It was a long day yesterday for some of us, squeezing in two gigs in a day. In the afternoon, Finger In The Jar and I were amongst performers serenading diners at the fabulous Larder Café. This is a themed eatery, in Atherstone High Street. The staff are in period costume, the walls are decorated with memorabilia and their scran is just tops. I was served a sausage buttie and the bangers had little chef's hats on.
Other artistes warbling amongst the bacon butties, speciality pies and Bubble & Squeak included Dave and Julia Taylor, Peter McParland, John Meechan (on a solo run) and The Two Terrys.
Watching some of the regulars trying to get their heads round Dave Taylor's outstanding version of "My Old Man's a Dustman" sung in the style of Bob Dylan was a personal highlight for me. Almost matched by John's rendition of an old song which seemed to have an inordinately frequent mentions of the word "cock" in it. I think he was missing Elaine.
I did "Black Velvet Band," " Rave On" and "Lakes of Ponchartrain." Making errors in the latter two, crib sheet or not.
Meanwhile..... Carry On Up The Long Shoot
Half a dozen or more of the Larder audience and several performers re-assembled later that evening, along with about 60 others, just up the A5, for the monthly Nuneaton Folk Club session. The night promised Malc Gurnham and Gill Gilsenan as the featured artistes, and a host of additional talent providing the Guest spots. This venue continues to develop. With its armchairs, high cocktail tables and bar stools, plus a myriad of tables and chairs, it seems at times more like a Nightclub or the set of the Graham Norton Show than a Folk Club. Audience members pop in and out, using the facilities downstairs or lounging upstairs to enjoy the mixed musical fare on offer. This makes it difficult to count them as they merge and mingle. I got to just over sixty in one head count, but with people constantly moving, the total was upward of that. What you think?
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| view from front of house |
Nunc kicked us off at 8pm, with people still drifting in. A pity, as they missed us doing "Cold Haily, Windy Night" and " Rave On."
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| Nunc..before the Goldrush |
Sue Sanders followed us, deftly picking out tunes on her newly repaired fiddle and fighting through the pain barrier, after a serious weekend run-in with her dentist. One of her tunes was a hornpipe which BPS fans may recall formed the instrumental for our song about Factory Life-" The Wag of Shop 14"
Next up was Dave Webb, who gave us a mining song from the North East, and a recitation of "Albert and The Lion " (Sithee). Finger In The Jar followed, their second appearance of the day. Three songs nicely arranged and well presented.
Bob Brooker was next. Feeling a little peaky, so he only did a couple, both were off his new CD. One song was traditional, and "I never knew me Grandad " was self written. Bob's poignant songcraft brought a lump to many a throat, and as always, super instrumentation from the Lark of Louth.
Bob's economy enabled Dragonhead to squeeze in four songs as a preliminary to Malc And Gill's first half set. Making a popular return to NFC, they took us through Zydeco and Bill Haley, amongst other genres, and donated a raffle prize, too. Good stuff! Malc and Gill then warmed us up with the first of two slots, before the interval.
After the interval, Nunc did "Mad Tom of Bedlam" and "After The Gold Rush," before the 34th act to appear at NFC in six months took to the stage. I'd seen Gren Morris and Sam Stephens previously. Two immensely likeable chaps who do remarkable things with songs which were once familiar. Their version of "Lakes of Ponchartrain " for example, is a wonder to behold. Gren's deadpan delivery of a ribald song involving cross dressing courtesans in Olde England,likewise.Their finale was a startling arrangement of a song many were struggling to identify, despite the contextual clues given in the interval. I confess I was amongst those who got it wrong, thanks to their clever and elegant disguise. It was "Falling" by The Beatles. And yet it could have been from the 18th or 19th century. Top stuff.
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| Gren and Sam. In The Pink. |
Malc and Gill threw the kitchen sink at the audience in each half, as they always do. Out came sngs from Sydney Carter, John Connolly, Kate Wolf, Katherine Fear and even George Gershwin. It definitely didn't feel like Porgy and Bess, with the temperature hovering near zero outside, but "Summertime" it definitely was inside, as a ladybird festively flew out from behind the Sound System to join them.
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| Editors are axing Folk columns.There's no call for that sort of malarkey round 'ere |
The audience were in fine voice throughout, and as a finale I joined Malc & Gill to help them belt out "All The Good Times" as an encore.
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| "Past and Gone? ...."..Don't think so! |
So the first six months has now passed, marked by another highly enjoyable night. Much hard work put in beforehand, added to by some less than co-operative journalists. Warmer inside than last month, due to people wearing comfortable clothing and er..."contingencies". The One Direction Annual remains an unclaimed raffle prize, though Thanks to Julian and Dragonhead for donating sensible prizes. Flossie and Mags were indispensable in raffle admin, as Road crew, dogsbody duties and table service.
Thanks also to the pub staff for helping set up, clearing away afterwards and pot collection (empties!),during. And bless Crown icon Nelly for her continuing support. (Try her Sunday Roast Lunches!) Tom Veasey and his mate did a sterling job on sound, and Folk Monthly deserve a little mention, also, for help with promotion. The photos are courtesy of Max, John, Sue et moi.
Ray Buckler, one of the AleCart Crew who are NFC regulars, showed me a press cutting after events finished last night, of a "Nuneaton Folk Club " advertising in the 1970's. This was when it was in Pool Bank Street. We played it a couple of times. Some media folk would like their readership to believe that this genre is now minority music for the elderly, trapped in a timewarp. And that's why their circulation figures are struggling.
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| Left hand side of room |
