The Attic Folk Club

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,adrian t
Date: 06 Nov 23 - 08:59 AM

Was a regular on a Sunday night at the ATTIC in Abbey Street. Highlight was seeing Tom Paxton in November 1965 on his first visit to the UK. Almost unbelievable that he appeared at that wee club in the tenement building. I was only 15 then and a pupil at Paisley Grammar.
Despite it's limited size (but great atmosphere) the Attic attracted some superb folk singers of the era.

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,adrian t
Date: 06 Nov 23 - 08:59 AM

Was a regular on a Sunday night at the ATTIC in Abbey Street. Highlight was seeing Tom Paxton in November 1965 on his first visit to the UK. Almost unbelievable that he appeared at that wee club in the tenement building. I was only 15 then and a pupil at Paisley Grammar.
Despite it's limited size (but great atmosphere) the Attic attracted some superb folk singers of the era.

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 12 Apr 19 - 02:51 AM

Hi Fraser,I remember you playing the Alba Club in Dunoon, first in the Glasgow Hotel and then the Glenmorag. Jim Craig and the Islanders played about the same time, Do you have a brother Ian who sang with you?.....I also remember buying LPs from you at a wee stall in the Barras?............seems like only yesterday!   Ake.

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,Fraser Bruce
Date: 12 Apr 19 - 02:29 AM

Alastair McSwan strarted The Rockfield Folk Club in Paisley about 1967 . Him and I became great friends and I was his best man when he married Mary . He decided to move back to Skye and I took over running the club till about 1974/5 .
I moved to London and the club closed soon after . It moved to several venues then and finally The Silver Thread , where it had several very good years.
Akastair did NOT have a wooden leg but he had. ‘Gammy’ leg because he got it caught up in the boats engine when he was water ski-ing

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: Jim McLean
Date: 06 Feb 18 - 12:48 PM

I think Alastair McSwan had a wooden leg and used to stab his sgian dub into it!

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 06 Feb 18 - 12:18 PM

Hi guest, I used to travel to the Rockfield and remember Alistair well....always wore highland dress and was a good Gaelic singer and compere.   Happy days right enough.
I also remember a duo called the "Colston" two bonnie lassies who were very good club performers

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,JoeCD
Date: 06 Feb 18 - 11:41 AM

Tony has just played a sell out concert at Celtic Connections and is coming up to play our small club in Garmouth on 23rd Feb. Really looking forward to him

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 18 - 11:36 AM

It moved a few times as theyknocked down the old buildings around cotton street. Last one I remember was up a close behind the Russel Institute and COOP.
Davey kinda dropped out and Danny then tried moving it to The Silver thread which was quite successful for afew years. Alistair McSwan opened up the Sunday night Rockfield hotel club which I think , because the Attic was struggling a bit for premises, kinda took over in themid 60s. Any rate I had a wee folk group then and playedat both venues (I.e. Attic and Rockfield) and have great memories. Still sing a bit and still love folk music
JoeCD

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,Andymac
Date: 05 Jan 18 - 05:09 AM

There was a later re-incarnation (resurrection?) of The Attic Folk Club in Paisley in the 90s.

Danny Kyle was again involved along with the much missed Davey Spiers and I recall it taking place in The Arts Centre in New St. I think prior to the Arts Centre the venue was in a local pub but I can't recall which one and anyway it will have been renamed and redecorated about a dozen times since then...
There was also a Tuesday night Arts Centre Folk night, so I may be conflating both. A much slicker setup than mentioned above, although with Danny's slightly anarchic touch obvious.

I considered myself privileged to be at the first gig of Palaver (Aileen Carr, Gordeannea McCulloch, Maureen Jelks, Chris Myles) which was phenomenal but there were lots of others.

Hamish Imlach guested one night and I still have a signed copy of his biography bought that night. The floor spots included the fine (and local) John McMeekin and a young unknown (maths?) student called Tony McManus playing amazingly on his guitar.
He was later booked for one of his very first paid gigs. Wonder what happened to him? ;-)

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 02 Jan 18 - 01:09 PM

No trouble. Glad to be of belp.

DtG

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Jan 18 - 12:19 PM

Actually found a couple of people I knew from that link..and the address....Thanks again.

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Jan 18 - 10:47 AM

Thanks Dave.

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 02 Jan 18 - 10:20 AM

Similar question on Facebook 2 years ago on, 'The Only Way is Paisley' page.

Great snippet by one of the contributors -

Memories you asked for. The first night I went I was 15 and had a new girlfriend to impress. I found the close ok and was walking tentatively up the stairs In the dark when a guy came bounding down and asked if he could help me. That was Matt McGinn and he took me upstairs to another old guy sitting at a table who enrolled me as a member, that was Danny Kyle. I was just a wee schoolboy but the warmth of friendship I got from everyone there was amazing . I remember seeing Bert Jansch, Hamish Imlach and many many others. The seating was old dining chairs rescued on their way to a dump, it was a mess, there was a kitchen so you could make tea. People came in at all times, it was a Sunday night, straight from a weekend on the hills, threw their rucksacks on the floor and lay down using them as pillows and several would fall asleep. Good to see this video although I don't remember it ever having these anything as sophisticated as these stylish curtains. I went once after it moved to Renfrew Road but it just wasn't the same and so I stopped going. To put this in context this was just at the time The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were becoming known and in the following year I would get to see The Hollies, The Searchers etc at Paisley Town Hall. Great times to start a life long passion for music.

Worth getting in touch I guess.

DtG

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 02 Jan 18 - 06:01 AM

Thanks for responding Leadfingers, the club I asked about was definitely in Paisley.
I used the attend several clubs in the City of Glasgow in the early 60's my favourite being "The Folk Centre", right at the top of a tenement building in Montrose Street....you were absolutely knackered by the time you got there and felt more like sleeping than singing. Ake.

Subject: RE: The Attic Folk Club
From: Leadfingers
Date: 02 Jan 18 - 05:25 AM

I attended two 'Attic' Folk Clubs , nether in Paisley . One was a Thursday club in Chesham which i only got to a couple of times as I was in the RAF , and rarely in the area . the other was in RAF Changi , Singapore

Subject: The Attic Folk Club
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 01 Jan 18 - 07:54 AM

One of my first folk LPs was recorded "Live at the Attic" a folk club in Paisley Renfrewshire.
It featured Josh McRae, Danny Kyle,Matt Mcginn and a few other lesser known performers.
Do any of the auld Scottish Folkies remember the place or even attended it?
I always wondered where it was as I visited Paisley quite often.