A Lunch Less Ordinary – Wicked Witch

The concept seems to be working as at least one of our party has already decided to forego a lift back to Peterborough and book a taxi instead in order to enjoy a few more drinks and listen to the supremely talented Murray Hockridge, who I once again end up chatting to while he sips a pint of Guinness on another short break – and he deserves one too. ‘I played a four- hour set in the great hall at Burghley House this morning’ he informs me. ‘Started at 10am and finished at 2pm then came over here to start at 4pm.’

So how does it compare? Performing to 9.5 million people on TV and playing a much more intimate gig like this one? ‘Small gigs can be quite nerve-racking too’ he says. ‘You can see the whites of the eyes of your audience as opposed to the whole TV cameras and huge audience thing. But it’s a different ball game really.’

What strikes me most about Hockridge is his musical integrity. I had expected just another wannabe starlet who would be performing to backing tracks, karaoke-style, but the reality was as far removed from that as it was possible to be. For starters, at 48 years old, he’s not exactly representative of the typical Voice or X Factor contestant. And music has clearly been in his blood since childhood. His Canadian-born father, Edmund, was a huge star of West End musicals in the Fifties and Sixties and has clearly passed on some of his prodigious talent to his son. Murray has been gigging since before most of his Voice rivals were even born, so what persuaded a successful live musician to enter such a show? ‘I don’t know why I did it to be honest!’ he laughs. ‘I never watch any of these kind of programmes. In fact, I don’t even own a TV! I have a MacBook so I can watch iPlayer now and again if I need to but I don’t watch television as a rule, I’d rather spend my time being creative. When I have seen clips of the X Factor it makes me cringe – it’s just too in your face. But I thought that, because The Voice was a BBC production it would be better. I thought the values of the show would be higher than those on the X Factor and that’s what tempted me. So I thought “Why not?” I figured it would be a craic to go to London and just turn up and enjoy the experience. So I filled in a form online and got an invite to go to a hotel in Covent Garden in London to audition. There was a queue of hopefuls all round the block and we all had numbers on our chests like prisoners to identify us. I was cracking up, standing there next to 16-year-old girls and thinking “What the hell am I doing here?”

‘You’re taken up to a room ten at a time and when it’s your turn, you have to walk forward three steps, say your name to the judges, tell them the song you’re going to sing, and then sing it without any accompaniment. I enjoyed that part of it because my heart was beating really fast and the adrenalin was pumping. I got down to the last 200 out of 30,000 entrants and had to sing again in front of all the production company and all these BBC executives but I did two songs with my acoustic guitar so I felt very comfortable because I was still in control of what I was singing and how I was performing at that point. But as soon as it gets to the TV stage you’re not in control of that any more and that’s when I felt the ground underneath me start to give way. I thought that was as far as I was going to get and it proved to be the case.’

So was there anything a seasoned old pro like Hockridge could actually learn from the experience? ‘Yes’ he laughs, ‘Never to do it again! Seriously though, it did open some doors for me but the best thing is that I got on well with a lot of the other contestants and we’re all still in contact so I’m writing stuff with some of them. There was a lot of behind-the- scenes stuff that has worked out really well. But I think what I got out of it most was a better awareness of who I am. It’s made me realise that while I am a performer, I’m not that kind of performer. So it’s helped people to know my name and if they want to see me perform in a more intimate environment and see what I really do best then that’s great.’

And there’s no better place to do that than on a lazy Sunday at the Wicked Witch with a glass in hand (and, in my case, also with the world’s best vanilla cheesecake with sable viennois and poached pear). I feel completely indulgent, totally lazy, and without a care in the world, as I sink back into the soft leather sofa as Murray croons a hauntingly beautiful version of Sting’s classic Fields of Gold.
Monday morning’s workload is as far from my mind as it’s possible to be. And isn’t that what Sundays are all about?

Sunday lunch at The Wicked Witch is served between 12 noon and 5pm. A two-course meal costs £18.95 and a three-course meal is £22.95.

Booking is advisable and can be made by calling 01780- 763649, emailing info@ ryhallwitch.co.uk or by visiting the website at www.ryhallwitch.co.uk`

The Wicked Witch
Bridge Street
Ryhall
PE9 4HH

Murray Hockridge
Murray Hockridge performs at The Wicked Witch on the first Sunday of each month. You can keep up to date with other upcoming gigs by visiting his website at www.murrayhockridge.com