I will deal with other issues on Wednesday night elsewhere in a separate Blog post. As usually happens, NFC reached the same high standards of public performance. All three guest acts were superb. I wasn't bad either. As you can see, thanks to this photo by Max Wright, Summer shirts are back in and the t-shirt says "King of The North." It's an homage to Greggs v. Pret A Manger. I sang Thirty Foot Trailer and Peggy Gordon for openers, with the audience gamely crooning the choruses with me. I got the words right but time keeping was difficult as the floor was so sticky I could not tap my feet!
Craig Sunderland initiated the first thirty minute set. As always he was professional, entertaining and very accomplished. He did a great rendition of The Diggers Song and an exemplary cover of The Galway Shawl. What a beautiful song that is, played and sung so sensitively. He demonstrated instrumental versatility by employing both guitar and cittern (though obviously not both at the same time.). Cittern envy seems to have broken out in the Folk Fraternity lately. It seems to be (after the Shrutti box) the latest must have. He had a go at a Nic Jones number which should correctly be retitled Seven gentlemen from The Travelling Fraternity. His enthusiasm for Folk music is infectious. Craig runs the Wurzel Bush at Rugby on Tuesdays which is well worth a visit. Check it out. He's got some good guests on and the floor singers are often interesting too.
Mick Bisiker had brought along Chris, his very cool and laid back electric bass player and they were joined, just as Craig was finishing, by Johann a new and frighteningly young fiddle player, hotfoot from a work commitment in Warwick. (See S.Warwicks folks? It's an easy journey up the A46 at this time of night: nothing to be scared of!). Together they made an engaging sound. They got feet tapping and tables pounding with a few spirited jigs and reels plus a few of their own compositions. And they also added in a few popular Trad Arr. numbers. Despite being Nuneaton Virgins all three, they appeared very at home and seemed to have a whale of a time.
The Paper Circus completed the first half with a typical cross section of traditional and contemporary numbers. Jennian's sublime singing backed by the smart instrumentation of Siraj and Merlin on guitar and bass (electric and double) respectively. We had a Beatles cover "Here Comes The Sun," some Rammstein (one for the old finger in the ear brigade there), and some of their own material.
After the break I did a couple more acapella tunes:( "The Ould Triangle" and "The Poacher") before we returned to the proper stuff. "Golden Lady of The Sea," (she's an old romantic at heart really, Jenn is), and two requests from me Into Dust. and Teardrop. There were a couple of Mac/Stevie songs including Dreams. and Gold Dust Woman. Also My Laggan Love and the ominous "Desert" which was once recorded by Brand New. A sentimental finish was completed with Parting Glass and Those Were The Days as an encore.
Praise Be to new barmaid (bar woman?), Jane, to Ross and his immaculate mixing from the gallery up above and to Rich for putting up with us and always getting some Church End in. Oh and to Mags who has been on two courses of antibiotics since May's NFC night-and still comes out to offer support and love and tidying up skills. Plus she drove so I could pay proper attention to What The Foxes Hat? What a woman!
