Reflection on my gig at the Old Brewery, Cromarty

On Friday, March 20th 2026 I played a lovely gig at The Old Brewery in Cromarty

I was extremely grateful for the support and positive re-enforcement I received on the run-up to the gig from friends, family, colleagues, and even the crowd at my weekly Tango class, who showed an interest. It was helpful and easy to connect with people on the topics of feeling nervous, of hoping it went well, and of what I was doing to prepare.

I found that – after the gig – when those same people asked me how it all went, I had less to readily available responses.

What do you say when someone asks you ‘how was the gig?’.

Perhaps writing my thoughts here will allow me to connect with how to articulate how the gig was beyond saying ‘it went well’.

Poster for my gig

It went well

The audience were engaged - they laughed at all the right bits, smiled, and made sounds of understanding and interest, they clapped, they cheered at the end and requested an encore, many sung along to both the few familiar folks songs I did a rendition of, and along to a couple of my own songs when I introduced the parts to them and asked them to join in.

Indeed, it was encouraging that a couple of people started humming along with other songs of mine not because they had heard them known before, but because they were getting into the groove and enjoying joining in with hums, las, and sounds.

The place was fully booked, and I received positive feedback on the night. At the end of the gig, I sat at my merch table. Not that many stopped by, but two people came and signed up to my mailing list, and one of them bought a CD, so I am glad I took the time to interact with the audience after the gig.

I do feel I was in good voice, and fine ukulele playing. My couple of mistakes made me human. There were a couple of moments when I managed to really lose myself in the music, which felt great.

My contact at Cromarty Arts Trust looked after me well. Sharan greeted me and made sure I had what I needed – I felt like a respected visitor. The venue was lovely, located in the charming village of Cromarty, with a great atmosphere.

I loved being able to share my work with a receptive and warm audience in such a beautiful setting.