The pub with no beer

IMPORTANT NOTE: We are hoping there will be a Dragon Folk Club session this Friday (15th September 2023), but we're not certain at the moment. This isn't because of the current situation with the pub (see below - which should have improved by Friday), but because some of our key members may not be available due to family matters. I will post an update here later in the week, so keep watching, and mark us in your diary anyway in expectation that all will be well.

Last week at The Bridge was interesting... hmmm. True, there was only one singer present, and true he did sing sixteen songs - you'll have to trust him on that. But stranger, there were no bar staff and no beer. Wait, that's not quite as bad as it sounds. Apparently The Bridge's faithful regular drinker, Allie, turned up and found nothing happening. She asked what it was about and was told there were no staff, so she volunteered to work behind the bar, and a pretty good job she did of it - friendly and warm as always, and seemed to know what she was doing. According to Allie the beer had not been ordered, so not only was there no Doom Bar (shock, horror), but no other beer on tap nor even in bottles and cans. However there were several ciders, which did the job for one lonely singer, even if the effect was a slightly burpy (TMI?) rendition of some songs - maybe best that there was no one to hear.

Simon started, continued and finished the session, so I won't bother to add too much detail to this report, but in the process he sang loudly in case someone passing the door on their way into the gents heard and felt moved to wander in (they didn't), and he sang some songs rarely sung by him, and some rarely in the club. There was only one song new to the Dragon database which I have marked below with an asterisk (*), and even that was certainly not new to the club, just not previously electronically recorded.

Here is the complete list.

• Margarita (Harvey Andrews)
• Small High Window (Mike Harding)
• City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)
• Bully in the Alley (roud 8287)
• The World Turned Upside Down (Leon Rosselson)
• Portobello Road (Cat Stevens/Yusuf, Kim Fowley)
• Cousin Jack (Steve Knightley)
• The Boxer * (Paul Simon)
• And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle)
• The Gambler (Don Schlitz)
• The January Man (Dave Goulder)
• Martin Said to his Man (roud 473)
• The Mighty Quinn (Bob Dylan)
• Summertime (DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
• The Tailor's Breeches (roud 1610)
• This Land is Your Land (roud 16378, Woody Guthrie)

I think that a pretty eclectic one-man performance. It's just a pity there was no one to hear it.

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

(Number of people present - 1 of whom 1 performed)

Valentine's Day 2020

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

At our Valentine's Day session it was great to see Mel return for his second visit and even better that he indicated it is likely to become a regular occurrence. There were many songs of love and/or lust and a few which were simply calendar-relevant.

Colin, our MC, started things off with Jan Knuckey.

Let's get out of the way the songs which referred to the calendar rather than to love and lust. The ones I spotted were Mike's Last Valentine's Day (Roud 6475) and Derek's Bold Princess Royal (Roud 528, Laws K29).

Simon's slightly sideways glance at Valentine started with reminiscences of a love lost with Harvey Andrews' Margarita. Mike's more conventional approach, if with some playing hard-to-get was Come Write Me Down (Roud 381).

July on the Somme

Battle of the Somme 1916 - Prelude (Photo by Norman Date)

Last week's session saw novice MC, Simon attempting and not always succeeding to maintain control of the evening but we got there in the end and a total of 31 songs and tunes isn't too bad a tally. Normal service should be resumed this week.

Simon asked Derek to start which he did by saying that he has few July songs but offering Three Flowers, his version starting "As I was walking down the street one evening in July".

Another theme which emerged was the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 2016. Mike was first to contribute on this theme with Hanging On The Old Barbed Wire (Roud 9618).

To join my voice with yours and sing a song with all our might

Harry Bridges

We were a little thin on the ground this week but keen enough that when Mike suggested calling it a day at half time, it was decided to carry on. As the song, Friends like these, by George Papavgeris, sung by Robin, says "I've been waiting since last [Friday] just to be with you tonight, just to join my voice with yours and sing a song with all our might".

I didn't discern any themes, intended or otherwise this week and there were no visitors to mention, so I'll just list at random a few of the songs that were sung - maybe some of the less well known (at least to me) ones.