Folklife Quarterly FQ 40: Jan 2014 Folklife Quarterly, web version | Page 27

v FQ 40, Jan 2014 p25 HAMPSHIRE v Clubs & Venues, England Ü West Country Ü West Midlands Ü Other Areas ® FO’C’SLE FOLK CLUB, The Richmond Inn, 108 Portswood Rd, Portswood, Southampton SO17 2FW. Fridays, 8pm January: 3 George Wilson plus singaround. 10 Open Stage. 17 Jez Lowe. 24 Amsher (Annie Winter, Anna Baldwin and Bob Askew). 31 Singaround. February: 7 Mike Fenton & Friends. 14 Jim Causley. 21 Open Stage. 28 Mike Deighan and the FB Pocket Orchestra. March: 7 Dave Webber & Anni Fentiman. 14 tba. 21 Steve & Kristi Nebel. 28 tba. April: 4 Dave Swarbrick, Folk Club evening at Turner Sims Concert Hall (Turner Sims box office online or 023 8059 5151). 8 [email protected] Brian Hooper ✆ 02380 510309 : www.focsle.org.uk NORFOLK News from the East : NORWICH NOTES by John Mathews Hello folks, December always creeps up on me all unexpected. Maybe the transition from summer to winter was very abrupt this year. One thing is for certain - with the days getting shorter it’s “winter drawers/draws on” time again. When I was a lad that was a saucy joke! Max Wall, I believe. At the turning of the year we naturally take a look back and as always some good, some bad. It has been a year of losing many valued contributors to the national folk scene, but locally I think we have had a fine year. The big Folk East festival in Suffolk went very well according to reports. I couldn’t go as a family event took precedence (families are a nuisance sometimes). Our local Mardles magazine says “site was buzzing with activity every day....can accomodate huge numbers of festival goers”. The main site has three large venues and is well equiped with all the essentials. With its stellar line-up of acts the festival is aiming high and has enormous potential. They are not forgetting the folk who like a smaller session either. It is going to be one week later in 2014 so as not to clash with Shrewsbury. The ® Norwich Folk Club has had a good year. The guest evenings have all been well supported and it’s been a great line-up of guests. The November slot brought the Young ‘Uns to Norwich and they were tremendous. That was no surprise to me as I has seen them twice before at festivals, but the big surprise (for me) was the fine evening we were treated to in October. It was John Ward and Mario Price, a duo based in Norfolk, and they were a knockout. I have known them for about 30 years but have seldom seem them in action. They are getting bookings at the big festivals now and rightly so. Future events:- Dec 31st New Years Eve Party; Jan 10th Jim Causley; Jan 31st ‘Box Night’ showcase with Owen Woods; Feb 28th Miranda Sykes and Rex Preston; March 28th Colum Sands. For many of us the local singarounds are just as important as visits from top performers. There is a wealth of these singer clubs in Norfolk and they are mostly really healthy. It seems to me that the best of such gatherings is when there is a good balance of performers and audience. I sometimes think that the most valuable members of a club are the ones who fully participate but have no wish to perform individually. I would go so far as to say that the perormers who are engrossed in thumbing through their material for their next offering, while others are singing are doing real folk music a disservice. Here’s old grumpy again! Have a truly harmonious 2014. TTFN, John. ® John Mathews ✆ 01603 483732 ® Norwich Folk Club: every Fri 8 [email protected] : http://norwichfolkclub.net LONDON ® English Folk Dance & Song Society (EFDSS), Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Road, London NW1 7AY • Dance: Saturday 29 March, 7.30 - 11pm, Zesty Playford: Bob Morgan with the Playford Liberation Front Band. Dress up in your finery and come and have a ball! The Playford Liberation Front Band, who have long been at the forefront of the drive to promote and re-invigorate the Playford style will lead dances that were commonplace in Jane Austen’s time. Suitable for all ages and experience and there is no need to bring a partner. £12, £10 concessions; wegottickets.com; more info.: 020 8731 8083 • Family Barn Dances: Sundays 12 Jan, 9 Feb, 16 Mar, 6 Apr, 3 - 5pm These high energy events give budding dancers of all ages a chance to take their first steps and spins. Live music inspires the dancing and expert callers guide the moves with simple instructions. Dances are specially selected to suit children and adults of all ages, so everyone can take part. Groups should include a minimum of one adult for every four children. Children under 5 should be partnered by an adult and may need guiding or carrying through the dances. No unaccompanied adults. £6 adult, £4 children, Free under 2s. Advanced booking recommended: www. musicglue.com/cecilsharphouse; www.ticketline.co.uk; 0844 888 9991 ® Jo Cunningham, www.efdss.org Tickets can be purchased from the reception desk at Cecil Sharp House (in person only), Monday - Friday, 9.30am - 5.30pm, no booking fee. ACROSS BRITAIN ® FOLK CAMPS: FOLK CAMPS BURSARIES Our Ambassador Bursary scheme is open to people aged between 18 and 29 and it offers the chance to attend a Folk Camps holiday for the price of the deposit - £20. Holidays range from workshop weekends to fully catered week-long camps. Folk Camps Society is a charity that has been running for more than 50 years, whose aim is to preserve and pass on the folk traditions of the British Isles. With an emphasis on participation and creating a community, we offer a variety of camping holidays across Britain, where volunteer staff help organise and lead musical activities, with daily workshops, singarounds and ceilidhs. As well as offering a virt Յ