 at the dance that is Friday and he's going dancing tonight in Donegal Town and he's a man who's backing out on the road with a vengeance and delighted to say that he's joined us in studio the one and only Michael English Michael good afternoon hi David great to be here great to see you how you get on very good yeah yeah all around the country no more than yourself enjoying it yes great to be out and you took a little break from the dances for a while but now you're back and you're flat out at them again oh yeah we are we're fierce busy at the minute I mean people are going out more than ever as you know and and since COVID and all that kind of thing people want to go out more and more and I'm really enjoying it now I love it love it and you are one of the most dynamic and diverse artists that be out there on the road and you've been putting together a wonderful concert show I've been to your last few concerts that you've done in the Millennium Forum but now you've changed the whole show again and you're coming back with a brand new one yeah we've a brand new show David I had a I released a song that I wrote a couple of years ago called a million memories and this is like a play on the title this is called a million medleys okay and it's well it's all of the songs that people will know us for but but besides that it's medleys of all of those great artists that people love to hear and listen to and sing along and you know whether it be Elvis the Beatles John Denver David James David James we'll have to we'll have to put that one together but like Charlie Pride and and all you know party medleys and all of that kind of thing so we decided to come up with this new show called a million medleys we put it obviously my own band is in it but we've augmented the band that made it bigger and put in harmony back in vocals and brass and all that kind of thing and as well as singing our own songs it's this kind of an idea of a million medleys a million songs that people made hits all around the world songs that people want to sing and that's the type of a show it is it's kind of a bit of a party atmosphere and people singing along to their favorite numbers that's that's the idea brilliant and whenever you do a concert you bring a ferocious energy to the stage from the minute you step on to the minute you leave there's a great buzz on there and it's clear to be seen that you love what you're doing but not only that the band get heavily involved within your show as well and they obviously love it yeah I mean you know at the end of the day when people go out they want to be entertained and we try to be as entertaining as we can and I'm very lucky with the band I mean the band are of the same mindset as myself they want to have a good time they always put a hundred percent into it and I'm very lucky to have each and every one of them and as I said we've augmented the band and made it bigger for this concert tour but I think I love what I do David and I love the theaters I love the dance it's great to get the opportunity to do both and the variety as well but when you get out there in front of a crowd there's nothing like it in a theater like the Millennium Forum or wherever it may be and and and singing the songs and people singing along with you know yourself it's it's there's no greater feeling in the world really and you've obviously worked really hard at your craft and it stood the test of time because how many years have you been out and about on the road now like you've been here for a long bit longer than you know I came up here to Highland Radio 97 1997 I had the nearest to perfect and been on the road ever since really brilliant stuff and here you are all these years later and we still can't get ready out of the studio and I thought you were going to say on you and he says look young looking as ever and you're going you're going dancing tonight in Donegal we're in the Abbey Hotel tonight with Robert Mazzell and it's always a great dance and looking forward to that yeah Donegal town tonight yeah a double bill there and the concert comes to the Millennium Forum on the 6th of October and it is described as a spectacular musical extravaganza and I've no doubt that that's exactly what it is but Michael a lot of planning goes into you know of course you have your dance show but a lot of extra planning will go into the concert show wouldn't it? It does I mean we started months ago when I first came up with the idea we started to work on it then with Wayne Thoreau's who's my piano player in the band and also the musical director and I record with Wayne as well so it's it's it's great that he's in the band as well but I went down to the studio and put the plan in place and came up with the idea and since then really we've been recording these medallies and writing different arrangements putting them all together so I suppose we're at it now about three months but that's what it takes to get it to the level that I be happy with you know and I want to I want to walk out on the first night it was just the marketplace and the theatre and our ma two weeks from today it won't be long coming so I want to walk out that night as if it's as if we've done ten already yeah there's no point in walking out and say will we try this and will we try that you know I like to have everything yeah done and dusted and and hopefully it'll it'll all go well I'm looking forward to it really looking forward to this tour really brilliant and of course you're an incredibly accomplished musician as well which sort of differentiates you from a lot of us on the scene who might be just out there and singing in the sense that you can musically direct your own show and have things exactly the way you want them in and hear them in your own mind I yeah I mean it's great you know I play the piano and the accordion and that kind of thing and it's good to have I suppose the bit of knowledge that's to do it the way you want and to explain what you want but really it's the people who decide really you know I mean it's the people who come to the shows decide what songs you sing really or what what songs not to sing you know if I were I write a song I write a good few of my own songs I'll always put it in the show beforehand and see will the crowd say they like it or they don't like it yeah I mean and then that's a great if people say they like it or they start to request it at the dance of the concert it's a great indication then to record it yes that's the way I've been doing it all through the years really and it's been working really well like whenever you think of the amount of songs that you have actually written yourself that have become hits for you know Friday at the dance Joey on the fiddle the list goes on and on and on and you've had some great ones and there's a lots of people texting in to say hello to you here today so we'll try and get through a few of those but how would you like to take on the role of presenter you could read a few requests could you Michael yeah yeah happy birthday to Logan McCool who is 40 today and she loves Michael English on a great taste hi Michael say hello to Declan and Ernie who love the music and laughing oh are we on are we of course we are Logan McCool and Declan and Ernie and Derek and Ryan Michael it's not often we get a wee joke out of you but today it's one of those days okay we're going to take it was taken for your stupid guitar so Michael English and be back after this stay tuned