Adelphi Folk Club Leeds

Subject: Adelphi Folk Club Leeds
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 05:34 AM

The post about the Adelphi in Swansea brought back memories of an excellent Folk Club in Leeds in the 1970s.

I can find no trace so what happened to the Club and how is the Adelphi pub?

Cheers

Les

Subject: RE: Adelphi Folk Club Leeds
From: GUEST,Betsy at Work
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 07:31 AM

Used to be ran by Bob Spray who sadly is no longer with us and his wife Hazel. Bob was also a leading light at Whitby Festival in the auld days of Graham Binless and Mike Harding.
Whatever seemed to happen - beach cricket, or tiddly winks was inevitably a contest between Yorkshire and Lancashire with sympathisers joining either from any county /where in England .
Bob would be captain of Yorkshire and Mike - Lancs.
I say England and not Britain as in those days it was predominantly an EFDDS based festival and that Celtic music was not a big feature of it. I also I don't think people travelled THAT far to festivals.They were a bit more shall say - paroachial.
The Adelphi saw all the great performers of it's day - many who are still top of the tree.

Subject: RE: Adelphi Folk Club Leeds
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 11:46 AM

Bob and Hazel Spray indeed! I seem to remember Geoff Ingham, Fish Jim, Richard .... Sue Garth-Mason and lots of other excellent floor singers and of course Brian Senior and Keith Marsden running the Grove on Friday.

Sorry to hear about Bob he was an amazing character in Leeds.

Subject: RE: Adelphi Folk Club Leeds
From: GUEST,GordonT
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 05:50 PM

I used to be a regular at the Adelphi - saw the Watersons there for the first time,before Carthy,as well as Na Fili,Dick Gaughan and various other notable performers.
The folk club was called the Brig, - the Adelphi is still there,and they have occasional "open-mike" nights.
I used to know Bob quite well - a lovely bloke,when you got past his innate pugnaciousness.He came with us once on a tour of Germany - at one gig in Bavaria,one of these beer halls,a fight broke out,and while the rest of us put our instruments to a place of safety,Bob waded in.I'm sure he hadnt the foggiest idea what they were fighting about anyway.
Come to think of it,he hit someone at another gig too,in Leeds this time,while I was on stage - hmmm I wonder if my music had anything to do with it?
Anyway,yes Bob died of cancer over ten years ago.

Subject: RE: Adelphi Folk Club Leeds
From: GUEST,Dick in South Queensferry
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 06:52 PM

Very fond memories of Sunday nights at the Adelphi. As Les in Chorlton said some great floor singers especially the beautiful Sue Garth Mason.What a wonderful version of Willie o Winsbury she did.
Adelphi pub was still looking unchanged a couple of years ago and I believe that Friday night at the Grove is still going strong.