2022 Reports

December 1st was a murky evening but that didn’t stop singers coming from far and wide to perform at the 431st session of Harbury Folk Club, celebrating the theme of “’Tis the Season to be Jolly”. 

I started the evening with a little jollity by singing Les Barker’s parody (with a Brexit flavour), ‘The Hard Cheese of Old England’.  Rik followed with the poignant ‘Lovers for a day’ and then the hilarious ‘A Polar Bear Sang in Berkeley Square’, both skilfully accompanied on concertina.  Recent newcomers to the Club, Dave & Shirley, sang ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ followed by ‘Blue Christmas’, most famously recorded by Elvis Presley (who couldn’t make it to Harbury because of the fog).  Pete Grassby also presented two contrasting songs – ‘The Stranger’ (about Jack Frost) and ‘The Higgler’ (who does a lot of jogging along).

Making his debut at Harbury was Dennis from Lutterworth who started with a Hawaiian Christmas song, ‘Mele Kalikimaka’ (made famous by Bing Crosby), and then showed great initiative by getting the audience to sing the backing vocals for the House Martins’ ‘Caravan of Love’.  Clearly this was not an evening for folk purists but that’s never been a problem for our folk club where anything goes.  Bob was up next with Joni Mitchell’s sad song, ‘River’, before singing ‘Do You Hear What I Hear’, another hit for Bing in 1963.  Regular singer Robin teamed up with keyboard player Sally, whom we haven’t seen for a long while, to sing ‘Winter Wonderland’ then Chris de Burgh’s ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’ with its catchy melody.  By now we were thoroughly immersed in seasonal thoughts and it was left to Don to finish the first half with two well-chosen songs – ‘Winter Flowers’ and a very tasteful version of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’.

The Folk Club Choir started the second half in a seasonal vein with an alternative choral arrangement of ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ and then revived one of their greatest hits, ‘The Giving Song’ by Graham Kendrick.  I followed with ‘Christmas in Australia’, which could have benefitted from the addition of a wobble-board, then it was time for more lunacy from the Daft Dames.  Though missing Maureen, they just about managed to make sense of a set of hand-bells as they sang ‘Ring Out Wild Jingle Bells’ by the Kipper Family.  I introduced Debbie as “our resident poet” but she fooled me by singing two songs: the carol ‘Gabriel’s Message’ and ‘Oom-pah-pah’ from the musical ‘Oliver’.  Des brought a little more gravitas to the evening with his distinctive a cappella singing of ‘Babe in the Manger’ and that great song, ‘The King’, referring to the ancient tradition of hunting the wren.

Still very much in the Christmas spirit, Pete and Liz sang ‘Come Love Carolling’ then Liz left Pete to perform his amusing seasonal monologue, ‘Twas Christmas Eve in Trunch’, a version of the original Kipper Family song modified by Pete with local references.  There was only time for one song from Frank but his clear, effortless voice made ‘The Jolly Tailor’ a real treat.  Patiently waiting for his spot was Dave Fry who gave a polished performance of ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ and then Richard Thompson’s great song, ‘Don’t Sit On My Jimmy Shands’, with its irresistible chorus.  Finally, it was time for Keith Donnelly to finish the evening as only he can.  His first was ‘We’re Splitting Up for Christmas’ which featured his unique split-able guitar (you had to be there!) and his second an original masterpiece, ‘The Twelve Songs of Christmas’, which was almost impossible to join in with!

The charity raffle raised £78 which was split 50/50 between Cancer Research UK and Ovacome (a support group for people affected by ovarian cancer).  The next Folk Club will be at 8pm on January 5th, in the Village Club as usual, when Ian will be the host and his theme will be “Times of the Day”.

Peter McDonald

With a combination of Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day approaching, the theme for the evening was "Remember, Remember” and it certainly was an evening to remember.

Steve introduced the evening to a large audience and explained that to accommodate the number of performers being able to be enjoyed by all, there would only be two halves instead of the usual three, and also asked the 15 performers to keep introductions short and sweet so the evening’s finale could be around 10.30 p.m.

Sue and Maureen commenced the evening’s entertainment by opening with “Punch and Judy Man” followed by “The Deserter”, a song off a 1970 Fairport Convention Album. This was only the second time they had sung together at Folk Club, were well received again and we hope they will continue as a duo. Rik was up next with a recital about age-related cognitive impairment “Now Where’s my Wallet”. Many in the audience could relate to it. He then sang a Don McLean number about a young man remembering better times. Debbie recited two emotional poems. The first was “Someone’s Child” about a baby being abandoned 30 years ago and then “Inner Light”. Richard played the guitar and sang a Graham Miles song “We Lived Over Yonder” followed by “The Red Velvet Steering Wheel Cover” by Jeremy Taylor which made us all laugh. Peter McDonald performed Allan Richardson’s “The Friend” about two men meeting in a bar, talking to each other thinking they knew each other when they didn’t, but in essence the story was about realising “a stranger is a friend you’ve never met”. He then sang Huw Williams’ “The Days Before”. The Harvesters first number involved Sue with shaky eggs as they sang “But it’s Alright Now”, a lovely, pacey song. Sue then switched to banjo and Ian on the guitar as they sang “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life”. Des was definitely following the theme with “Bonfire Night” and then sang Simon and Garfunkel’s “Old Friends”. Keith Donnelly closed the first half and was asked if he would do three numbers as the evening was ahead of schedule. He was “shocked” at being asked to play in the first half, an unusual occurrence. He opened with “Unforgettable”, a 1-word song, then did a three chord song “Got to Learn to Live Without You” and, after having to retune his guitar with Pete Bones’ tuner, closed the half with “The Parting Glass”.

The second half was opened by the Folk Club Choir who sang a sad and emotional song, “Home Lads Home”, about named horses who gave their lives during WW1. This was followed by a new song for them by Steve Knightley, “All Hallows’ Eve”. The Club Choir was very good! Dave was next with “Have You Seen Mr. Jones?” and the Kinks number “Thank You for the Days,” which the audience joined in with. Martin explained how he had learnt a technique for remembering words and then went on to sing a song of the potted history of the first half of the 20th century, which contained major moments including names and years that happened during each decade. Quite remarkable, his technique obviously works! He had us all singing enthusiastically with “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary”. Pete and Liz sang “Come to Flanders” followed by Lancashire lass Kathleen Ferrier’s “Lancashire Hills” which was made famous by Fairport Convention. Frank Allen sang about the Gresford mining disaster of 1934, when 266 men died following an underground explosion, and then “Never Wed an Old Man”. Don sang and played the guitar for “Garden of the Dead” about Don Juan who liked to walk around graveyards and then we all joined him as he sang Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock”. The evening was closed by the Somerville Gents, firstly with Steve Knightley’s celebration of human resilience in the NHS with “You’ll Get By” and then a glorious rendition of Cosmotheka’s “The Night Began to Fall”.

Steve thanked all the performers for their help in making the evening such a success as the audience all remained until the final song.

The raffle raised a generous £85 which will be donated to TOFS, a charity that supports the families of children born with deformed or no Oesophagus, so they are unable to swallow. It also provides support for children into adulthood and education and information to consultants, doctors and nurses about the condition.

Next month’s Folk Club will be run by Peter McDonald when the theme will be “‘Tis the Season to be Jolly”.

Steve Darby

A lot had happened since September’s meeting of the Folk Club, perhaps the most memorable and significant being the passing away of HM Queen Elizabeth II.  I therefore felt it would be appropriate to start the evening by inviting the Folk Club Choir to sing “Only Remembered”.  Not only did I feel the words were particularly fitting, but also it featured in “War Horse” which apparently was the Queen’s favourite West End show.

The somewhat sombre atmosphere this first item created soon lightened as we returned to the usual format of having songs and items based on the theme set for the evening, which was “Place Names”.  This turned out to be quite an easy theme as before then, I had never realised just how many folk songs mention place names.

The first half soon generated a good atmosphere with plenty of fine music and humour.  It concluded with the Somerville Gentlemen's Band whose well polished singing and choreography of “If It Wasn't For The 'Ouses In Between” was nothing short of brilliant.

The second half got off to a hilarious start with a typical Keith Donnelly spot.  I particularly liked his impression of a stretched and damaged cassette recording of a song. 

There was more good music in the second half and if there was a prize for the person who included the largest number of place names, it must have gone to Peter McDonald whose lovely rendition of  “Sweet Thames Flow Softly” mentioned a staggering 19 different place names.

With having no fewer than 15 performing individual or groups to fit in, I tried to encourage participants to keep the introductions short and perform songs that did not have too many verses.  However in spite of this, the folk club did not draw to a close until 10:50 pm, which is a little later than I would have wished.

Thanks to those who performed and also those who supported the raffle.  It raised £70.00 for the Salvation Army.  The next meeting of the Club will be on November 3rd and hosted by Sue Crum and Maureen & Steve Darby.  The theme is to be “Remember, Remember”.

Peter Bones

Who Sang What

First Half
Folk Club Choir: Only Remembered, Bringing in the Sheaves
Liz and Peter : Road to Drumleman
Robin: Bells of Rhymney
Robin and Don Arthurson: Kansas City
Don Arthurson: Waters of the Lea, Van Diemen’s Land (which mentioned Harbury)
Ian and Sue: City of New Orleans, Waters of Avalon
Dave Carvell: The First One Today
Somerville Gents: Liberty’s Sweet Shore, If It Wasn't for the ‘Ouses in Between

Second Half
Keith Donnelly: Sailing Through Sumatra, Scarborough Fair (cw distorted cassette impressions)
Rik Middleton: Taylor and the Mouse, New York State of Mind
Dave Fry: The Day we went to Rothesay-o, Leaving London
Tony: Idol of Katmandu (poem)
Peter McDonald: Sweet Thames Flow Softly, The Man That I Am
Peter Mason: Lakes of Pontchartrain, Kilkerry Ireland
Bob Clucas: America, House of the Rising Sun (with variations on the words)
Peter Grassby: Losing Reakie, Tamranewey on the Main Trunk Line

The last time I was MC at Harbury Folk Club was so long ago I can’t even remember when I last did it! I did wonder whether I still had the skills inside of me to run a good evening’s entertainment and make the evening worthwhile. I had been an MC at the Warwick Folk Festival back in July so I felt that it would come back to me as easily as riding a bike. I do hope that I did not disappoint.

September’s Folk Club was number 428 and I chose ‘Relationships’ as the theme. The first half was begun by myself with a new poem called ‘Miss Mundane’ which was all about a woman who, realising her worth in a relationship, chooses to walk away to start a new life for herself. Michael was up next and his first offering ‘The Rhythm of the Days’ was a self-penned song for his sister-in-law and his second ‘A Fine Guitar’ was about a guitar and based on a true story.  A Harbury Folk Club staple, Rik, did ‘September Song’ by Kirk Prior and this was about a man who had a number of relationships and his second was ‘Forgiven’ which was about the relationship between a boy and his Grandma. We had a new duo in the form of Sue Crum and Maureen Darby with ‘Blow the Candle Out’ about a man who wanted to look after his apprentice and ‘Come by the Hills’ about the relationship we have to our homeland.

Bob sang ‘Falling for You’ that he only learned the day before and finished with a Ralph McTell song, ‘Let Me Down Easy’, about the fear of ending a relationship. Don did ‘When You Are Old’ by Gretchen Peters and ‘Cry Me a River’ which is one of my favourites. Des finished off the first half with ‘The Turn in the Road’ by Les Barker and ‘Sammy’s Bar’ that had a chorus that we could all join in on.

The second half had Peter McDonald and myself helping Norman Wheatley with his self-penned poem, ‘The Adventures of Danny Duverne’, which was fun and interactive. Then Peter Mason sang ‘Annie Monroe’ a Jez Lowe song about a failed relationship and ‘January Man’ about 12 brothers. Martin Day, or ‘Mr Double Denim’, did ‘One Hand on the Radio’, a Bill Caddick song about a relationship with a late night DJ and ‘The Irish Ballad’, a song by Tom Lehrer about difficulties in the family. Pete and Liz Bones sang ‘Aunt Clara’ and then Pete recited an excellent poem all about a Ramsbottom family called ‘Albert Goes to Cleethorpes’ which was excellent.

Peter McDonald sang about when an elderly relative died and the problems with their last will and testament called ‘Granny’s Armchair’ and a song by Dougie MacLean all about someone’s relationship with their father, ‘Talking With My Father’. Then the second half was finished by the Somerville Gentlemen’s Band with a Richard Thompson song ‘Poor Ditching Boy’ and ‘Talcahuano Girls’.

Then the third half was started by Robin and Martin (another new duo for one night only). They sang ‘Rosemary’s Sister’ and Robin then sang ‘Farewell to a Poor Man’s Son’ solo. The Harvesters sang ‘I Live Not Where I Love’ and ‘Someone, Someone’ which was a hit in 1964. The oldest songs are still some of the best. Richard sang a John Golding song, ‘Dreaming About a Friend’, and a Harvey Andrews song, ‘Hey Old Friend’. To finish the evening’s fabulous entertainment we had Frank Allen who sang ‘Cavern Gal’ and ‘Dundee Weaver’. It did give me great satisfaction how the performers interpreted the theme and I would like to thank the audience in helping me to raise £70 for Refuge. This charity is the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK.

The next Folk Club is on 6th October; your host is Pete Bones and his theme is ‘Place Names’.

Debbie Ellis

The theme for August Folk Club No. 427 was “Flowers” and all the performers chose their songs accordingly. The Harvesters commenced with “The Rose of Allandale” and “Wild Flowers”. Rik followed with “Buy Broom Besoms” and the very appropriate “The Seeds of Love”. Dave Fry (with help from Martin Day) gave us “Henry My Son” and “Flowers in the Rain”. Martin Day sang “Poppies” and then the very popular “Old Bazaar in Cairo”. Des sang a rousing “Go Down You Blood Red Roses” followed by “Nelson’s Blood”. Peter Mason was next with “A Place Called England” and “Rosie”. Peter and Liz closed the first half with “Crazy Man Michael” and “The Lambs on the Green Hill”.

Don kicked off the second half with “The Banks of the Roses” following up with “I’m Grateful”. Robin was next up with “Whose Garden is This?” and an instrumental called “The Rosehip”. Rik gave us “Brigg Fair” and The Harvesters and the audience followed with “Where have all the Flowers Gone?”. Peter McDonald performed “England Green and England Grey” and then one of my favourite songs “Feel So Near”. Peter Mason continued with “The Setting” and then Pete Bones gave us the hilarious “Wild Mounting Time”. Keith brought the evening to a close with “The Best Thing in the World” and “Plagiarism Blues”.

A big thank you for contributing to the raffle which made £50 for Myton Hospice.

The theme for the next Folk Club on the 1st September is “Relationships” and Debbie will be in charge. We look forward to seeing you. 

Sue Hartland

What a difference a month makes. The June Folk Club was bursting with artists eager to perform again after more than two years of lockdowns. July’s Folk Club was surprisingly sparse, leading one to believe that, having sated their appetite for singing, our performers had gone to pursue some other item in their 'bucket list’. 

The theme was “Favourites” and it received various interpretations. The Harvesters kicked off the evening with “Singing Through The Hard Times” and “Shores Of Jordan”. Bob Clucas revealed that his favourite songwriter is Paul Simon and he sang “Flowers Never Bend In The Rainfall”, followed by an instrumental penned by Donovan. Peter Mason sang of “Hull And Halifax And Hell” and followed it with Ralph McTell’s thought-provoking “Peppers And Tomatoes”. Rik sang a Jake Thackray song about “Isobel” (who makes love in the Albert Hall!) and then performed “Brandy”. We were delighted to reintroduce Gerda to the audience. She lived in the village in the 1980s before moving to the North but had made a pilgrimage south to meet old friends and to perform for us. She sang the beautiful “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” and followed it with the classic “It Ain’t Necessarily So”. Martin Day gave us “Dead Men’s Boots” and sang a hilarious song about “Six Black Paintings”, suggesting that ‘Art’ can sometimes deceive and perplex. Peter McDonald brought the first half to a fine conclusion with his favourite Tom Paxton song, “Home For Me” and then Steve Knightley’s “Man Of War”. 

The second half was kicked off by Debbie with her excellent poems “The Coffee Morning” and the “Zona Nudista”. Richard Collyer recited Jeremy Taylor’s “All Along The South Coast” and followed that with the John Golding song “Got the Wind In My Hair”. Sue Harris sang about “The Love You Leave Behind When You’re Gone” followed by the amusing “Joyce The Librarian”. Don Arthurson gave us his version of Steeleye Span’s “The Lowlands Of Holland” and then followed that with “Wild Mountainside”. Nick took to the floor with his melodeon for a rousing sea shanty and then played cajon for “My Son John”. Having now given all available artists their first spot, those who had prepared a third piece could now come forward to complete the evening’s entertainment if they chose. Rik chose to recite an amusing and self-deprecatory poem about forgetfulness. Peter Mason sang “Slip Jigs And Reels” and Martin recited another amusing poem about “Tortoises Always Come Last”. Gerda invited us to “Wrap Your Arms Around Me Tonight” and then Peter McDonald sang Tom Paxton’s “Leaving London”, a folk club favourite if ever there was one. Richard gave us a Jeremy Taylor song called “Love On The Sands” and Don skilfully played “The Mixed Bag Rag” on guitar. Finally The Harvesters sang the Depression-era classic “Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor”.               

Sue is running next month’s club and her chosen theme for the evening is “Flowers”. Make it a date in your diary to come along and hear more excellent music in Harbury Village Club on Thursday 4th August 2022, starting 8:00pm. 

Ian Hartland

It was a great relief to be able re-start Harbury Folk Club at the Village Club on June 2nd, well over 2 years since our last one in March 2020, having been curtailed by the Covid pandemic.  My theme for our 425th session was ‘Celebration’, shamelessly copied (for the same reasons) from the annual Folk Club Concert in April, and the evening certainly lived up to expectations with a large, appreciative audience.

Even before the start time of 8pm, I had a list of 19 acts (comprising 32 individual performers) requesting a spot so I knew it was going to be a long evening of music.  The word had obviously got round and singers had come from far and wide to help us celebrate.  To fit everyone in, I had to limit some singers to just one song each but at least everyone had a go.

I started the evening with ‘Come Spend a While Wi’ Me’, a Scottish song which celebrates the enjoyment of music with friends; Bob Clucas followed with the ‘Ballad from an upstairs window’, a funny song with accompaniment from his son-in-law, Johnno.  Bob Brooker celebrated a return to Harbury after a 25-year gap with the story of the ‘Whitby Whalebone’ and Sue Crum sang one of our favourites, the ‘Dragon Song’.  Making his debut at the Club, Craig Sunderland sang two fine songs including ‘Barrack Street’, skilfully accompanied on guitar, and Rik Middleton, a regular performer, sang ‘On board a Ninety-Eight’ (a ship of 98 guns).  Poacher’s Pocket (Carole, Colin and Campbell) got the audience singing heartily on ‘Rolling Home’ while Pete Grassby chose a quieter approach with a Huw Williams song, ‘Summer Before the War’.  The Harvesters closed the first half with two lively numbers, ‘Sail Away, Ladies’ and ‘Keep on the Sunny Side’ with more chorus singing opportunities.

After a short break, the Folk Club Choir started the second half with a new song, ‘Harbour’, whose theme is the support of refugees, followed by Elton John’s ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’.  Pete & Liz Bones chose two excellent songs and we particularly enjoyed singing along to ‘English Meadow’.  Debbie Ellis was next with her own song, ‘Carnival Queen’, and then the Somerville Gentlemen’s Band (Phil, Jem & Peter) sang the Everly Brothers song, ‘So Sad’, reflecting that the band wasn’t the same without our dear friend, Ted Crum.  Sue Harris sang the charming ‘Welcome to my world’ and Don Arthurson performed his own emotional song ‘Faithful’, dedicated to his wife.  Martin Day was on good form with the hilarious song ‘Wine’ (the most important thing being that it makes you drunk!) and he was followed by new Harbury resident, Michael Luntley, making his debut with one of his own songs.  Des Patalong got the audience singing heartily with a great shanty, ‘Rosabella’, and Keith Donnelly had the audience in stitches as he finished the evening with ‘Déjà vu’ and ‘Falling Apart’, complete with trick guitar.  

The charity raffle raised an outstanding £155 for the DEC Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal.  The next Folk Club will be at 8pm on July 7th when Ian will be the host and his theme will be ‘Favourites’.

Peter McDonald