Oh alas! How I shall miss The Bell, that fine old Inn and Eatery in Monks Kirby, Warwickshire, now it has finally closed. Run for decades by Paco and Family. I've had some good meals there, but I shall miss especially, The Sly Old Dogs sessions in the vast function room on Sunday nights. Just up the road from me in the next village, a delightful drive along winding lanes in rain snow ice and blistering sunny evenings. A remarkably large audience for Sunday nights would be treated to the nearest thing to The Craic this side of The Water, when all the guests and "The orchestra " were in full spate. A Sunday night of three halves, predominately (but not exclusively) by cracking traditional music.
I've performed there both solo and accompanied by friends many a Sunday night. The audience singing was usually stunning, the volume and tone magnified and amplified by the stone floors and low beams. The format was very democratic-all chaired expertly by Pete Willow, fronting the resident band Sly Old Dogs. I like the SODs so much that I booked them twice for Nuneaton Folk Club, and many of their number-Pete, Tool, Nigel Ward, Colin Squire and Bob Brooker have joined us at The Crown on Wednesdays.
The SODS sessions were pretty well unique in my experience, as paco himself would come round from behind the bar and play (very proficiently) the spoons in numbers like "Gypsy Laddie O or " I'll Tell me Ma. " It never seemed incongruous, a Spaniard belting out percussion in an English pub with an English band. Paco had a very fine singing voice, too. Occasionally he would treat us to a song from Home, and on one memorable occasion he duetted with Sean Cannon. Again, it sounds odd-but it was great! And where else could you just turn up for a spontaneous, unscripted night of music and also be treated to free grub, served on silver platters?
At the Bell, the SODS, seated out front, could comprise any permutation of Pete Willow, Paul Kenny, Richard Ryder, Nigel Ward, Colin Squire, Bob Brooker, and Martin Bushnell. Banjo Dave Paterson would often join them, and other Guests (or "Friends" as Pete liked to call them), would turn up spontaneously and just join in, especially on chorus songs. At their best you might have 2-3 banjos, up to three fiddles, guitars mandolins and Bazoukis in profusion, plus stirring percussion. And a combined singing voice that sounded like a choir of Angels. Making collectively, a Divine and tuneful noise. Truly a Folk orchestra that could have given Bellowhead a good run for their money. Consider those guests and friends I met, joined in with or just listened to at The Bell: here's just a few:John Kearney,Sean Cannon,Brian and Marie Phillips, Sue Sanders, Max Wright, Malc Gurnham, Phil Benson, Jan Richards, Rob Halligan, 'Chelle Willow and many, many more. the banter was often extraordinary, and often hilarious. It was a place to air new songs-running them by an educated audience. it was a venue to try out new instruments, or resurrect old ones. Or you could just turn up and belt out old tunes you loved to hear. The evenings always finished with an emotional rendition of "Go Lassie Go," and the rafters shook with the acapella singing of it.
All is not lost as on the last Sunday of the month now, Sly Old Dogs and Friends will migrate across the road to the village's other Booser, The Denbigh Arms. Where The SODS are no strangers. I've played the Denbigh too, whilst in Black Parrot Seaside. The upstairs room I remember was o.k. but I'm not so sure how acoustics will pan out downstairs. (My personal preference for Folk Clubs, Open mic sessions and singarounds is always to have a separate, dedicated, soundproof(-ish) room,where possible).
