We're here to please

Dido Bendigo (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was probably most notable for a rare visit by our Hampshire-based storyteller, Jane. She was supposed to be at a storytelling camp, but various situations colluded to keep her away so feeling disappointed and perhaps a little low, she came to see us with her friend Steve. Jane said our singing and the fact that we appreciate her stories lifted her spirits. Perhaps we can do the same for you? Jane was still hopeful of making it her camp, albeit a little later than planned.

Since Sue had been the first arrival of the evening, she kicked off the singing with Don't fence me in (Robert Fletcher, Cole Porter).

Colin challenged me with the first and only song of the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. The song in question was Alan Foster's It's not easy, a parody of Eric Bogle's Now I'm easy.

Simon's first effort was Sugar in the hold below to with Stuart replied with another American tune: White Oak Mountain (roud 3608).

While it wasn't a new song to the club, Stuart's rendition of Golden brown (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Jet Black) accompanying himself on ukulele banjo was unusual enough to be worth a mention.

When Steve and Jane joined us Steve was about to head to the bar for their drinks when Colin called him to sing. Dutifully he took up the challenge with Dido Bendigo (roud 584).

Jane's stories and poems are understandably not usually covered by the Dragon database, so I will list them:

• St Michael's Mount (a self-penned poem)
• Truth and story (story)
• Old Nick's cow's café (story)
• The fairy (story)

At the end of the evening Jane was asked to send us to bed which she did with a rather troubling story: Consequences, before lightening the mood with a slightly risqué joke.

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

Harvest 2022

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had our annual Harvest theme. The theme is no longer compulsory as it once was and wasn't this year accompanied by a feast and a vegetable auction, but harvest and autumn songs were in evidence from at least two of our singers.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with All of a row (roud 1474). Geoff declared himself off-topic and sang Keith's hit song, 98.6 (George Fischoff, Tony Powers). Simon followed that with Alan Bell's Windmills.

We had at least three songs from the singing of The Yetties: Colin sang Dorset is Beautiful (Bob Gale) and All the good things (Bonny Sartin), and Simon sang Buttercup Joe (roud 1635).

Simon pointed out that the closest Geoff came to a harvest song may have been Golden Brown (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Jet Black), which is about heroin (not cocaine as suggested on the night).

By that time Simon himself had moved temporarily into the "harvest of the sea" with The Candlelight fisherman (roud 1852) and The Bergen (Jez Lowe).

Colin sang two versions of John Barleycorn: Steeleye Span's version of (roud 164) and later roud 2141.

It seemed that Simon had peaked too early, singing his usual finishing-off song When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford), but he kept one in the bag for the end of the evening: Wild mountain thyme (Francis McPeake - roud 541).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)

The punk tradition - for a change

The boy from county hell
(painting by Brian Whelan,
subject Shane MacGowan)

While we were short on numbers last week, we were not short on enthusiasm and at least one person said at the end of the evening how good it had been.

Colin was MC and started off with a song he seemed to have only come across recently but at least two of us sang along with him, so perhaps he was the only one who didn't know it? The song in question was the Lyke Wake Dirge (Roud 8194). While Colin cited the Pentangle version, Mike mentioned the version by The Young Tradition (linked here). Mike also proudly stated that he has done the Lyke Wake Walk.

We had a couple of notable, themes. The first of themes, started by Geoff, was a fairly conventional one for a folk club, being the songs of Bob Dylan. Geoff sang Just Like A Woman and John P followed up immediately with Bob Dylan's Dream. The latter being noted as taking the tune of Lady Franklin's Lament (sung a couple of weeks before by Simon). According to Mike, Dylan foolishly tried to sue someone for singing the original, traditional song to "his" tune. Much later in the evening John P sang Percy's Song (Bob Dylan).

Mike harked back just a few days to 14 May with The Bonny Black Hare (Roud 1656) while Simon sang of The Galway Shawl (Roud 2737).