Travelling, Food, Music
catching up with Jont: the Bettyhill gig
When I got back from living in the States in 2005 I borrowed my sister's car and went for a road trip up to Orkney for the first time. It wasn't Orkney that blew me away though, it was the little town of Bettyhill with its incredibly beautiful cliffs and air and sheep and beaches. So it seemed only right to come back on the Unlit tour and show Garfield and Dave one of my favourite places in the world.
Tattie soup and venison casserole were written up on the specials board when we arrived. The pool table only cost 30p a frame. And our new favourite whisky - which Kev has plied us with in Golspie the night before - was there behind the bar.
The locals has been told there might be a gig of some sort and it was nice to meet them. There was Malcolm, who'd studied art in London during the 60s, who befriended me before I'd even sat down. He seemed to be looking forward to me playing a few tunes. Then Tom arrived, up here for the fishing, wearing a rugged white jumper with a wiry frame and a wizened face... he had just been down in Blackpool seeing his grandchildren and had promised himself a few days fishing on his own.
There was a surfer guy who lived locally and then the most curious of the lot: three Polish hotel staff, who had been there for three months for their holiday job and who seemed in need of some kind of entertainment or at least a change of scene... however beautiful Bettyhill, I couldn't help feeling that working there for three months, miles away from anything, would be quite a strange experience.
They were a kind audience and after the bar shut, we moved into the lounge and I played more to the friendly Poles, who would have let me go on all night if I hadn't made an escape around 3am to bed...
