At: Groove Pad, 48 Saltaire Road, Shipley BD18 3HN
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Topic Newsletter Archive

TOPIC FOLK CLUB, BRADFORD

At Glyde House, Glydegate, Bradford BD5 0BQ

Newsletter No 187 January 2018 

Hello all,

A slightly belated Newsletter - and a very Happy new Year to all our readers....

Here we go with 2018:

4th January: Singers and Musicians. 
8.15 start. Free entry. 

11th January: The Trials of Cato.
The Trials of Cato formed in Beirut in the summer of 2015 and spent a formative year performing traditional music on the Lebanese music scene and developing their sound. Following their debut at Radio Beirut in September 2015, they went on to regularly fill some of Beirut’s foremost music venues. Since returning to the UK, their feet have hardly touched the ground as they are booked up at folk clubs and festivals across the country thanks to a formidable live reputation.

Their eponymous debut EP has been well received, and was described as ‘one hell of a calling card’ in FATEA Magazine earlier this year. The Trials of Cato are now hard at work developing their debut album alongside their busy gigging schedule.

The band’s live set includes both original and traditional material, featuring fretted instruments alone to achieve a musical presence not often heard on the modern folk scene. With tight instrumentation and rousing harmonies, the music is firmly rooted in the folk traditions of Ireland and Britain, yet the source material is decidedly contemporary.

The band took a Topic singers night by storm last year: this full Topic debut night being a deserving result, a scenario that has been repeated at folk clubs up and down the country. £6/£5

18th January: Tom Kitching & Zoe Mulford
In a successful 10 year career, Tom Kitching has worked with numerous singers and bands, including Pilgrims' Way, Gavin Davenport, Jon Loomes, Gren Bartley, and Albireo. He has tutored at Folkworks Summer Schools, and has led numerous workshops around the country. Heavily involved in the dance scene, and veteran of over 1200 gigs, he stands at the leading edge of the English folk scene. His style is English at heart, whilst encompassing elements of many other traditions. It is a unique, vibrant style full of exuberance, energy and wit, yet capable of expressing extraordinary emotional depth.

In March 2015, he released his solo album, Interloper, a deeply personal project to capture the state of the English instrumental tradition and define the role of the fiddle within it.

There are dozens of folk violinists, but few with the attack, passion, and ingenuity of Tom Kitching. The most beautiful instrumental playing of the year  - Sunday Express 

Tom Kitching is one of the best English fiddlers ever – he plays with fire and gusto, energy, intelligence and feel – takes English folk music by the scruff of the neck and sends it off laughing and dancing and having a good time  - Mike Harding 

Zoe Mulford is an American songwriter whose former hometowns include Durham, NC and Greenbelt, MD and whose current hometowns are Swarthmore, PA, and Manchester, England.

Zoe charms audiences with powerful, story-driven songwriting, an engaging stage presence, and a laid back vocal style that draws comparisons to Joan Baez. (In fact Zoe has recently learned that Joan Baez is intending to cover one of her songs on her next album). She backs her voice with guitar or claw-hammer banjo, drawing on the traditional music of Appalachia and the British Isles and stealing a few pages from the American Songbook to create music that feels both comfortably lived-in and sparklingly fresh.

Her lyrics are intelligent, thought-provoking, and so warm that they demand that you get to know this person better - Bob Gramann, Fredericksburg Songwriters' Showcase.  £6/£5

25th January: Sally Ironmonger & Brian Carter.
Sally Ironmonger & Brian Carter have been writing, performing (and, they say, bickering) together for nearly 20 years. Based in Medway, Sally has been described as a superb songwriter with a voice that doesn’t back down, along with fine guitar backing. Their material is contemporary, with a nod to traditional themes: stripped down, unplugged story-based.

Brian has worked as a professional and semi-professional musician all of his adult life.  Over the years he has developed his own style which produces a unique mix of melody and bass rhythms.

 Over the years they have written commissions for BBC documentaries and Broadstairs Folk Week, they ran the First Friday Folk club at the Tom Thumb Theatre, Margate, and have been supporting artists for Belshazzar’s Feast, Barbara Dickson, Jacqui McShee, Chris Wood & Jez Lowe.  They also won the Milkmaid Folk Club Folk Song competition in 2016.

Sally and Brian are an absolute one off. They have a quirky and distinctive style. Brian’s accomplished and sensitive guitar is the perfect accompaniment to Sally’s unique voice and their songs will make you laugh, cry and think  - Lynne Heraud & Pat Turner, regular guests at the Topic.  £6/£5

MEMBERSHIP

A reminder that membership renewal is now due. Still only £5.00 for the year, membership of the Topic entitles you to £1.00  off ticket prices. Think of all the savings!

Now is a good time to join if you haven't been a member before,  but you can join or renew your membership on any club night.

EARLIER START/FINISH? 

As mentioned in the last newsletter there has been a proposal to start guest nights at 8.00 pm and finish at 10.30 pm and asking for your ideas. Thank you to those who responded: we want to allow plenty of time for anyone who feels strongly one way or the other to express their views, so email me (tocharn@gmail.com) if you would like to make your point. Nothing has been decided and any change would take a while to implement for logistical reasons.

USUAL STUFF

For performers who may be thinking of approaching the club for a booking, please note that the bookings organiser is Rahel Guzelian, email address : rahel@guzelian.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 normally 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, though may be limited when we have a booked support act - please check. 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