Three score and ten minus thirty

Today's news is tomorrow's chip paper
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session wasn't notable for there being a large number of singers, and there were no visitors, first timers, or long lost souls. Nevertheless those who were present had a pretty good time, a good sing and a good chat, which are the most important things when we meet.

It was the first time for a while that I've known before the end of the session what would be the featured picture in the report. In this case Denny sang a song which happened to coincide with an image I had created only a couple of days before for another purpose. I hope you realise it isn't mean to be disrespectful, but rather is a restatement of a principle understood by journalists for a very long time. I did check, and fish and chip shops started to become popular in Britain around 1860.

The title of this report refers to the same song, but also to the fact that we sang forty songs in the evening.

I'll keep this week's report very short because I've let the time roll on and I would have preferred to have it finished by now. Nevertheless you can hear all but three of the songs we sang in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. The remaining three are mentioned here and marked with a hash (#). Also two of the songs sung were new to the Dragon database and they are marked with an asterisk (*).

Colin started us off with Goodbye to you, dear Mabel (# Don Thompson).

Simon harked back to the previous week's unofficial Canada theme with Lukey's boat (roud 1828).

Denny took us to see The chickens in the garden (roud 2552) and Paul finished off the first rotation with Rose of Allandale (roud 1218 - words Charles Jefferys, music Sidney Nelson).

Colin provided the first new entry in the database with Swift and bold (celer et audax) (* Steve Knightley), maybe a subtle reference to the Olympic motto (citius, altius, fortius) while the games progressed in Paris.

As the evening progressed Denny sang the song I previously alluded to: Three score and ten (roud 16873 - William Delf).

Colin challenged this scribe by singing the almost untraceable Base over apex (# Bob Barratt,Tony Baylis). Later he made an addition to the database with History lesson (* Leon Rosselson)

Paul had a last practice of his own song Fathom my bowel (# Paul Welcomme) which is of course modelled on Fathom the bowl (roud 880) and provides a humourous take on his own history of cancer.

Paul was asked to finish off the session and he did that with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

(Number of people present - 4 of whom 4 performed)

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)

When is the blues not blue?

Lake Wakatipu, South Island, New Zealand
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

At last Friday's Dragon Folk Club there were six singers who sang 37 songs with no official theme. Pretty good going as always. Two of those wont be around this week, and another two will be missing next week then we are into holiday season when anything could happen, so we need all the support we can get from regulars, friends we know and friends we have yet to meet. You know who you are... maybe.

Colin, MCing as usual, kicked things off with John Tams' Steelos, about Steel, Peech and Tozer, a steelworks in Rotherham. From steel we moved to the sea with Simon singing Lukey's Boat (roud 1828), a comic song from the east coast of Newfoundland.

Back inland, Denny took us to South Island New Zealand and the Shotover River, which flows into Kawarau River and thence on to Lake Wakatipu. Shotover, once one of the richest gold-bearing rivers in the world, inspired Paul Metsers to write Farewell to the gold.

Paul then brought us back to England albeit a fictional place in the country, with Rose of Allandale (roud 1218 - words by Charles Jefferys and music by Sidney Nelson). So, despite beliefs to the contrary it's neither Irish, Scottish, nor strictly traditional, being written by named English composers and first published in 1833.

Bob promised to really depress us later in the evening, but in the meantime whetted our blues appetite with Blood red river (roud 15807). Following on in a red, rivery vein, Sue finished off the first round with Red river valley (roud 756). The linked recording of Bright Sherman Valley (linked with I'll be all smiles to-night love) by Luther B Clarke is the earliest recording of the song albeit not in the relatively modern popular version. Incomprehensibly this song (Red river valley) is the first of this week's that are new to the Dragon database though it certainly isn't new to the club.

Other songs sung during the evening that are new to the database include two blues parodies by Loudon Wainwright III and both sung by Paul: I'm alright and Haven't got the blues (yet). These apparently followed on from a conversation between Paul and our resident blues-man, Bob. Paul decided to look through his own collection of blues to see what he could sing - these were the only ones he decided would work (allegedly).

Other "new" songs were:

• Sue - Recycled teenager - her own song about people of a certain age meeting at ukulele jams (not on the "a selection" playlist linked below)
• Colin - It's not easy (Alan Foster) -  (not in the playlist) a parody of Eric Bogle's Now I'm easy
• Bob - Death don't have no mercy (Reverend Gary Davis) - the depressing song Bob promised us earlier
• Colin - What's the use of anything (Richard Digance) - (not in the playlist)
• Paul - Bird on the wire (Leonard Cohen)

Colin finished the evening with the eminently sing-along Air Fa La La Lo (Traditional gaelic translated by Hugh S. Roberton).

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

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

A good crowd for St George

There was a superb turn-out for this week's session. I am sure that was thanks mostly to Maggie's efforts in ringing round the regulars and irregulars. Thanks go to all who turned out for this only slightly belated St George's Day session and to give the best possible impression for Neil, who returned to the club to film the first half of the evening.

Neil is planning to make a documentary film about the club. On his previous visit he found our accustomed lighting level too low for his camera, so this time he brought  his own light source and proceeded to shine it at anyone who dared to open their mouth to sing or touch a guitar to play.

There were a lot of people there, and we only got twice round everyone in the evening, so here goes trying to mention everyone present at least once...