folk club rooms i have dwelt in

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 04 Dec 20 - 04:01 PM

I was at Capital Folk club in Long Acre
Covent Garden one Sunday night when the organiser of the St Martins club came in and asked if our residents could help them out as their booked guest couldn't come at short notice. I don't think we had a guest that night so we went round in turn and filled in for them. There was also a Friday folk club in a separate crypt of St Martins which was a much more intimate area.

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Dec 20 - 03:06 PM

A good many years ago there was a folk club (of sorts) in Finsbury library, Islington, just opposite City University. I sang there a few times. The audience was mostly old folk, one or two of whom would sleep during the proceedings.

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 07 Dec 20 - 12:17 PM

The Marsden Rattlers drove up from South Shields to Falkirk on a Friday night after work in about 1965 for a booking at the local club, part of a weekend of gigs- ceilidh at Peat Inn on Saturday and St Andrews club at the 'Star Inn'on the Sunday

We arrived late in Falkirk after hitting serious traffic in Edinburgh- no City Bypass in those days, so no chance of a pint en route- no breathalyser either...
As proper folkies, we were appalled to find the club was held in the Temperance Hotel! It was a very friendly club & we enjoyed it, having been assured that the pub over the road was open - we did manage to nip out for a pint of Heavy, but that's all we got, as the club ran late & the pubs in Scotland closed at 10 in those days.

'Heavy on the bevy, wi' a bottle by my side
Heavy on the bevy on the bonnie banks of Clyde,
When the wife has gone to rest, that's the time that I love best
That's when I am heavy on the bevy'

(tune- 'Roamin' in the Gloamin')

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: GUEST,Malcolm Storey
Date: 07 Dec 20 - 02:32 PM

Just got back to this thread.
I sang at the Bunker on Auckland Harbour a few times when I still had a voice.
Smashing friendly club complete with photo of Cecil Sharp which was turned to the wall if anyone sang a none traditional song!
And yes - it must have the greatest view of any folk club in the world.

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: rich-joy
Date: 07 Dec 20 - 09:26 PM

In Perth, Western Australia, I can recall regularly enjoying a couple of folk venues in the early 70s.

One was the Governor Broome Folksong Club, started and run by Geoff Morgan (his wife Margaret was one of my very favourite singers!)
From the vicinity of the Perth’s lovely 1880 Railway Station, one crossed the “Horseshoe Bridge” from William St into “The Badlands”, over the narrow Roe St with its infamous “Ladies of the Night” to where the Governor Broome Hotel stood on the corner. The area is nowadays the upmarket and artsy “Northbridge” …….. :)
The GB was a wonderful folk club (in the large dining room from memory), that was absolutely chockers every Friday night (I rem’ber the whole audience singing a rowdy Happy Birthday to me on my 21st, LoL). Perth had a large contingent of British Isles & Ireland migrants and the folk clubs reflected this, although, every type of ‘folk’ music was popularly performed, including American, blues, and contemporary.
After I left to do “The Overland Trip” in 76, I heard that a disgruntled client from the brothels, out the back, had set fire to the place!! I believe the hotel was also a popular alternative band (esp punk) venue, but was demolished in 1983.

The other main venue, that came a bit later, was The Stables Folk Club.
This was – yep, you guessed it – in the loft of an old stables, out back of the Mount Hotel (conveniently, situated in Mount Street – or maybe the back entrance was Malcolm St?) anyway, not far from the beautiful Kings Park on Mt Eliza, and, which hotel was more of a residential, rather than an alcohol-serving hotel.
My mate, Jan Hendry, had stayed there a while and now figured the outbuildings would make a great performance venue. So 3 of us cleaned the place up on a zero $ budget, and Jan started the folk club. Not terribly big, but VERY popular (on Thursday nights perhaps?) and soon Jan turned the running over to performer Stan Hastings, who had in recent years, migrated with his family from Wales.
I recall we had folk dance ‘classes’ there too, and the floor could often be seen gently heaving, haha! But I then lost touch with the folkscene for awhile, so I have no idea how long this venue lasted. It’s certainly not there now……

The city is, IMHO, barely recognizable now, due to the razing of lovely historic buildings and byways - which probably began in the 60s but the influx of Mining $$$, esp by the 80s, has exacerbated the decline of the place I once knew . Sure, visitors may marvel at it now (and do), but I, like a good folkie, just prefer a healthy mix of the historical amongst the skyscrapers, steel, mega-money and glitz! :)

R-J

PS        there were also venues like Mulligans of Milligan St and the Albert Tavern where Irish bands like The Quarefellas and The Ranting Lads used to play, but I dunno much about them – coz you can’t go to Everything, eh!!

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: GUEST,Malcolm Storey
Date: 08 Dec 20 - 05:45 PM

Further to the Bunker:
Roger Giles was involved in running the club for almost 50 years and also had a big hand with Auckland Festival.
Roger was from Shropshire and worked with Fred Jordan as a young man.
He made his way to New Zealand in order to perfect his skills as a sheep shearer. He became one of the most respected members of his trade in the toughest school in the world and never did return to England to live.
By sheer happenchance he was on one of his sporadic visits to the UK when Fred died and when he went to visit Fred's niece shortly afterwards she asked if there was anything of Fred's he would like as a momento.
That is why Fred's boots finished up in the land of the long white cloud!
Roger died in early March this year.
Lovely man.

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: r.padgett
Date: 09 Dec 20 - 08:09 AM

There was an article on Roger Giles in a recent? Living Tradition folk mag with some fine photos etc

Ray

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 11 Dec 20 - 09:13 AM

I used to run a club at a rural pub in Kent, and we used to meet in the barn behind the main building. Most of the year, it was quite convivial, but in the winter months it became hard work for both performers and audience alike. One cold night in January, I arrived to find that the landlord had tried to sort the problem for us, by lighting a fire in the centre of the (concrete) floor. For a while it was very cosy, but after an hour or so the smoke had filled the large roof void and had begun descending to our level. At first, you were only aware of it when you stood up, but eventually we had to evacuate the barn. Those who weren’t crying from the smoke were crying with laughter, but I guess you had to be there....

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: r.padgett
Date: 11 Dec 20 - 11:56 AM

Yes club rooms where the landlord lights a coal fire half hour before the singing starts are a no no for me!

No names no pack drill

Ray

Subject: RE: folk club rooms i have dwelt in
From: The Sandman
Date: 02 Aug 22 - 05:13 PM

re freds boots.
Some years ago, on a cold dark night
Some boots did sing, 'neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene, but they all said
That the boots that they saw , looked a lot like Freds
The voice that they heard, had a Shropshire twang
the frost on the pumpkin,was the first they sang
I spoke not a word, but listened entranced
When the song did end the Boots did a dance
They walks the hills of the long white cloud
They visits the town when the night winds howl
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
the, voice sounds good and the diction clear
the boots tap on the ground and shed not a tear
But late at night, when the north wind blows
In the long white cloud they sing loud and slow
they walks these hills of the long white cloud
they visits the sea when the night winds howl
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me