A record breaking performance

At last week's Dragon Folk Club session we didn't seem particularly rushed, the songs weren't particularly short and we certainly weren't devoid of chat, but nevertheless we seem to have broken the accepted previous Dragon record of 47 songs sung in an evening. We sang a total of 49 songs!

It all started off with Colin performing Dance ti thy daddy (roud 2439), possibly better known as When the boat comes in, having been the theme tune to a TV programme of that title. Simon sang Strike the bell (roud 4190) and Steve completed the first rotation with Sam Hall (roud 369, laws L5).

With so many songs I am sure you will forgive me if I pick out a bare minimum and invite you to listen to the rest via the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below.

There are four songs not included on that playlist:

• Colin - Convict's complaint
• Steve - When Adam was first created (roud 728)
• Colin - The bos'n, the gunner and me (Francis Barron, Henry Trotère)
• Colin - Windy old sailors (Chris Sugden - assumed) - sung by The Kipper Family and found only as a title on an obsolete version of the Sid Kipper website - I'm still not sure where Colin found the words, because it doesn't seem to have been recorded

Six songs were new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily in all cases new to the club:

• Simon - Percy Shaw (Roger Davies)
• Colin - Waiting for wages (Jill MacLean, Michael Raven or more likely traditional)
• Colin - Wicklow hills (Pierce Turner)
• Colin - Heaven's a bar (Tim Laycock)
• Colin - Drinking rum and raspberry
• Colin - Roots (Steve Knightley)

Colin returned to Steve Knightley for the last song of the evening, which was Cousin Jack.

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

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

An eclectic mix

It was really great to have Geoff back in the fold for last Friday's Dragon Folk Club session. I know he's had a hard time and it's good to see and hear him again. There was no particular theme and the evening was really marked by an eclectic selection of songs. As usual you can hear most of them in the playlist linked at the bottom of this report. In the meantime I'll mention just a few.

Colin as MC started us off with Lyle Lovett's If I had a boat. This was followed by Cat Stevens'/ Yusuf's Moonshadow from Geoff.

Simon took us to a sillier place with Proper Cup Of Coffee (roud V53398 - RP Weston, Bert Lee). And Colin kept us there with The Prune Song (roud V35166 - Frank Crumit, Harry De Costa).

The only song of the evening not present in the playlist is Colin's The Bos'n, The Gunner And Me (Francis Barron, Henry Trotere). In a previous blog report I linked a recording by Tom Lewis, but that has now been removed from YouTube.

Simon rounded off the evening with Strike the Bell (roud 4190) which was sufficiently rousing and joining-in to be a decent finisher.

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

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

Keepy-uppy

Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix play keepy-uppy
(Photo posted to Flickr by Diego Sideburns)

Last Friday's session was a bit quiet once again. We hope everyone is OK and it's just a glitch. Please get over here to The Bridge Inn, Shortwood, Bristol, BS16 9NG this Friday at 8:15pm, we need your company... and your singing if you feel capable.

Heading straight in with not a theme in sight, our MC, Colin, started the evening with The Folksinger's Lament (David Diamond) and Simon followed with Strike the Bell (roud 4190).

Well that's it. That was the first round. I'm not going to go through the songs in detail. You can listen to the "a selection" link below which includes seventeen of the eighteen songs we sang. The odd one out is Colin's singing of The Labourers' Union (roud V48257). It was sung by Walter Pardon whose repertoire included this and other anthems of the nineteenth century National Agricultural Labourers' Union.

The last round of the evening saw Colin sing Shelley Posen's No more fish, no fisherman and Simon The Galway Shawl (roud 1737).

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

(Number of people present - 2, of whom 2 performed)

The need for speed

Fiat S76, The Beast of Turin (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week was the final theme-less session until we are well into November. This week's theme is Halloween. The theme is optional but songs, tunes, stories and poems of ghosts and ghouls, witches and wizards, and of course All Saints will be very welcome along with any other tenuous links you can come up with.

So back to last Friday; Colin was MC and started the evening with If It Wasn't For The 'Ouses In Between (Edgar Bateman, George Le Brunn - Roud V35719).

Onward and Upward

Vincent Black Lightning

There was a pleasing increase of bums on seats this week – just as well since we had the additional expense of sending the regular scribe away on another holiday, and remunerating his Deputy Scribe. In all there were 20 attendees, with 13 (12a if you are superstitious) performers. The word performers rather than singers is specifically chosen, because we had a welcome visit by Kath and her Koncertina, who gave us such tunes as Planxty Irwin (Turlough O'Carolan) and Salmon Tails Up The Watter (James Allan - yes, you non-Geordies, the second "t" IS compulsory).