Scarecrow are frighteningly good.

           I'm not going to start with the tired old joke about "people who don't like scarecrow can get stuffed" routine because....oh damn. Look what I did. It was going to be hard to follow the huge turnout at festive NFC nights in December and January with a third consecutive  bumper crowd now that everyone is back at work.Nevertheless, the room was still busy. With over fifty in attendance and a counter attraction a few miles away up the A5 we still had numbers which would make many a Folk Club look on in envy. 

           We are approaching the end of our first year at The Crew. Richard Burlingham has made us more than welcome. After our sudden and quite shocking eviction last year,he correctly anticipated that I'd be up the road asap to meet him and so it proved. What a great move it turned out to be.  Richard has helped out with promotion and advertising, put on free food,occasionally brought in prize winning beers from a local brewery,offered us facilities and sound engineers,and having our own bar, staffed by dedicated wonderful people  our own entrance,and our own loos nearby is godsend. Collectively it ensures that we feel at home.
           Next month marks the first anniversary of our move around The Ringway from The Crown to The Crew. It will be a special night. Headlining we have lured in The Gerry Colvin Band to make their NFC debut,and we'll have the usual compliment of quality support acts. We'll try and get in a barrel of Church End too so come along and share our good fortune on March 6th. With February a short month-it's not that far away!   

      Nuneaton Folk Club has flourished whilst at The Crew bu it is not The Crew's only contribution to Folk Music in our part of the world. Annually they host the spectacular Ragged Bear Festival which is an important and prestigious event in the Folk Year. Nationally as well as locally. In between, they encourage one-off concerts  in the massive Queen's Hall including Tir Na Nog (when Nunc were privileged to play support) and this May Friday the 17th specifically, Julie July and Paper Circus  are doing their thing up there too.  

       It was great to see the Oxfordshire trio Scarecrow return to make their third appearance at NFC. They are a popular and versatile band who always give a polished performance and value for money. That's why Folk Club organisers like them. Easy to get on with,professional in every aspect, they give original and well engineered treatments to well loved songs and thus  no-one goes away disappointed. It's common knowledge that I believe their version of "Too Close to the Wind" is as good if not better than the original and the same can be said about their versions of "Colliers"  and "New York Girls." 

              Although a return visit, it was the first time that David,Rey and Gordon.had been in the Queen's Hall up on that big stage. To use popular parlance-they owned it. It was at times difficult to believe that there were just the three of them up there,filling a mighty space with their diverse sound. Pipes and Whistles,Flute duets. Bass and acoustic guitar. Bodrans,Bazoukis and goodness knows what. They keep on producing all these different instruments and weaving them skillfully  into their well-constructed arrangements. 

       Nunc opened,alas without Flossy who is still recovering from damaged cruciate ligaments.She's had the strapping removed but was not yet ready for those steep stairs. So it was Jon Harrington,Paul Moore,John Kearney and Geoff Veasey who kicked off with "How Long Blues."  (Clever of Tom and Harvey our Sound Crew to initiate the smoke machine as I sang "I went down to the station.") This Leroy Carr song is one we'll be repeating this Sunday at the Cov21 Blue Sunday event at the Albany Theatre in Coventry. Next came an opportunity for John Kearney to air one of his clever and well-crafted songs as he took the lead with "Jolly Boys."

Jolly Boys in appropriate beachwear

         The choruses of this popular song reflect a nightmare stay in a Golf crazy hotel in Vilamoura. This warmed the audience up nicely for their solo verse in the "Three Little Birds/Wild Rover" segue we finished with. A second opportunity for JK to demonstrate his many talents. 

           Jak Lynch, a stalwart supporter of all three North Warwickshire clubs followed,adding a self-penned song protesting about Fracking to a growing repertoire. Jak has appeared in various guises-as part of Fray'd Knot or partnering Jackie or Marie. Last night he was solo. 

         Next up we had a debut from Craig Sunderland. He's been making a name for himself with floor spots at other local venues so following our policy of encouraging new talents to NFC audiences,he became the 106th artiste to take to the NFC boards. A good set,well played and well sung. His version of  "Blackleg Miner" was both apt (located as we all were last night in the centre of what used to be the Warwickshire Coalfields) and well interpreted. My heart sank when he introduced it as "a song which originally caused a political stir " as I thought it might be a cover of that awful anti-Trade Union  dirge Strawbs sold out over, but Craig showed he had more class than that. ( I make a point of never singing the choruses to "Part of The ***** " and "Salt of The Earth" (featured on a BPS  2008 CD) was a direct response to it. 

           Craig also kindly provided a lift for the irascible Bob Brooker,who we don't get to see that often nowadays unless someone can bring him along to the club. Bob followed Craig in the running order. He did probably his most-requested three songs, covers of "Stockton Town" and "The Wild Goose," and his own composition "I never knew me Grandad." Nary a dry eye was left  in the house as he finished that lot. Later we would see an ebullient and Tigger-like Bob,claiming loudly (and quite indignantly) that he never won raffle draws. He then proved himself instantly wrong by winning one. and toddled off with a bottle of Shiraz. Didn't do him much good as the following morning Bob cried off the monthly meeting of Nuneaton and District Binge Drinkers claiming he was ill. Drink it more slowly next time,Bob. 

         Whipping the audience up into a frenzy before first set from Scarecrow,Steve and Julie Wigley came all the way from Derby to add their class to the proceedings. Another debut: the 106th performers to get up there and do their stuff. I'd seen them recently at our other local clubs and they had visited  ours previously to see Moses & The Ref. So I thought it was about time our audience heard them. Three of their own compositions followed. Beautifully played and beautifully sung.

                  Nunc returned briefly after the interval,the raffle was drawn and we handed the baton back to Scarecrow to finish the evening.  What can you say about Scarecrow? My only criticism it is that we are long overdue another album from them. (Get back in the studio soon, chaps and see to it!)  They keep the best time of any guests we've had at NFC,their material is meticulously rehearsed and thoughtfully chosen. It is also very carefully arranged. They put a lot of effort into breaking songs up into intros,middle sections and tasteful conclusions. And it shows. At times you have to pinch yourself to realise that there are only ever three musicians up there at one time,and only Dave's hip box is a nod to extra modern shenagigans. He was popping tubes whistles and pipes in and out of that jacklpug socket faster than a plumber's mate at times. 
                   So: Bill Bates (and friend?) at Beduff next Wednesday,Paper Circus at Atherstone Folk Club 20th February and then being a short month,we're back with that Birthday bash in The Queen's Hall 6th March. Finally my thanks to John B. Smith who continues to provide us all with quality photographs like those featured here.