Forty Years On

Photo by Simon Meeds

With many of last week’s absentees recaptured and brought back in chains, our numbers reached 11 (9 singers), liberally supplemented with our canine Honourary Members. The latter led to Leslie having to perform songs such as To Be A Pharmacist whilst simultaneously trying to calm either the Waggy or the Howlly.

We were happy to welcome new blood in the shape of Sean. Sean is a Morris Mate of Terry, but unfortunately for him, fortunately for us, had been invalided out of this week’s morris practice with Plantar Fasciitis, or Morris Dancer’s Heel as it is always called in Holby City. Although claiming not to have been in a folk club for 40 years, he had no difficulties in entertaining us with traditional material (Child 81 Little Musgrave/Matty Groves) and some self-penned songs including Ribbons and Bells – a tribute to Morris Dancers with unfasciated plantars. Derek is already learning the words of Forty Years On: but hopefully Sean's next visit will be much sooner than that! We even let him win the raffle….

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers

photo by Hamish McConnochie

Many of us were afraid that the above words, famously used by Henry V on his last visit to the club (in those days still at Iron Acton) would be needed to describe this week's meeting, given that regulars Mike, Maggie S, Colin, Simon and Martin Carthy were all away on jaunts.

But happily a respectable 8 (7 singers) appeared and when Roger appropriately for the time of year sang Kurt Weill's September Song it was merely the days, not the audience, which had 'dwindled down to a precious few.'

Mini themes galore

CSS Alabama

The report has to be a quick one this week before I hand over to the deputy scribe, and I'm afraid there won't be any YouTube links.

Next week's Dragon Folk Club session could be very thin on the ground, so if you are an occasional or lapsed dragon, I would encourage you to make a special effort to come and support the club; the more of us there are, the happier the landlord is.

This week's session was MCed by Richard who started off with The Lark In The Morn.

Mike said his first song was about a place that could be very cold, at which Colin and Derek suggested, almost in unison, Weston-Super-Mare. An amusing suggestion, but not what Mike intended. He rather gave us a sing-a-long favourite that I don't think he's done for a while: Lish Young Buy-A-Broom (Roud 1865) - the intended location being Kirkby Stephen.

No hopers, jokers, rogues and... loggers?

Edith Fowke

After a couple of well-populated weeks we were slightly down on numbers. Colin had met someone who had spoken of going to a folk club at The George in Chipping Sodbury in the early 1970s. Mike remembered it well and we were treated to various stories of that club, which was apparently a strictly singers' (no instruments) off-shoot of a more general club.

This will be the last time for a few weeks that I'm able to include the customary links to YouTube, so make the most of them while they're here. If you enjoy listening to my playlists you might like to visit some of the older blog posts until normal service is resumed. Despite the lack of video links I hope that there will be blog reports, so do look in to see what's been going on.

Richard was MC and started us off with The Boy That Burned In Berryville Jail which was followed by Lesley's rendition of the Kipper Family's Bored Of The Dance.