A lively set on Sunday 3 June afternoon, with a listening audience who bought lots of albums; what could be a better way to spend time for a musician like Pete Christie, who works hard to deliver a balanced singer-songwriter set of folk, blues, rock and ballads.

The audience showed lots of appreciation for the varied original anglicana set and a few covers, done in Pete’s unique acoustic fingerstyle technique. One such song is the ‘Ballad Of Lucy Jordan’, originally recorded by Dr. Hook and popularised by Marianne Faithfull. Pete Christie has been gaining some great compliments for this exciting adaptation which incorporates some dynamic looping and echo effects.

Pete is well known for performing a longer set and today was no exception, especially as some people had been watching the Jubilee celebrations.

Pete Christie is back again on Sunday, October 14th 2012 at 3pm.

The Beehive Pub

55 Prospect Hill, Old Town, Swindon

Phone: 01793 523187

Bill Sheffield and Pete Christie sing an impromptu rendition together of Richard Thompson’s ’Vincent Black Lightning’.

This great night was at Portsmouth Hoy on Poole Quay, in Poole Dorset UK, on Friday 4 May 2012. Authentic Blues musician, Bill Sheffield was over from his home town of Georgia in USA; on a night off, before his UK Tour started and he come by to watch fellow musician Pete Christie’s set.

Bill Sheffield and Pete Christie met up a few years ago at a ‘house jam’; that’s what happens when all your mates are musicians. Bill Sheffield’s nick name of ‘The big bluesman from Atlanta, Georgia, USA’ is quite apt; Bill has the sweetest  and most unexpected booming voice; great to watch in concert.

Pete  Christie wrote a yet to be release instrumental for Bill Sheffield called ‘Bill’s Blues’ but on this occasion Richard Thompson’s ‘Beeswing’ prompted Bill and Pete to wow the audience with ’Vincent Black Lightning’.

You can catch Bill Sheffield touring with Dave Saunders and Pete Christie  is currently touring around the length and breadth of  UK.

Pete Christie

Review: words and pictures Neil King, FATEA

Venue: The Bricklayers Arms
Town: Poole
Date: 6th January
Website: http://www.petechristie.co.uk/

It was a nostalgia ridden first gig of 2012, the first gig in what had been a stalwart venue of the music scene, The Bricklayer’s Arms, affectionately known to all, simply, as The Brickies, in some twenty odd years.

Back in the old days, the music used to be held in a hall out of the back. The toilets used to be outside and the smokers were inside. The hall has been demolished, the music now inside the main pub in a refurbished back bar, the toilets are now inside the pubs and the smokers are found outside.

Back then there were three pubs within a stone’s throw that did music, now there’s none. Tonight is a one off to celebrate the birthday of Harry, one of the bar staff. We do have a new music venue in the area, the wonderful Mr Kyps, but the days of doing a tour of Ashley Cross or even playing all three venues on the one night have long since gone, torpedoed by residents associations and anti-entertainment legislation.

One thing that is consistent is tonight’s performer, Pete Christie, he played The Brickies back in the heyday when if you wanted to get a fresh pint and it was raining, you got wet and whilst there was a certain amount of nostalgic longing in the pre-gig chatting, there was also a grudging gratitude for being in a warm and comfortable room, particularly as it was a party and there was food available.

Pete Christie is a singer/songwriter with a common touch, he has a knack for extracting a song from areas where other singer/songwriters fear to tread. It’s relatively easy to write songs around emotional events or the big political issues, more difficult to write about the more mundane, more difficult still to write about it in a way that holds the attention of the listener, Pete, has that talent.

He’s playing a long set which gives him the opportunity to test out new songs projected to appear on an album that Pete is going to be releasing this year. These are judiciously mixed with more familiar songs from his extensive repertoire, including a number of requests shouted from the audience, some of which are no longer included on his current set list.

Blues and singer/songwriter classics from the likes of early Fleetwood Mac also form part of the set as Pete seems to absorb himself in the music, just him and his guitar, being played in a number of different styles, including, briefly, as a lap guitar. Pete showcases himself not only as a man of words and melodies but also a consummate performer on the old six string.

The room isn’t as conducive to music as the old hall was, it’s part of a corridor for both the toilets and one of the smoking areas, fortunately Pete’s an old trooper when it comes to these sort of distractions and not detract from a highly enjoyable performance.

There was a sense of nostalgia about being back in the Brickies, but that really was eclipsed by the enjoyment of spending the time in the company of and listening to Pete Christie.

 Review: words and pictures Neil King, FATEA

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PETE CHRiSTiE & DJ CONNiE @ THE BRiCKiES!

A free Birthday Bash for ‘Harry’ aka Chris, Bar Manager at The Bricklayers Arms, Poole

featuring singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Christie performing live acoustic anglicana folk n roots

PLUS Solid Air/Larmer Tree resident Conrad Barr DJing before/after from 8pm till late, Fri 6th Jan, 2012

DJ Connie is workig on rcording a 6-disc lifetime archive box-set, due for launch late 2012…watch out for this amazing collection.

Pete Christie Linkedin

Redvers Bailey Promoter Half Moon London

hired Pete as a Musician many times since 2006

“I love Pete Christie. A great man, a great musician and songwriter.” October 12, 2011

Top qualities: Great Results, High Integrity, Creative

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Tim Heywood, Presenter & Producer, Journalist, Hope FM

“Pete is an entertaining performer, adapting either to an intensely listening audience (which he prefers – who wouldn’t) or to a busy, noisy pub crowd where he is the human jukebox sitting in the corner.
He’s lively and full of anecdotes, while the music can be haunting, engaging, slapstick and /or raucous, depending on mood, atmosphere and environment.
A Pete Christie concert is always memorable, enjoyable and good.” June 8, 2011

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Xan Phillips, Broadcaster and journalist, Xan Phillips

“It was a pleasure to interview Pete, he was very professional and gave some insightful answers to some tough questions. Of course the main reason to interview him was his songs which can still a room of chattering souls.” June 6, 2011

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Rebecca Fludgate ACIM, Dolfin Music, Gig guide, unsigned bands, live music event

“Pete Christie is a wonderfully talented acoustic singer/songwriter. I have watched him perform and written a review of his album “Frank”.” June 5, 2011

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Russell Hill, Music article contributor, Maverick magazine

An opportunity to demonstrate the difference wood makes in sound and tone, by day and play the handmade acoustic guitars by night.

Saturday night is MUSIC night at the Gathering by Isle of Purbeck singer songwriter guitarist Pete Christie

Really looking forward to performing and exhibiting at the Wilderness Gathering. I’ve got a few interesting things planned for the audience at night and a walk through on handcrafted guitars, demonstrating the difference the choice of wood for the soundboard of an acoustic guitar makes on the sound and tone.

The ‘Gathering‘ is a 4 Day Event 18 – 21 August 2011
Wilderness Gathering, the original Bushcraft Show, is the premier festival of bushcraft, survival and primitive living skills.

The Gathering has become a social event and brings together families and friends, all those interested in Bushcraft and Wilderness living skills to enjoy a weekend of knowledge sharing in a relaxed and family friendly atmosphere

The event is held at Bush Farm Bison Centre Farm & Woodland Gardens Native American & Wildlife Gallery, West Knoyle, Wiltshire.

Derrin Nauendorf, Pete Christie, Alex Roberts pay tribute to Bob Dylan’s ‘I Shall Be Released’ for their encore song together

Live at Mr-Kyps in Poole, Dorset, UK 13.03.2011

After a fun Pete Christie music event at The Thomas Tripp, Tim Heywood, one of the hardest working Bournemouth ‘gigster’/ reviewer / Hope FM radio presenter / judge at DUMA / musician / had time to focus on his informative Local Music Scene blog.

(worth reading if you were at a gig, or especially, if you missed a gig)

Mr Christie wows the Tripp

After doing a bit of delivery running around, I land at the gig that I started with. Pete is on form mainly just playing his guitar unaccompanied by the normally ever-present loop pedal.

Even so he is entertaining not just with the songs, but the overall presence – looking around for people to pick on, yet always making himself the butt of the joke, throwing in stories and anecdotes to boot.

I won’t mention some of the outrageous items Pete’s done tonight – those that are also here will know what I’m referring to – however as ever he finishes with an increasingly extended Easy Come Easy Go, using the loop pedal to full multi-voice effect.

If one hasn’t had a chance to experience Mr Christie in one of these up close and personal gigs, please make a point of doing so real soon.

He is playing at Mr Kyps soon, and is totally able to fill that stage with sound and quips, however it is with the close, visible audience that I enjoy Pete the most.