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

Newsletter No. 160 - October 2015

Hello all,

Well, summer's almost gone, now it's time to see what mellow fruitfulness the Topic has in its harvest store over the coming month...

1st October: Singers and  musicians. 8.15 pm start. Free entry.

8th October: the Durbervilles
Long time friends of the Topic from the renowned Batley Delta, these excellent musicians are back at the Topic with their alternative folk and roots (mainly original) repertoire.  The Durbervilles line up is Lee Walsh – vocals, 12 string guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, mouth organ; Mark Boyce – drums, vocals; David P Crickmore – lead guitar, mandola, banjo, slide guitars, backing vocals; Gus Taylor – accordion, vocals; Ruth Wilde – double bass, all characterised by great musicianship and superb vocal harmonies. Welcome back! £6/£5

The band’s sound has been described by R2 magazine as like the rootsy edge of Steve Earle & Lindisfarne and with a folkie's grasp of the instrumentals,  while Maverick magazine says the Durbervilles do not stick to the English Folk route but throw country and Cajun into the mix to make a glorious sound.

15th October: Double Header: Nick Hall and Black Horse Fairy
A "locals" night. Nick is of course well-known to Topic audiences and beyond: as anyone who takes any interest in the local acoustic music scene will know he is normally one half of the Hall Brothers (with his brother!) or one half of Plumhall(with his wife!) A rare solo appearance guarantees a top quality performance, as always.

Black Horse Fairy hail from Haworth and have previously given us a sample of their original and entertaining material. They are certainly different....  £6/£5

Nick has kindly agreed to stand in tonight for Jon Harvison who is unable to play any gigs at the present time due to recent health problems. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him performing again in the not too distant future.

22nd October: James Hickman and Dan Cassidy
James (from Shrewsbury) has been performing folk music from the age of 13. In later years, he formed the duo Hickman and Quinn who have featured as support act at Saltaire Live concerts at Victoria Hall. He also played in the popular folk group Uiscedwr for two years. Dan, brother  of the late Eva Cassidy, hails from Maryland USA, and has been playing the fiddle from the age of 10. A meeting with Aly Bain sparked an interest in Celtic music and the UK folk scene in general. He has his own band, The Dan Cassidy Swing Quartet which performs regularly in the UK. He played on several of his late sister’s recordings.

James and Dan gave us a stunning night on their last visit to the Topic. £6/£5

A transatlantic duo inspired by the traditions of America and Britain. 

Hickman’s emotive, soaring vocals and driving guitar is complemented by Cassidy’s ingenious and virtuosic fiddling. 

29th October: Rebekah Findlay
Rebekah Findlay is a folk singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and artist based in North Yorkshire. Her repertoire consists of self-penned and traditional songs and tunes plus carefully selected covers in the folk and acoustic style.

Much of Rebekah’s music inspiration comes from her love of Scotland, its wilderness, people and music. Her main instruments are fiddle, guitar, tenor guitar, although she also plays piano and accordion.

In the past Rebekah has supported many great artists including Dave Swarbrick, Martin Carthy, Martin Simpson and Jez Lowe.    £6/£5

Her latest album Improvising Around the Sun earned her a 5 star review in R2 Magazine: It is, quite simply, magnificent, placing Findlay amongst the most impressive singer-songwriters orbiting the nebulous sphere of ‘contemporary folk’  

NB: Rebekah appears tonight as a stand-in for Judy Dunlop who has unfortunately not fully recovered from her health problems sufficiently to take on full time gigs. But she is “getting there”: we wish her well and hope to see her at the Topic in the not too distant future. (Judy’s name appears in many of the listings which had gone to press prior to the cancellation).

We are very grateful to Rebekah and welcome her back for a return visit to the Topic

TOPIC NEWS

A song for the Topic

As you will know from previous newsletters, THE TOPIC SONG is a chance for fun and creativity, a cost free way of celebrating our 60th anniversary and would be a valuable shared experience for Topic members and others who patronise the club. We could include poems as well, short stories perhaps. So all you creative people out there, keep them coming.

It is our intention to have some "big names" as part of our 60th anniversary celebrations. If there is anyone you would like us to try to book please let us know. Autumn 2016 is as long way off, but bear in mind that artists get booked up a long time in advance and we will have to start making enquiries fairly soon.

Other news:

Bradshaw Mummers
Long time stalwarts of the local mumming scene ( they have been going for a staggering (!) 43 years), Bradshaw mummers are looking for new recruits to replenish their inevitably ageing numbers to keep the tradition alive. So if any would-be Thespians with an off the wall leaning are interested or willing to give it a go, contact p.lyon4@btinternet.com, or see the website www.bradshawmummers.com or on Facebook.

Winter Folk Festival
John Fowler Holidays have emailed to say they are putting on a series of music festivals at their chain of  holiday parks across the South West of the UK during November and part of December.

I'll quote the relevant bit:

Of interest to yourselves and your members/supporters might be the Folk, Roots & World Music Festival in the middle of November headlined by the Fairport Convention, Barbara Dickson, Julie Felix and Oysters 3

With ticket prices from as little as £102.00 for the Folk, Roots & World Music Festival  that includes accommodation, all music, free parking and use of onsite indoor heated swimming pool and sauna we think we are offering some pretty amazing money saving deals that are ideal for GROUPS requiring great and reasonably priced music related weekends away.

As a special offer to yourselves and your members/supporter/subscribers we can offer, whilst they are still available, Gold standard accommodation on a first come first served basis.

The festival in question runs from 20th(Friday) to 22nd November. Website: www.johnfowlerholidays.com/entertainment/ilfracombe-folk

If anyone is interested you can email giles.robson@gmail.com or contact myself for details.

Songs for Peace
Songs for Peace will take place at the Cenotaph at 1 pm on Sunday 8th November (Remembrance Sunday) followed by soup and a sing at Glyde House. Details and songsheets available from me.

Usual stuff
For performers who may be thinking of approaching the club for a booking, please note that the bookings organiser is 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 8.15 pm if you’d like a slot – it helps the MC to plan the evening.

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

Tony Charnock, Topic Newsletter Editor  
Topic Folk Club

tocharn@gmail.co.uk