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

Est: 1956

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Topic Newsletter Archive

TOPIC FOLK CLUB, BRADFORD

NEWSLETTER No 27 - April 2004

25 March 2004

Greetings

Some Big Gigs in April. Fuller details of all acts are, as always, available via the website.

April 1 Mundy/Turner. Guitar, violin, harmony and powerful lyrics. Anglo (Jay Turner) -Australian (Catherine Mundy) acoustic songwriting duo with an exciting, dynamic and charismatic stage presence. Expect original material inspired by various different styles (folk, blues, rock, classical) plus intricate harmonies, humorous story-telling and powerful arrangements. This is going to be a Big Night. Be there.

Featured support will be provided by Shaun T Hunter. Another very original talent, writing and performing his own material. He's been to the Topic before and done a floorspot, and impressed. Very polished. In a parallel universe, it says on his website, he would already be a superstar. Come and judge for yourself.

April 8 Keith Kendrick. The third member of Three sheets to the Wind to come to us this year already, what with us having had Higginbottom and Gifford already. On his own, Keith plays squeezebox and sings good traditional material and "ballads of old England" in an effective and genuine way. Based in Derbyshire, he has been on the circuit one way or another for over 35 years.

Featured Support tonight sees a newcomer to the Topic the American Debra Cowan. I won't pretend she's come all the way over special, but once in the UK she has come specially to support Keith. She sings contemporary and traditional songs with "a voice with the clarity and purity of Maddy Prior". So that'll be worth hearing.

April 15 Singers and Musicians. Your theme tonight? Happy songs. Uplifting. Cheerful. Come on, even Folk Singers must know some. Well, come anyway.

April 22 Duncan McFarlane. Booked on his own, but he might just bring a Band member with him. Duncan‚s songs, music and performance is infectious, rumbustious, energetic, enthusiastic, humorous, chorussy, and enjoyable especially his guitar work, with its distinctive open tuning and rhythms. You can tell he really enjoys performing.

Featured Support will be Eddie Lawler, the Saltaire poet. A quiet performer, but with a story to tell. Eddie tackles contemporary and local themes with careful choice of words.

April 15 Roy Bailey. I don't have to tell you all about him do I? Billed by Tony Benn (with whom he sometimes performs, though probably not tonight) as Britain's greatest socialist folk singer, Roy has a range of songs and banter the envy of folk singers everywhere.

Featured support: Darren Poyzer. A once and future headline act, Darren is Manchester's favourite contemporary songwriter. A great double bill, this.

AND ONWARDS

May 6 Singers and Musicians. Theme: English songs. May 13 Tom McConville. Ever-popular Northumbrian fiddle-player, and singer though rarely simultaneously. One of the most engaging and likeable performers on the circuit. Plus FS Janine Wells, an excellent and powerful singer, writer and performer from Lancaster.

May 20 Pete Smith and John Buckley. Two contemporary fingerstyle guitarists with dazzling technique. Apparently it sounds like there‚s many more than just the two of them ∑

May 29 Kevin Dempsey and Joe Broughton. Guitar, violin, humour and song. + Hannah and Clair, rising young performers from Otley guitars, violins and voices.. June 3 Singers and Musicians Theme: Moons, Junes, Loons and the 35th ‚versary of Apollo 11

June 10 John Harvison - evergreen local singer songwriter + Karl Dallas

June 17 Wench All all female a capella trio, with optional wine. + Loose Covers

June 24 Banoffi - highly intriguing, uniquely styled music + Tony Morris

July 1 Roger Sutcliffe making his 40th anniversary appearance + Roy Padgett

July 8 Touchwood mixed sex a capella band from Australia

July 15 Hamish Currie gentle singer/guitarist/writer from down south + Them Not Us

July 22 Stony - now here's an interesting band. + Karen and Colin Thompson

July 29 Double Header: Chris Manners and Fountainhead.

August Singers and Musicians right through.

There's some great acts booked there. There is no problem whatever filling the schedules with interesting and exciting musical talent. People are coming from miles around, just to perform Featured Support. If only it was as easy to fill the audience. Well, it will be if you come. Yes YOU.

Not that I will be, for a few weeks. China beckons again. Ladbrokes have opened a book on what colour guitar I‚ll bring back this time. 2/1 red, 3/1 purple, 5/1 two-tone, 12/1 bar Blues. Seriously don‚t expect a reply to any emails sent over the next three weeks.

You can always find more through our website: www.topic-folk-club.org.uk <http://www.topic-folk-club.org.uk/> . We've put a counter on, and we know we are running at about 100 hits a week; which is good. Go on, help us to our first thousand by having a look. There's a burgeoning History page (we now have a comprehensive list of all venues since 1956) and a list of performers from 1990, which is being added to, backwards, as it were, all the time. And there are links to all our up-coming acts, and some recently-beens.

See you all some Thursday at the Melborn at one of the above events. 8.30 start. Be there by then if you want to perform a floor spot, which are still available every night even where there is a Featured Support artist booked. No smoking.

John Waller

Topic Newsletter Editor john@john-waller.co.uk Topic Newsletter No 27 April 2004