The Lymm Folk Club Newsletter
Helen Jocys
13th September 1931 - 25th December 2011
Pictured here celebrating her 75th birthday
| Contact: Bernard Cromarty (tickets and enquiries) | Tel: | 01204 571167 |
| (but you'll need to modify the email address!) |
| PLEASE NOTE: |
Whilst we do not run a 'strictly ticket only' club, we are clearly obliged to limit the number of persons admitted to the room. For this reason, we reserve the right to refuse admission to those who arrive after all tickets for a particular guest have been sold. |
| PLEASE ALSO NOTE: |
We have now introduced an Advance Booking Discount system - Guest Nights now have two prices - pre-booked ticket prices and pay-on-the-door prices. |
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8 September 2011 | GRAND NEW SEASON OPENING | |
| £12.00 |
with BOB FOX | |
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PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club! | OR £10.00 advance booking |
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| 15 September | Singers Night | |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at The Saracen's Head, Warburton! | £1.00 | (performers 80p) |
| 22 September | £6.00 | MARK DOWDING |
| OR £5.00 advance booking |
It's been a while since Mark visited Lymm - we were still at the Railway...!
The evening started with songs from Stewart and Nelson Peach. Mark's first set was a great mix of humour, pathos, new and old - and we had more in the second half after our pre-raffle-ite Alan Grace!
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| 29 September | £1.00 | Singers Night BIG Spot |
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with Gloria Collins Tonight sees another of our 'Big Spot' offerings - performers being asked to do an extended spot after the beer break on a Singers' Night. This time it's the turn of Gloria! No doubt she will be assisted by Frank and possibly others?! We had songs and tunes from a record 28 performers, although two trios (Nelson Peach and Kath, Stan & Ruth) kindly offered to limit their spot to just one song, so we had 24 songs and tunes in total... 
 
 After the raffle, Gloria introduced Frank Hives and Christine Hanslip as her accomplices (? accompanists?!), and they did a grand job - not too intrusive to drown out Gloria's wonderful voice, but not too far in the background either. The balance was really good, and Gloria's choice of songs was just perfect. We're not going to offer her another Big Spot - next time will be a full guest night! | ||
| 6 October | £9.00 | BRIAN PETERS |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club! |
OR £7.00 advance booking |
Brian Peters is no stranger to Lymm Folk Club, and is one of the English folk scene's great all-rounders: a compelling singer, a top squeezebox player and a skilled guitarist. Brian is one of the country's best anglo-concertina players and is just as good on melodeon, while he's also internationally-known as a singer of traditional ballads. He delivers a repertoire of startling variety, so alongside those classic songs from the tradition, and lively English dance tunes, you can expect to hear newer songs, his own instrumental compositions, and wild squeezebox excursions into ragtime or blues. His stage act bristles with energy and wit. Brian has played major folk festivals in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada, as well as touring extensively in Europe. He's collaborated with many British and American musicians, is in demand as an instrumental teacher and workshop leader, and has recorded several highly-acclaimed CDs.
Tonight's concert started with spots from residents Bernard, Nick & Lin and Nelson Peach, and tonight's 'Pre-Raffle-ite' was Colin Batho. Brian was really on form, and gave us two really well balanced sets of songs and tunes as only he can. | 13 October | Singers Night |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 20 October | £8.00 | BANDERSNATCH |
| OR £6.00 advance booking |
Bandersnatch emerged when a few like-minded individuals of immense experience decided to create a sound that would combine rich vocal harmonies with excellent musicianship. Three of the original founder-members, Ed, Dennis and Norman, plus newer members Ian and Becky, are in tonight's line-up. Unfortunately Al cannot be with us this evening, as he is recovering from surgery.
Nick and Lin opened the concert for us this week, with Nelson Peach and Bernard completing the residents' support (Stewart was at home nursing a cold... aaww! No, it was sadder than that!!). Our Pre-Raffle-ite floor spots was from Brian Roberts. Bandersnatch provided us with two sets of widely varied material, cashing in on our audience's willingness to sing along! At one point Nick, our landlord, commented that as he was coming up the stairs he thought the Pogues were playing! | |
| 27 October | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 3 November | £8.00 |
FIL CAMPBELL AND TOM MACFARLAND |
| OR £6.00 advance booking |
This is Fil's second visit to the Spread Eagle. Last time she appeared solo, but this time she will have her percussionist husband Tom with her.
Earlier in the day we had learned of the fire which destroyed our former home, 'The Railway', which was sad news as many of us have happy memories from our time there. However, we didn't let that spoil our fun too much... A really 'comfy' evening's entertainment for a good sized, appreciative audience! Nelson Peach opened for us, followed by Stewart and Bernard, with John Condy as our 'Pre-Raffle-ite'. Fil and Tom dished up two sets of songs that really 'hit the spot' with the audience, and we'll definitely be inviting them back! | |
| 10 November | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 17 November | £8.00 | CHRIS & SIOBHAN NELSON |
| OR £6.00 advance booking |
A good attendance this evening for Chris and Siobhan - Nick and Lin opened for us, followed by Richards Peach and Nelson! Bernard took us up to our guests' first set, which was a great mix of traditional and contemporary songs and tunes. Our 'Pre-Raffle-ite' spot was from Keith Price, and John Condy won yet another raffle prize...!! Chris and Siobhan finished the evening off in great style - they really do seem to be able to find songs that complement Siobhan's beautiful voice and Chris's instrumental skills! | |
| 24 November | £1.00 | Singers Night BIG Spot |
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with Sandra Martin & Phil Robinson
This time it's the turn of Sandra Martin & Phil Robinson.
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| 1 December | £9.00 | ILDÁNACH |
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PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at The Saracen's Head! |
OR £7.00 advance booking |
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Ildánach came to a Singers Night last February, and we booked them there and then! Members include ex-Garva members John & Liam Murphy and Kevin Webster. Sadly, Liam emailled me to say that Kevin won't be able to make it after all: "We had a bit of bad news from Kev the other day. He recently had a scan and his back is a lot worse than we expected. Unfortunately he will not be able to do the gig." John Murphy is a vocalist and multi instrumentalist, playing uilleann pipes, banjo, mandolin and guitar. Liam Murphy, John's son, is also a gifted uilleann piper and cittern player, who has played with some of the finest pipers at gatherings and festivals around Ireland. Fiona Mc Conell, who hails from county Cavan, is the band's lead vocalist - her stunning voice is a joy to hear. Added to this is her musical ability on flute and whistle. The band is completed by guitarist Chris Boland, now based in Liverpool, whose knowledge of traditional tunes and songs is almost encyclopaedic.
We had a near-capacity audience, and Ildánach didn't let us down!! Apparently 'Ildánach' (pronounced eel darn ack) means 'multi-skilled', which they proceeded to justify from the first few notes! There were songs old and new, predominantly Irish, and people's feet were tapping from start to finish. Father and son gave us a couple of Uilleann Pipe duets in the second set, and there were showcase items from every member of the band. A truly great night! We enjoyed ourselves so much that we've already arranged to repeat the experience in 2012! | ||
| 8 December | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 15 December | £5.00 |
THE BAILEY SISTERS' CHRISTMAS SPECIAL |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club! |
OR £4.00 advance booking |
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Tonight, at the start of their Winter World Tour (tonight - Lymm, tomorrow - Westhoughton!), the Bailey Sisters (who aren't sisters, and don't drink Baileys!) will be treating us to a host of their seasonal material - not limited to Christmas! They sing a-capella (unaccompanied!!) and also with guitar, fiddle, bodhran and recorders for accompaniment. Their material is gleaned from a wide variety of sources - mediaeval, traditional folk, contemporary and even self-penned. Karen, Alyson and Shelley have lots of friends at Lymm Folk Club, so this promises to be something of a party night!
...and a good night was 'ad by all! We had a bigger audience for the Bailey Sisters than we've had for some so-called 'big name' guests (who require us to charge almost twice as much!), and the quality was just as good. Stewart's off on his annual visit to Fuerteventura, so support was from Bernard, Nick (without Lin who was unwell) and Nelson Peach - with Nick joining forces with Nelson Peach for one song. Our pre-raffle-ite was Kerry Smith, who gave us an 'Atheist Christmas Carol' followed by Silent Night, so balance was maintained!
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22 December
PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at The Saracen's Head, Warburton! |
The Lymm Folk Club Singers Christmas Party with guests BOLLIN MORRIS Butties and Mince Pies by the trayload... need we say more?! This will be the third Christmas Party at the Sarries with Bollin - an annual event that everyone looks forward to! Don't forget, the winner of the raffle also gets to choose which charity will be the beneficiary of our raffle takings and collection!
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29 December |
Singers Night
Thanks to everyone who has supported the club during 2011 - let's try to make 2012 even better! | |
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1 January 2012 |
The annual New Year's Day lunchtime session at the Sarries - did we see you there? |
|
 
 We eventually got going around 1.00pm, and kept going until around 4.30pm with a mix of songs and tunes, and the odd poem - thanks to everyone who sang, played and recited, and we had quite a lot of people who came to listen, too! Performers included Ted Edwards, Carl Corbet, Chris Muriel, Richard Peach, Jean Finney, Clare Rigby, John Jocys, Alan Grace, Lucy and Lily Taylor, John Condy, Anne Cojeen, Erica Wright, and Bernard. | ||
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5 January 2012 |
Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 12 January | £8.00 | MERRY HELL |
| OR £6.00 advance booking |
Formed from the ashes of Nineties cult band The Tansads, this new eight-piece rootsy folk rock outfit release their debut album in the same manner as the "You know when you've been Tango'd!" ad - surprising, direct and immediately felt. This exciting, no-nonsense approach to music making hits you immediately with a handful of crowd-pleasing anthems, thoughtful topical songs and one or two instantly melodic and memorable pop songs such as One More Day, guaranteed to bring a smile. With a repertoire that's geared towards live performance, these studio selections have successfully captured that sort of immediacy. Whilst The Crooked Man provides a hard rock edge with a strong message that will no doubt resonate loud and clear in this current diabolical economic climate, Rosanna's Song and The Butcher and the Vegan take us in a different direction altogether with a couple of tender folk songs, the former a touching winter love song and the latter a modern ballad set in the unlikely setting of Burnham-on-Sea, all three songs from the pen of Virginia Kettle (seen at Lymm Folk Club as Virginia Barrett on 22nd May 2008, before she and John married). Fronted by Virginia's brother-in-law Andrew Kettle whose distinctive voice provides the band with its gritty sound, the siblings-in-law are joined by brothers Bob and John (Virginia's hubby) together with Lee Goulding on keyboards, Tim Howard on guitar, Andrew Dawson on bass and Phill Knight on drums. (Allan Wilkinson, Northern Sky)
The band certainly lived up to the hype - and to their name! The room was full, we had to bring in extra chairs! A grand evening's entertainment from start to finish - Nelson Peach opened for us, followed by Bernard, and our Pre-Raffle-ite Spot was from Mark Evans (no, not the vet who builds cars on TV's Discovery Channel!!)... We had the 'acoustic line-up' - Andrew, Virginia, John and Bob Kettle, plus bass player Andrew Dawson, and they had the room bouncing from start to finish - Songs such as 'The Crooked Man' (a comment on the current economic climate!), 'The Butcher and the Vegan' (an unlikely romantic partnership!), the title track of their new CD 'Blink... and you miss it!' - they even dragged Bernard and his iron lung up for an impromptu version of 'English Rover'. They've been nominated for a Spiral Earth award - click here if you'd like to vote (link opens the Spiral Earth web page). | |
| 19 January | Singers Night | |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club | £1.00 | (performers 80p) |
| Did you miss... | ||
| 26 January | £1.00 | Singers Night BIG Spot |
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with Richard Gray Tonight saw another of our 'Big Spot' offerings - performers being asked to do an extended spot after the beer break on a Singers' Night. This time it was the turn of Richard Gray...
We had a good turnout of floor singers, and we just got round them all before it was time for the break. Richard then gave us a selection from his vast repertoire of self-penned songs and other material. For me, the highlight of the evening was his 'Heart of the Matter', a cleverly written and performed argument between a couple showing how a man and a woman see their points of view quite differently! | ||
| 2 February | Singers Night | |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club | £1.00 | (performers 80p) |
| Download a venue listing Right click and 'Save As' | T H I S W E E K | |
| 9 February | £5.00 | STEWART LEVER |
| OR £4.00 advance booking |
Stewart's annual 'Back from Fuerteventura Charity Night' to help raise funds for Stewart's charity: Warrington Bereavement Support.
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| 16 February | £8.00 | BRYONY & WILL |
| OR £6.00 advance booking |
English fiddle player and singer Bryony Griffith and melodeon player and dancer Will Hampson have been performing together for almost 20 years. Their partnership started in the acclaimed ceilidh band Bedlam in their early teens which took them all over the UK festivals and gave rise to the formation of the young Cotswold side, Dogrose. They later joined the celebrated Newcastle Kingsmen and have been key members of the award-winning Demon Barbers for the last ten years. Bryony was also a member of the much-missed a cappella group The Witches of Elswick. She has been described as having "the vocal power of a young Norma Waterson, the poise and attitude of the late Sandy Denny and the stage presence of Janis Joplin." (Allan Wilkinson, Northern Sky). Add to that her "deliciously rustic" fiddle playing (Colin Irwin) and Will’s driving yet sensitive box playing and you get a distinctive repertoire of dark ballads, chorus songs and dance tunes delivered with good-humoured Yorkshire banter. Their debut duo album ‘Lady Diamond’ was released in summer 2011 - click on the picture to visit their website, where you can order a copy... or take a chance on winning the raffle!
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| 23 February | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 1 March | £5.00 | JEAN FINNEY |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club! |
OR £4.00 advance booking |
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| 8 March | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 15 March | £9.00 | LUCY WARD |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club! |
OR £7.00 advance booking |
 (Oldham Community Radio 99.7fm) |
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Lucy Ward sings traditional songs, contemporary songs and even writes her own - click here to hear her latest song 'For The Dead Men', recorded live on air on Oldham Community Radio 99.7fm on Monday 3rd October (see picture). The 'rolling slide show' video was added by her dad, and the whole thing is very moving - such a powerful song from one so young.
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| 22 March | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 29 March | £1.00 | Singers Night BIG Spot |
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with Janice Bell and friends
This time it's the turn of Janice Bell! And yes, she does have friends!
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| 5 April | £8.00 | ANTHONY JOHN CLARKE |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club! |
OR £6.00 advance booking |
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| 12 April | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 19 April | £7.00 | PHIL HARE |
| OR £5.00 advance booking |
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| 26 April | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 3 May | £7.00 | NELSON PEACH |
| PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at Lymm Rugby Club! |
OR £5.00 advance booking |
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| 10 May | £8.00 | FOLKLAW |
| OR £6.00 advance booking |
If you were at the Acoustic Concert (Lymm Festival 2011), then Nick and his fiddle acrobatics will be well known to you! If not, now's the time to see for yourself. Nick is part of a trio, and all three will be along to entertain you this evening! Don't miss it, or you'll be sorry!
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| 17 May | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 24 May | £9.00 | SARA GREY & KIERON MEANS |
| OR £7.00 advance booking |
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| 31 May | £1.00 | Singers Night BIG Spot |
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with Not Exactly Rocket Salad Tonight sees another of our 'Big Spot' offerings - performers being asked to do an extended spot after the beer break on a Singers' Night. This time it's the turn of Not Exactly Rocket Salad! They first appeared in Lymm at a Singers Night as the Goldbeaters.
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| 7 June | £6.00 | NICK & LIN |
| OR £5.00 advance booking |
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| 14 June | £7.00 | PHIL DRANE |
| OR £5.00 advance booking |
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| 21 June | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
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28 June to 5 July |
THE LYMM FESTIVAL Lymm Folk Festival 2012 Programme | |
| 12 July | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
| 19 July | £?.00 | JEZ LOWE |
| OR £?.00 advance booking |
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| 26 July | £1.00 | Singers Night BIG Spot |
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with 2012 Song Comp Winner (TBC) Tonight sees another of our 'Big Spot' offerings - performers being asked to do an extended spot after the beer break on a Singers' Night. This time we hope to see the (senior) winner of the 2012 Songwriting Competition - maybe with friends, if they have any!!
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2 August |
£5.00 |
?? (FESTIVAL OPEN MIC WINNER) |
| OR £4.00 advance booking |
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| 9 August | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
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16 August |
£5.00 | BERNARD CROMARTY |
| OR £4.00 advance booking |
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Bernard's 'When I'm 64' Birthday Bash... | ||
| 23 August | Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) | |
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30 August |
Singers Night | |
| £1.00 | (performers 80p) |
| Contact: Bernard Cromarty (tickets and enquiries) | Tel: | 01204 571167 |
| (but you'll need to modify the email address!) |
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Do you wish to be notified when our guest list changes? (Routine updates after a guest night will not be included) Please note that this is NOT an automated mailing list! Only invited members are listed. Simply email bernard_at_lymmfolkclub.org.uk. |
