Potential New Folk Singaround W London

Subject: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 24 Jul 16 - 11:02 AM

Yesterday I spoke to the landlord of a pub in West London who is, at this stage, not opposed to the idea of a monthly acoustic music session. I have a card and I will be sending an email later this week. If it happens, it would probably be on a Monday, Tuesday or Friday. I would also like it to take the shape of a singaround format.

At this stage, I am gauging the amount of interest, either people who would come along and people who would be prepared to help with the organisation.

If all goes well, looking at starting in October. Please post here, or drop me an email to let me know what you think.

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: severed-head
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 04:22 AM

Sorry, wrong side of London for me.
But all good wishes for this venture. Hope it is successful.
Garry

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Leadfingers
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 05:32 AM

Depending on the night not clashing with my other interests I culd certainly consider this

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 05:38 AM

Can't make it, but would be interested to learn where it was.
We ran several West London Flk Clubs with varying degrees of success - the last one we helped established was the Court Sessions, first in Wands worth, later moving to Tooting.
It closed a few years ago after several decades.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 05:39 AM

Forgot to add - good luck, and, if still possible, have a pint of Young's on me
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Vic Smith
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 07:41 AM

Jim wrote -
"We ran several West London Folk Clubs with varying degrees of success - the last one we helped established was the Court Sessions, first in Wands worth, later moving to Tooting.
It closed a few years ago after several decades.

Except of course that it is still running! Dave East has been running it for at least ten years to my knowledge and very successfully on the times that I have been there. It has moved a few times since I have known it. An Irish social club near Tooting tube station, a lovely upstairs pub clubroom just to the south of Clapham Common; its current home is the County Arms, 345 Trinity Road SW18 3SH and if you click here you will be taken to its website.

Jim wrote
"Forgot to add - good luck, and, if still possible, have a pint of Young's on me
Jim Carroll
Now for the bad news, Jim...... Since Youngs was taken over by Charles Wells, their bitter is not the beer it was.

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 09:01 AM

"Except of course that it is still running!"
Are you sure about that Vic - I hope I was wrong, but I remember Dave and Doreen announcing taht they were closing the Club early last year?
Nice to see the logo again (I found that in one of our editions of the Roxborough Ballads - always liked it.
Devastated to hear about Young's - Bob Blair and I were poured into the back of our car by Pat after a session on their Winter Warmer served up by a very drunk barman on Wimbledon Common
Good days (when you can remember them)
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Vic Smith
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 09:21 AM

Are you sure about that Vic - I hope I was wrong, but I remember Dave and Doreen announcing that they were closing the Club early last year?

Pretty sure, Jim. I believe that there was a period when Dave and/or Doreen were unwell and things seemed to be winding down but they have certainly been in operation recently. I'm on their circular list and the last one I can find says:-


The County Arms, 345 Trinity Road SW18 3SH
Pub & nearby car-parks, three bus routes, overground to Wandsworth Common Stn-
See website for details

Friday May 27th 2016-
KEVIN STENSON with SIMON PRAGER

I seem to remember a circular, perhaps not all that recent, asking for supporters to bring their own folding chairs as there were not many in the clubroom!

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 09:41 AM

Delighted to hear it Vic -
The County Arms brings back memories
We were part of a Pub Quiz League and we were matched against 'The County'
We turned up to find four of the biggest men we'd ever seen, all sporting bunches of keys hanging from their belts - they were warders from Wordsworth#th Prison, over the road.
We slaughtered them so definitively that, as we were leaving, one of them took our somewhat diminutive captain aside and whispered in his ear, "you'd better not get sent down to our nicK"
There's a lesson to be learned from the way Young's operated
They refused to have juke boxes or piped music in their bars, as a result, they were always full
Jim

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Vic Smith
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 10:31 AM

Jim wrote
"their Winter Warmer....."   

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: matt milton
Date: 26 Jul 16 - 06:40 AM

To the original poster of this thread: I strongly suggest you contact Laurel Swift, fiddler, singer, bassist and morris dancer extraordinaire. She seems to do quite a bit around West London, not least teaching a lot of keen students in all things folk – I'm sure they would all be keen to know about a singaround in the West.

See here:
https://ealingsessions.wordpress.com

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jul 16 - 05:02 PM

A slightly more detailed location would help, "west" covers a lot of ground from Kensington Gardens to the M25.

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 26 Jul 16 - 05:45 PM

I know Lauren, and hope to get to the Ealing Sessions and Ealing Folk Club again from August, and possibly go to her workshop in September as it will be on my doorstep. I didn't know she is a morris dancer though. which side?

Location - the pub is in Hammersmith/Chiswick area - I will say more when discussions have progressed further.

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: Leadfingers
Date: 01 Aug 16 - 05:04 PM

Any more info ?

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: matt milton
Date: 02 Aug 16 - 04:25 PM

I'm currently asking around various cafes and pubs in my locale – Sydenham – to see about starting a monthly south-east London singaround...

Subject: RE: Potential New Folk Singaround W London
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 03 Aug 16 - 05:44 AM

No more news yet- will be following up this week - was going to today, but left the calling card at home.