Do your research

Beacon at Seaton Carew, Hartlepool

Last week's session was light on people but weighty on songs and on learned chat. I have limited time and one or two promised follow-ups to cover, so please forgive me if I'm a little light on collected recordings again this week.

First an announcement... the Harvest session will be on 8 September. Not only does that mean a harvest theme to as many songs and tunes as possible but also a special raffle. Please bring produce which can be offered as prizes and pockets full of change for the raffle and any random collections that may take place. Proceeds this year will go to Shelter, a charity that Dragon regular, Roger has previously supported with his own musical evenings.

Singing Together

BBC Singing Together

In the unlikely event that the Substitute Scribe has any readers from among the Younger Generation he apologises to them for the obscurity of this week's title. Singing Together was an educational programme back in the days when the only multimedia presentations for school students were delivered by moving a 'portable' (i.e. capable of being lifted by two people) Bakelite radio from room to room.

For many of us, it was our first introduction to folk music, and it was remembered this week when Colin sang Grey Hawk (Roud 293), a song Derek recalled voting for (the only one in his class who did) at the end of term Eurovision Song Contest type vote for best song. John P then recalled from the same source, and sang, Lincolnshire Poacher (Roud 299).

Colourful session

(Photo: jagerm)

A quick and dirty report this week on last week's session I'm afraid because there's a lot going on at home for this scribe. Don't worry, nothing bad, just a bit hectic.

We assembled as a perfectly respectable eight singers and Colin was back from his holidays, so he took back the club accoutrements and the mantle of MC for the evening.

Miraculously, Simon had turned up first and so got to sing first, giving us Dave Sudbury's King Of Rome. Colin, freshly inspired no doubt by a visit to Sidmouth Folk Week, sang The Reason I Left Mullingar (Pat Cooksey).

Bon Voyage to Richard and Lesley

(Photo: Tim Dobson)

Last week was a farewell to our friends and Dragon Folk Club regulars for fourteen years, Richard and Lesley who as I write this report have now headed up to North Wales. We hope we will see them again at some time in the future but for now we wish them well in their new home and with working in the Welsh language!

We were also joined by Tom, Steve G and John B, and Maggie L with her canine friends Gertie and Freddie.

We heard this week that Terry C's wife has had a stroke. She is still in hospital but is apparently walking around. We wish her a speedy and satisfactory recovery.

Centenary of Passchendaele

Australian gunners on a duckboard track in
Château Wood near Hooge, 29 October 1917
(Photo: Frank Hurley)

We were about to start with only three of us at last week's session when Mike came through the door with his canine companion, Indy. As he left for the bar I think it was Colin who suggested we start and Derek who insisted we wait for Mike to return. And so we started with four, plus dog. But before we were through a song or two Chris and Roger arrived to make us properly quorate.

Colin was MC and started the singing with Lamorna (Roud 16636), a song from Cornwall; a version of a song from Manchester called Pomona.

Simon was next to sing with No Sir No (Roud 146). Derek noted this week's centenary of Passchendaele, the Third Battle of Ypres and sang what he claimed was the Copper Family's version of Two Young Brethren (Roud 202). Well the linked version by Folly Bridge appears to be faithful to the Copper's but isn't particularly close to what Derek sang. In any case, Mike commented in relation to Derek's version that his friend Dave Marshall sang very similar words but had two further verses, I believe making more of the brewing of the harvest to make beer.