Surprise, Surprise!

In the knowledge that the Regular Scribe would be absent on a mission of mercy, your Substitute Scribe came to the club door, depressed by the idea that the death that day of Derek Fowlds signified bad news for all Dereks, and anticipating a thin attendance. Instead he was met by three of our favourite Irregulars.

One person who did not attend was the one who the day before had stumped up a million pounds for a gold sovereign. He might well have been worried by Gary's first, self-penned, song King David Hartley which recounts the activities of the eponymous Hartley and his gang of counterfeiters and coin clippers in the area around Heptonstall in the 1760s.

A random selection - almost

Pecker Dunne

Another themeless session last week which I think remained pretty much that way, no major themes emerging through the evening. Tom was a very welcome visitor, ahead of his spotlight set at Chipping Sodbury Folk Night on 1 June.

As usual, Colin was MC, and as often happens he started off the evening, this time with George Papavgeris' As Long As Someone Sings A Song.

Derek continued his ongoing May theme well into the evening, starting with The Verdant Braes Of Skreen (Roud 419).

Geoff challenged me to find the version he sang of his first song. Derek suggested looking up Elizabeth Cronin but I'm afraid I failed, so here is Séamus Ennis' version of As I Roved Out which seems similar enough. Apparently Ennis recorded Cronin's singing, so perhaps this isn't such a surprise.

May at last

Stan Kelly, who wrote Liverpool Lullabye

After last week's bumper gathering this week wasn't as much of a disappointment as it could have been with a good showing of regulars. Being the nearest session to 1 May, May festivals and traditions were in evidence, though, as Derek pointed out, it was surprisingly left to him to be "roving out on a May morning".

Pre-session chat was wide ranging and frank. I won't trouble you, reader with most of it; suffice to say, one strand went from liberty bodices to "going commando" in a few short steps. It was also remarked that the unwanted interloper "the fresian" hasn't made an appearance recently. Anyone who doesn't know the story please understand that I'm not talking about some unwanted folky but a pub regular who has been known to interrupt proceedings sometimes.