Joanie's Home Page

Simply one helluva voice covering your favourite songs!

Hi!  I'm Joanie, a singer from Fife.  This website should give you all the info on my job as a singer.  It includes gig dates, past gig reviews and a "wartz & all" account of the ups and downs of the job.

I'm a pretty straightforward kind of a gal, so what you see and hear is what you get.

My Calendar

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News...

News just in....My Adele tribute "Absolute Adele" have our first gig in the very near future!

Watch this space....www.absoluteadele.co.uk

My Latest Gigs...

Saturday 11th February 2012 - Shardy's, Lochgelly

Looking back, it's been almost exactly six years since my last visit to Shardy's. Stepping through the door, it was like yesterday.

The owner warned me when I went in that the place would empty soon, and that it did.  There are another two venues over the road who put on entertainment, so Shardy's has a fight on its hands every week. 

I had a venue owner come along specifically to see me that night, which is nice.  She wanted to see me about booking my Adele tribute, but stayed to see what I do after realising that the tribute would be a bit more expensive than she first thought. She took some video footage and has been raving about me on Facebook.  Thanks Cate. 

Sunday 5th February 2012 - Methilhill Bowling Club, Methilhill

Thank goodness for Methilhill Bowling Club.  After last night's disappointing gig it was nice to be met with applause.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not some attention seeker.  It's just nice to know someone is listening, and maybe that they appreciate what I do.

Two 35 minute spots is great!  I had so much material to choose from, and went for relatively modern with a large slice of Adele. Cool...

It's nice to see other acts do their "thing", and I was happy to see Mixed Company, the resident band, again.  it's been a while.  Their regular singer, Tia Morgan, is unwell at the moment, so Heather Dickson (who I've stepped in for in the past) was singing.  It was like a big reunion, and we all had a great time catching up.

Saturday 4th February 2012 - Glenrothes British Legion

I'm struggling to say anything about this gig, as I didn't enjoy it one bit.  To be honest I've been putting off writing about it because I was trying to be positive.  But here goes. 

There was a birthday party in when I arrived, and they were in fancy dress.  I was met by Alice, The Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter amongst others, and thought that would be a good sign that the night was going to be good.

No.

One person clapped all night - Al. During one song (which I can't remember), one other person clapped.  These kind of gigs make you want to give em £20 for the jukebox and go home. They'd be better with a DJ on nights like that.  I saw em dancing about, I saw em singing along, but all that was missing was the tumbleweed.

Saturday 28th January 2012 - The Polish Club, Kirkcaldy

I was booked as a stand in at relatively short notice to play this club as part of their "Scottish night". I must admit to being a wee bit worried, as I don't do any traditional Scottish material.  I made that clear to the bookers, and they were fine with that. 

I was on as part of a show which included the very talented James Coutts, who has played on BBC Radio Scotland as part of JAMES COUTTS  & HIS SCOTTISH DANCE BAND. He led the dances and played excellently, and the crowd, most of whom were Polish, weren't afraid to give Scottish Country Dancing a go. 

The crowd were one of the most appreciative crowds I have played to in a very long time - they filled the dance floor from the word go and warmly applauded every song. I had many compliments, and would love every gig to be the same as this one. 

Friday 27th January 2012 - Grapes bar, Edinburgh

I love doing this wee pub.  As I've mentioned before, the people are nice, and I always receive a nice welcome from the bar staff.  You have to have a bit of "something aboot ye" to make your way through the crowd with your gear, but when you have a big burly Al with you, there's no problem.  And I have a good Scots tongue in ma heed.

Another big Hi to Violet and her bunch, who were going to stay in until they checked my website and realised that I was playing the Grapes.

And for my lovely bar staff, I'll play all the Adele you can manage! Lol

Saturday 21st January 2012 - Wee Jimmies, Cowdenbeath

A relatively busy January is a good thing for an act these days, as all too often pubs and clubs struggle to get people through the doors after the busy Christmas period. 

When we entered Wee Jimmies, we immediately noticed loads of empty seats, and thought the worst.  However, as it got closer to starting time the bar started to fill up, and the place was pretty much full by the time I started.

The crowd were up for a laugh, and it looked like one table had been having a "good time" well before I got there. I had a good bit of banter (which, as you know, I like).

Most enjoyable.

Saturday 7th January 2012 - Foxton's Bar, Glenrothes

A Saturday? The week after New Year?! I was amazed to be booked at all in January, what with the economic climate, but to have four bookings in the diary this month is amazing!

Foxtons is a relatively new venue, having been taken over recently.  It's lovely inside, as I'm sure I have mentioned, and the customer service is excellent.

The stage area is a bit of a pain though - it's a raised area to the back of the restaurant where it's really difficult to sort out sound. That and the fact that we had to set up across the far corner of the raised area made Al's job as my sound man a wee bit of a challenge.  but hey, he knows his stuff, and we managed to get everything as good as we could before I started.

I decided beforehand that this would be an upbeat, modern gig and that went down well on the night, with much dancing about and singing along.  The crowd started off being a bit reserved, but as the night wore on they became more laid back, and started to enjoy themselves a bit more.  I had a standing ovation for "Someone like you" by Adele, although I'm surprised they heard me over their singing!

Saturday 31st December 2011 - The George Hotel, Montrose

Well what can I say?  A good paying gig, there's no mistake - and goodness knows we need more of those at Christmas time.  This was my third year in a row here, and I am still confused. 

I know these are nice people - the same families book the hotel each year - and I have a good bit of banter with them now and then, but they simply do not respond as you would expect.  Last year I wondered if it was something unique to the area, and I must admit I may have a point.  The other gigs I do "round these parts" follow pretty much the same pattern - nice people, good comments afterwards, but very little response during the gig. 

They did come to life between 11.45pm and 00.15am, but then sat back down again, leaving me wondering what to do next.

Gillian gave us two songs this year - "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone like you" by Adele.  I hear she's at university studying music, and would like to give her my best.  She's a talented young girl.

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Why not visit my Past Gigs to browse through the venues I've played over my years of singing in pubs and clubs? You can also use the search bar at the top of the page to search for your venue.

I've been told that there are a good few other acts having a look at my site to see what I have said about some venues.  I'd like to say HI! and welcome to my site.  Please remember that the reviews I write are my opinion only, and should not be used by you as a guide on which gigs to take or not take.  We all have good gigs and bad gigs, and we all change our acts and attitude as we go along to suit the venue/time of year/ourselves. If you're not sure about a gig, do it anyway - you'll still get paid!  Sometimes it is all about the money, and sometimes you'll just be background music.  Them's the breaks, and sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised!

If you'd like to give your opinion on a gig, then by all means do. You will find a Comments link at the top of the page. If you'd like a link from my site to yours, drop me an email. or ask me via the form.

My Guarantee..

I am always straightforward, and will always turn up at a venue unless I am genuinely ill or have a good reason, in which case I will let you know as soon as possible and try to get you another act for that night or put you in contact with a few agents if need be. 

I can also guarantee that I will never cancel a booking at short notice for a more lucrative one elsewhere.

To any of you who may have missed my annual Christmas message, you can view the old one here