Getting back from India a lot earlier than I thought it was going to be. It was a tough ol' time. I caught a bad virus and put me out of action for a couple of weeks. A humbling experience to say the least.
India was interesting and did interact with some Indian folk musicians. I'd like to have done more, but still worthwhile journey. Before I left for India I wrote a couple of good songs. There is something about that Christmas period..
So I was slightly panicking wondering if I would be well enough to do my first gig of the year for the 4 Corners Festival in Belfast. The line-up and overarching theme was just right up my street and I'm grateful to Steve Stockman and Stuart Bailey for asking me on the show, Take Back the City - Post Ceasefire Songs.
It was great to play along with Iain Archer, Tony Wright and Ursula Burns. I love doing these kind of in the round sessions. The interaction between the artists and the audience is great, and it gets away from the often dreary format of somebody knocking out a few tunes. I approve of that interactive aspect of putting on a show.
It was also great to meet up with friends I hadn't seen in a while - Mark Kelly, Terry Hooley and many more.
I think Ursula Burns' performance on the night was my favourite, and everybody else's. I was happy with my performance but Ursula just took it to other places.