Rock Regeneration

Aug30

Wild Flowers Festival: The Bamboo Vipers/Pronghorn/Quinns Quinney

on August 30th, 2014 at 19:50

Boldre Club, Lymington

To get tonight’s story we had to rely on the sat nav to take up deep into the New Forest way out Lymington way, to a place called Boldre. There has been whispered rumours around the local music scene that tonight the original members of the mighty hoedown band The Cropdusters were going to reform. The Cropdusters are a well celebrated Hoedown band who tore through music venues of the South in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s bringing passion, energy and music fans together in glorious celebrations. The band had a fair amount of success including performing at the Reading Festival, as well as high profile supports with the Levellers and New Model Army.

Recently front man Shaun Morris has reappeared with a brand new band The Bamboo Vipers, with a distinct Punk edge and some genius lyrics; which can be heard on the debut album “Dangling The Bait”. Tonight the venue is the Boldre working men’s club, a place that tonight is hotter than a sauna and packed to the rafters with fans that have travelled counties and continents to be here. The reason for the gathering is the “Wild Flowers Festival”-a two day Charity event arranged by Shaun and his good lady wife Michaela, to benefit not one but three well deserving local charities.

The audience were warmed up with a fantastic set from those lyrical twisting Quinns Quinney boys, whose skiffle reworks of popular songs has the whole venue singing along at the top of their voices. A band that were quite possibly influenced by The Cropdusters were next up and boy did they give them a run for their money. Pronghorn packed more in their short 45 minute set than most bands could in two hours. The moshpit was full of 40 something men moving around with the energy of men half their age, boy will they feel that in their old bones in the morning! The band’s twin fiddles and Lamma’s fast paced banjo meant no one, not even the bar staff could keep their feet still while they were playing.

At last it was time for the mighty Bamboo Vipers. They arrived onstage to a heroes welcome and they kept up the momentum easily with a string of great songs from the afore mentioned debut album. “Banged Up Abroad”, “Crystal Methodist” and “Wild Flowers” kicked off the set in style with Shaun in fine voice and seemingly quite sober. As a little treat for the Boldre crowd is a couple of great sounding, recently finished new songs which were brought into the set including “Transient” and “I Lost My Heart”. The crowd were loving every minute and seemed well versed with the new record, singing along with the band; especially on the very popular “Tarzan Cards”…..ooohhh Ahhh.

Bamboo Vipers 1–2

The encores arrived in no time and sure enough the rumours were true. Members of the original Cropdusters climbed on stage for a few chaotic numbers. Sadly fiddle player Robert Cobb died of a heart attack in 2007, members of his family are in the building tonight remembering some of his 800 gigs with the band. The atmosphere in the place as they started to play was indescribable with everybody bouncing up and down to the familiar sounds of “Done For You”, “Poppin Out To Fight A War” and “Southern Life”.

As they finished the crowd simply begged for more but everybody on stage looked exhausted with lots of back slaps, hugs and handshakes amongst all of the long term friends bonded together by music. A fantastic evening that will be remembered for a very long time to come… Long Live The Cropdusters!!

Set-List
Banged Up Abroad
Crystal Methodist
Wild Flowers
Transient (New Song)
God’s Little Nimby
Roger The Cabin Boy
The Lord is My Shepherd’s Pie
Royal British Legion
Fear
Swivel-Eyed Loons
Tarzan Cards( Ooh Ahhh)
I Lost My Heart(New Song)
Alien Friends Reunited
The Bee Song

Encore (The Cropdusters reunite)
Done For You
Poppin’ Out To Fight A War
Southern Life

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqHRNtUsu_E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTx8LU4EtX8