Around the second weekend in September there are plans afoot to launch a FolkMob event in London; the idea being to expose the unsuspecting English public to an aspect of their culture they never knew existed.
To that end, the organisers are looking for singers and covert musicians (no guitars, I'm afraid) who would be willing to attend a rehearsal at Cecil Sharp House at some point in the days preceding, and to be ready to perform on-key, with gusto and with a semblance of spontaneity at the event itself.
The precise venue, time and programme are still in flux, but the plan is to stage it at a major public space (not a station) in London on a Saturday, and to have just two songs - one probably being the iconic Pleasant and Delightful and the other being...
What is crucial is that the event has (a) a critical mass and that (b) it is tight as a duck's chuff when it comes to timing and pitch.
If anyone is interested in taking part, please PM me and I will furnish further details. Some bedspace may be available for those travelling from far afield to take part, and the hope is that, after the exhilaration of the brief but successful event itself, those involved can repair to somewhere more congenial to enjoy a rollicking singaround.
As the event's instigator explained, "The plan is to expose the great mass of the English public to their own culture - a culture that probably 95 per cent of them never knew they had."
The FolkMob will be filmed and the plan is to garner as much publicity as possible for traditional English song on the day and afterwards.
For anyone puzzled by what the hell I'm wittering about, do a search for 'flashmob' on YouTube. With the right numbers and the right input, this has the potential to be something really rather fantastic.