Christopher Horst

Looking forward to tomorrow night's Give A Heart concert at The Public, West Bromwich, for the Sandwell Mayor's charity - the British Heart Foundation.

Mike and I will be performing a 15-minute set during the sell-out show, which features Sandwell Council employees, their friends and families and students from the University of Wolverhampton. Major Key Studios and the students are looking after the technical side of things.

With just over 24 hours to go, our set list is still to be confirmed. Dolphins and Closer to home are definites but I'm still choosing between new disco stomper A disco in her dreams and an even newer song called Age old song.

In the studio yesterday (January 26) with Jon to tweak some tracks and record a new song A disco in her dreams for the Closer to home album. It's possible it's even more 'disco' than I learned to disco in San Francisco.

It is likely we'll perform A disco in her dreams at the Mayor's charity concert, Give A Heart, at The Public, West Bromwich, on Saturday 13th February. We're doing a 15-minute set as part of a show by Sandwell Council employees and family and friends.

In the studio yesterday with Jon recording Music box for the forthcoming Closer to home album. Good fun as always, and fairly challenging as the song is set in two different time periods!

Work on the remaining four tracks for Closer to home will begin in the New Year, with a planned release at Christmas 2010.

Sandwell Goes Public 2 - the music and comedy night performed by Sandwell Council employees in aid of the Mayor's charity - will be held on Saturday 13 February 2010 at The Public in West Bromwich.

Like last year, Mike, Ian and I will be performing a 15-minute set.

News on tickets and rehearsals will be announced in the New Year. The Mayor's charity is this year the British Heart Foundation.

Our set is likely to be:

Closer to home

Fade out

Impersonating Elvis

Home, Impersonating Elvis and Closer to home have all made the semi-final of the UK Songwriting Contest 2009 in the adult contemporary category.

They all received a Len Goodman-style 'seven' from the judging panel of music industry experts. According to the contest website, a score of seven indicates the song was "one of the stronger songs in the contest" and "a borderline finalist". And a semi-final position means the song was in the top 23 per cent of the 6,000 songs in the contest. Only the winning song in each category scores 10.

I also entered Impersonating Elvis into the pop category where it also reached the semi-final, but this time with a score of six. This has confirmed my thinking that adult contemporary is the right category for my songs.

Last year, Dolphins and Tonight, tomorrow both scored seven and reached the same stage of the competition in the adult contemporary category, with I learned to disco in San Francisco and Dance me scoring five and being commended entries.

In both years, around 6,000 songs were entered into the competition.

Some fantastic photos taken by David Hackett of Friday night's gig at The Public can now be seen at David's website.

Thanks Dave!

Meanwhile, work now continues on new tracks for the Closer to home album, which I hope to have finished by next Easter (2010).

Friday night's gig in the Pinktank at The Public, West Bromwich, was great fun. Thanks to everyone who came to support.

Mike Turner, Ian Rogers and I performed a 45-minute set, which went as follows:

1. Chase the sunset

2. Dolphins

3. Fade out

4. Closer to home

5. Tonight, tomorrow (performed solo by Chris)

6. She loves you/Can't smile without you (performed solo by Mike)

7. Impersonating Elvis

8. I learned to disco in San Francisco

The Elvis jacket made another outing for the penultimate track and was greeted with cheers from the crowd.

Congratulations to main act Encore (aka Phil Challoner and Robin Powell) for a great performance.

Just two days to go now until our gig in the Pinktank at The Public arts centre, West Bromwich, on Friday (May 22).

We are now a main news item on The Public's website and doing a final push on publicity.

Final rehearsal tonight.

The show starts at 8pm on Friday and we are due on stage around 9pm in between two sets by headline act Encore (aka Phil Challoner and Robin Powell).

Tickets cost £5 and can be bought at the door on the night or reserved in advance by calling The Public on 0121 533 7162.

Hope to see you there! Big thanks to all who have already bought tickets.

Tickets are now on sale for our Friday 22 May gig at The Public arts centre, West Bromwich.

Together with Mike Turner and Ian Rogers, I will be supporting duo Encore (aka Phil Challoner and Robin Powell) in the relaxed Pinktank area of the iconic centre, next to the bar.

Tickets cost £5 and can be bought direct from me. If you're interested, drop me a line at christopherhorst@hotmail.com or call me on 07966 059174.

You can also reserve tickets at The Public's box office to collect and pay for on the night or you can pay at the door on the night.

See The Public's events guide for more.

Rehearsals are now under way and we're working on a 30 to 45-minute set to include two songs from the forthcoming Closer to home album as well as some old favourites from Nine songs I wrote last year and one or two of Mike's songs.

I'm currently well into the writing of Closer to home - the likely title track of my next album.

I will be in the studio on May 12 to record the track and it's likely we'll perform it for the first time at the May 22 gig at The Public.

My daughter Megan (now almost seven months) was sat on my lap while I was trying to come up with a bridge for the song the other night and she hit down on the keys to play the chord of F minor, which may well now be the first chord of the bridge as it sounded really good!

More on The Public gig soon...