The Lewes Arms folk club has been running the annual event described below for quite a few years now. At any one time there are at least fifty people in the room, and towards the end of the day nearer a hundred. A good few stay for the full twelve hours; the rest come and go.

It takes about three hours to get all round the room in straight singaround manner with one song a head; we have a sort of MC's mate drifting round the room quietly collecting names on a list and letting people know how many singers are still to go before their turn. We also have a rota of MCs doing 90-minute shifts. For the final hour, the MC will pick people he can trust to do meaty chorus songs well.

Personally, I like the effect created by the straight singaround with stars taking their turn on the same terms as the rest: it's a bit like the distribution of wild flowers in a meadow rather than a formal planting in a flower-bed. The attentive atmosphere and the knowledge of roughly when your turn will come helps people to prepare and not to sit anxiously wondering whether it's safe to go to the bar or the loo. The fact that there are a lot of chorus songs means that people's voices warm up and starting to lead a song from cold isn't a problem. In my opinion, most people who sing at this event give a discernably better performance than they do in an ordinary club floor-spot.

SUSSEX All-day SINGAROUND
Saturday 17th. January 2009
11.00 a.m. – 11.00 p.m.
The Royal Oak, High Street, Barcombe (near Lewes)
East Sussex BN8 5BA
Free admission – good pub food on sale all day.
First an hour of informal tunes while people arrive. Then the singing starts, finishing with a good hour of glorious choruses. Ballads & the occasional instrumental party piece will be very welcome too.

ENGLISH TUNES SESSION
Sunday 18th. January 2009
noon - 3.00 p.m.
The Lewes Arms, Mount Place, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1YH
Free admission – good pub food on sale.

Details from The Lewes Arms Folk Club
Bryan Creer, Dave Earl, Sandra Goddard,
Valmai Goodyear, Suzanne Higgins,
Robert O'Mahony, Diane & Steve Nevill,
George Oakley, Derek Seed.
(01273) 476757 e-mail: valmaigoodyear@aol.com
Website:http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/

Valmai (Lewes)