At: Hullabaloo, 41 Westgate, Shipley, BD18 3QX

Est: 1956

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Topic Newsletter Archive

Monday July 1 2002

THE TOPIC FOLK CLUB INFORMAL NEWSLETTER No 8

Greetings one and all. FIRST, NEWS OF WHAT’S COMING UP

July 4 -Roger Sutcliffe Long-time Topic Stalwart and unrepentant Bluesman. Very much an evening for those who likes their Blues authentic and played on big brassy metal guitars with bottlenecks and boisterous beery banter. With some Special News Roger is to be Officially Supported by Tom Bliss and his tenor banjo wizard Tom Napper.

July 11 - Slide. Tom Bliss has been around for some years, and finally made it to one of our singarounds earlier this year. So impressed were we with his songs and multi-instrumental technique that we signed him and his new band up sight unseen. Tom has provided a wealth of information about the band, which will be included at the end of this Newsletter Scroll On!

18 July - Singers and Musicians with the exciting theme travelling. To be honest, we’ve half had this once already, when a breakaway group of singers persisted in insisting this was the official theme when it wasn’t. But who cares? Come (travel...) and sing what you want.

25 July - Hall Brothers. These guys are good get down!

1 August - Singers and Musicians with the theme Winter. It probably still will be.

8 August - Stanley Accrington. Something of a clown, I understand, but what the hell, it’s a Folk Club. We cater for all sorts, us. From then on its is singers and musicians (too far in advance to dictate themes) until:

5 Sept - Roy Clinging

19 Sept - Pete Castle

26 Sept - Keiran Halpin with Featured Support Anne Curran

3 October - Ray Stubbs

AND WHAT YOU'VE MISSED

Lester Simpson. We all missed him. He cancelled at the last minute, with an infection that appears to have stricken a number of performers. It all started at the Holmfirth Festival, allegedly. It appeared to afflict most of the potential audience as well, as there were precious few who both came and stayed, despite the excellent Emily and Ben, plus Duncan McFarlane, who all turned up to give support and who stayed for a singaround instead.

Damian Barber managed to get here, though once again the audience was disappointing. We did enjoy his sets, however on a personal note, nice to hear someone else singing Al Stewart songs (Nostradamus), albeit in an unrecognisably lugubrious version. Friday 13 Folk Club visited us, and that really was a tremendous evening. They can come again.

Finally, Leon Rosselson. What a trouper. He is appearing in Yorkshire again, soon, this time with Robb Johnson, Liz Mansfield, and Ian Saville the socialist magician. Friday 12 July (7.30) at Dewsbury Road Social Club, Leeds. The occasion is a Palestine Solidarity Benefit Concert.

The Distant Future

Just so you know:

10 October Paul Tiernan

17 October Singers and Musicians

31 October Phil Hare

7 November Duncan McFarlane

14 November AGM

21 November Hoover the Dog

28 November Mark Newman

5 December Roy Bailey

19 December Xmas Party with Banoffi

See you all soon! John Waller

(Actually, on another personal note, to some extent you won’t I am likely to be off for at least a couple of months. Cruising the Summer Folk Festivals? Swinging through China in search of ever-greener guitars? Alas not - it’s a heart operation. So no more Topic Newletters to clutter up your inbox until the Autumn is upon us. See you all then!)

Topic Informal Newsletter

Editor

j.waller@bradford.ac.uk

THE TOPIC FOLK CLUB - The oldest Folk Club in the World - Founded 1956, still going strong. Meets every Thursday at the Melborn Hotel, White Abbey Road, Bradford, 8.30pm. The Melborn is a Real Ale pub, and the Club is proud to be a no-smoking venue. Floor singers welcome, but please arrive and sign up by 8.30pm if you want to perform on Guest Nights. 1 July 2002