One such face was a man who I worshiped when I was at college. He was the frontman of a band called Dan Reed Network and I was addicted to his album 'Slam' at the time. Those were my days of finding the most hideous and outrageous leggings and wearing bright coloured ribbons in my Para boots.
So when I eventually came to claim my own little music venue in the South of Wales, I decided to contact my college hero and see if he would play here in Pontypool. To my surprise he said yes and in June 2012 he arrived at The Hog. It was a wonderful night and sadly I don't have any photos of myself with him but thankfully people have taken videos and written that, yes, Dan Reed did play my little pub in Pontypool
Here are just a few of the reviews and videos from that night.
Adrian’s review of evening at Hog and Hosper 1st June 2012
As I sit here typing this, I left Dan Reed’s evening at the Hog and Hosper less than an hour ago and so I write this with the memories freshly in my mind.
It is difficult to know where to start; as a member of perhaps an “older generation”, I am not a great frequenter of concerts in any genre. But tonight I was moved to go and visit the Hog and Hosper in Pontypool to hear Dan Reed “in concert”.
I feel I should start with the Hog and Hosper. This is a pub in Pontypool, just an ordinary pub, but where entertainment can be expected, usually at the weekend. I have nothing but praise for this establishment, run by a most amiable lady called Sam who was nothing less than welcoming and with brilliant bar staff as well, and pretty keen bar prices. Okay, it was no concert hall and if I have a criticism, it was only a little one. With the enthusiastic and rather large audience it got pretty hot in there, but this was resolved “at a stroke” by propping open the door. Thanks Sam – a great venue and clearly very well respected by the clientele.
But moving on to Dan Reed, I am almost without words to describe this talented man adequately. Where to start? I have never heard him live before but his talent in bringing his audience on side was brilliant, and an audience which was very well versed in his music. Dan was no stranger to them. But underneath the levity displayed in the enthusiastic performance of his own music, it was plain to see a man of intensity in so many ways. His musical ability as displayed by his command of the guitar was undisputed. In fact he told me that he once played the organ so this was in a way unsurprising. The level of control over the music he himself composed was formidable and masterly.
But there was more – here was a man who has undergone many levels of personal experience in his life, in different environments worldwide, different religious backgrounds and with so many different ethnic and religious areas of guidance. And all of this emerged gently, as opposed to being imposed, during the course of the hour and a half that he performed without a break. The lyrics and the various explanations which accompanied his renditions gave an insight to a man of deep personal and religious convictions. It was impossible to fail to be moved by all he portrayed.
It is always difficult for words to portray what visual experiences can show. But what I can say is that whatever your personal musical preferences might be, I would challenge you not to be moved by the musical and personal offerings of Dan Reed. If you have a chance to spend an evening with him, I can honestly strongly recommend it.
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