DESCRIPTION:
More at www.aortas.org.uk - open mics, songcircles, songwriting workshops in the UK and across Europe.
The band were:
Dan - vocals, guitar, bouzouki
Guy Fletcher - vocals, fiddle, mandola
Julian Rodgers - Bass, flat cap
Ben Bateman - drums


The song "Dancing Bears" (c) Dan Plews 2011, but still not quite finished by this performance; lyrics are

I'm like a dancing bear on a chain, when I hear a tune I remember the pain
And I dance for people who pay to see me step through the bars to the time I was free
This stolen kettle is cracked but it still beats rhythms for bears to dance hoping they will
Trip on a line that is simple and pretty in the hope we might move the stars to pity

A cold wind blows through the marketplace; spiced wine smiles are on every face
The story's always the same when the year's about to turn
For dancing bears, dancing bears, have a care for dancing bears and lessons learned


When you hear a tune do you remember the pain, when you start to dance are you aware of a chain?
Do you cry with rage, and sit and stare at the bars? Do you see past the cage to get a glimpse of the stars?
Do you bid the skies tell what it's about 'til the lids of your eyes are cried inside out?
When bells ring the new year in, then, do you wring them out and sing again?


A cold wind blows through the marketplace; we search in vain for a familiar face
The story's always the same just before the old year's turned
For dancing bears, dancing bears, say a prayer for dancing bears and lessons learned.


But what happens when bears grow old after their last shows?
Do they lie dreaming of dancing on burning coals?
It's an open secret, something every old bear knows

When the memory fades, what stays with age, it's not the bars of the cage but the melodies played, and every place is a stage

Why we always return, forget why our fingers burn, some lessons are best unlearned

By dancing bears, dancing bears, say a prayer, for dancing bears, have a care for dancing bears and lessons learned.