home| news| history| gigs 1960-on| a to z guests| faq| contact| fb

Newsletter of the Topic Folk Club

TOPIC FOLK CLUB, BRADFORD

At the Bradford Irish Club, Rebecca Street, BD1 2RX 
An accessible venue

Newsletter No. 118 - February 2012

Hi everyone and welcome to the February 2012 edition of the Topic newsletter. Once again we have a month of great music and it would be good to see you at the club. By the way, if you ever feel like playing an active part in the club's organisation just let one of the Committee know. We are particularly keen to recruit more MCs for club nights so if you fancy the idea of helping us with this important role just mention it to one of the current MCs. Full training will be given!

Further afield there is what sounds to be a very exciting new festival you may wish to make a note of in your diary. The Yorkshire Cajun Club is organising the first ever Yorkshire Cajun and Zydeco Festival in Malton on 9-11 March 2012, at the Milton Rooms, Malton YO17 7LX. If you like the sound of this find out more at yorkshirecajun.com <http://www.yorkshirecajun.com/> .

I am sorry to say that this is my last newsletter as, due to other commitments, I am handing over my job as booking secretary to Tony Charnock. In future Tony will be keeping you up to date with news from the Topic and I know he has a really exciting line up planned for the rest of the 2012. I have greatly enjoyed my year of booking artists and hope that those of you who have been down to some of the nights have had a good time. It certainly has looked that way!

The artists I have been lucky enough to have had dealings with have invariably been really nice people and it has been a real honour for me to have been able to take a small part in the running of the oldest continuing folk club in the UK.

I will sign off with a thank you to everyone who has performed at or attended the Topic over the last 13 months and also make a plea that whenever possible you continue to help keep music live in the heart of Bradford.

Feb 02
Singers & Musicians - Entry Free

Feb 09
The Durbervilles - Entry: £6 (£5 members)
Direct from the Batley delta of West Yorkshire, The Durbervilles <http://www.durbervilles.co.uk/> bring a meld of originally penned tunes which blend folk, roots and alt country music. They feature four part harmonies, thoughtful (sometimes fun) lyrics and tasteful measures of music-like twiddling.

The Durbervilles have existed for around a decade with a fist full of critically acclaimed albums to their name. When they formed they found themselves being categorized as a part of the burgeoning UK Alt Country scene (and were probably the first band of that kind to emerge in Yorkshire).

Their sound has been described by R2 magazine as like the "rootsy edge of Steve Earle & Lindisfarne and with a folkie's grasp of the instrumentals" while Maverick magazine says "the Durbervilles do not stick to the English Folk route but throw country and Cajun into the mix to make a glorious sound".

The Durbervilles line up is Lee Walsh (vocals, 12 string guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, mouth organ); Mark Boyce (drums, vocals); David P Crickmore (lead guitar, mandola, banjo, slide guitars, backing vocals); Gus Taylor (accordion, vocals); Ruth Wilde (double bass).

Long-time friends of the Topic, and with their folk and roots programme a mainstay of Sunday night listening on Radio Leeds, we welcome them to the club for a long overdue return visit.

Feb 16
Pete Morton - Entry: £6 (£5 members)

"not only impressive but a revelation......totally original" - The Guardian

Folk singer Pete Morton <http://www.harbourtownrecords.com/morton.html> is a songwriter and performer originally from Leicester, who currently lives in London. With a wealth of great songs and stage presence, his show is dynamic and intense as well as approachable and fun loving.

Well known songs such as 'Another Train', The Shepherds Song, and 'Six Billion Eccentrics' are now performed at gigs along side songs from the album 'Economy', which features the well loved rant: 'The Sock on the Line' and the anthemic 'When we Sing Together'.

Pete sings from the heart, delivering songs that tell compelling stories and speak of the human condition from a very unique perspective. With a passionate, strong voice and strident guitar style, traditional songs often rub shoulders with Pete's current writing with remarkable ease. His songs are an unruly mix of humour, politics, love and social comment, wrapping their way around the folk tradition.

Pete has recorded five solo albums of original material and a project album of traditional songs.

His new album ‘Economy’ is his first set of original songs for over three years and is an insightful, informed, honest and sometimes questioning look at the modern human condition. These wonderfully crafted songs deal with all the prevalent subjects such as need, greed, trust, communication, conflict, love, relationships, basic humanity and yes, economy.

This is your chance to see one of the UK's finest songwriter songwriters in the intimate atmosphere of the Topic.

Feb 23
O’Hooley & Tidow - Entry: £6 (£5 members)

Since her departure from The Unthanks, the stark, haunting piano arrangements Belinda O'Hooley brought to the Mercury-nominated album The Bairns have evolved and migrated, combining rippling, neo-classical arrangements with traditional folk influences.

Together with Yorkshire singer-songwriter Heidi Tidow, these dapper-suited gentlewomen have created Silent June, their unpindownable, multi-layered debut album released on the No Masters label. It was one of MOJO Magazine's Top 10 Folk Albums of 2010.

O'Hooley & Tidow <http://ohooleyandtidow.com/> bring their intensely beautiful, poetic and wryly observant take on the human condition to the contemporary folk scene. Garnering increased attention and widespread acclaim, they have been winning over audiences countrywide with their irresistible blend of poignant, thought provoking songs, lush harmonies and cheeky northern banter.

They have appeared at festivals and arts venues nationwide and we are more than a little pleased to be able to announce that they are performing a close to home gig tonight at the Topic

"Intensely beautiful and poetic" Observer review of Silent June

Mar 01
Singers & Musicians - Entry Free

Mar 08
Jon Palmer Acoustic Band - Entry: £6 (£5 members)

Jon Palmer, who has impressed Topic audiences with recent floor spots, brings his 6-piece Yorkshire-based acoustic band to the Topic for the first time. Jon, Grolsch UK Songwriter of the year and published songwriter with Sony, is accompanied by Ricky Silvers (bass player with Five and Dimers and Last Orders), Matt Nelson (mandolin), drummer Bernie Gilmour (ex Cartouche and occasional player with Duncan McFarlane Band and The Hall Brothers) together with Nick Settle and Tom Cassidy (Big Fat Kill).

The Jon Palmer Acoustic Band <http://www.reverbnation.com/jonpalmerband> is fast gaining a reputation on the local scene, having headlined at The Hardraw Gathering and appeared at the Otley Folk Festival ("the Jon Palmer Band were AWESOME at Otley, so glad we got to see them play" – Anna Shannon) and Otley Beer Festival. Expect well-crafted original songs, passion and vigour from this up and coming band.

Best Wishes

Joe Grint