Chorlton FC - sixth birthday

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 07:22 AM

Dave,

you will be most welcome at the Beech at a First Wednesday of your choosing

Chiz

L in C

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 07:06 AM

Damn - Sounds like it was my kind of do and I missed it:-( I'll try to rectify that oversight at the Beech if I can:-)

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: fat B****rd
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 04:25 AM

I'm glad to hear the club's doing well. ATB from fB

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 03:28 AM

And some folks songs too? A Grand Conversation on Napoleon, Whirlyworl and Cuckoo's Nest to name but three.

A great Night Chorlton FC at it's crammed full best. Jozeph in a shirt fit for in Aztec Priest and a great shame he didn't sing.

Only 2 weeks Wednesday (3 December) to the first birthday of The Singaround at the Beech, Chorlton. Songs and tunes mostly but not exclusively traditional.

Chiz Les

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Leadfingers
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 08:24 PM

Glad it was a good night !
First time I went to Maidenhead I was on a Motorbike - 1969 as I recall !

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 07:46 PM

21 acts! English concertina! Jake Thackray! Buddy Holly! An instrument I'd never seen before, like an mbira the size of a double bass and all made of wood! 21 acts! English concertina! Drink! Cake!

All in all it really was quite a good evening. (And yes, FKLG, Brian did start it off. It's tradition.)

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 12:29 PM

Three and a half hours to go...

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: GUEST,Father Knew Lloyd George
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 04:29 AM

But who will open the night... will ti be the old geezer who doesn't sing quite as out of tune as he used to but still uses a songbook... or will the mc get a chance to shine? Never understood why the mc doesn't tsart things off at Chrotlon... he's actually not half bad when I've heard him...

Seriously... it's a great club, great crowd and some fine performers among them... sould be a good night.

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 03:35 AM

Later today

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 03:11 AM

Tonight!

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 12 Nov 08 - 06:44 PM

Tomorrow!

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 07:19 AM

One night it was 20 (I think that was the first night of the one-song policy). It would have been 21, only Simon turned up late with his banjo - if I'd been Joe I would have put him on anyway (I could listen to Simon playing banjo all night). Where are they all coming from? Chorlton, probably, but you know what I mean.

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 06:16 AM

Thanks you Father for that blessing, you have described all the evenings at the club so completely.

It has on occasion started late but much less so of late, although I will grant a couple of weeks ago it was towards 10 and the break was too long. The bar does close at 11 but we can live with that. It does finish at 11. 30, the Cricket Club demand that it does as do people who have to get up for work.

Most of the time it starts around 9. 30 because almost nobody arrives until 9.15.   A 15 minute break is more typical. The reason people get one song is because so many turn up. One week 17 people turned up to sing, most weeks it is more than 10.

Like a lot of Clubs who have few guests and a policy of letting everybody sing, some are not very good at all and some are brilliant.

Chiz

L in C

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: GUEST,Father Knew Lloyd George
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 05:40 AM

Chorlton? Judging from when I've been down it doesn't get going till 10.00, the bar downstairs closes at 11.00, and it's everybody out and give us a ahnd stacking the chairs at 11.30 sharp... woudnt be so bad only there's a ten-minute break in the middle of that lot which usually stretches to half an hour... no wonder they've cut it down to one song each, it's a wonder they get anyone on at all.

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Leadfingers
Date: 07 Nov 08 - 08:45 PM

Sounds a good evening , but Maidenhead is about 200 miles closer !!
Have a good one !!

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 07 Nov 08 - 02:33 PM

Les - you're bringing it all back. I've had some extraordinarily good nights at Chorlton, and seen some extraordinary performances. I've laughed*, I've cried**, I've prompted***, I've been prompted****, I've heckled*****, I've waved an invisible scarf******. Good times, good people. (And next week, with any luck, there'll be cake.)

* Copland's "Hurdy-Gurdy Man" in the style of George Harrison was quite possibly the funniest thing I'd ever heard. Perhaps you had to be there.
** I'd somehow never heard "Who knows where the time goes?" before that night.
*** "City's like a jungle!"
**** Louvin Brothers, "I don't believe you've met my baby". Funny thing, I asked around afterwards and I couldn't find who it was that gave me the line. I'd like to thank him, whoever he is.
***** Mark insists on this.
****** Someone played "Angels", would you believe.

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 07 Nov 08 - 05:38 AM

Phil,

I shall be their.

Yes 6 years for the best Folk Club in Chorlton! The doors open, Nick takes a pound, people come in, lots if them sing, lots sing their own songs, lots sing other peoples songs, some of us sing songs and play tunes, mostly but not exclusively traditional, Mark reads poems, Brian plays a drum and John a banjo. Mark and Clive are some of The Lonesome and Penniless Cowboys and they are unique and brilliant. Jo and Copland, the latter of Guardian letters page, compare and sing excellent songs of their own. Something amazing often happens.

Now,i it is the best Folk Clubn Chorlton but I understand that a secret gathering of "songs and play tunes, mostly but not exclusively traditional" happens on the first Wednesday of the month at the Beech in Chorlton, but that another story.

L in C

Subject: RE: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Harmonium Hero
Date: 06 Nov 08 - 06:24 PM

Hi pip, and any other Chorltonians reading this. Just like to wish the club a happy birthday; perhaps you can tell them on the night. I will probably be mithering some unsuspecting club in the midlands that night, but hope to see you all again in the not-too-distant future.
John Kelly.

Subject: Chorlton FC - sixth birthday
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 06 Nov 08 - 05:58 PM

Next Thursday (13th November) Chorlton Folk Club will be holding its sixth birthday celebrations. Come along if you're in the area - if past birthdays are anything to go by, it should be a great night.

What to say about Chorlton FC? How to describe it to the uninitiated? The basics are that it's weekly, it's £1 in most nights, it's all acoustic, it's in a upstairs room at the local cricket club, the beer is cheap, it's ostensibly a 9.00 start and an 11.00 finish but in practice rather later on both fronts, it's almost entirely a singers' club, and the MC very rarely plays (which is a shame, because he's good).

Beyond that I'll confess to slightly mixed feelings. It was a really good place for me to sing when I was getting started (which was about five and a half years ago) but I don't go very often now. Over the last year or so it's got busier and busier - "two songs and maybe one in the second half" went down to just two, then more recently down to one each. (I can remember nights when we were doing three in the first half and two in the second. Mind you, back then there were about six of us getting up and another six non-singers.) Partly it's just changing tastes - over the last year, particularly since seeing John Kelly (at Chorlton), I've got heavily into traditional music, and you just don't hear that much of it there.

I don't want to sound too gloomy - it's a fine & lively club with some great regulars, and I'm really looking forward to next Thursday. Any other Chorltonians want to add anything? Les, are you there?