Cali-R - Saturday 27th June 2009

by Denis O`Donoghue

THUNDER, lightning and torrential rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of Cali-R fans on Saturday night.

Cali-R promoter Sid Hudson decided to drop the ticket price to a “credit-crunch-busting” level as a thank you to Cali-R supporters and they responded by turning out in force, filling the super-marquee and the clubhouse funk room at Dunstablians Rugby Club with a maximum 600 crowd.

Said Sid: “It was just my way of thanking people who have consistently supported me over the years. The marquee is a wonderful, novel venue and people just seem to enjoy going. To get a capacity 600 crowd was fantastic – where else in Dunstable can you get a turnout like that on the wettest night of the year?”

Sid’s ability to play crowd-pleasing records, aided and abetted by Jellybean and “Brother” Louie in the funk room (as well as a rugby club-run barbecue), put everybody in the best of moods, but the musical honours go to RDG, the great Houghton Regis/Aylesbury-based trio.
R(Richie)D(Dennis)G(George) are hugely experienced musicians who have become big favourites with Cali-R crowds over the years, and Saturday’s performance was another triumph for the likeable lads.

A solid 90 minutes of 60s soul, reggae, 70s and 80s funk kept the dance floor fully employed and it was no wonder the boys were cheered to the echo when they finished.
But that’s not the last of the soul and funk for the year.

Sid Hudson is promoting seven more events, culminating in the Christmas special with the American Four Tops at Dunstable Leisure Centre on December 12. Tickets for this event are already moving faster than a greased ferret and can be obtained from the Leisure Centre, Clowns, in High Street North, Dunstable or from this web site.

Four soul nights with Sid are booked for Barton Village Hall (Sept 12); United Services Club, High Street South, Dunstable (Oct 2); The Gallery, Bedford (Oct 31) and Luton Rugby Club (Nov 14).

In addition, there are two Devil’s Den Revues: one with Louie Martin at The Gallery, Bedford, on Sunday, August 30; the other with Louie and Jellybean, at the New Greyhound, High Street South, Dunstable, on November 7.

So … keep the faith.