Est: 1956

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_{Venue: The Castle, at  20, Grattan Road  Bradford BD1 2LU}

Topic Newsletter Archive

Newsletter No 290 - August 2026

_{Hello again everyone, and a Happy Yorkshire Day to one and all!}

_{Here we are in our "quiet" month again....}

_{A brief note to remind you that we don't usually have guest nights in August. There will be a singers and musicians night on each of the Thursdays, ie, 6th, which will be a special night - see below - 13th, 20th and 27th, (normal nights!) starting at 7.30 pm, entry £1. There will be an MC each week: the sessions are very informal, so feel free to come down and sing a song, play a tune, read a poem, tell a story,or just listen.}

_{Special singers/musicians night:}

_{August 6th  7.30 – 9.45.  The Topic will be partnering with Thriddingsfest* 2026, in a Singers & Musicians night, celebrating Yorkshireness, both contemporary and future.  Entry £1.00. Songs, Tunes, Poems and other Recitations are all welcome.  Please come by 7.20 if you would like to take part.}

_{Flyer attached.}

 _{* Thriddingsfest – literally a festival of the Ridings, the three Anglo-Viking divisions of the kingdom of Jorvik, the three former Counties of historic Yorkshire which were only finally abolished by decree of the Westminster Government in 1974}

 _{For further information, email   info4topic@gmail.com or the TheThriddingsFestGroup@outlook.com}

_{RIP James James (Arif)}

_{We recently learned the sad news of the passing of James James who died after a stroke on 11th July. The name may not be familiar to all of you: James was an occasional visitor to the Topic (and other local music venues), more often on singers & musicians nights, when he would regale us with his sometimes unusual offerings.}

_{Something of a one-off character, James was easily recognisable by his slightly overlarge dark glasses with white frames, which he wore constantly.}

_{(Regrettably at the time of writing we haven't been given any details about funeral arrangements).}

_{There has been a suggestion of a tribute night for James at one of the local venues he frequented. Again, no details as yet.}

_{Farewell James, you will be sadly missed.}

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_{PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO TOPIC ZOOM NIGHT IN AUGUST}

_{(NEXT ONE: 21st SEPTEMBER)}

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_{NON TOPIC STUFF}

_{On Monday 3rd August  Bingley First Monday Folk welcomes The Cath Harney Trio.}

_{Venue: Bingley Arts Centre (upstairs theatre), Main St, Bingley BD16 2LZ .}

_{The venue is 100% accessible via staircase and lift.}

_{Doors 7 pm, music 7.30 pm. Pay as you feel, donation and raffle.} 

_{Paul Field is appearing at the Avondale Club, 19 Bradford Road, Shipley BD18 3PJ on Sunday 2nd August, 7.30 pm.}  

_{This is a Pay As You Feel event.}

_{NEWS FROM THE DALES}

_{There will be a Buck Inn session on Sunday 2nd August, from 2pm to 5pm (Buckden BD23 5JA) to mark Yorkshire Day (August 1st) and the start of Thriddingsfest which is a week of summer music, poetry, storytelling and dance to celebrate Yorkshire.}

_{Flyer attached}

_{As mentioned above, Thriddingsfest is a festival of the Ridings – and is loosely based on the Welsh idea of an annual Eisteddfod. For further information about upcoming events or if you would like to perform at or host an event, please contact: Vicki at TheThriddingsFestGroup@outlook.com}  

_{You can see www.dales-music-and-dance-collective.org.uk: Click on ARTICLES, scroll down to Thriddingsfest for more information.}

 _{YORKSHIRE DAY ZOOM MEETING 1ST AUGUST 2026 - that's tonight!!}

_{Jim Saville <shantyfreak@yahoo.co.uk>  is inviting poets, folkies and Tykes to a Yorkshire Day Celebration on Zoom.}

_{It will be an evening of poems and/or songs about Yorkshire (or parts of it). Either in dialect of King's English.} 

_{Usual system. Each person gets 4 or 5 minutes max on each round but the cycle will go round as often as time or interest permits.}

_{Saturday 1st August 2026 8pm (UK) until 11 (ish)}

_{For a joining link please email Jim at the above address.}

_{Advance notice:}

_{At Saltaire Festival on Saturday 12 September, Eddie Lawler, erstwhile popular performer on the Bradford acoustic music scene, including the Topic, now relocated to Scarborough, will be performing his presentation "What D'You MEAN, Yorkshire?" at 2pm at St Peter's Church Hall, Moorhead Lane.  An one-hour exploration in words and mainly original songs, of past, present, and possible future of the county.  High-quality content with some low-quality chocolate.  £5 on the door, or preferably via the Saltaire Festival website.}

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_{TOPIC STUFF  (a repeat of information from  previous newsletters - as it's so important, NB also contains a few changes !)}

_{You may know the Topic was founded in 1956 and every week since then (apart from in very adverse weather conditions) Bradford citizens and visitors have been treated to the best in folk music, from local singers and musicians to international performers of high renown. (We started a Zoom session during Covid which still meets regularly on the third Monday of every month and involves people from all over the country.)}

_{So 2026 is the Topic's 70th anniversary year and we are planning to celebrate this amazing achievement.} 

_{To do this we have been linking up with some of the events going on in Bradford, some special singers/musicians nights, for example on 6th August as above.} 

_{On Saturday 3RD October the Topic's major anniversary event will take place in the outside area of Darley Street Market from 12pm to 5 pm. The plan is to involve booking about 10 outside Guest Singers, all of whom have had connections with the Topic.}

_{External periphery events such as Morris Dancers might also be involved.}

_{(PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATE FROM 10th to 3rd October, to avoid a clash with a Bradford City home game, when City fans always meet at Darley street prior to going to the match, probably in high spirits!!).}

_{This event will inevitably involve some cost to the club. We may be able to get some kind of funding, but almost certainly not sufficient to cover our outlay. We are asking that club regulars (and even not so regulars) might consider making a donation to the club to cover these additional costs. There are two ways in which you can donate:}

_{For those who still use cash, there will be a collecting box at guest nights and singers and musician evenings; or payment can be made to the club's bank account:}

_{Topic Folk Club; 05-04-49 Account no 17703951.}

_{PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY to help pay performers fees and help to raise the Topic’s profile so it can carry on for another 70 years.}

_{Put the date in your diary and spread the word to friends and family.} 

_{If you have any suggestions for any other ways we can celebrate our 70th birthday then please let us know.}

_{Additional Event to Celebrate our 70th year: another date for your diary!}

_{Bradford Libraries have invited The Topic to present an evening of history and song to celebrate our 70th anniversary .}

_{This will be held on Friday 9th October, in Shipley Library, from 7-9 pm.  The evening will consist of a brief history of the Topic’s foundation in 1956, and its subsequent development.  This will be interspersed by songs sung by Topic members and friends.  (If you are interested in performing, let us know!)  There will be no specific charge for entry: just pay what you feel – all proceeds will be going to the Topic.}

_{The Library hopes to combine this with a display of photographs of past and current musicians, plus ones of the various venues the Topic has used over the years. Anyone with anything interesting is asked to contact Chris Gaffney on topicfolk@gmail.com.}

_{More specific details in our next newsletter.}

_{We are hoping that by organising or being involved in these events will help to raise the profile of the club, maybe encourage some more people to come along to our club nights.}

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_{As many of you know by now, we now accept (indeed prefer) payment for entry to the club by card, but you can of course pay by cash if that suits you better.}

_{Membership of the club runs from 1st January and will entitle you to the lower ticket prices on guest nights as well as the chance to become more involved in the workings of the club if you would like to. You can join or renew your membership on any club night.}                                               

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_{For performers who may be thinking of approaching the club for a booking, please email: info4topic@gmail.com

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.}

_{As previously advised ALL Topic Folk Club nights, guest nights and singers/musicians nights, will from now on take place at  The Castle 20, Grattan Road  Bradford BD1 2 LU.}

_{Street parking for the Castle is available on Barry Street and Grattan Road (£1) just outside the pub, and there is a disabled parking slot. (However, it seems that the Council is planning to scrap street parking charges, but we don't yet know when this welcome change is likely to be taking effect, so be aware).}

_{It has been suggested that we could introduce themes for the singers/musicians nights. We would welcome any thoughts on this, or ideas for themes.}

_{For all events doors will open at 7 pm with a 7.30 pm start and a target time of 9.45 to finish. (Please note the slightly earlier target time to finish: we have changed this for the convenience of the increasing number of people who need to leave a bit earlier to fit in with local public transport services.)}

_{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 are hoping we can count on you for your continued support.}

_{Floor singers are always welcome (though may be limited if we have a booked support act - please check). Please arrive by 7.15 pm if you’d like a slot – it helps the MC to plan the evening.}

_{Please continue to take Covid precautions when visiting the club. It's still around.....}

_{Tony Charnock}

_{Topic Folk Club}