DAWSON SMITH & THE DISSENTERS
Donkey Venue 3rd November 2024
At The Donkey Venue last night to see Dawson Smith and The Dissenters closing out the venue as we know it....
This is not a usual review... if you were there or not you know damn well that Dawson and the band were superb and rocked the place like crazy so I wont spell it out...
The room was full of familiar faces including a host of the top local musicians...there to witness what Dawson described as "the gig no-one wanted"... the last one at the Donkey as we know it.
I haven't been a regular at the Donkey for as long as many... only 7 years... but to go to a couple of gigs there was to fall in love with it... and I, like most, love the place... always a great vibe... friendly... great music... and you are never alone there, there was always a friend there, or you met someone who became a friend there... and the music, whether the regular jazz bands, Al's Friday blues sessions, or the guest bands was always great... there are just too many great nights, great sessions, to list.
In my time as a Donkey regular there are so many people to thank for making the venue such a wonderful place... Blink, Curtis, Mike, Jay, Colin, Gaz, the regular bands like Dawson & the Dissenters, Drugstore Cowboys, Mystery Action.. and more and apologies to those I have missed out... including those who were there before my days... but everyone involved has been a major factor in making the place so special...
So, the band stepped up... rocked, brought on some fabulous people as guests... Danny Wilson, Mike Pruden, Nick Murphy, Nick Whitfield, Sean Clutterham, Al Sansome while Colin ensured perfect sound... and Dawson continued to turn everything up to 11.
So, at around 10 minutes after 11 o'clock Dawson and the band played a powerhouse blistering version of the Rolling Stones "This could be the Last Time".... the band was rocking... the audience was rocking... and emotions were high all round... a truly magnificent and fitting end to a gig that will live long in the memory and be one of those "I was there when... " nights... the end of an era... the end of this magnificent venue as we know it...
What the future holds we don't know... we do know that the place will be closed for a few weeks, but we don't know what the future holds... but we live in hopes that the music will return in the future....
So it's "au revoir" to a truly magnificent music venue... may it rise again to continue the tradition of wonderful music.
So huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to creating so many wonderful memories... i'm sure we will all continue to come together to share the magic of live Music.
KEEP MUSIC LIVE... KEEP MUSIC REAL... SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL VENUES... they are special places
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