CHRISTMAS is the time of year for reunions, meeting those long-lost family members you haven’t seen, or successfully avoided, for many years.

And it’s also the time of year to meet up with old friends, some of whom you’ve either lost touch with as your lives take different directions, or successfully avoided, and remember the great times you had together back in the day.

And such is the case with Strange Brew, the Weymouth band who were bigly popular round these parts some 30 years ago.

They got together following an advert in the Echo looking for musicians to back a local singer.

The local singer in question was none other than Jumpin’ Jimmy Thunder who was at the depth of his inestimable powers with his legendary Golden Eagle residency.

After a few gigs backing Jimmy at the Eagle, and several dates at assorted  navy and army bases, plus several  sessions of counselling, rehab and therapy, the boys realised they were good enough to go out on their own.

As drummer John ‘Pompey’ Portsmouth tells me: “Our first gig was a charity night called Hearing Aid at the Pavilion in April 1988. We backed Jimmy but also did a few numbers on our own which went down a storm. It was at that point I thought: We’ve got something here,” Pompey adds.

The band secured management, landing regular gigs across the south and up in that London, as well as a memorable  appearance with Jumpin’ Jimmy on ITV’s culture show Art Beat, which can still be found on YouTube.

As with most bands, personnel come and go but most former members of Strange Brew are getting back together with a gig at the Wyke Smugglers next Friday, December 20.

It’s the first time that Pompey, vocalists Tim Talbot and Pete Langdown, guitarist Justin Bryant, bassist Gary Cockroft and keyboard legend Matt Black have been in the same room together for almost 30 years and as Pompey tells me: “We’ll be reprising all the songs from our set from back in the day. Whatever happens, it promises to be an evening of nostalgia, great laughs and the possibility of one or three adult beverages.”

Although it’s not a fundraising evening, there will be a collection for the nearby Veterans Hub so that’s another good reason to pop along next Friday.

Moving on, and if you’re feeling a little low during the run-up to the festive period, leading doctors are saying it could be that you just don’t have enough sludge metal in your life.

And there’s a remedy to be found next Friday, December 20, when riff-crunching maniacs Fissure of Riddles host their Christmas head-banger at Finns in Weymouth.

Expect a night of sonic disembowelment with all the tinsel and trimmings with support coming from noise merchants Hummune and Atonement, the one-man deaf metal outrage,

Tickets are a mere £3 and doors open at 7pm.

And finally, it’s high fives and woops all round to everyone involved in last Saturday’s Gimme Shelter festival held at the Wyke Smugglers in Weymouth.

You raised an amazing £1,333 which will go to The Lantern Trust which helps the homeless and vulnerable in the area, making it a happier Christmas for some, so well done all round.

Till next time…

TONIGHT 13

Upton, Wilson and McIntosh , Kipper (Upwey village hall, Upwey, Weymouth) Tickets £10 from 07977 271767.

Howey Casey’s Beatles with Wings (Corn Exchange, Blandford)

Ironed Maiden (Finn’s, Weymouth)

Flakey Jake (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

The Remedy (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Regulation 9 (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Ollie Coe (John Gregory, Weymouth)

Rob Davis (King’s Arms, Weymouth)

Alexis (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Paul Williams (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Guns of Navarone (Ropemakers, Bridport)

The Shakespearos (Club Bambooza, Weymouth)

Epiphany Strange, Surfing Birds (Belvedere, Weymouth)

George Hall Trio (Beach and Barnicott, Bridport)

Finnian (Black Dog, Weymouth)

Kathy (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Darren H (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

SATURDAY 14

Kim Wilde (Exchange, Sturminster Newton)

As Flames Rise, Crownless, Theorist, On Borrowed Time, Hollow Horizons (Finn’s, Weymouth)

Tequila Mockingbird (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Alexis (Little Ship, Portland)

Bring me The Pistols  (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Lady Winwood’s Maggot (Hardy’s, Dorchester)

Replay (Centenary Club, Weymouth)

Glass Spiders (Club Bambooza, Weymouth)

Karen (Golden Lion, Weymouth) 2.30-5.30pm.

Dakota (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Icarus (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Stacey Lou as Amy WInehouse  (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Highly Likely (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

NUMB (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Zoe Schwarz and Rob Koral (No 10, Bridport) 12-2pm.

Richard Cooper (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 2pm.

Chris Woodchuck (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

George Hall Trio (The Shed, Bredy Farm, near Burton Bradstock)

Vanilla Radio (Belvedere, Weymouth)

The Crack (Black Dog, Weymouth)

Revolution (Punchbowl, Portland)

Farrago (RAFA Club, Weymouth)

Nathan Jon (Three Compasses, Charminster) 7-9pm.

Sheryl Lee (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Jolly Boys Outing (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

SUNDAY 15

The Churchfitters (Osmington village hall)

Stacey Lou (King’s Arms, Weymouth)

Roger’s Singalong (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Lil Jim (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 3pm.

Richard Cooper (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 8pm.

Sunday Jam Session (Belvedere, Weymouth) 4-7pm.

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth)  From 3pm.

Johnny Mac (Black Dog, Weymouth) 4-7pm.

Folk, Country and Blues (Old Town Hall, Weymouth) From 7.30pm

Truth Seekers (Three Compasses, Charminster)

Mark Davis (Giant, Cerne Abbas) 4pm.

Di’s Open Mic (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

MONDAY 16

Flash Folk Evening (Dog House micro pub, Gt George St, Weymouth)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Acoustic session (Belvedere, Weymouth)

TUESDAY 17

Doc Clarke’s Remedy, Robin Greenwood, McFlute (Drax Arms, Bere Regis)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY 18

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return,  Weymouth) Acoustic folk, here every Wednesday.

Rob Davis (Nook, Weymouth)

THURSDAY 19

Open Mic (Drax Arms, Bere Regis)

Skimmity Hitchers (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, ChiswelI, Portland

Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return,  Weymouth) Strum on down from 8pm.

Duke and Broad’s Rat Pack (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

FRIDAY 20

Fissure of Riddles, Hummune, Atonement (Finn’s, Weymouth)

Strange Brew Reunion (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Tripod (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Tequila Mockingbird (John Gregory, Weymouth)

Martin Freed (King’s Arms, Weymouth)

The Undecided (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Dave Griff and the Trouser Band (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Darren H (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

The Bad Cowboys (Ropemakers, Bridport)

The Katz (Lugger, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)