Hello and welcome.

This is a very random post, not related to anything in particular.

One of the evenings in York during the IGGI training module was a break from the ordinary. One of our fellow IGGI students (depicted in the pictures in this post) was to perform at an open mic night in a small little pub called The Habit. A bunch of us went to support him.

Starting with the place. It was very small, unable to handle the crowd that had actually gathered that night. At least on the bottom floor where the main action was going to happen and where the bar was, it was full, people even standing to talk to one another. Suffocating. So we went upstairs, in an area with cute little round tables with comfy sofas around. There was something about the place that was very welcoming and warm. Possibly the twinkly lights which caught my eye immediately. I like little lights.

We listened to the music up there for a bit, before a couple of us went to see the show better downstairs. Or so we tried, but we ended up sitting on the stairs and peering under the first floor to be able to see the musicians doing their thing. There was quite an assortment of people there. Men, women, young and old. And even a guy with a banjo. I liked listening to the elder performers in particular - they may have not been the best, but there was something in their voices, something in their eyes when they sung, that showed deep emotions of a long beautiful life lived. And it was great that they had the courage to stand up in front of such a big yet intimate crowd to tell their stories. Lovely and inspiring to see.

And Sam Hughes, our IGGI person? He was amazing! He sang two covers, Jolene and another one I did not recognize. His voice shook on the first song, but got more and more confident with our cheering. And the guy can sing. Lots of cheers for a powerful performance, quite a stark contrast to the previous slow quiet small pretty emotional songs. An interesting night, a break from the ordinary.