Sorry to stir up old mud but Saturday night at the Lewes Saturday Folk Club this weekend reminded me of this line from Jim Carroll -

"Over the last fifteen years I don't think I have heard half a dozen ballads sung in all, and most of them were by singers who made a half-decent job of them."

Unlike many clubs, we remain open through August with open nights and, so far, things are going very well. Last night the set list included -

Ballads
Golden Vanity
Annan Water
Young Edwin
Lord Bateman
Georgie (Sussex traveller version of Geordie)
Wife of Usher's Well
Broomfield Wager
Bailiff's Daughter of Islington


Other traditional
Bonny Light Horseman
Claudy Banks
Gresford Mining Disaster
Bonny Labouring Boy
Down in yon Forest
I Will Guide Thee With Mine Eye - Southern Baptist
Widdecombe Fair
Tailor and the Mouse
Brighton Camp
Ar Far De Lo
Eriskay Love Lilt

Modern "in the tradition"
Dublin in the Rare Old Times - Pete St John
Coal Town Days - Jez Lowe
Normandy Orchards - Keith Marsden
Sussex Downs - Ranna Hurst

Others
Bastard Mastercard
Sally in Our Ally

Tunes
Various English dance tunes and one Irish if I recall.

There were a few others which I forget. I wasn't taking notes at the time.

Ranna is a singer/songwriter who writes songs reflecting her love of Sussex.

One rather elderly singer used a crib sheet. Another rather elderly singer didn't but possibly should have done. Another singer had a piece of paper for one of her three songs. One or two performers were, shall we say, alright, the rest were from good to superb.

Everybody who came into the room was asked if they wanted to sing and a few declined but seemed to enjoy themselves.

This was, perhaps, a slightly exceptional evening in being quite so ballad heavy but, on the whole, I think we must be doing something right.