With Sly Old Dogs moving their latest Craic Base even nearer to my home, (just eight fields away, on a moonlit night), it would have been foolish (and churlish) of me not to have gone along to support their debut at my local, Wood Farm Brewery Tap, last night.
Sited aptly, (for the jokes last night were a load of old Cock) at Willey, (the most regularly stolen village sign in Warwickshire) the Wood Farm is already well known to many of us. Mainly for its pleasant Webb Ellis bitter, its Pork Pies, beer Festivals and its sausage and onion batches.
I wondered though, as The Kearney Mobile whizzed us along Coalpit Lane, if the Wood Farm owners really knew what was about to hit them. For, last month, SODSAF had relocated temporarily to The Denbigh Arms in Monks Kirby, following the retirement of their best ever Spoons Player, Paco. It was quite touching in there, watching the gaffer, Seb,bravely attempting single-handedly to staunch the thirst of dozens and dozens of Folkies. The place was heaving last month. The Tap was heaving last night. Quite a contrast to those Sunday nights when I have driven past at 8pm with the doors locked, rollers down and their lights off. I suspect a few of those at the bar last night had set out for The Sarah Mansfield or The Blue Pig. They must have thought all their Christmases had come at once!
Fortunately, up the hill from the Denbigh, they had enough staff on to cope. They looked a little tired when we arrived, as Wood Farm is Rugby themed and I think the Egg Chasers might have given them a busy weekend already. Unusually, several pump clips were turned round, but there was still something there for everyone.
The Car Park filled, the main room filled-the gallery above filled.It was a good turn out, on a par with some of the best Sundays in The Bell. The SODs were light on fiddles, with Nigel Ward and Martin Bushnell the only absentees from the regular line-up. As for the Friends, there was yours truly, Max Wright, John Kearney, Cheryl, Rob Halligan, Campbell and Jan and many more whom I recognised but could not immediately put a name to. SODs sessions are very informal, and guests rarely go beyond first names.
The room proved to be good for acoustics, as the SODs treated us to many of their usual repertoire, Either playing collectively, as the ensemble, or featuring solo numbers from Bob Brooker,Paul Kenny,Pete Willow, Colin Squire or Richard Ryder. The Friends took it in turns, and a large audience returned choruses with panache and great enthusiasm. There were music stands, scoresheets, instrument cases,iPads galore. And that was just amongst the audience.
At one stage, a tremendously pungent cloud of malty aroma filled the room, and everyone looked accusingly at Bob Brooker, until they realised-this is a Brewery. Those of us who use the place often knew that they were just venting their latest batch of Whatever,to be dispensed, via their hand pulls next week.
With Steve Smelt and Martin Gilder heckling from upstairs,Babs from Hinckley Act dropping in, and a big Cov. contingent, there was an almost International feel in the room. What with Paul Kenny forgetting his words, Bob "mentioning" his CD's and Tool telling jokes of Industrial mediocrity, it was as if we'd never been away.
A spontaneous collection for the Bill Bates Fund reached £260 easily. Bill is well known to many of us, and respected by all on the Folk Circuit. A series of Fund Raisers around the Midlands will be going towards helping his son fight a pernicious strain of cancer. 
