planet and Make Me Smile) and still the song we traditionally end on, and another two songs (Hard To Handle and Future's So Bright) are among our top ten most played songs, although have been absent from recent sets. And one of the songs from this set (Fearless Heart) went so well that we have never played again. Ever.

But, things have moved on, 14 years and 92 gigs later we have lost a keyboard player and gained a drummer and a backing vocalist, lost a drummer and gained a different one, gained a lot more songs and lost a few as well, gained a lot of experience and lost a lot of nervousness.

Here's to 2009.

"But they're guaranteed to raise a smile"

Park Life

2008-09-08T23:28:00.006+01:00

Macaroni Penguins are pleased to be playing the 2008 Upton Snodsbury Music Festival, which takes place on Saturday, 13th September 2008, at Upton Snodsbury Park.

We will be finishing off the festival, playing between 9:30pm and 10:30pm, but there will be over 7 hours of live music over two stages from 3pm, as well as various stalls, crafts and family friendly entertainment. See the festival web site for details.

Advance tickets are £8 (£4 concessions), and are available from the festival web site. This festival is a fund raising event for the charity responsible for the management of the park.

Facebook Event: Upton Snodsbury Music Festival 2008

"B in the Park"

Licence To Chill

2008-08-14T15:40:00.003+01:00

The next Macaroni Penguins gig will be the Frocester Chill Out at The Old Spot, Dursley on Sunday, 24th August 2008. We will be playing from 6:30pm ("so we can be louder", apparently), but there will be stuff going on from 2pm until closing time. Entry is free.

We've been rehearsing a few new songs (new to us that is - if we get them right you should be able to recognise them as songs you've heard before), and if you're really lucky we'll try a few at The Old Spot.

Earlier this year The Old Spot was voted National Pub of the Year by CAMRA, and this gig will provide it with another honour. As well as being Gig 90 this performance will enshrine The Old Spot as Macaroni Penguins' most popular venue. Currently it's a tie between The Old Spot and The Prom, having played 13 gigs at each venue.

Come down and enjoy the fun... we hope to see you there...

Facebook Event: Frocester Chill Out at The Old Spot

"If you can stand the cool, get into the chill"

Singing In The Rain

2008-06-28T11:52:00.006+01:00

So, now we know why Slimbridge is the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. The weather at this years Slimbridge Beer Festival was wild, foul and wet. But we'd like to say a big thank-you to everyone who stayed through the rain to watch our set. We hope you enjoyed it, and have dried out by now.

I'd also like to thank the kind person that lent me an umbrella so I could watch the other two acts without getting completely soaked. I'm afraid I couldn't find you after we came off stage, but the brolly is not lost, if you can get in touch I will get it back to you. Otherwise, I'll bring it along to our next gig at The Old Spot, Dursley on 24th August.

Also, if anyone has any photos of the band playing at the festival, please leave a comment so we can have a look.

"Now it's raining more than ever."

June Tunes

2008-05-20T13:30:00.018+01:00

There are two Macaroni Penguins gigs coming up in June...

On 7th June 2008 we will be playing at the Dursley Rugby Club Beer Festival. We are scheduled to be playing between 5pm and 7pm. Tickets are £5, more details from the web site.

Then on 21st June 2008 we will be celebrating midsummer at the Slimbridge Beer Festival. Here we will be on at 9:30pm. Tickets are £6.50, visit the web site for more details.

Facebook Event: Dursley Rugby Club Beer Festival
Facebook Event: Slimbridge Beer Festival

"Don't Drink and Drum."

A Leopard Can't Change It's Spots...

2007-09-03T23:14:00.010+01:00

... and neither can Macaroni Penguins. We're playing again at The Old Spot, Dursley
on Wednesday, 12th September 2007, probably around 8pm.

Link: Here's a facebook event for this gig.

Update: The venue has cancelled this gig. Sorry for the inconvenience.

"Damn! We're in a tight spot!"

Rock the Spot

2007-08-06T11:50:00.004+01:00

The next Macaroni Penguins gig will be on Sunday, 12th August 2007 at The Old Spot in Dursley.

We'll be playing around 8pm, but there is stuff going on from 3pm if you want to get there early.

We've been learning a few new songs, and if you're lucky we might even play some of them...

See you there...

"Spot On, Tommy!"

Small Facebooks

2007-08-02T09:58:00.005+01:00

There is now a Macaroni Penguins Facebook group.

So, if Facebook is your bag, mosey on down and swell the numbers - and I'll try and get the other members of the band to join in once they've got Facebook accounts.

You also might have noticed that Macaroni Penguins Web Site has been revamped and now has some useful information on it.

If you prefer to keep in touch with the band in person, rather than electronically, our next gig is a return visit to The Old Spot, Dursley on Sunday, 12th August 2007, and we've even been learning a few new songs. Hope to see you there...

"Every day I write the Facebook."

Full English Nibfest

2007-07-01T16:22:00.005+01:00

No-one told the weather, but Summer is here and Macaroni Penguins are out gigging. After a few private parties (including a trip to play on the Isle of Wight) we have some public gigs coming up...

On Saturday 14th July 2007 we will be playing at Nibfest (or the North Nibley Music Festival to give it it's proper name). We are scheduled to be on stage at 10pm. For more details and tickets see the Nibfest web page (or get in touch with Mark - and I hope he's booked some decent weather).

And if that wasn't enough we will be following that, on Wednesday 18th July 2007, with a gig at The Old Spot in Dursley, we're on around 8:30pm, entry is free.

Hope to see you there...

"Summer's here and the time is right for flooding in the street."

Happy Janniversaries

2007-02-02T19:16:00.004Z

Wow! What a lot of anniversaries there were in January.

The big news is that after a long hard winter huddled together on the ice Mark & Liz hatched a chick. Alice was born on 21st January, which coincidentally is also the 12th anniversary of Macaroni Penguins first gig (at Piggy's Party - which I reckon also means Piggy must be celebrating his birthday around the same time). This much celbrated date is just over a couple of weeks after Liz's own birthday, and only three days after Mike's birthday.

According to an article in New Scientist the benefits of being born in January (or August) seem to be that you are less likely to suffer from various mental illnesses than the rest of us.

"It's my birthday, and I'll cry if I want to."

We Wish You...

2006-12-24T16:47:00.007Z

Macaroni Penguins wish all our fans and drummers best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

And we look forward to seeing you all at our gigs in 2007 (if we have any).

"rootie-toot-toots and rum-a-tum tums"

Festive Yule Blog

2006-11-27T16:46:00.002Z

The next Macaroni Penguins gig is on Saturday, 2nd December at Kingswood Village Hall. I'm not really sure how you go about getting tickets, but if you live in or near Kingswood you probably know all about it.

And if one evening of Rock isn't enough for you, then tune in to Channel 4 at 8pm on Sunday to catch School of Rock.

Also, one of our special guest drummers, Tim, has written up his experience of playing Frocester Beer Festival with us in the Summer. It obviously didn't put him off playing with us too much, as he joined us on stage at our last gig - Mark's Birthday Party - for a couple of songs (including Rocks, which makes him the only drummer we have played Rocks with - although we have played it a couple of times at drum free gigs).

"Christmas is drumming..."

At last, a Penguins CD?

2006-09-22T23:02:00.002+01:00

We've only got a few gigs arranged for the winter so we're hoping to spend some time recording. Slug and I have chatted about the logistics and legalities and I'm keen to get moving on it. We should have a bit more of a plan when we meet with Mike next week. I'd like to have a CD available early next year, but don't hold your breath!

We're also working on a couple of new songs.

Drum Free Adolescents

2006-09-07T00:18:00.003+01:00

Michelle has the weekend off as we're playing a couple of drum free gigs.

On Saturday 9th September we're playing a private party - if you're going to be invited you'll already know all about it.

And on Sunday 10th September we'll be playing inside at the Old Spot in Dursley.

"Can you hear the drums, Fernando?

August Thanks Holiday

2006-08-29T20:22:00.002+01:00

Hello and welcome to the Macaroni Penguins blog. To subscribe to future updates put your email address into the Subscribe form over on the left (or use your favourite RSS reader).

We had an excellent Bank Holiday weekend with gigs at the Frocester Beer Festival (Saturday) and the Old Spot in Dursley (Sunday). If you were in the crowd at either of these gigs, thanks for making us feel welcome, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. And thanks to Tim for drumming with us at these gigs.

For all the Slug groupies out there who want to get a T-shirt like the one I wore in the second set at the Old Spot gig, here is a link to the T-qualiser shirt at Play.com. (No, I'm not on commission).

And I don't think the bit about the different bars responding to different frequencies is true either.

"Get your socks off, get your socks of Lizzie..."