The Midnight Band will be playing at The Great Malvern Hotel on Friday, 26 October featuring Colin Warren on his electric ‘upright bass’ and Alan Davies on guitars. I’m hoping Morris Windsor will be able to join us on drums/percussion but he’s always in much demand - I await his reply to my pleading text with bated breath! We’ll be featuring all ten tracks from my long-time coming CD, to be called ‘Jupiter and the Crescent Moon’. A big thanks to Luke Tasker for his patience and encouragement during the recording – he’s captured just the sound and atmosphere I was after. Definitely out before Xmas – so that takes care of the Christmas presents from me!

The Very Grimm Brothers had a ball supporting the Peatbog Faeries at the Malvern Cube with Grimm Ade in fine form – a particularly sharp and acerbic opening with his new poem about the hapless chief whip, Andrew Mitchell and ‘Plebgate’! We’re off to Wolds Words in Louth, Lincolnshire on 20 October and then another London gig at the Platform 1@ The Poetry Cafe with John Hegley on Saturday, 8 December. Us Luton Town supporters (that’s Hegley and me)must stick together!

Some kind and generous words from Bob Jones (of The Cellar Bar Blues Club, Worcester fame) in ‘SLAP!’ magazine following the Upton Blues Festival in July:

‘John Denton and his band took the crown of the Festival for me. Dave Smith seethed on harp and JD was at his best, superb singing and anguished guitar (John is a much better guitarist than many ‘official’ leads you see, his solo on BB King’s ‘How Blue Can You Get’ was jaw-dropping!)’ Bless you, Bob – and I didn’t have to pay him a penny!