What could be better than a good barbershop chorus to help those Christmas celebrations go with a swing! Solent City was in high demand during December, and the guys got into the festive spirit with a series of gigs.
First off the blocks was an outing to the Red Lion pub at Southwick on December 6th. This was a big thank you to the pub for hosting our Christmas dinner and other events for a number of years. With almost all the chorus there it was a tight squeeze to find singing space, but a full house of diners and drinkers loved the performance and we also had some impromptu dance moves by the bar staff. Just hope they didn’t spill anyone’s beer….
There was a more traditional Christmas concert on December 10 th , when we shared the platform with the marvellous Queen Bees at St Michael’s and All Angels Hall in Bassett, Southampton. A fun afternoon, the highlights being the ladies’ rendition of “Santa Baby”, and our own comedy number “Blew by You”. The funds raised were shared between the Mountbatten Hampshire Hospice and Portchester Methodist Church.
A few days later, on December13th, we were thrilled to be invited to back to perform for old friends at the Denmead W.I. The evening marked the sing-out debut of our new recruits Kevin and Tony, who had both done a terrific job in swotting up the Christmas repertoire. A lovely friendly evening, with a number of new songs that the ladies hadn’t heard us sing before, and with splendid refreshments afterwards.
And talking of refreshments….the chorus were back at the Red Lion in Southwick on the 20th for the club Christmas dinner. A great meal, a great atmosphere, and inevitably some post-dinner singing to help the digestion! 
All of which was a good warm-up for our final gig of the year the following evening at the Wallington W.I. in Broadcut, Fareham. A full house and a super warm welcome from the W.I. ladies. After that the guys just had enough energy left to stagger round the corner for a beer at the Cams Mill pub, where we’d been invited to sing a few songs. The evening finished with a rousing rendition of “Amarillo”, much appreciated by both patrons and bar staff.
What a great way to finish what has been a wonderfully enjoyable and successful year for Solent City!