Welcome to Nailsea Folk Club
Welcome to our spring programme for 2010. We had a really good autumn and were pleased so many people turned out to see performers which may have been unfamiliar to them. We are continuing in our aim to keep the programme fresh and bring new, top quality performers to Nailsea.
However the concerts are only one dimension of the folk club. If you are interested we also have singers and musicians nights, Irish sessions, barn dances, the Barley Rye community choir and the Acorns youth group.
We also support and run Music and Memories on Sunday afternoons for people with dementia and carers. Anyone can come; if you know someone who might benefit please do contact us.
The folk club looks to play a role in the community and we have invested heavily the redevelopment of the Tithe Barn.
Work on site commences this spring which is really exciting. At last!
We were very sorry that Dave Robbins, Nailsea Folk Club regular for over 20 years died in October. He was the guy in a wheelchair, smartly dressed in black and always wearing a smile on his face. His funeral was a highlight of the autumn. He went out in style in a horse-drawn carriage with Mendip Morris men escorting him dancing down Church Lane. We are putting on a special memorial night in memory of Dave in January.
Please click here to download the programme in PDF format - we hope there is plenty to tempt you, and really look forward to seeing you in the near future.
Best wishes
David
Barn Dances
If you fancy a barn dance, Fougere Rouge are playing live at the following community events and I am happy to pass on the organisers details to you.
David 01275 540231 preferably email: dgfrancis@blueyonder.co.uk
Fri 5 Feb Clevedon School: in aid of Southwest Wind Youth Sinfonia
Sat Mar 13. Rotary club event at Flax Bourton
Sat 24 Apr. Rotary club event as Scotch Horn
Sat 15 May Grove School. Festival barn dance.
Projects
The Folk Club has a number of projects, including:
- An Irish music workshop (contact lindsaymoore@btcommect.com) meets on Sunday evenings
- "Music and Memories", a Sunday afternoon group for people with dementia and their carers. Contact David on 01275 540231 for details.
- the Barley Rye community choir
- a Youth Folk Music project, The Acorns, currently taking on new members
Also, on the second Tuesday of the month at 8.30 p.m., we meet in the Grove Sports Centre opposite the Pub for a Singers/Musicians night. This has a private lounge for those who like a quiet "space".
Also check out the Blue Flame at West end, on third Tuesdays.
A message from the committee
Folk music and dance essentially belong to, and are the creation of, common people. Folk, or Roots, has a very long tradition and what makes it really special is its power to reflect the joys, concerns, struggles and lives of ordinary folk. Traditionally it was an oral and visual tradition, rather than a written or recorded one, passed from generation to generation. At its heart is a sense of shared experience and community, not commercial profit or gain. One of the joys of folk is that creativity and performance rests with ordinary people.
For some years Folk did have a bad image – interminable ballads sung in strange keys with “fingers in ears”. Although we have respect for the traditional singers clubs, this has never been Nailsea’s style. The music and dance that we promote is varied, often highly contemporary, and always performed to a very high standard.
Nailsea has had a strong association with folk music over the years, going back as far as the legendary Adge Cutler (founder of the Wurzels) in the early sixties. There have been a number of clubs over the years, the current one being founded in 1987. Its constitution declares its aim as “to provide quality music in a convivial atmosphere and to promote and develop local talent”. Since its inception, it has always been a very strong club and is regarded as one of the best in the country (ask any of the top performers who’ve been!) It is strictly non-profit making. Money raised is given to local charities, often ~£1000 in a year. The club is affiliated to the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
So,… What do we do? Well, we have regular Concert Nights at the Ring o’ Bells, normally on the third Friday of the month but with many others fitted in around. We have featured famous Irish bands, African mbira, Russian gypsy, Delta Blues, Folk Rock, Aussies, Canadians as well as the best of British – great solo artists to seven piece bands. When booking, we look for variety, interest, excellent musicianship and an ability to entertain and communicate. Live music at its most intimate.