Performers at Bunjies, London

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Matt Coggins
Date: 05 Mar 24 - 10:19 AM

I played there in the late 80s early 90s. I alos met Peter Cadle and played with him a few times, through Bunjis / Parnassus Poets - recording with him at his place around Goodge Street. I loved it there and was a little shocked to find it had become a restaurant. Happy I got to play in the same venue as Cat Stevens.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 18 Feb 24 - 02:09 AM

Does anyone know what became of the folk duo, Brackenwood?
Their first names were Clive and the other guy was called Les. They had a regular spot at Bunjies and I often saw them during the 70's and 80's. Both talented singers and guitar
players. I seemed to vaguely recall that they,or maybe just one of them worked at the airport in the baggage handling dept. but not sure if that information was accurate. Anyway, I live in USA and always looked forward to hearing them and many others during the 1970's and 1980's.
Wonder what they are doing these days?

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 17 Feb 24 - 04:52 PM

Meg also used to show up and do a spot at Les Cousins, on a regular basis. Mind you some legendary artistes showed up there over the years I attended.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Paul Loften
Date: 17 Feb 24 - 08:18 AM

I was pointed to this thread by a friend when I mentioned that i went to Bunjies in the early 70s
I remember Zippy .
https://youtu.be/S0kY9FlPcGg

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 02:52 PM

I knew Meg to say hello to, but just in passing conversation, along with Don Partridge and a few others. Meg appeared to rapturous applause on stage with the Dubliners at the Royal Albert Hall in '68/69? I was up in the Gods after getting a free ticket from Bruce, from whom I touted ( I guess) spare tickets.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 11:27 AM

Well, I really did get it wrong! I had no idea. Here is a memory from Rod Stradling.

Meg Aitken: Meg was a busker who Danny first heard singing in Villiers Street, outside Charing Cross Station. She went on to sing As Long as he Needs Me on a record of London buskers, and we believe her accompanist on The Last Thing on my Mind at the club was Don Partridge, who was also on the buskers record. Unfortunately, the recording of that is terrible, so we've got Danny Boy instead.

We know nothing about her, but while looking for at least a photo, (which we didn't find) we discovered, from her grandson, online, that her name was not Aitken but Aikman. Whoever she was, the singing is blinding!

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 07:57 AM

I have to admit I had a bit of a run-in with Don Partridge on the subject of money, however, I'm pleasantly surprised to find he opted for equal shares. It seems that my memories are correct but the interpretation is incorrect. I know some of the buskers heckled her and were generally disrespectful, especially one old woman in particular. the reason she sticks in my mind is the pleasant surprise of seeing her at the end of the film 'Darling' and seeing that once she had long jet black hair and that there was the likelihood she was a talented and presentable young woman in the 1940s and 50s, and asking those who now I find did not know, as to how she ended up as she was when I saw her sing. It is none of my business, but I'm a sucker for the end of the story.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Roderick A Warner
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 06:48 AM

Meg did have a tremor in her hand but I’m not sure it was related to alcohol. Easy mistake to make. I spent some time with her early on and in an environment where there was a lot of booze and drugs available and never saw her over indulging. Though the latter was more a younger persons indulgence. Watching her demolish a cream cake however was an interesting experience. Most (but not all) of the older buskers drank a lot. A lot to do with the boredom of hanging around waiting to play as well. At the Don Partridge buskers concert at the Albert Hall Don had decreed that everybody had an equal share of the profits. The bar backstage closed fairly quickly after the onslaught as everyone tried to get theirs!

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 02:59 AM

It seems appearances can be deceptive. I think it was one of the other buskers in St. Martins who told me. She was certainly ill when I last saw her, and trembling when she sang. So as you say an easy mistake. Somebody (not me) could do worse than pen a biography of her. If only to put the record straight.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Roderick A Warner
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 11:53 AM

I first met Meg (Megan Aikman) probably in Bunjies, the Porcupine pub and Cousins and sometime after she was my ticket to busking in the West End of London when I accompanied her on guitar, starting off on Villiers Street under the Arches (ho hum). Eventually blagging my way on to the cinema queues round Leicester Square and beyond. She was not, to my knowledge, a rough sleeper or an alcoholic (although many older buskers and a few of the younger cohort certainly were). I think her family would object to picturing her as some down and out but it’s an understandable mistake. She’d had a hard life and was probably older than she looked. The clothes were part of the aura, I suppose. I liked Meg a lot and learned much from her…

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 31 Mar 23 - 04:00 AM

Yes Meg was a regular visitor at Les Cousins too, she was what would be described in Scots as a kenspeckle figure. Anyway she always got a good reception wherever she went.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 07:21 PM

I've found her! Meg that is. Here is all I could find online.
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We have a certain fondness for Meg. I think we first saw her at Bunjies in the late sixties. It would have been one of the nights that Hratch was performing. There would be this noisy bustling as Meg moved through the tightly packed audience. Newcomers to Bunjies would have wondered what had descended upon them. We regulars knew that Hratch's performance would be interrupted whilst Queen Busker sang her repertoire. She had to get on with things as there would be many more venues that night for her to 'ply' her vocals!

Her 'uniform' was a threadbare fawn coat and silk headscarf which she was constantly adjusting. Her mouth was sorely lacking in teeth which accounted for phrases like 'fly away' being uttered as 'ply away'! Her soprano voice however was oh so very sweet. She used to relate the story of how Gracie Fields once threw money at her in 1946 when she was busking for the Prince of Wales theatre queue. It was never clear whether this act of Gracie's was to encourage more singing or to suggest a cessation! There are lots of stories about Meg but one we know to be fact ('cos we were there) is her impromptu performance with Simon and Garfunkel at the Royal Albert Hall in May 1968. I seem to recall only three songs in her repertoire: 'Danny Boy, 'The last thing on my mind' and 'I'll fly away'

In 1974 Meg was crowned Queen of the Buskers by the London Tourist Board. An accolade richly deserved. She also appeared in the film 'Darling' which was a cynical look at the 'Swinging' '60s
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I'm pretty sure she was sleeping rough and was an alcoholic. In the film Darling you get a glimpse of what she was capable of and what she might have achieved had her life and luck have been different.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 07:09 PM

It was Dom Bonito at the Enterprise (his birthday is the day before Kevin Sheils') and I last saw him in Saffron Walden. I also remember seeing and hearing Meg one evening, singing at Cecil Sharp House...

Kitty

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,RJM
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 04:22 PM

Cliff Wedgebury, Carey Roberts?

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,RJM
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 04:20 PM

Peter Bellamy

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 06:57 AM

Wow Old Meg That was her name!! I've been trying to remember for years. She used to come down to St Martin in the Fields Folk Club. If you go to the last few frames of the film 'Darling' with Julie Christie (was it?)You will see Meg singing. The booze had got her even then. She must have had a wonderful voice when she was young—good but sad memories.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,David Dixon
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 06:46 AM

I was a regular audience member and frequenter of the adjoining coffee bar area at Bunjies in the mid to late 60s.   It had a great and friendly atmosphere despite the occasional and illogical attempts by Lou Hart to raise the tone! The performers I remember are Al Stewart, Hratch, Nigel Wesson (still a dear friend), Jo-Anne Kelly and drop-in guests such as Paul Simon, Bert Jansch and lesser lights such as ‘old Meg’, a busker who always sang Danny Boy.   I know it’s an age thing but I still think the late 60s were Bunjies hey day.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 23 Dec 20 - 11:37 AM

*DADVENT*

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 23 Dec 20 - 11:36 AM

Dom Bonito is the hero of Will Allen's photoshop series Daventry on Facebook.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: The Sandman
Date: 23 Dec 20 - 10:02 AM

i thought don bonito was a resident at the enterprise.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 23 Dec 20 - 08:57 AM

I thought it was Don not Dom. He had a very attractive girlfriend as I remember. They both ran a good club. I think I'm mixing up the other names, from a different club.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Dec 20 - 03:51 PM

The names Dom Bonito or Terry Gould seem to linger deep in my memory, but it could be rubbish.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 22 Dec 20 - 02:46 PM

Was that Keith Clarke and Julia Grey who ran the enterprise? My aging memory is a bit faded.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Dec 20 - 11:00 AM

Shades of The Enterprise Chalk Farm Vic.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: Vic Smith
Date: 22 Dec 20 - 10:56 AM

Monday nights in the 1970s were shared by Ron Simmonds and Terry Masterson. Ron has been living in Spain for decades now but still sings there. Terry, a good friend of mine for over 50 years, lives near me in Lewes.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 21 Dec 20 - 11:36 PM

Does anyone remember Mike Lee that played there frequently during the 1980's? He was a very good singer!

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 21 Dec 20 - 02:32 PM

Theo Johnson played there, as did Roger Evans. I also remember Al Stewart being there.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Dec 20 - 11:37 AM

I moved to London in the winter of 1980. I started to frequent Bunjies and it soon became my "home from home"

I met lots of wonderful people down there, I honed my craft down there and was very sad to see it fold. However, all of us who were part of that crowd during the early 80s will probably never forget the many wonderful nights that were to be had in that cellar.

Along with Russ and sippy Karen Gez Clive Rick Dave Pat Chris and lots of others I spent some of my most memorable years in London

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,John from Kemsing
Date: 18 Aug 19 - 11:53 AM

We played Bunjies in the early years, "Four Square Circle".

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Ian Petrie
Date: 18 Aug 19 - 08:55 AM

Patrick Braybrooke, Peter Schaffer and I first played at Bunjies in the early seventies, first as 'The Big The Bad and The Ugly' then as Dolphin Smile. We had a weekly residency there for a short while a bit later on.

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 29 Jun 17 - 08:55 AM

Right, have finally got all my icons back so here is the blue clicky link to Simon's website.....

Kitty

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 28 Jun 17 - 10:27 PM

I actually did order that book last year. Very interesting reading for those of us who remember the great days at Bunjies. I never visited London in the 1990's so didn't go to Bunjies in those years.
I live in U.S.A.
I do remember Sippy but didn't know she had passed away. What did she pass away from? I remember Rhatch, Mike Lee, Brackenwood, Russ Shipton and a few of the other names mentioned.

When I think back on those days at Bunjies - they were very special for me and I have very fond memories. Probably my favourite folk club in those years. There were many folk clubs around London and I went to others but Bunjies holds the fondest memories. On my flight over from Los Angeles to London, I would be thinking of how much I looked forward to always going back to Bunjies. I even ate there beforehand; having (usually Lasagna & a salad) before the music started.
I bought the Bunjies LP but often wondered was there more then one album that was sold or if there were any tapes released of various artists? Or was there just the one LP?

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 28 Jun 17 - 02:04 AM

See www.simonprager.com/....... - I would have done this as a link, but the icon for cutting/ copying and pasting has disappeared off to the right of my screen and I haven't found a way of getting it back yet!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 27 Jun 17 - 04:17 PM

Simon Prager still appears to be performing...

Subject: RE: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Jude G
Date: 27 Jun 17 - 04:10 PM

One of the most beautiful souls who was a regular player was Peter Cadle, who wrote a book about Bunjies performers called 'Nights in the Cellar'! He sadly died a few years ago at a far too young age (61 I think) Do look him up on Youtube. His songs are exquisitely beautiful and he was one of the most sincere people I have ever met. He was also a poet who would knock on people's doors presenting his works in a most modest fashion. His book may not be available now, but he mentioned regulars including Russ Shipton of guitar tutorial books fame who is very much alive, Sippy Azizollah (recently deceased), Karen Bates, Pat Orchard, Hratch, Robin Willow, Dave Russell, Wizz Jones, Bert Jansch. Less regular were Paul Simon,Jeff Buckley, Cat Stevens, Bowie, Davey Graham, Suzanne Chawner, John Cooper Clarke. Not enough time now to list any more. I don't think any of them gave up music until the grim reaper took them away.

Subject: Performers at Bunjies, London
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 27 Jun 17 - 12:21 AM

During the 1970's and 1980's I frequently went to Bunjies Folk Cellar when I was visiting London. There were many folksingers who were booked every week to perform and some were there for years having an ongoing floor spot to play.

I often wonder what became of these regular performers? After Bunjies closed for folk music did these singers go on to perform at other clubs, release albums and are any of them (from those years) still involved with music?

If you were a regular singer at Bunjies or know any of the artists who sang there (during the 1970's & 1980's) please post response. It would be interesting to know if many of these talented artists are still involved with music after all these years. I guess most would be in their 60's and older now. Maybe some would be in their 50's if they were only in their 20's during the 1980's. Perhaps some of the artists are not involved with music anymore though.