Bedworth Folk Festival

      Hard to believe that, in this format this may be the last BFF ever. What a sterling job Malc Gurnham, Brenda, Gill and the team have done over the years, in launching and then sustaining it. And what an appropriate tribute then,  that this year’s was generally agreed to have been one of the best ever. In my case, and on a very personal level. it definitely was THE best.  I have never enjoyed any Festival more, and have never felt so involved and worthwhile whilst performing. Thank you for that  honour and privilege, Malc.  Thank you also for the platform, Flossy and JK my co-conspirators in Nunc.

         Before our  first set on Friday night we assembled in The Civic Hall Bistro and sang along with a  Double A’s-led session.  Before going upstairs and enjoying the rarity of a proper Green Room. I would say "luxury" but it was so ruddy hot we had to get out of there!

        At 7pm we kicked off  the evening concert in The Small Hall there. We were quite pleased with the turnout.  I’ve played this room before at the Festival and attendances can be a bit thin, with it being adjacent to the counter attractions of the FM Lounge. But by launch time (introduced by compere Dave Fry), we had an audience. A decent one..We performed extracts from our usual set. and had an absolute blast. Plenty of friends there to listen and some new faces too. 

       After this we wandered off around the Festival site to take in a few other acts. I went to support Paper Circus and Brian Phillips who followed each other in the FM. Lounge. Both have been very supportive to Nuneaton Folk Club. In the Circus's case I feel partly responsible for their rapid rise to fame, in that I first persuaded them to switch from the Open Mic circuit to Folk by offering them slots at NFC. 

       It’s always a treat to see anyone new reacting to Jennian's beautiful voice for the first time. Sad to see  Jim Park missing. He was poorly which is a pity as  I really think his cello and Suraj’s guitar provide an excellent canvas for Jennian to paint her sound pictures on.

       I got “shushed” by an indignant Festival goer during Brian’s Set. The bloke I was talking to was introduced to me by Brian, as we were all enjoying The Circus slot. (He was the organiser of The Cornish Folk Festival.  Whilst Brian  was reciting and singing I  was negotiating a spot for Paper Circus at a couple of West Country Festivals in 2018. I’m sure neither artiste minded me clinching that for them?) .

         When Saturday morning dawned we drew the curtains back at home and were shocked to see heavy snow.  Fortunately it was not too long before it stopped. Then we were off on the road to collect Flossy for a  working breakfast in Earlsdon. Before  setting off back to Beduff where we were due to play a 45 minute set at the ungodly hour of 11am in The Lord Mayors Cafe.   It was touching to see that some of the small but loyal posse of Nunckers had turned up specifically to support us.  

The Cafe is a smashing place in a spectacularSylvan setting (yes,in Beduff-it sits inside a pretty park).

       As we launched into "Weather With You"...the sun shone through the trees and across the lawns. It was all rather nice. John had a fit of the giggles and I went down on one knee to serenade Birthday girl Marie during "Bring It On Home." Creaked when I got back up,though. 

       It turned out to be a delightful way to while away the hours. We were followed by  Discovery,  Daisybell,Tony Portlock and Dave and Julia Taylor in entertaining a good sized audience. One who  sipped coffee, munched croissants and turned out to be a really good singing crowd.  JK and I played the same venue last year. The audience were receptive then, but they were very special here this time round. Happy, a little noisy; they chatted,came in, went out,laughed in all the right places and clattered the occasional teacup-but they were receptive and appreciative , so who, really cares?  

         Jeff and Elaine Gillett, aka Discovery, followed us. They were a versatile and entertaining duo. specialising in Trad. Arr. Jeff played a variety of instruments expertly including mandolin, dulcimer and guitar. Elaine sang in a few styles including one number where she attached Morris hankies to both wrists before gamely ( and literally) kicking off one number with a little dance routine.

       During one of their quieter ballads, we could see outside and beyond their line of vision,an entire Morris Team  assembling. Preparing,misguidedly to have a little alfresco routine out in the open.  Eventually after much tinkling of bells and rustling of Pheasant feathers, realisation began to dawn outside. They could see the instruments,could hear the singing coming from indoors and so began to work out that a full blooded dance routine a few yards away would not go down well with those inside.  A few of the squad trudged sadly away, presumably to do a Fertility dance in Tescos. Whilst a few sneaked unobtrusively inside to warm themselves up with a mug of tea and a bun. 

      Daisybell  followed Discovery. Excellent, as they always have been whenever we have shared a billing with them. They sang,danced along and supported with us whilst we were on, and we reciprocated happily. Such nice, well-adjusted young ladies with a lot of talent, it was rude not to.

       Whatever shape any future Bedworth Folk Festival may take, this may well have been the last session here, which is an awful shame if so. Dave and Julia Taylor were due to follow The Daisies,but we could not stay, as we were scheduled elsewhere. A pity, as I would have loved Flossy to have heard some of Dave’s dafter songs. We had to leave halfway through Tony's set, but he seemed in fine fettle wherever I saw him that weekend. 

           Flossy and I  became embroiled in some session singing in the Civic Hall whilst John was off competing in The Small Hall. Having sung "The Old Triangle” in exchange for a Quality Street ( I’m anyone’s for a toffee), I found I had at last become an honorary Mudcatter. I had wondered, about this previously. There was some wonderful stuff going on in there, from Graham Knights, the operatic John Morris, Bob Brooker The Thrupp'nny Bits and many more. Plus the most disturbing rendition of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips"  I have ever heard. 

          In the Bistro we were sitting with Bob Brooker, He toddled off for a slot in the church and then returned agitated later, recruiting us for his 4pm “Up Close With...” session. This was due to start upstairs at 4pm. His advertised spot was  with Paper Circus. Unfortunately they had  become indisposed, so after a bit of hasty rearranging and a Foyer rendezvous with JK, we convened breathlessly in one of the Meeting Rooms and commenced only a  little bit behind schedule. 

       It turned out to be quite entertaining for all concerned. A couple of disgruntled punters left as we entered,   It was quite amusing to see who turned up expecting Jennian & Co, and then watching them trying to hide their disappointment when they found out that it was Nunc as late replacements. More a  Cardboard circus than a Paper one! 

         In fairness though, Colossi of the Folk Circuit like Kevin Dempsey and Keith Donnelly dropped in. Not only staying but singing along with us too. We took it in turns to share a song. Bob played with us on "Knocking on Heavens Door," ( as he often has previously) and we sang along and played along on Bob’s excellent cover of "The Wild Goose. "

      I’d never done one of these sessions before. They involve you telling the audience a bit about yourselves and the song. Bob started by narrating a very detailed history of his life story so far. It’s been a colourful one and it could have taken up the whole hour on its own. A nudge into action saw him finally launching into a spirited version of "Fiddlers Green." 

        KC Jones and Daisybell took over the incoming relay baton from us as we knocked off right on time. I learned some interesting additional facts about them during an informal Question and Answer session. 

        We were  due to lead a singaround back down in The Bistro at  5.45pm, sharing duties with Maria Barham. The Daisies delayed us by handing out fudge at every opportunity, but we got there eventually. It turned out to be a huge amount of fun. Once again a very diverse collective of musicians and narrators. We had songs from Moses and The Ref, Maria herself (with Spoons),John Morris, Angus Ellis, Wes Hall, Jeff Gillett and many more. We did "Albert Balls,"which was enthusiastically greeted. 

         Jon Harrington arrived and when invited to perform he opened his case of Blues harps and suggested a NuncMonkey collaboration of "How Long Blues."  The Music stall proprietor distributed Kazoos for this, making the instrumental middle sections most enjoyable. Angus filled in with a couple of songs, as many other singers also contributed.  It was well past 7pm by the time it finally petered out,to be replaced by a rich menu of top class artistes back upstairs again. Back in The Bistro I finally got my laughing gear round some food. ( it had been a long time since breakfast). Delicious catering as always from The Bistro.

       I have to say that all The Civic Hall staff went out of their way to be helpful and supportive throughout.  Malc's Army of Stewards,captained by Phil Benson,were an excellent reinforcement, too.  Everyone went the extra mile-a fitting way to close the curtain on this round of Bedworth Folk Festivals.   Wonderful photographs via Max Wright, John B. and John Wright. 

If Music be The Food of Love....

Thursday Night at Tump Folk in The City of Culture
       People who follow this Blog will know how fond I am of The Tump and of The Humber Hotel. The area holds a place in my heart for, as a kid growing up in Northfield Road, I spent many illicit hours on the giant grey railway bridge there, choking on the loco exhausts and watching freight trains shunting Gosford Green Goods Depot down below. 

View from Humber Avenue 1957

          My dad and my Uncle Bill once worked opposite in long-demolished  Rootes complex.  In July 1971 whilst  working for the Coventry's  Parks Department, I spent my last night as a single man in there, thanks to  my fellow gardeners organising  a monumental Staggie after finishing work. 

           I've had some very enjoyable nights in various Tump venues,but last night was a doozy. I've sung there  solo and with both Black Parrot Seaside and Nunc.  Last night ranks for me in the same category as Rod Felton's Memorial Concert, when that big room, the car park and the surrounding streets were overflowing. It wasn't quite that busy,but there was a decent audience a fantastic vibe and the musical content last night was outstanding.

        Like the previous  night  at Bedworth Folk Club, it was a late call that saw John Kearney and myself aka " two thirds of Nunc-minus the Pretty One," warming the audience up for the sheer brilliance that followed.   

Three thirds of Nunc at Warwick. I really can't see this "Pretty One" thing

        It was a night of fractions. ( I'm still trying to work a few variables out). There were parts of Honky Tonk Rose there and most of The Rude Mechanicals Band. The situation was further complicated by the versatile Jools Street who played in both! And Mr.Kearney with that rich Cork accent of yours you really must be careful how you say "two thirds." Otherwise it sounds like we are a pair of...oh well. Just try saying it..

               With a bit of a Shakespearean theme advertised,  John and I eschewed some of the heavier themes covered by the average Nunc set list and  went for Comedy. No ceremonial codpieces, but I hope The Bard of Avon would have enjoyed "Albert Balls," "The Odeon" and " Di Di The Ice Cream Man." Being vulgar yet faintly amusing,with farting horses and visual jokes,in a Falstaffian Way,I think Will might have approved.  According to my running order,thoughtfully written out in green crayon by The Boss (Karen Orgill),we thought we had finished then, bang on time with our Irish Reggae number "Don't Worry/Irish Rover."  

         I began then to introduce the next act-Honky Tonk Rose. Turned out though, that Horace had nipped out for a wee or a fag or both  and thinking very quickly we began the undeserved and unscripted bonus of a Nuncian encore with "Vigilante Man." To our delight, we were joined on stage progressively, by various members of HTR as they became available. Just..WOW!    

Jools, Malc, Rich and Horace.    Honky Tonk Rose 

        Horace Panter- "Sir Horace Gentleman," once of The Specials was part of HTR, slapping and spanking a mean bass every bit as effectively as you would expect of a legend. I confess,despite me having several Specials albums and DVDs, I'd never seen them live. The closest we got was one 1970's night at The Bear Inn (aka Craven Arms) in the High Street. There, after a particularly whacky BPS gig, a very drunk Roddy Radiation offered to join us, as he felt "his current band" were "going nowhere." (!!!) The rest as they say, is history. Though much later, I did also bump into Neol Davis a few times on the Folk Circuit. JK of course, being JK had seen The Specials several times. He was very excited by sharing a stage. (technically a floor area) with one of them. I'd also heard of Rick Medlock. Our ex-drummer,Vance,rated him very highly. I think I'd seen him a few times in the 1970s but we've all changed a lot in appearance since those days. 

        Horace had explained to me beforehand  how Country was his prime area of interest nowadays and boy did they give it some welly. A very enjoyable and robust forty minutes or so of top class material. Horace, Malc Evans and Rick Medlock were joined by Jools Street on fiddle and together they made a very full and attractive sound. And they finished right on time too. 10/10. An Organiser's dream.

        I'd done some background research on the RMB's. I knew previously of Wes Finch's work as a musician a writer and a shaper of ideas. I knew the band were currently mining a very innovative lode, that of setting poetry and prose to a contemporary framework. Primarily Shakespeare. But not exclusively. John Masefield and reluctant Coventrian Philip Larkin also got a name check last night too. ( Don't get me started on Larkin ). 

        Their line-up of Jools (violin), Katrin Gilbert (viola), John Parker (double bass)  and Wes Finch (vocals and guitar)  was ably suited to this kind of mood music. There were only 4/5ths of them,percussionist Ben Haines being unavailable. Even so, they offered us a memorable conclusion to an epic first half. 

Wes Finch and The Rude Mechcanicals

       Replenished by the best Thwaites's Bomber I have ever tasted,we were soon under way again for a second half. John Kearney, inspired by the sheer culture on show and fortified by a pot of tea, had been creative during the break, composing an introduction in verse. Then off The Mechanicals went again. Nothing mechanical or rude about any of it. We were treated to more of some of Wes's own songs this half. Some were astonishingly good-he'll be on Anker Folk before Christmas I promise, as I hoovered up what CD's I could find! That's my weekend playlist sorted!  

And in Black and White they look even artier

           After a heady encore from the RM's Karen had suggested (thank you Karen!) that as a finale John and I might like to lead the Ships Company in a full on jam of a current Nunc favourite, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". And we really were. In Heaven. The audience sang beautifully and with both bands providing the instrumentation, we had two verses of divine playing before bringing the evening to a glorious conclusion. Oh to have recorded that! 

Rude Honky Nunc Mechanicals on the Finale 

        I don't have any problems with Shakespeare. At school I had to study the texts of Twelfth Night ,Othello and Anthony and Cleopatra and once played Casca in a stage production of Julius Caesar (typecasting).  At College in London I followed a very hands-on course in English Speech and Drama. Involving more close scrutiny,this time of Hamlet and The Sonnets plus a hand in directing Romeo and Juliet. (I know.... Dark Horse,eh?) 

      Nor do I have any problems with Country Music and the whole Prairies of crossover music which anyone broadminded enough to see it can embrace in a Folk venue. On "Anker Folk" John Goodman and I have unashamedly spun tracks by Staid Cleeves, Rosanne Cash,Joe Ely, Foy Vance and Lyle Lovett, to name but a few. Nunc cover songs by Kacey Chambers, John Prine, Neil Young and Tom Petty. 

     In my experience the more eclectic night an organiser can put on the better-it breaks down prejudices and puts bums on seats. And last night was no exception. How sad though, that as my home town awaits the outcome of its City of Culture bid, the local rag has shunned Folk Clubs like mine and The Tump now for the last three years. pretending that, if they exclude it from advertising and bar reportage of it, it will just go away. We can all go instead to watch Kasabian or Mumford and Sons at The NEC.  For this,on the fringe of the City Centre was vibrant, dynamic, home-grown grass roots culture:Performing Arts on your very doorstep. Had you but known about it...... 

Doing The KCJ

       A slightly more sober and sadder atmosphere starting off  Bedworth Folk Club on Wednesday night than usual. We had learnt earlier that Gill Gilsenan had been taken very poorly and admitted to hospital. Malc gave us a brief update and then  we settled into a good night.  Hospital is hopefully the best place for Gill to be,where she can safely get proper care and some rest. If good wishes were anything to go by goodwill alone will nurse her back to health.

        Ill health was ravaging the performers  too, and also some of the audience,with a few notable absentees unable to join us. Malc Gurnham, now perhaps getting more used to performing solo got us under way with a selection of songs using his very pretty, shiny guitar with lots of knobs on.

          Dave Webb, a stalwart at The Newdigate was indisposed, so John B. Smith treated us to a funny recitation instead about how (not!) to successfully administer a  tablet to a cat. Some pretty graphic imagery got everyone chuckling and John followed up with a poem before getting behind the lens and snapping the rest of the evening's events from his armchair. (All but one photo here are courtesy of him). 

         John Kearney and myself followed John B. We are  nowadays introduced, whenever we appear together in one slot without Flossy as " Two thirds of Nunc-here tonight without the pretty one."  Hmm.

This cameo gave us  a chance to try out some new shirts and to get the audience singing with a few comedy songs. "Albert Balls to kick us off. "The Odeon " to follow, and a bit of Irish Reggae to finish. Karen Jones joined us on percussion and there is photographic evidence to prove this. 

        John Neal, an excellent songwriter and musician, like JK  and Malc himself, also based in Nuneaton, then followed. He was feeling a little mellow so did a couple of Ralph McTell songs. (Somebody has to) and one of his own. This opening sequence of artistes then completed, it was time for Colin and Karen (K.C. Jones), also from Nuneaton, to do their first guest spot.

         A mix of their own material and a few covers then followed. many taken from their album. Poor Karen was suffering badly with The Lurgy, and Colin seemed at times not far behind her.  A week away in sunnier climes had not helped matters, but there was something endearingly sexy about Karen's slightly huskier voice than usual.  They dedicated the excellent Ivory Battle to Gill. The audience belted the choruses out with a vigour which surely must have been audible as far away as Walsgrave. Karen (and Colin) are good songwriters, their arrangements are  always thoughtfully set out,using a variety of structures and the two guitars provide effectively contrasting melody and rhythm. 

          After the Interval, Brian Phillips broke up the Nuneaton monopoly by bringing  a little bit of Bedduff back to proceedings. He was on good form-as laconic and funny as ever. He showed a lot of phlegm -with some songs and a touching homage to nostril detritus. ( The prettiest way I can think of describing such a tricky subject. A bit of a bogey item for Brian). "Hesitation Blues" was particularly good. We must entice Brian out to The Anker Blues sessions some time. 

     I'm delighted to reveal that I won a bottle of Rose in the raffle. Having conducted hundreds of these myself in my time, it's always satisfying to be a winner somewhere else. Sometimes at our local folk clubs its the fastest you see people move, sprinting up to claim their prize! Not a Glenn Campbell CD maybe, but the next best thing. Then it was time to wheel back K.C. Jones. Another rich tapestry of covers and originals followed. Culminating in a very cheerful singalong as a finale.  Dragging Malc back up to join in with a few oldies like "Dream"    The final song was a rather lovely version of "Caledonia" with some excellent three way harmonies. In fact multiway as the audience had a good shot at innovating some of their own. 

Another Album Review

The Wife of Urban Law               Peter Knight's Gigspanner

        Now “The Wife of Urban Law” is formally launched, the band are embarking on an extensive U.K. Tour to promote it. It is Gigspanner's fourth album, timed to be on general release at Halloween 2017. Canny marketing this, as it is both a magical and a haunting album and the musicianship is devilishly good. (Sorry!)

       Ex-Steeleye Peter Knight's musicianship was once praised by the late Sir Terry Pratchett. Which elevated him highly in my standing well before I first played this new album. Peter and his Gigspanners are rightly popular. He likes to attach his name to bands, just like John Mayall does with his Bluesbreakers-but fair play:Knight's influence is everywhere on this album. A graduate of The Royal Academy, his work is undeniably pleasing and highly innovative. To say he plays the fiddle is like saying Chopin was a decent pianist.

      The album title is taken from an inscription on an 1884 tombstone in an Oxfordshire graveyard. Urban Law was a person rather than a piece of legislation. The opening bars of Urban's Reel's is redolent of Dire Straits as in Telegraph Road or Private Investigations. Knopfleresque notes are finger picked out over an ominous background drone. It would be superbly spooky soundtrack music. Then, just as you have settled to this gloomy opening, away it dances into an entirely different mood and time zone. Eventually to segue into a rather nifty, flamenco paced ending. Leaving the listener scratching their head and wondering quite how they got there. Dancing across tabletops in some Taverna, when you started off peeping through your fingers on top of some bleak moorland.

         Lament For The Wife of Urban Law is one of two songs exploring who this guy and his wife may have been. Several of the studio tracks are full of uncertaintly and conjecture like this. Musical questionmarks, phrases and snatches of tunes hang in the air along with the long,suspended chords which hum away threateningly beneath the tracks.

           Rocking The Cradle is a spinetingling piece of work. Haunting sound effects accompany a structured musical introduction and continue to provide an eerie background throughout. It is a sad tale ,just ripe for telling round a blazing log fire at the end of October and the start of Samhain. A quite extraordinary piece of work, with mesmerising instrumentation leading to a sudden ending, with waves washing somewhere onto a deserted midnight beach. Probably only a synthesiser or a bit of creative sampling-but it had me hiding behind the settee and checking that the front door was locked every time I listened to it. The longest track on the album but not a second is wasted.

        Peggy and The Soldier Is a metronomic treatment of a familiar song. This lends a calm and relaxing air to it. Spencer The Rover is the framework of a well known and oft-performed piece of Folk Music. Once again the scene is set with the vocal:a familiar tale of misfortune and lamentation and reminiscence of travel in faraway places. Then we are whisked away from Spencer's adventures and his descent into poverty and off on a musical magic carpet ride. The music perfectly fits Spencer's nomadic lifestyle and life journeys, before his eventual return to a kind of domesticity.

      Bold Riley is one of my favourite songs and this version stands up to all the others I know. Beware: it is destined to be a horribly clingy earworm if you listen to it too much or too often. The chorus is a great hook-always has been,popular with singing audiences, but there is also a very nicely paced central instrumental section.

      Penny The Hero, recorded “live” in Dartmouth, has echoes of Afro-Caribbean rhythmns woven throughout-both from the guitar work of Roger Flack and the percussion of Sacha Trochet. A flighty piece of nonsense with a lighter mood than some of the other tracks-much as befits a song dedicated to a pub game.

     The Blackbird was also recorded “live” at the Dartmouth venue. It is a delightful, richly layered instrumental where Flack and Knight call out question and answer phrases to each other. It wanders seamlessly through Jazz, Trad. Arr. Rock and Classical and back again. Knight's depth of expression here is tremendous. Subtle at times, infectiously rugged at others.

         This is a cracking album. So many good CDs have already been released in 2017, for example from Frigg, Sam Kelly, The Young Uns,and Pilgrims Way, to name but a few. But this one definitely deserves to be to be added to the (growing!) pile of keepers. I played it over and over again on first receipt and long after. I heard something different in each track every time. Anyone adding this to their collection will need to be fit. Your feet will be tapping throughout and at times you may well be sorely tempted to leap up and dance along with it. That's when you are not peering under the table to ensure the Bogeyman is not hiding there.

A Haunting Evening

           According to  "Nuneaton Pubs," by local Author Peter Lee, The Crown has a reputation of being Haunted.  Those who know me well will know that  I neither "celebrate" nor "commemorate " that (literally) ghastly annual event Halloween. (And why). However, I live next door to a churchyard and have also had enough spiritual experiences in my lifetime not to dismiss entirely the unexplained or mysterious chains of events which  sometimes happen. I once remember one winter night there, making a comment about my dearly loved (but alas long departed) Mum on stage there, when a butterfly emerged and settled on my face. Hmm....

          Setting up another Club night first thing at lunchtime was straightforward,except that the Theatre Group who regularly use the room had helpfully covered up the back of the stage with black curtain. Not just pinned it, but stapled and screwed it to the wall. This meant that hanging up the NFC banner was notional. 

          The copies of Folk Monthly, usually so punctual,and always arriving well in time before our First Wednesdays, had disappeared,and had not arrived as usual by the time we had set off for Bond Street again. So our receipts were £15 down before we even started! 

        All was working when Dave Smart and I left it that afternoon. But when we returned later, the door to the room simply would not open. The bar staff swore it was unlocked but the two of us could not open it. The slight young barmaid floated upstairs and pushed it straight open. 

       Last night at The Crown, Nuneaton Folk Club was the night after Halloween. During the day the Gremlins and Glitches  became outright spooky as they accelerated. None of them spoiled the evening however. We had two typically magnificent sets from the prodigiously talented  Danny Pedler and Rosie Butler Hall as our Main Guests. A procession of floor singers, many making their debuts provided a diverse tapestry of styles and influences. We had some first time visitors who vowed they would come back next month, and although many familiar faces were absent, it was again standing room only. 

           Nunc opened with "Bring It On Home," followed it with "Down Where The Drunkards Roll" and finished with "Knocking On Heaven's Door." Which latter the audience sang beautifully. 

             Meanwhile, outside, down in the street below, on that bloody racetrack of a three way junction,where NFC follower Mick Stanley once lost an argument with a car,  Rob Oakey was battling with his own demons,having taken a prang on the corner en route to The Club. It is a sign of his determination that having parked up and chatted with The Constabulary,he made it upstairs in time, took a seat and (happily) won a tin of sweets in the raffle, later. 

            Next up,the first of our floor spots  and making an NFC debut was Angus Ellis. I'm sure he won't mind me saying that he's been to some dark places at times. Let's just say if he was a cat he'd be walking very carefully nowadays. But he's taken great steps to get back to where he once was, both in terms of guitar playing and songwriting. He did us a couple of his own compositions last night, and despite the batteries in his guitar playing up, we could hear him right at the back. He was quite restrained: our audience would have been surprised to see him playing a Fender Telecaster and ripping up The Anker Tavern earlier this month, duetting with John Kearney on "American Girl."  Versatile chap, Angus. 

Angus Ellis. He da Man. 

             Angus is a regular at The Fox at Attleborough. It has acoustic sessions every Monday night and has previously provided us with a regular source of musicians,notably Paul Moore,John Neal  and Simon Veasey. Last night was a positive invasion by the Fox Massive,however.  Wes Hall, for example. Wes is a regular  audience member at NFC sessions,but  stepped up from the floor last night  to make his debut, accompanied by Paul Moore.

Wes and Paul

              I'd seen the  JPs at a couple of local venues, and I liked what they did. Paul and Jane came under attack from various malign influences straight away.. you could almost see an invisible hand tugging at Paul's guitar lead and working it loose as they got into their stride during the first number. That same hand  was also having a go at blocking the signal from Jane's Ukulele,but they fought it off and were coming through loud and clear at the back. When you are on that big stage it is not always easy to hear yourself,but by their second song they had fought off the distractions. They looked (and sounded) the part. 

Jane and Paul. The J.P.'s doing themselves Justice.

               Jak and Maria have appeared at NFC in various guises-as members of Frayed Knot for example, or as a duo. Last night they sang us a couple of songs including a very thoughtfully arranged version of the John Hurley song, " Love of The Common People."  A lot of people think that Paul Young wrote this, but he simply adapted and popularised a version covered by many including The Everley Brothers, Bruce Springsteen and Stiff Little Fingers. It was a good choice. The audience sang the choruses well.

Jak and Maria

            Back then, to the Attleborough Posse, this time represented by John Neal. He  hosts the informal Monday night sessions in The Fox in a relaxed and  friendly manner, putting in his own contributions too. Including percussion (dusting a pair of brushes on his guitar case), or some very tasty harp fills.  It was far from his NFC debut last night. He gave us two of his own songs including the excellent "Lennon" with its evocative imagery.

             Bob Brooker can always be relied upon to provide us with good musicianship and pearls of wisdom laced with that dry Lincolnshire humour of his. Last night the gremlins had also been nibbling  at his DI lead however and the amplification of his Bouzouki came and went intermittently. Bob had told me earlier his hearing was a little down last night,( although he heard me .o.k when I bought him a pint beforehand). (Diet Coke-he was in training for an important Folk meeting tomorrow).  So stridently (and so well) does Bob play however, that right at the back we could still hear him. Bob cannily finished with a version of John Connolly's "Fiddler's Green" An old Folk Club favourite, with the audience returning the choruses right prettily. As they say. 

                We were running late, so shelving Malc Gurnham's cameo for the second half, Danny and Rosie stepped up and blew everyone away with their catchy,likable ,danceable music. They have a lovely stage presence:friendly,engaging,knowledgeable and not afraid to laugh at themselves. They played us a short taster set to take us up to the Interval,including two of my favourites, "Hares on A Mountain" and  " Smith's New Rant." 

           Second half under way and as we folded the Raffle tickets, Malc  "The Godfather of Folk" serenaded us with a Birthday tribute to Tom Paxton. Who is nearly as old as Malc is. He must have heard me doing that joke as he followed Paxton  up with " Teenager In Love." This bemused some of our younger audience members a little, as the Chorus singing was particularly strident in this. Two good choices by Malc (as you would expect) to prepare the audience for a full 45 minutes of Danny and Rosie.

Malc demonstrates what the well dressed teenager wore in 1922

              Really, you'd have to see them to appreciate how good they are. Their enthusiasm is infectious,and  their musicianship is undeniable. Rosie seems to float at times, her feet skipping along with the rise and fall of her fiddle playing. Danny coaxes all kinds of sounds ancient and modern from a variety of instruments. Feet are set tapping, heads nodding, their music just makes you want to forget the arthritis and get up and dance. 
           All too soon it was time to bring the house lights up and bid farewells. Dave Smart had been set numerous conundrums during the evening but once again battled through all the ethereal mishaps to provide us with a first class setting. Rob Oakey  was giving Bob Brooker a lift home. I do hope they both got back to Cov. safely.