Amazing Grace

Until a week ago I had no idea Grace Petrie existed. A friend spotted a notice that a venerable old folk singer on the island had arranged for her to come here to perform a gig last night. We got tickets and I’m so glad we did.

This woman is amazing.

She introduced herself as a “a socialist, feminist, lesbian, left-wing protest singer”, who writes two types of songs: “angry political songs and sad songs about all the women who’ve broken my heart”.

Here’s a tongue in cheek version of the first, which I found when I was looking into her. Shame she didn’t perform it last night.

It was my Christmas wish, too, and earlier this month we got our wish. (I discovered during a chat after the show that, like me, a major highlight of the UK election was Jeremy Corbyn holding on to his seat, despite, she told me, “everything they threw at him”.)

And here’s one example of the latter category, which she did perform last night.

Another song I found online – and loved – is this one.

She didn’t perform this one last night either, but it was on one of the three CDs she was selling, which I bought during the break. Oh, but wait, ‘Farewell to Welfare’ wasn’t on that CD, neither was ‘Some Days Are Worse than Others’ nor was ‘IKEA’. So, after the show I borrowed some money from my friend and bought the other two CDs.

It was an outdoor gig (not sure I would have gone otherwise) and this morning I have lots of mosquito bites (how do they manage to get to your legs through your jeans?), but that’s okay. Listening to her CDs as I write and loving them.

She suggested last night that she’ll be back. Really hope she does.