#468. January 2026
The 468th edition of Harbury Folk Club took place on New Year’s Day 2026, giving rise to speculation that the room might be half-empty after the inevitable previous evening’s celebrations. We need not have worried as we had a sufficiency of performers and audience, despite it being a cold and wet night.
I kicked off proceedings with “The End Of The Pier Show” and a traditional Irish song, “As I Roved Out”. Pete and Liz followed with Brandywine Bridge’s “English Meadow” and “The Wassail Song”. Bob Clucas is a big fan of Paul Simon and sang his “Flowers Never Bend” and then sang a lovely self-penned song “Faith Full”. Don took to the stage next with a tribute to the late Chris Rea with his “Road To Hell” and then gave us the seasonal “In The Bleak Midwinter” which he cleverly interspersed with snatches of “Here Comes The Sun”. Richard then sang Graham Miles’ “When The Snows of Winter Fall” and “Plaisir D’Amour” to test our long-forgotten school French lessons. Pete Grassby was up next and sang “I’ll Love Thee” by Robert Burns and then the sea shanty “Salonika”. The first half was brought effortlessly to a close by Peter McDonald, who sang “Red Corvette”, a humorous song by John McCutcheon, and then Allan Richardson’s “The Friend”.
The second half opened with the Harbury Folk Club Choir singing the two songs they had performed in church on Christmas Eve, “Diadem” and ‘Hush, Hear The Angels Sing”. Keith Donnelly is an ever-welcome performer at the club and gave us “The Banshees’ Scream” and followed it with “The Teddy Bears’ Witchcraft Picnic”, an hilarious re-working of the familiar children’s song, though definitely not suitable for under-11s! Pete G completed his contribution with the popular “The Higgler” and was followed by Pete Bones with the Kipper Family’s “Northrepps Twelfth Night Song”. Bob then sang the wistful “Ballad From An Upstairs Window”. Don gave us “All Things Are Quite Silent”, a song about the dreaded Press Gangs. Richard sang an old favourite, Jeremy Taylor’s “Red Velvet Steering Wheel Cover Driver”. Peter Mc sang the uplifting “We’ll Sing Halleluia”. I closed the evening with a song I had written back in 1977, “I Just Wanted To Share Some Memories”.
At the end of the evening we had indeed all made some fine memories to carry forward into 2026. Thanks, as ever, go to all the performers and to the audience, without whom the club could not survive.
The raffle raised a very impressive £60.00 in aid of Cancer Research UK. Next month’s Folk Club will once more be in the Library, starting at 8:00pm, when Pete Bones will be hosting. His theme for the evening will be: Romance. All we ask in return for an evening of fine acoustic music is a £1.00 donation to cover the hire of the room. Bring your own drinks and glasses/cups and enjoy the entertainment..
Ian Hartland