Category Archives: Music

Lucifer’s Love Child on the Radio!

With the March 15th  return to the stage for Lucifer’s Love Child approaching like a speeding train, our manager, Rupert, has the band doing the rounds for media promotion.

Yesterday we were in the delightful studios at Penistone FM for a chat with David Higgins

Take a listen to us below…. it includes me doing the weather!

Get your tickets here!

On Stage – The Boys Are Back Int’ Tarn

Greetings!

Just wanted to take a break from learning lines and let you know I’ll be on stage March 15th, in a new play, The Boys Are Back Int’ Tarn, written by local legends Lee Pollard and Paul Athorne.

Lucifer’s Love Child are back!

30 years after they last performed together, Yorkshire based rockers: Jimmy, Malc, Briggsy and Gordon are planning a new album and world tour.

After their 1980 s hit single “You Make it Hard to Love You” was used in a popular Viagra commercial, the band have attracted a new generation of fans. All they must do now to enjoy their second chance at fame is set aside dodgy prostates, chiropodist’s appointments and even an adopted Gorilla and they’re on their way.

Join us as the band return to the recording studio accompanied by their long-time manager Rupert and Thomas, the mysterious new sound engineer. What could
possibly go wrong?

It’s ONE NIGHT ONLY, Friday 15th March. 7.30 pm, at the PENISTONE PARAMOUNT  – Tickets £14.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

I’m playing Rock God, ace axeman BRIGGSY!

It’s a great cast, and we are having lots of fun bringing these rockers to life, so grab a ticket, get out your old Rock T-Shirts, and come along for the ride.

Walkin’ Music… songs from my playlist…

Days getting warmer, sunshine on my back as I walk,
I feel the heat through my fleece, like a warm hug.

I don’t usually listen to music as I walk, I generally like to hear the sounds around me, but a couple of days ago I pressed play on my EarPods and these are just a few of the songs that joined me for the walk, all with memories and feelings attached…

VIDEO PLAYLIST – I’ve put it together for this update, it’s only 6 songs.

PERFECT DAY – Lou Reed
The song that started when I pressed play… What a brilliant song this is. That warm hug from the sun on my back, this song in my ears, but meanwhile the world is in conflict and far from perfect for so many. A reminder that little things can make perfection. And a hope that conflict soon ends, and that, for those in turmoil, Perfect is eventually restored.
Let this lead you to Satellite of Love and more from Transformer album.

PATIO LANTERNS – Kim Mitchell
Summers in Canada. I remember playing this in my Radio days at CHMA, Sackville, New Brunswick. A song about youthful years and young love. ALSO – Check out this video – an older, balder Kim Mitchell talking about the difficult recording of this song.

A NEW ENGLAND – Billy Bragg
Another song about young love, but with a different slant. That line, “I saw two shooting stars last night, I wished on them but they were only satellites, Is it wrong to wish on space hardware, I wish, I wish, I wish you’d care.” Brilliant.

5:15 – The Who
Quadrophenia is my favourite who album, this song always gets me singing along. And this video created for it is excellent.

PRIVATE DANCER – Tina Turner
When this started I could hear only one voice, my dear friend Charlie Rhindress, who used to sing it in the dressing room (and did a great Tina impersonation) when we worked at Live Bait Theatre. Wonderful memories.

OBJECTS IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR MAY APPEAR CLOSER THAN THEY ARE – Meat Loaf
Sadly we’ve lost Meat Loaf recently, but this song, all about memories, seemed apt to my feelings when it started playing. And if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car…

One final song – not on YouTube…
LET YOU GO – Alex RhindressSPOTIFY LINK
When this started playing, I couldn’t remember the artist, knew it must be someone famous… It’s Charlie’s daughter Alex. What a great song this is.

I think I’ll press PLAY whilst walking more often.

Have a super day!
Dave x

Busy few weeks… Christmas Charity Song online now…

Excuse my absence from the blog folks, I’ve let my daily Lockdown Logs do the talking for me of late, but I do want to share something with you.

Weeks ago, between Lockdowns, I got together with my mates, Paul BALLO Ballington, and my fellow Yorkshire Teabagger John Atherley, to start work on a Christmas song.

During this last lockdown we’ve recorded it, made a video, and now released it just in time for the Festive Season.  And we’re using it to raise funds for Yorkshire Children’s Trust. 100% of the funds raised will go straight those who need it and what’s more, it’s serving families in this region! – To donate, click here – https://bit.ly/36plAaE

The Video is below – The single can also be downloaded on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music!

Here’s the Blurb for it..
The U.K’s favourite Singing Plumber, Paul BALLO Ballington always has an annual Christmas song available… But this year it’s something a bit special.
As the nation struggled through the Covid Pandemic, Paul joined up with his mates from “The Yorkshire Teabaggers,” John Atherley and Dave McClelland, to reassure families that Santa would still be calling on them this Christmas.
Recording a song, and shooting a video, isn’t easy when you can’t be in the same room as your bandmates, but the team used technology to put it all together remotely, and the final video is like joining a Zoom call with a bunch of Yorkshire mates. And even Santa himself joins in the call!
And it became a family affair with Paul’s daughter Lana, and John’s wife Maria joining in, along with a cameo from actor Andy Whitaker who plays Policeman PC Swirling on ITV Soap Emmerdale  (as Andy Moore) .
The lads wanted to help families who are struggling through the Covid Crisis – and the Yorkshire Children’s Trust seemed like the perfect partner to raise funds for. 100% of the funds raised will go straight those who need it and what’s more, it’s serving families in this region! – To donate, click here – https://bit.ly/36plAaE
The single can also be downloaded on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music!

New Mockdown Confidential chat show, Tues Aug 11 @ 8pm

Join me Tuesday Aug 11th at 8pm (UK) for Mockdown Confidential, a spinoff from my Mockdown! Show, this is a more intimate one-to-one chat with a special guest…

This week Canadian Actor, Writer, Theatre Guru, and family guy, Charlie Rhindress joins me to talk about Lockdown, The Canadian Bubble, his books on Canadian Musical Icons, his Lockdown Streaming show, and his latest acting role in an upcoming TV series based on a Stephen King short story.

GUEST LINKShttp://charlierhindress.comhttps://twitter.com/crhindress

HELP PAY FOR THE LIVESTREAM 
Any contributions appreciated, this links to my Ko-Fi page.

SUPPORT ARTISTS
Equity Benevolent Fund
Equity Benevolent Fund YouTube Channel
My Ko-Fi linkhttp://ko-fi.com/davemcclelland

MOCKDOWN! Chat show, Episode 7, Aug 2, 2020

Hello dear followers!

We’ve just finished another wonderful episode of Mockdown!
I think we could have chatted for another hour!

This week, my guests are actors – with a musical side…. Jonathan Kydd and Andy Whitaker [more details on my guests below]

Due to copyright issues, Andy’s version of BLACK – WONDERFUL LIFE
cannot be shown above, Click here to see the full version of his song.
The full show is also available on my Actor Facebook Page

MY GUESTS

Jonathan Kydd
An actor. But also does voice stuff and makes films and videos and write songs. Written three musicals and a variety of hour long shows featuring comedy bands  and a number of video blogs, mostly about football. Also does cartoons. Was a dinosaur in Toy Story that time forgot, and all the voices in Bangers and Mash, and in Mr Bean, and Noddy, and Dennis the menace, and hilltop hospital, etc… He also made two comedy short films and a lot of videos. Podcasts about football as well.
His father, great British actor Sam Kydd, made over 280 films and thousands of tellies 1946 to his death in 1982. Sam played cockneys and Irishmen, despite being quite posh having gone to Dunstable Grammar. Jonathan found an unpublished autobiography of his dad’s career 1946 to 1970 in his mum’s loft and is editing it. It’s almost finished. He’s also going to make a documentary about his dad’s career. He has all the home videos, 300 stills, a mass of letters and scripts and diaries. As well as the book.
Official Web Site 
Twitter

The Rudy Vees

Andy Whitaker
You may know Andy by his professional name, Andy Moore, in his role as PC Mike Swirling in the BAFTA-winning soap Emmerdale… He has a vast musical history and is about to make his own film…
Having started out as a musician in The Sun and the Moon with The Chameleons front-man Mark Burgess and Chameleons Drummer John Lever, went into acting at the age of 35 in the 90’s telling himself it was a less age prejudice profession. After all, they always want granddads in films and TV shows.
After doing the rounds in rep and theatre in education, he got my first telly part as an Amnesiac who thinks that he is Kevin Keegan in the BBCs The Cops in 1998, was a series regular in Dream Team for Sky One, played the obligatory red herring in The Bill and the role of Sean Wakefield in Coronation Street under Alan Wareing’s direction – that lead to his current role as PC Mike Swirling under Alan Wareing’s direction.
Andy Moore Facebook Page
Twitter

More about Andy’s Music – 


SUPPORT ARTISTS –
https://www.equity.org.uk/about/benevolent-fund/
My Ko-Fi link – http://ko-fi.com/davemcclelland

MOCKDOWN! streams live Sunday evenings at 8pm (UK) on my Actor Facebook Page.
Past shows are on my Actor page, and are also available as a Playlist on YouTube

Stay safe you darlings!
D x

Reasons to be cheerful…. April 2020

Greetings Dahhlings!!!
I hope this update finds you happy and healthy.

A couple of items for you… on the last post, I shared a video of me doing the opening Future Legend monologue from Bowie’s Diamond Dogs, a lyric I memorised at 16 and never forgot.

Today I have more remembered lyrics, and I’ve done a bit of a video production on this one. Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3, by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, is well lodged in my brain, and I will often rattle it off to the confusion of those around me… Until I get to the chorus and they realise what it is.
So here is my version of it. It makes me cheerful, I hope it does you during these Lockdown Days. My memory must be dodgy though, I missed some lines, should have listened to the original or checked the lyrics first!

NEXT:

Right, last time I told you about the new Barry Pigeon Protects episode, Barry Goes Virala special Covid-19 episode.

Happy to report it’s been selected for an online screening in the South Yorkshire Filmmakers Network Online screening event Tuesday night. Going to be a few other short films on the bill, so it’ll keep you entertained on Tuesday night.
It’s streaming online and features a Q&A, so put your very best Pajamas on, grab a glass of your favourite beverage, and see you there. Here’s the streaming link. It gets underway at 7pm.

Stay Sane. Stay Safe.
D xoxoxo

Christmas is coming. New video, new pics, and on TV in January

Christmas is almost here!
We’ve had the first dusting of snow on the Sheffield hills, my cards are sent, presents mostly bought, now I’m making lists for food shopping for the big day.

I’ve also been busy on the business side, getting new actor headshot pics and making a new video to share with you, so lots to tell you about in this update….

I usually record a video each Christmas of me reading A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS (‘Twas the night…). I used to read it to my children on Christmas eve in the pre-divorce days, but I never see them to read it now, so I started recording it for them.

This year I decided to record an audio version for them and put a bit more into the production side, with sound effects and such. I’m very pleased with the results.

I’ve put it on YouTube with some family photos and videos under the audio, here it is….

If you’d like the original audio version in it’s full glory, it’s here to listen or download…. or buy if you wish to send me money.

 

I’m going to be in your house in January!
Earlier this year I recorded a lovely episode of GIRLFRIENDS, Kay Mellor’s new drama for ITV. A couple of nice scenes with Miranda Richardson and Zoë Wanamaker. The series begins Weds January 3rd. I’m in Episode 3. It’s a lovely cast, please watch.

Here’s some of the new pics of the new slimmer me (over 80lbs lost now) – and with new glasses too. I’m hoping the new slimmer look leads to more TV work as directors move me from the obese to hunky casting category 😁

And here’s a final Christmassy treat for you, the first Yorkshire Teabaggers video. Our parody take on one of the most popular of Christmas songs.

What a lot of Christmas goodies eh?
So, now I’ve unloaded my sack on you, I will bid you a Very Merry Christmas and the Happiest New Year.

Stay warm, stay safe, help others, spread the love and be good to yourself.

Love always,
Dave x

 

Old song – new version – new video

Hello there!!!! April has suddenly turned cold, we’ve had snow this week! Luckily the weather was warmer last week when my son Benjamin helped me make a new video for a song I originally recorded 4 years ago.

I’d never been happy with the original video. I shot it on my iPhone and I didn’t have playback of the song to sync with so I guessed the audio speed when I shot the video…. which made editing very difficult .

So I’ve been wanting to make a new video for some time and I recorded a new audio track for it as well, so what we have below is a whole new version.

That’s the new above…. below is the old version from 2013….

Hope you like one of them at least….

Cheers and stay warm. Especially on’t moors!
Dave X

New phone battery – back pain update & Teabagging…

Ey up pal!!!!

Lovely sunny Spring day today, very nice to see longer days and some sunshine.

Wanted to do a quick update about my iPhone 5s today. Okay, it’s getting on the old side, but it does everything I need, I like the size of it and it’s in good nick. But the battery life was getting to be awful…. Warning messages at 20% and then shutting down, battery lasting half a day so had to carry cables/chargers, etc with me if I was out and about.  And it would always die when I was about to take a great photo. So… I was thinking it was time for a new phone.

But the Yorkshireman in me said no, change the battery lad! I looked at the how-to videos (and this one is particularly good, very detailed). Ordered a new battery/tool pack from Amazon (£12.99) and swapped it over this morning.

Happy to say it all went well and the new battery seems good so far, easy job, just take your time, make room on a desk and have something white to put all the TINY screws on. I used a hair dryer to heat the sticky pads holding the old battery in (blowing on the back, not the exposed innards, and well away from the tiny screws mentioned earlier, didn’t want them blowing off the white pad I’d put them on). First time switched on the screen was showing odd stuff, which meant one of the screen cables wasn’t seated properly, so I went back in, sorted it and job done. I’ll post an update on the life of the new battery in a few weeks, but so far so good!

Oh the agony!

I’m still suffering from back pain. I’ve had sciatica for a couple of weeks now (gardening did me in!) and in agony much of the time. Doc gave me a variety of painkillers, muscle relaxants, etc, but did little to help it. I wasn’t sleeping well at all.

I visited The Chinese Doctor, a local massage/acupuncture place in Hillsborough, and he’s worked wonders. Pinpointed the problem area and I’m now doing my homework to stop muscles in spasm. Hopefully I’ll be back to fine fettle soon.

Teabagging

My back wasn’t feeling great last Friday when the Yorkshire Teabaggers were on the road, playing a gig with the bloody amazing Chuffin Ellvis at the Polish Catholic Centre in Leeds. Painkillers an hour before we went on and the adrenaline of being on stage got me through the show. And thanks to Tommy Teabag for driving me there and carrying my gear. We had a new set list, re-ordered our material, played some new stuff and had an amazing night! Leeds we love you!!!!!

Check the Teabaggers Page for new videos and upcoming dates – we’ve got another brewery show coming up soon!!!

Right, off to stick a tennis ball into the tense bits of my back.
Si the soon!
D x