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

Est: 1956

Map

Topic Newsletter Archive

Topic Informal Newsletter No 1 Dec 17 2001

Thursday 20 December 2001 - Jim Jarratt, the Bizarre Bard of Halifax, hosting the Topic Christmas Party. Jim doubles as a local street sweeper; a singer/guitarist with a penchant for local songs about Bradford and its environs - like "View from Wibsey Slack" and "Raining Cats and Dogs".

Local songs for local people!

Thursday 27 December 2001 - Singers and Musicians - Theme: Humorous songs

Thursday 3 January 2002 - Singers and Musicians - Theme: Summertime

Thursday 10 January 2002 - Singers and Musicians - Theme: The Sea

Thursday 17 January - Singers and Musicians - Theme: Murder and death

Thursday 24 January - Tom McConville; legendary Northumbrian fiddler and singer whose performances are always delivered with a delightful dry wit.

Thursday 31 January - Singers and Musicians - Theme: Revenge

Sharp-eyed readers of the above will notice a new idea: suggested themesfor the singarounds. There is nothing compulsory about this. It is just an opportunity for you to focus the songs you might do, maybe dig out one or two that you haven't done for sometime (who knows, maybe even rehearse a couple in advance!). Outlandish and implausible links between the Theme and the songs you would have done anyway are particularly welcome.

Another new idea, as yet not completely thought through, is to create a sort of half-way house between a full guest spot and a singaround - in other words, to offer some of our more established floor singers and contributors a more sustained platform, or Featured Spot, at a singaround. There wouldn't be a guest fee, but there would be a promise that you'd get to do rather more than just one song everytime the circle came around. Plus as much publicity as we could muster through mailings such as this. Any performer interested in developing this idea (or having such a Featured Spot), let me know and we'll discuss it in t'Committee.

A brief word on recent concerts. Has there ever been such an assemblage of different talent performing on one Topic evening as there was for Alistair Russell? Probably not since the young Paul Simon was refused a floor spot back in the early days . . . This was not just Alistair's skills and assured performance. We also had our own regular floor singers Adam Russell and Rahel Guzelian (both near their best), the rarely-seen Mark Newman and his delicate guitar fretwork, the not-seen-at-the-Topic-for-eighteen-years harmonica, whistle and oscillating drone (he calls it a Shrooti) of Dave O'Flaherty, the familiar Bottleneck Blues of Topic Stalwart Roger Sutcliffe, and the songs in traditional idiom of Duncan McFarlane, straight from supporting Pentangle in Leeds earlier in the week. Thanks Alistair, for being the catalyst that brought so many good singers in.

Then last week we had Keith Donelly, full of stories and audience participation. Goats, bees, toucans, yaks, lions; he had us impersonating them all. How we roared. And of course, the apologetic "Mild Rover". Floor singers included Adam Russell, Jimmy and Martin Sumpton and another friend of Keith's whose name I didn't catch - sorry.

So that was another good evening. And without wishing to moralise, it isn't just the performers that "make" an evening, it is the audience too. Simply by being there, you help create the atmosphere that makes live music work. The more often you come, the better the evenings will be.

See you all soon

John Waller

Topic Informal Newsletter Editor

j.waller@bradford.ac.uk