We get up to all sorts

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

There was no theme at last week's Dragon Folk Club session and there will be none again this Friday. There were however some great songs and providing a huge variety which was lots of fun.

This Friday we will be without several of our regulars, so if you are an occasional Dragon, a lapsed Dragon or a potential new visitor to the dragon's lair, you would be even more welcome than usual if that's possible. There is no theme this week, but even when there is it is totally optional with any sort of performance encouraged as long as it's acoustic, and if you don't want to perform, just listen, join in the banter, and maybe sing along to the odd chorus then that's fine too.

Back to last week, Colin was MC as usual, and he started us off bawdy with The red light saloon (roud 9424). Simon followed with a partial match in the form of The tailor's breeches (roud 1610).

Sue gave us Big Rock Candy Mountain (roud 6696) and Bob followed that with Call me the breeze (J J Cale).

Paul called us to order with Waking dreams (roud 22620) and Denny completed the first rotation with The pickled herring man (# Cathy Wallis).

Other songs not found on YouTube and therefore not included in this week's playlist were:

• Paul -  Lament for the fishing (# Derek Brinkley)
• Colin - The labourers' union ( # roud V48257)

 There were four songs new to the Dragon database:

• Bob - Crystal Chandelier (*  Ted Harris)
• Denny - You'll never walk alone (*  Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II)
•  Sue - Ob-la-di, ob-la-da (* Lennon-McCartney)
• Colin - The weight (*  Robbie Robertson)

When it came to the time to close the session it was Sue's turn to sing and she sent us home with Things (Bobby Darin).

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

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

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Time is ticking

Bristol Exchange Clock times three
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We had a great theme-less session at the Dragon Folk Club last week with 47 songs being sung by five singers. It's great that Heather and Hazel are now regulars when they don't have other commitments.

We will be without a theme again this Friday (6 Feb) and Simon will be MC, so he would very much like to see you whether you sing, play, perform in some other way (as long as it's acoustic) or simply come and listen, partake of the banter and maybe join us in a chorus or two.

Back to last week, Colin was in his MC. He would have started the evening, but Paul pre-empted him, getting us all to join in singing Happy Birthday to you - Heather (roud 36104 - Mildred J. Hill, Patty Hill).

Colin started the session proper with The apprentice song (Ian Campbell).

Heather reprised her Highland fairy lullaby from the previous week's Burns' Night celebration before Paul took us to Old Maui (roud 2005) and Denny carried on a sort of maritime theme with The pickled herring man (# Cathy Wallis) which together with Paul's Tracks in the snow (# Steve Thomason) are the two songs of the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not on this week's playlist.

Staying with the sea Simon gave us Bonnie ship the Diamond (roud 2172) and brought the first rotation to an end.

There were only three songs at this session which were new to the Dragon database. Heather sang Mother of mine (* Bill Parkinson) which was made famous by Neil Reid in 1971 to win ITV's Opportunity Knocks. In reply to Heather's singing of Grandfather's clock (roud 4326 - Henry Clay Work), Simon gave us the less famous Sequel to grandfather's clock (* Henry Clay Work). The final on this week's "new to" list is Heather's singing of Home on the range (* roud 3599 - Brewster M. Higley, Daniel E. Kelley).

Colin brought the evening to a close with Haul away Joe (roud 809).

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

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

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

St Andrew's Day 2024 (with added Lancashire)

The Lancashire Fusilier pulling
The Jacobite (Hogwarts Express)
over the Glenfinnan Viaduct
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was officially themed for St Andrew's Day. Saint Andrew is patron saint of Scotland among many other things. However Denny asked us also to consider that it was the week of Lancashire Day, her native county, and therefore that was a secondary theme.

Before getting down to business, it's worth pointing out that this week's Dragon session (6th December) will be themeless before we make the big move to Christmas on 13th, and have a premature Christmas leftovers (turkey curry, etc.) session on 20th. 27th December will be a very rare Friday of rest for the Dragon before we come back with a bang for New Year and a slightly early Twelfth Night on 3rd January. It's important to note that our themes are always optional and therefore anything goes at the Dragon as long as it's acoustic.

Back to last Friday, we had a variety of approaches. Colin and Paul stuck with Scotland, while Denny concentrated on Lancashire and Simon alternated between the two. Remember that Lancashire was considered to be the traditional county which includes places no longer in it such as Liverpool, Manchester and Salford.

Colin, MC as usual, started off with Dougie MacLean's Ready for the storm. Simon started off with a song which he obtained from a Scottish source (Scotch Measure, Jim and Sylvia Barnes), but which he has hear attributed not only to Scotland, but also to Ireland and even to Lancashire! The song is The handweaver and the factory maid (roud 17771).

Paul remained firmly north of the border with A Scottish soldier (Andy Stewart) and Denny comlpeted the first rotation in Lancashire with a monologue: The lion and Albert (Marriott Edgar). Edgar was in fact born in Scotland, but his father and two aunts were born in Lancashire, so this actually hits both themes.

At this stage I'll say that unusually there were no additions to the Dragon database this week, and there was only one song not to be found on YouTube, and therefore not in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. That lone song is The pickled herring man (Cathy Wallis).

I could end this report there and fast forward to the last song of the evening, which indeed came slightly earlier than usual when the pub closed prematurely. Presumably the closure was due to lack of customers, and we might have predicted it would be so since all of us managed to park on the pub forecourt when we arrived: a very uncommon occurrence.

Nevertheless, let's have a look first at a handful of our other notable performances of the evening - not that all are not notable.

Paul referred to his apparently fictional collection of Judith Durham records before singing The Eriskay Love Lilt. [Ed: I have some albeit from my father's collection, but I definitely grew up with The Seekers on the record player]

Denny revisited to the plight of a small boy in Blackpool with Albert's return (Marriott Edgar).

In The Hielan' man perhaps Colin selected one of the rarer songs of the evening, and one with its own challenges to the researcher being from the pen of Scotsman Matt McGinn, not to be confused with the Irish Matt McGinn or the American Matt McGinn, or indeed the English Matt McGinn.

Simon warned before singing Mike Harding's Small high window (a Lancashire contribution) that he might end up drifting into too higher key. In the end he admitted that the actual problem was more one of over-compensation and signing in his boots.

After a request from the pub staff to finish quickly there was a hasty last round which finished with Denny singing Icy Acres (Colin Wilkie).

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

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