Trawlers in Albany Road

Finally our modified new Shanty Crew took to the oceans on Sunday 9th June. It sailed less than serenely into Coventry and docked in The Albany Theatre Studio. The Hawkesbury Trawlermen stepped from the pages of our imagination and into reality on what was advertised by the organisers CVFolk as an afternoon of unaccompanied singing. We joined with John Morris and Thrup'nny Bits in presenting just that. It wasn't too bad.
I’ll admit that at times along the voyage it seemed as if I’d taken on  too much. Music was a hobby to be enjoyed and developed  at leisure during retirement. The hobby  grew from singing occasionally in a band, rolling on gathering moss and momentum and extra commitments.  One band became another-involving forward planning and extra paperwork. Rehearsals also needed adding to the calendar. 

         As I changed bands I started running a Folk Club too. Time consuming with background admin which only other organisers would understand.Then  I became involved in Hospital Radio and ended up co-presenting two music shows a month. After training,I became a fully accredited NHS volunteer. The show is received far beyond the Hospicoms network, with  a following on AM and Online. I  have met a lot of fabulous and  dedicated people who volunteer to give up their own time to make the lives of others better.

        About the same time I began reviewing albums for a music magazine. No payment received,but I’ve always been quite good at writing and have always enjoyed it .So it was never a chore. The broadcasting and reviewing deepened my knowledge of all aspects of the music industry. I had to do a lot of research just to keep up. 

          Could I fit in one more? Yeah! Of course! Over the years I had hugely enjoyed the regular and informal meetings of kindred spirits in a local Wetherspoons. Folk Club organisers, Musicians and, singers, we’d all lunch together and  network or just gossip for hours about those who were daft enough not to join us. Some very productive ideas and projects came from these sessions.  Some very daft ones too.

       One such idea began as a joke then evolved into something real. An Inland Shanty Crew. Most of us had sung Sea Songs previously and had led on them. Landlocked and many miles in every direction from the sea,we drafted out a name,(Dave Webb's suggestion), a logo (Phil and Malc)  and a set list. All this was in our vivid imaginations until we began rehearsing. Before or after the Wetherspoons sessions,(And in a different pub: Tim Martin does not allow singing in his).  It was fun. We sounded quite good.

        We made a few mistakes.Drafting in newcomers began to skew the dynamics of the Group and changed the chemistry. Rehearsals suddenly seemed hard work. A few floor spots at local Folk Clubs already arranged were postponed. Yet most of those who knew of the evolution of The Hawkesburys  wanted to hear them,having prior knowledge of most of the voices. In their minds they could envisage it working. There were times when it felt that  everyone wanted to be the skipper leaving the Crew a bit thin on the ground. Still we persevered,and after some readjustments and a few (un) dry runs in The Lord Hop we made our debut at a CV Folk Concert in The Albany Theatre. 
     The assembled crew that day were Malc Gurnham.Dave Webb.Phil Benson,Bob Brooker.John Meechan and myself. No-one booed or jumped ship as we did two 45 minute sets.The audience seemed fairly benevolent in their reaction. .In between,John Morris and his magnificent voice kept the audience entertained and the Thrup'nnies just did what they always do best. Colin Squire kept everyone in order as the compere and all in all,it wasn't a bad debut. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in fact.