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Saturday afternoon in Wivenhoe sounds like it could be something really quite special with An Afternoon Upstairs with Martin Newell taking place at The Greyhound.

I’ve always been told not to pull your punches in your first para: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY and WHEN.

All jobbing journo boxes appear to have been ticked, apart from the WHY.

Why indeed?

Do you really need any deep theoretical reason in which to enjoy the company and entertainment of the always charming Mr Mule? Listening to the The Greatest Living Englishman as I type (which really is rather, rather lovely) and Mr Mule certainly has a unique way of capturing the very essence of this estuary town, be it in pop song or prose.

As for the WHEN? The 3-5pm afternoon setting is something of an experiment in trying something different at The Greyhound, in what would normally be dead space. Mr Mule explains:

“The Upstairs restaurant has become a genuinely classy venue, located above what has gradually become Wivenhoe’s unacknowledged arts centre. I want to see if I can use ‘dead time’ – when the restaurant isn’t being used – to bring a one-man cabaret show to people, at a time when there’s nothing else going on.

Not everybody wants to stand in a crowded pub late at night craning his or her necks to see a show. This will be something different. And if it works, who knows? It might lead to me staging other events there.”

Apart from the performance, there are of course cakes being provided by the very good @seelkram. The catering is an experiment in itself and part of a *shhh* possible hush hush very exciting new cake and bread venture down in the village.

Mr Mule has been on fine form indeed of late. The Beatles Station gig, Art on the Railings and some fighting talk at the Radio Wivenhoe meeting. Saturday afternoon at The Greyhound has to be worth a go at £4 a pop. Ticket are on sale at The Bookshop.

Selling like hot cakes, etc…

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