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

Est: 1956

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Topic Newsletter Archive

TOPIC FOLK CLUB, BRADFORD

At Glyde House, Glydegate, Bradford BD5 0BQ  

http://www.topic-folk-club.org.uk

Newsletter No. 142 - March 2014

Hello again everyone,

Well, we seem to have made it through the worst of the winter without too much snowy stuff, the sun is beginning  to feel warm again, so what surprises has the Topic to spring on you in the coming month?

6th March:    
Singers and Musicians
8.15 pm start. Free entry.

13th March: 
Gloria Jeffries
Gloria Jeffries is a performer unlike any other - a phenomenal guitarist, flute player and singer who has taken a challenging leap into fairly uncharted seas. There have been plenty of transgender artists in music before, but not many on the folk scene. The folk world has proved welcoming.
Gloria released a CD in 2011 Living For Me which was quietly well-received, and under another guise has produced about 20 albums previously, including setting of poems by John Clare and a CD of instrumental acoustic guitar music.

Gloria is booked regularly at Otley Folk Festival and appears at various local folk clubs. She appeared last year for the first time at Headingley Literature Festival, and played in Pete Morton's band for his Chaucer experience at Festival On The Edge.

Gloria's persona is not simply a means to shake people up, but an exploration of creativity. But her repertoire still includes a large amount of traditional folk music, as well as original material. £6/£5

20th March:  
Gareth Davies-Jones.
Originally from County Down, Gareth now lives in the Tyne Valley in Northumberland. His music is both uplifting and entrancing as we know from his previous visits to the Topic.

Gareth is a seasoned performer, activist and campaigner, often using his music to promote social justice and working with organisations such as Traidcraft. His music has been featured on BBC National and Local Radio and collaborations and support work includes Megson, Waterson Carthy, Spiers & Boden, Steve Tilston, Jez Lowe and Karine Polwart. £6/£5

...intelligent songs which make a point gently and invoke sympathy……..someone to be taken seriously.   -    fROOTS. 

27th March:  
Pete Castle.
Pete Castle is a folk singer and storyteller based in Belper, Derbyshire. He works all over the country in folk clubs, on the storytelling circuit, in schools, arts centres and libraries as well as with the wider public at community events

Pete’s repertoire consists almost entirely of traditional English songs and ballads. The bulk of his material comes from the south of the country, as he does, and includes a number of songs from his native Kent although he has spent most of his adult life in the Midlands. He likes to include a few short stories in a folk club set. £6/£5.
 

Other Topic News

David Robey
As some of you may already know, the Topic's long-serving treasurer up until a few months ago has been ill for some time and is currently in hospital. We wish him well and thank him for all his hard work and dedication to the club over many years. In recognition of this David has been made a Life Member of the Topic Folk Club. Please contact a member of the Topic committee if you would like any further news about his progress.

SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION (AND BENEFICIAL) INFORMATION ABOUT GLYDE HOUSE

Firstly, Topic-goers are invited to become members of Glyde House.This can be done by filling in a simple form (available at the venue). Normally it costs £12 per year but the Glyde House management have generously offered to waive this fee for the first 12 months for those attending the Topic Folk Club: it will only become payable if your membership continues into the second year and thereafter. The main benefit of membership is a 10% reduction on all drinks and food purchased.

Secondly, Glyde House has a bistro area (on the left as you go in the main entrance).The management are looking to expand food sales and have offered the facility for those attending the Topic to be able to have a meal or snack. This will work as follows: if you are interested, please send an email to Howard Sharpe (info@glydehouse.co.uk) stating that you would like to be added to his menu mailing list. Each week he will send you the following week's menu from which you can pre-order your requirements.

Non-Topic Stuff of interest

March 6th marks the publication of a new book which may be of interest to some of our readers. It's called Singing From the Floor: A History of British Folk Clubs, by J.P. Bean, published by Faber and Faber, available from Amazon at the price of £15.54. It's the culmination of 3 years' research, and based on interviews  with a vast number of people on the folk scene.

As usual at this time of year we get inundated with information and flyers about this summer's festivals, far too many to mention, but we do display these (with some difficulty space-wise!) on the top of the piano on club nights. Please peruse them and take some if you wish.  Many of them come from guests we have had at the Topic, so we like to help spread the word about what they're up to. 

A flyer of a slightly different sort, perhaps worth mentioning here, is about a series of folk music workshops in the French Alps, in particular a singing/songwriting workshop which I've been asked to mention. Visit http://www.timoconnor.co.uk/workshops if you're fancying something slightly exotic this year, or I can give more details on this or any others you may be interested in.

A reminder that the Past Artists links page on our website (www.topic-folk-club.org) has been updated: click "A-Z of all acts"

Usual Other Stuff

For performers who may be thinking of approaching the club for a booking, please note that the bookings organiser is now Sue Gaffney, email address : sue.gaffney@btinternet.com

If you would like to become a member of the Topic Folk Club, it costs just £5.00 per year, running from 1st January. Being a member entitles you to the lower ticket prices shown in this newsletter, as well as the chance to become more involved in the workings of the club if you would like to.

 If you’re visiting the club for the first time, be sure to come and say hello, and if anyone has any suggestions for the club, for example if you would like us to try to book a particular artist, we’d like to hear them.

The Topic runs on Thursdays at Glyde House, Glydegate, Little Horton Lane, BD5 0BQ  8.30pm start. (Singers & Musicians nights start at 8.15pm). Like all the clubs in the area, our aim is to provide good quality live entertainment to suit all tastes of those interested in folk music, and we thank you for your continued support.

Floor singers are always welcome, especially in the first half. Please try to get there by 8.15pm if you’d like a slot – it helps the MC to plan the evening.

To find the Topic on Facebook search for "Topic Fc"Best wishes

Tony Charnock, Topic Newsletter Editor  

tocharn@gmail.com        
www.topic-folk-club.org.uk