Been a strange couple of months finished off the festival season back in September with a trio set at the lovely Art Jam 25 at Delapre Abbey, great day all round. Inspiring.

Performed a solo set on the Willow Acoustic Stage at Northants Rocks Festival yesterday: played some of my (appropriately) rockier songs including "Sunday Driver" and "Everything Under The Sun". Good to flex that energy.

The Weekend Warm Up 11 07 2025, with special guest Jon Delaney (of Rogue State Circus) The Weekend Warm Up 11 07 2025, with special guest Jon Delaney (of Rogue State Circus), on Beat Route Radio. It was brilliant to have Jon back in the studio. The exceptionally warm evening just whizze...

Radio show contains #live #Acoustic versions of eight as yet unreleased #originalsongs
#Songwriting

www.mixcloud.com/SharonLouise...

Last Friday 4th did a showcase solo gig of energetic acoustic versions of some of the less frequently performed heavier/rockier end of the Rogue State Circus Songbook. Went very well, did it in part as prep to inform set selection for a solo acoustic set on Sat 26 at Northants Rocks Festival.

Wappenham Festival, Sat 28th June The Rogue State Circus will be mainstaging at 2pm a festival on a rural farm: other farm-based festivals are available this weekend apparently, but we're not at them...😉

Feeling a bit "after the Lord Mayor's show" post the amazing day that was Kettfest 2025. Sunshine for the soul, lovely people, great music, fab vibe. For 5 mins afterwards, I thought of knocking live performance on the head as there won't be many, if any, days so good again. Only for 5 mins though😉

Kettfest2025. Today. Sat 14 June. Mainstage 4:45. The weather is perfect and we are human. Come and join the circus. Go Rogue. #Kettfest #festival #original

The Rogue State Circus
are looking forward to serving up some premium strength #original #indie #Folk-rock #powerpop as we hit the #Kettfest #Mainstage at 4:45 this Saturday 14 June. #festival #songwriting #live.

KettFest 2025 arts festival returns with music and entertainment across Kettering Kettering’s annual arts festival KettFest returns in June with a packed programme of music and entertainment.

KettFest 2025 arts festival returns with music and entertainment across Kettering #Kettering #Northants #KettFest #KettFest2025

www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/...

So we decided on the 30 min fest set, 6 up tempo driving tunes, with a choice of 7th, being either a folk rock/ powerpop "anthem" or laid back summery lounge jazz pop if it's that kind of lovely day (for a change).... more rehearsing Friday and next Monday.

Band rehearsals for our summer festival appearances start tomorrow. Need 30 min and 45 minute sets always hard to choose the 30 min set songs as the temptation is go for all up tempo "bangers" as they say....

Another class folk night last night, with guitars, harmonica, fiddle, Cello, voices, usual admixture of trad tunes, shanties, originals. Dug out 2023 song "Heart Of A Traveller" that I played live once the week it was written, never since. Probably has potential, if I tighten structure could be Good

Yesterday was a particularly fruitful day for #songwriting -four good strong new ones done, and another three nearly there, all written on #baritone #acoustic #8-string #guitar for a change - enough to consider live sets using it alone, now to decide how to incorporate the Baritone in Rogue gigs.

Music is my medicine... It holds my heart and heals my head.
🙂

Recently digging out some older #original #songs that the band are intending to bring back at festival gigs this summer. Have been doing a few open mics performing them to get the live muscle memory working again. Good workout today, no glaring errors.

Yesterday's folk night, lots of waltz time stuff, (I snuck in a fast jazz waltz original ) all woven with the sound of three acoustic guitars, tenor and soprano ukes, fiddle, melodeon and harmonicas all making a grand noise topped off with a wall of vocal harmonies. Fun🙂

Inspiration: more than a tad enamoured of most recent #guitar acquisition; a delightful 1992 #Yamaha SA2200 semi-acoustic prototype, first guitar I've ever had strung with flat wounds; easiest playing neck which is making me play in a different, lyrical way; almost feel like my own session musician😉

Songs From The Sea Of Storms, by The Rogue State Circus 12 track album

roguestatecircus.bandcamp.com

It's #BandcampFriday There are two Rogue State Circus Albums and a number of individual tracks of all #original songs available for download so if genre warping #indie #folkrock #powerpop might be your thing - please do give it a go.....
bandcamp.com/roguestateci...

Good, if slightly backhanded, compliment from a fellow songwriter at an acoustic session yesterday "I never know where you're going to go with your songs, you don't go for the expected changes... Drives me mad, and some of those chords are bit prog..." 😉

Off to local folk session night again tonight, there's something uniquely joyful and inspiring about playing unplugged in a room full of friendly and participatory musicians and singers, and the delights of the ad-hoc improvised augmentation of my own songs are icing on the cake.

Today I learned a new guitar chord form, surprisingly useful and a combination of jazzy tones I like. I don't know why it had never occurred to me before: Major seventh flat fifth. Now to resist the temptation to overuse it.....

Been a kind of major seventh day writing wise today. Not much in the way of real lyrical inspiration so ready for the struggle to find words to fit later. (I'm lyrics first 90% of the time)

After a very quiet couple of weeks, off out tonight to the local unplugged folk night armed with my favourite Yamaha CPX1000 to play a few of my folkier originals, and accompany Eamon, a fab fiddle player. Always a joy🙂

God Give Me Strength (Live From The Spectacular Spinning Songbook Tour / 2011) YouTube video by ElvisCostelloVEVO

I’ve shared this on that other place before but because I’ve been revisiting Elvis Costello the past day or so I’m offering it here. One of his absolute best, written with Burt Bacharach. GORGEOUS live vocals.

youtu.be/FAxmk38J-SA?...

Late night/early morning: writing on an unplugged telecaster to keep the noise down. I really like the sound, so might try micing it up from a distance when I get around to demoing some of these new tunes.

Rich vein of new material being mined (drill, baby, drill..)

Met up with some good friends on New Year's Day after a 11 month gap for a jam and revisit of some co-writing and harmonising input for their next recording project. Very enervating, enjoyable and inspiring. More info to come as the year goes on.

This is actually my all time favourite song above 2. God Only Knows and 3. Strawberry Fields Forever.

The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset (Live 1973) YouTube video by Hardfolk

My 3rd favorite song of all time is “Waterloo Sunset” by the Kinks.