Hoppin' around

Former ICI prill tower at Avonmouth,
since demolished (Photo: Simon Meeds)

We were slightly down on numbers at last week's Dragon Folk Club session, but not that long ago five would have been a achievement so there are no complaints. We do however convey our hopes for a speedy recovery to Sue. Due to her illness Bob joined us on his own.

Colin, as MC, started proceedings with Jez Lowe's Bother at the Hoppins about a Europe's largest funfair that takes place in Newcastle. This was the first of three of Jez's songs of the evening. The second was Simon's first contribution: The Bergen about a shipwreck off Seaton Carew, County Durham. The final Jez Lowe song came from Colin and was The wrong bus with a First World War theme.

Back to the first rotation, Bob gave us Livin' with the blues, written by Brownie McGhee.

Denny took us to The Mountains Of Mourne (Percy French) and Paul introduced us to The Rose of Allandale (roud 1218 -words Charles Jefferys, music Sidney Nelson).

Simon finished off the first rotation with the aforementioned song The Bergen.

Bob's next song, Blackland farmer, was (like Livin' with the blues before it) a new one for the Dragon database though not necessarily to the club. The song was written by Frankie Miller amd was a US country hit for him in both 1959 and 1961.

Bob also added to the database with Hank Williams' I'm so lonesome I could cry.

Colin was concerned that he might be accused of cultural appropriation singing Dip and fall back. Simon reassured him by climbing in the same barrel with Big bamboo.

Denny added a new one to the database with Mike Jones' Along the Rossendale. And so did Colin with David Gates' The guitar man.

Simon sang Ron Angel's The chemical worker's song, which is based on Angel's experiences of working for ICI, presumably at Billingham, County Durham where he was born. The song considers the long-term effects of working in the chemical factory. Conversation related the ICI factory at Billingham to the one which used to be in Avonmouth, not too far from where the Dragon Folk Club meets. Simon referred to the prill tower which used to be there and to the similarity of the prill manufacturing process to that of making lead shot, a process developed by William Watts in the nearby Redcliffe area of Bristol. By chance I came across this video which tells some of Watts' story and that of his shot tower.

While Colin's singing of The galaxy song (Eric Idle, John Du Prez) created another new entry in the Dragon database, I know for a fact that Colin has sung that here before. Colin also made the last new entry of the evening into the database with Jez Lowe's aforementioned song, The wrong bus.

It fell to Paul this week to close the session which he did with Leave her Johnny (roud 354).

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 5 performed)