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

Est: 1956

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Topic Newsletter Archive

Mon May 27 2002

THE TOPIC FOLK CLUB INFORMAL NEWSLETTER No 7

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

May 30 Lester Simpson, one third of Coope, Boyes and Simpson, and co-presenter of BBC Radio Derby's Folk Show. A songwriter of passion and conviction, and very good at that. Not that I’ve seen him myself, you understand, but People Who Know all agree that he is very good.

This evening also offers the second in our series of Featured Support slots: Emily and Ben.

Emily Weygang and Ben Harker are based in York and perform traditional, self-written and contemporary songs with voice, guitar, fiddle and whistles. Over the past eighteen months they have consolidated a strong reputation in the region with bookings including Ripon, Harrogate and Hemingbrough folk clubs and the Cleckheaton festival. Winners of the Winston Chipchase Trophy at Durham 2001, they have recently been invited to appear in the "Promising New Voices" concert at the prestigious "Both Sides of the Tweed" festival, Innerleithen. In August they will be recording their debut CD at Alistair Russell's Glade Studios

And if that wasn’t enough for one evening, Duncan McFarlane promises "definitely” to come and do us a floor spot. Duncan is putting together a band and a growing list of bookings the highlight of which will be his appearance at the Topic on 7 November.

June 6 - Singers and Musicians By popular request, the theme tonight is "animals”. You can take this any way you want. All together now "There is a Mouse in New Orleans …" June 13 Damian Barber, Norfolk born (though now more locally based) singing mainly traditional songs from said Norfolk, including many from the pen of the late Peter Bellamy. Plays a mean guitar and concertina. Often to be seen with his Demon Barber roadshow, but solo tonight.

June 20 - Visit from Friday 13 Folk Club. What happens here is that their regulars come to us (from Harrogate) and we get to hear their best floor singers, as well as some of our own. It’ll be good to hear a few posh, up-market folk songs for a change, what?

June 27 - Leon Rosselson, evergreen singer/songwriter with over 200 songs designed to make the world a better place. None of which, he sorrowfully admitted last time he came, seem to have made much difference. But his lyrics are sharp, his guitar playing accomplished, and his choreography non-existent. Unplugged, un-miked and unapologetic. Very much an evening for those who like their folk songs straight, to the point, and with an unmistakable political edge.

July 4 - Roger Sutcliffe. I’ve already used "evergreen” to describe Leon Rosselson, so you’ll have to think of something else for gnarled old pro, long-time Topic Stalwart and unrepentant Bluesman Roger. Very much an evening for those who likes their Blues authentic and played on big brassy metal guitars with bottlenecks and boisterous beery banter.

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 in a later newsletter nearer the time.

AND WHAT YOU'VE MISSED

Kenny Spiers and Joe Wright duly provided us with a very pleasant evening of (mostly) Scottish border songs. Kenny and Joe (who also hails from Norfolk, not traditionally known for its glens and braes) are now teaming up with Judy Dinning, late of Jez Lowe’s Bad Pennies, to form a new group called Real Time. I’m sure they’d love you to log on to their website: www.realtime.uk.net

Banoffi came and did their noisy stuff as per usual, Tim managing not to break a string till the encore, when he broke two at once. The evening was enlivened by a large party from Shipley, which was good. Floorspots from Jimmy, CoDaRaJo, Wol, and Tony.

Bernard Carney suffered from missing the copy-date for our main publicity (this newsletter clearly being no substitute for a proper listing in Tykes News). But those who came enjoyed a relaxed singaround atmosphere, with Bernard often selecting songs suggested by songs the rest of us did, rather than just working through a set playlist. Highlights? Cricket Lovers; a string of cricketing double entendres (long legs, night watchmen, members’ stand) and Waltzing Matilda in Ragtime.

Kate Howden and Paul Jones arrived with new trio member Tony Taffinder, last seen at the Topic with Bernie Parry. Their usual guitar arrangements were thus enhanced by Tony’s acoustic bass guitar, bodhran, bouzouki (if that is what it was) and quiet vocal harmony. You can log on to their website too, for news of their thirdcoming CD, available from 1 June, http://www.realtime.uk.net Floor spots from Rahel, Tony, Karl and Paul-from-Sheffield on his first of (we hope) many visits.

THE DISTANT FUTURE

We are more or less booked up to Christmas. Members with long diaries or Meeting Makers (mine goes up to 31/12/2039, by which time I will be 90 and probably still singing 1960s songs) may like to jot down the following. Still room for class acts who’d like a Featured Support (FS) slot.

18 July Singers and Musicians: Travelling

25 July Hall Brothers

1 August Singers and Musicians

8 August Stanley Accrington

15 August Singers and Musicians

22 August -

29 August Singers and Musicians

5 Sept Roy Clinging

12 Sept Singers and Musicians

19 Sept Pete Castle

26 Sept Keiran Halpin with FS Anne Curran

3 October Ray Stubbs

10 October Paul Tiernan

17 October Singers and Musicians

24 October Kinin

31 October Phil Hare

7 November Duncan McFarlane

14 November AGM

21 November Hoover the Dog

28 November Mark Newman

5 December Roy Bailey

12 December -

19 December Xmas Party with Banoffi

26 December Singers and Musicians

See you all soon!

John Waller

Topic Informal Newsletter

j.waller@bradford.ac.uk