Cross Lances Open Mic

24/08/2026

We had a super Cross Lances Open Mic last night with quite a few cowboy songs and excellent performances! Thanks to everyone who came and made it another enjoyable night!

We had time to all do a 15 minute spot and then play some end jams together! As usual, Piers Hogg did plenty of great electric guitar solos and Berni Messenger did some really quality bass jamming! And Jeff Bruckner enhanced many of our songs with his cajon and percussion playing. Maurice played some cajon too and the audience joined in with some shakey egg and tambourine playing as well as backing vocals! 😉

Here are Clive's lovely photos from last night's open mic

Join us for more fun at The Cross Lances Pub on Sunday, 13th September!

10/08/2026

It was another hot night last night at the (I had to turn the fan up to max for us all!😮)! It was another enjoyable evening though, seeing some new performers and jammers Piers Hogg and Jeff Bruckner in demand! There was just enough time to go round again for a couple of extra numbers for everyone too!😉

We had several fun end jams lead by Bill & Piers, with lots of us piling "on stage", but unfortunately Clive had to leave early (due to a very early start coming in the morning) - so we don't have photos of those... Here are Clive's photos from the first half of the evening...

Join us for more fun and musical activity at the next Cross Lances Open Mic on Sunday, 23rd August...😉👍

28/07/2026

We had a CRACKING Cross Lances Open Mic last night! Lots of jamming (and drummers with cajons and a drum called a "Dhol", which got a good play at the end of the night)! Piers Hogg was a popular choice for having some electric guitar playing along with their set (as usual). Several performers had a crack at jamming with the 'house' bass guitar.

We had some super performances from John Evans, Jaya and John, Rob Ward, Dave Janes, Stephen Brewin, "Double Bubble" - Pat Dyos and Champagne Charlie, Brendon, The Highlighters, Bill and Piers and Jeff!

Here is the full selection of photos

Join us at the next Cross Lances Open Mic at The Cross Lances Pub, Hanworth Rd., on:-

Sunday, August 9th, from 7pm

13/07/2026

It was a HOT Cross Lances Open Mic last night BUT the performers were kept cool with a fan (and their own talent of course)! 😎🤟

We had more performers than last open mic at The Cross Lances Pub and we were able to go round again for another number as well as enjoy some jamming, with Wilson Maharjan and Berni Messenger both giving us some excellent playing. Piers Hogg provided us with more brilliant electric guitar playing and TOTALLY inspiring jamming along with Berni Messenger and Jeff Bruckner to Unique Technique UK's super rapping numbers! We love the "Apple Pie - where's my custard!" number. A REALLY important social comment, which resonated with VERY many of us!! 😉👍

Here are a selection of Clive's lovely photos from last night's ...

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And DON'T FORGET - the next open mic will be on MONDAY - 27th of July, from 7pm (because I am heavily involved with on Sunday 26th and also lots of local performers will be going to this too I expect)...
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My "Kindred Spirit Band" will be performing at the Rose & Lion Twickenham, as part of High Tide Festival, Sunday, 26th July, at 3.30pm, if anyone wants to see / hear the whole band...
https://www.facebook.com/events/967743119202196

29/06/2026

Well - what a contrast between this Cross Lances Open Mic and the last one (which was packed)! Last night we were very thin on the ground for performers! However, this also presents an interesting challenge, allowing the fewer performers to both perform more and also attempt more jams with each other!

Last night, we had some fun with kazoo instrumentals and a number of us jammed on the bass - me included! Morris brought his cajon along and Wilson Maharjan did some jamming with the cajon and the bass guitar. We saw spots from new performers Namgyal and Anup, as well as Ollie, Morris, Hagrid sings and Rhian Howell. Piers Hogg did some awesome electric guitar playing!

As well as getting the chance to jam on the bass guitar, I got the chance to try and perform my brand new song ("We're Human" - which I only wrote a couple of days ago and will feature as the final song on our next "Kindred Spirit Band" album, which we are currently working on - see more about it here: https://www.elainesamuels.co.uk/news-ksb.htm)... 😉

Here is the full selection of Clive's lovely photos from last night's ...

Our next open mic at The Cross Lances Pub is going to be Sunday, 12th July.

Come and have lots of open mic fun with us at the next one...

(And note that the second one in July will be on MONDAY, 27th July - due to our Kindred Spirit Band performing at High Tide Festival in Twickenham on the Sunday, 26th http://facebook.com/events/967743119202196 and me running one of the stages)...

24/06/2026

I received this message via Lemon rock gig guide just now - in case anyone wants to follow this up...:-

https://www.lemonrock.com/lasthop

Rock / Indie covers band, artist, duo needed for the Friday night.

If you haven't played the Last Hop you're in for a treat!

Please include your rate.

Best regards

Last Hop

[email protected]

Music Venue: Last Hop, Thames Edge, Clarence Street, Staines, Surrey TW18 4SU, Venue Type: Pub, Current Gigs: 3

15/06/2026

We had an incredible Cross Lances Open Mic last night! 🥳 Lots of great performers (too many to name them all) all decided to come along and there was some inspirational jamming along with Unique Technique UK by Piers Hogg (and his new synthesizer pedal), Tim West and Pat Hamade! We had to reduce the spot lengths to 10 minutes each to squeeze everyone in, but almost everyone stayed, listened and sang along with each other. It was really lovely! 😃

Thanks to everyone who came along and made it so special!! 😉

Here are a selection of Clive's lovely photos...

Come and join us for our next, fun, friendly and free on Sunday, 28th June, from 7pm at The Cross Lances Pub

18/05/2026

We had a smaller number of performers than usual at the Open Mic last night, which meant we all had more opportunity to jam with each other and perform, which was fun!! 😉 Jon Bental had another crack at jamming on the bass guitar and - funnily enough - from there being no drummers coming along in the past, we had three cajon players, with their cajons and percussion, come along and play! It sounded good! 😉👍

We had a number of end jams and Piers Hogg worked REALLY hard all evening! Everyone wanted him to jam with them and he gave us some really brilliant solos! 🥳

Here is the selection of photos from last night's ...

The next Cross Lances Open Mic is not until the second week of June - Sunday 14th June. Don't miss it! 😉

11/05/2026

We had a really enjoyable open mic last night! 🥳 I couldn't stop laughing during the end jam - after Pat Dyos and I got our kazoos (Pat has a special, enhanced one) to play the riffs on "Delilah", which was lead by Bill!

The hugely entertaining Peter Buckley Hill came along and played his Puffin Stuffing and Dodo songs - among others! 😂🤣 Jon Bental Guitarist had a go at jamming on the bass guitar and played a solo spot as well as one with Beverly Johnston - as Capiche! Champagne Charlie did a solo spot as well as his "Double Bubble" spot with Pat and John Evans did a solo spot as well as duo spots with Sally Smithson - as The Highlighters! Sally did a great job singing the Joan Baez song "Diamonds and Rust" too! 😉We sang along with Hanny on his harmonica tunes, Brendon got us going with Eagles songs and a spirited version of La Bamba and Piers jammed excellently quite a lot and joined me, on 3 of our new "Science and Seeker" songs, using his new guitar synthesiser pedal!! At the very end of the night Wilson and his friends and family came up and performed a popular Nepalese song and, as we were packing away the PA, they carried on, joyfully singing and jamming with each other acoustically! It was lovely!

Here is a selection of photos from the night...

AND DON'T FORGET -
The NEXT Cross Lances Open Mic will be NEXT Sunday -17th May - due to my being at my brother's wedding on the normal day...
Come and join us for another fun, friendly and free
with me...

27/04/2026

We had a lovely Cross Lances Open Mic last night! Thanks to everyone who came! Here is a selection of Clive's photos...

Our next Cross Lances Open Mic is going to be on Sunday, 10th May and the second one in May is going to be a week early (17th May - due to me being at my brother's wedding the following Sunday)! 😉
Also, check out Tim's Open Mics - Thursday at the Royal Oak,