So a decision has been made. After this month of September we are going to have a more strip backed HomeSongs4Life.

I’d initially planned to see the weekday sessions carry on to the end of the year, but at the moment it’s feeling a little bit like it has run it’s course in the present format.

This is partly due to a recent run of bad luck - fresh technical issues and unavoidable cancellations - but also because everybody, including myself, is rejoicing at being able to play live again, and wanting to spend more time to take and make those opportunities.

I don’t want the online thing to outstay it’s welcome, either with artists or with the potential audience. But neither do I see it as a dead duck. For instance the Facebook following continues to grow, although actual audience numbers for gigs has dropped off recently.

Anyway, for better or worse, in October we will begin having just the one online gig a week, every Wednesday, and adding a new and experimental session once a month where we bring a handful of artists together to sing a couple of songs and chat together.

The purpose of the online gigs was partly as a stop-gap for artists and original music lovers. But the main purpose has always been to promote the idea and reality of real live Homesong gigs.

That remains the goal, and I’m constantly trying to find the best way to make Homesong gigs happen. To make them a normal thing. So please watch this space and continue to support if you can.

I continue to believe whole-heartedly in the value of music in the community, and in encouraging us all to take a bit of responsibility to make that happen in a better way.