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

Est: 1956

Map

Topic Newsletter Archive

TOPIC FOLK CLUB, BRADFORD

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

Newsletter No. 114 - October 2011

Welcome to the (slightly early) October 2011 edition of the Topic Newsletter. As I write this it feels very autumnal and not the best of weekends for Saltaire and Otley festivals which I shall be braving the weather for. Still we have had a great start to the autumn season at the Topic with Jason Johnson & Garron Frith, Walsh & Pound and Tom & Barbara Brown all providing their audiences with top quality entertainment. The line up of concerts we have coming up should banish all thoughts of the cold and wet outside and leave you with a warm glow inside. Also from the 25th October to 13th November the Luna Matik Northern Music, Art and Food Festival takes place with over 60 venues working together to create a vibrant demonstration of the cultural (and edible!) riches in North and West Yorkshire. More details from the festival website here http://www.lunamatik.co.uk/about-us

Finally, don't forget to get your tickets for our special night with Martin Carthy on 24th November, the eve of the Raise Your Banners Festival of Political Song which features a great line up of folk and jazz as well as choirs, workshops and much more. RYB Festival web site here http://www.raiseyourbanners.org/

Hope to see you at the club!

Sep 22 Gerry Cooper & Phil Snell Entry: £6 (£5 members)
Gerry Cooper and Phil Snell are soloists who discovered that together they can make an intricate, great big sound.

After only a few appearances at clubs and festivals, audiences are getting excited about their act and asking for more.

Featuring Ragtime, Jugband and Country Blues styles on guitars, mandolin, harmonica and fiddle, they present a programme of songs and tunes old and new, accompanied by amiable banter underpinned by many years’ experience in a wide range of musical genres.

Here's what they're saying about Gerry and Phil: "Individually, these guys are fantastic. Together they are magical. Authentic roots sounds from two master-craftsmen. An inspiration.", Nick Hall

Sep 29 Reg Meuross Entry: £6 (£5 members)
'There’s something special about the way he writes and delivers a song’ Townes Van Zandt
'The taut delicacy and lyricism of Meuross’s work shines out …' Independent

Anyone who has seen Reg Meuross perform or listened to any of his CDs will know how true these comments are. His craft has been honed over the years through solo and collaborative performances (Panic Brothers, The Flamingos, Hank Wangford & The Lost Cowboys) and he is now widely respected as a major force on the national folk and acoustic circuit with appearances at many major festivals.

In 1996 he released the critically acclaimed CD ‘The Goodbye Hat’ and was nominated for several music awards, including best song for ‘Ring around the Roses’. This was followed by a series of strong CDs culminating with the 2010 release of 'All This Longing'.

Reg’s writing, performing and acting credits include work with people as diverse as French composer Vladimir Cosma – who wrote the cult movie ‘Diva’; Gerard Depardieu; Marsha Malamet; Nick Lowe; Not The Nine O’Clock News; Robbie Coltrane; Chris Difford; Charlie Dore; Gary Clark; Antonia Bird; Lenny Henry; Jeremy Hardy; Paul Merton, etc.

It gives us huge pleasure to welcome Reg on his first visit to the Topic (postponed from January due to family illness) and we hope that you will take this rare chance to see him in this part of the world.

Oct 6 Singers & Musicians Entry: Free

Oct 13 Richard Grainger & Chris Parkinson Entry: £6 (£5 members)
During the 1990’s Richard performed with well known folk musician, Dick Miles and then accordion genius, Chris Parkinson. Both partnerships were recorded and received critical acclaim. Both partnerships have been renewed in recent years.

Since 1995 Richard has been filling the role of artistic director to several festivals and in recent years he has added several musical plays to his repertoire.

His latest production,'The Moorland Whalers’, was inspired by his long association with the Yorkshire Coast town of Whitby and work he carried out for The Ryedale Folk Museum in North Yorkshire . It tells the story of The Yorkshire Whaling Industry through the recollections of those who took part.

Richard released his 11th album ‘WAR HORSE’, in January 2008. The CD has received much critical acclaim and was described by folkradio.co.uk as: “a classic folk album that will stand the test of time”.

Chris has played music since the age of five, starting with the harmonica, and moving on to piano, guitar, concertina, tin whistle, melodeon, piano accordion and keyboards, and even a little time playing the fiddle. He plays traditional folk music of UK, Europe and beyond, and is also no mean hand at blues, rock & roll, and even a bit of jazz.

Chris is also a founder member of the much travelled and highly acclaimed "The House Band". He is in great demand both for live performance and studio session work, and has worked with countless people from the folk scene and beyond - Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson, Ralph McTell, Mike Harding, Steve Tilston, Martin Simpson, Steve Phillips and more.

We are very much looking forward to Richard and Chris's visit to the Topic

Oct 20 Paul Handyside Entry: £6 (£5 members)
Singer songwriter Paul Handyside was founder member of eighties indie group HURRAH! who had several releases on Arista and Kitchenware records. Paul then went on to tour and record with fellow Kitchenware label-mate Martin Stephenson. In 2001 he formed Bronze and released two albums "The statue in the stone " and "A common prayer".

Now solo, Paul's songs are a mixture of Americana, pop, gospel, folk and 19th century hymns but all with a unique flavour of their own.

Oct 27 Christi Andropolis & Mark Harrison Entry: £6 (£5 members)
Hailing from New York State, Christi Andropolis’ musical influences circle from the Southern States of the US to the UK, exploring connections between roots music on both sides of the Atlantic. Her performance ranges from delta-style blues to Appalachian ballads, and includes her own original, earthy songs - effortlessly blending the traditional with the contemporary, and firmly establishing the breadth and diversity of her talent. Her powerful and expressive vocals, and raw, energetic fiddle playing make for a creative and dynamic combination.

Anyone who saw Christi perform at the Topic as one third of the band Rubus will be aware that this will be a night of great music and song.

"...draws her influences far and wide and isn’t afraid to display them, peppering variations on the tradition with her own bold songwriting, a voice of unusual strength and some determinedly original arrangements... soulful, bluesy and a lot else besides..." - Colin Irwin, fRoots

"...a hypnotic mix of old-age American tradition and invention, go-ahead new music..." - Mick Tems, Taplas

'"Fantastic - the highlight of the festival" - Wimborne Folk Festival

Part of the Luna Matic Festival 2011 http://www.lunamatik.co.uk/bradford <http://www.lunamatik.co.uk/bradford>

Nov 03 Faerd, Dørge, Becker & Hjetland Entry: £6 (£5 members)
We are delighted to welcome Scandinavian band Faerd, Dørge, Becker & Hjetland (collectively known as Kryss) to the Topic as they make their way to the Musicport festival in Bridlington this weekend.

The band is made up of Eskil Romme (saxophone, accordion & vocals), Jens Ulvsand (bouzouki, guitar & vocals), world jazz musician/composer duo Pierre Dørge & Irene Becker (guitar and keyboard) and Danish/Norwegian singer Julie Hjetland. . Their music is primarily based on Scandinavian material but has wider influences including jazz and rock and music from around Europe and the wider world.

This sure to be an exciting night of boundary and genre crossing music and is a real coup for the Topic. Don't miss their unique performance!

Part of the Luna Matic Festival 2011 http://www.lunamatik.co.uk/bradford <http://www.lunamatik.co.uk/bradford>

Best Wishes

Joe Grint