Where are the Great Folk Clubs?

Subject: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: GUEST,fi in nz
Date: 10 May 04 - 01:24 AM

Try again - I just tried to get some chat going on this one, but maybe the "NZ" in the thread title put people off. Anyway, it would be great if this thread could turn into a definitive list of the best folk clubs out there..... worldwide..... as you will see, I'm in NZ, but I travel a lot and would be particularly keen to hear of any clubs in British Columbia, Colorado, the UK and France..... Here's my original post, nearly unchanged ...

Seems there's an awful lot of chat bemoaning the fact that folk clubs are not great. I've just been reading about 3 people turning up to Hull FC.... which I have to agree is piteously poor. So, I thought I'd take the time to tell you about a thriving club...

The Bunker (a real WW2 bunker) on Mt Victoria (a volcano) in Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand has a regular attendance of about 100 members on a club night. Since it only holds 100, often on a guest night, it's tickets only. People nearly always have to sit in the windowsills or stand in the doorway. The standard of music is fantastic. Everyone is encouraged to perform and many a newbie turns into a regular and visibly improves over the weeks. Guests come back year after year (often from Europe or the States) - so much so that Roger (the MC) has trouble fitting in the locals for guest spots. Though many of the members are older, there are also a number of younger members - lots of 30 somethings and quite a few younger.

So, why is it so popular? Well, Roger Giles, the MC is a character who everyone would be happy to see performing in his own right - he does, often. Then, there's the venue.... a cosy hole in a hill overlooking the south pacific.... magic on any night, the free coffee, tea and milo and banter in the interval, the big open fire in the winter and .... oh yes, and the music. The format of a club night is floorspots (2 numbers per performer), break, floorspots. Guests get either the full night or the second half depending upon.... I'm not quite sure what - seems to be largely dependent upon how far you've travelled i.e. if you're not from Auckland you get the whole night, if you are you probably only get the 2nd half unless you're a big AKL star.

Any musicians passing through, this is a must visit folk club. Every Monday night 8pm.

I am from London, and I never found anything like it in that town.... but if anyone knows of such a place there, I'd be happy to make a trip on my next visit.... (I won't expect a view of the south pacific ;-).

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: Rasener
Date: 10 May 04 - 02:20 AM

Well I have a new folk club running in Market Rasen in Lincolnshire and you would be very welcome to visit if ever you can find it :-)

I have just got my website up and running, but it is not completely ready, and I need to update things, once it is.

Have a look at it.

http://www.marketrasenfolkclub.co.uk

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: Scooby Doo
Date: 10 May 04 - 03:55 AM

I believe Llantrisant folk club,Pontyclun,Llantrisant is a warm and welcoming pub with good guests,local musicians and singers.Its run by Pat Smith from Calennig and Mic Tems who is still recovering from his severe stroke he had a few years back.

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 10 May 04 - 05:10 AM

Yes, Market Rasen Folk Club is a cracker and so is Gainsborough at the Eight Jolly Brewers Pub. They are on alternate Friday nights...Gainsborough being this Friday..14th May..Non smoking, upstairs room,great bunch of Folk and good on the ears. Be Blessed

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: Dave of Mawkin
Date: 10 May 04 - 05:20 AM

Hitchin Folk Club last night with Andy Cutting and Chris Wood was the absolute dogs bolox.

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: breezy
Date: 10 May 04 - 05:27 AM

the rogues folk club in vancouver puts on a very good prog
I'm working at it.
I had a good summer one going in cornwall with Atlantic Sunsets thrown in, but the landlord wasnt on our wavelength called me a pub songer so that was it!
I think 100 would be too big for getting a good regular atmosphere although I got on O K at shenanigans in Boscombe where 80 turned out for Vin Garbutt.
I prefer a bit more intimacy where I know everybody's name so 50-60 is my target.
Cant compete with your club
I'm in St Albans uk
www.folk4all.net

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From:
Date: 10 May 04 - 01:07 PM

Bodmin Folk Club, Cornwall, England, UK. Friendly, really good guests and communal singing is great, harmonies and all.

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: Tam the Bam (Nutter)
Date: 10 May 04 - 01:12 PM

The Irvine Folk club at the Golf Hotel (Scotland)

they have their own website as well.

www.irvinefolkclub.co.uk

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: breezy
Date: 10 May 04 - 02:05 PM

when all are present, the Herga, the royal oak, peel road , wealdstone.

its not 'Great' its solid, good clubs that are being sought, those that have strong support and regularly well attended,where there's real atmosphere

like sharps in the'House' camden town, london, england, every tuesday

and who is appearing on the 13th July?????

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: GUEST,maryrrf
Date: 10 May 04 - 02:39 PM

Have to agree that the Irvine Folk club is great. They've been running for something like forty years. I also should mention (in Scotland) the Girvan Folk Club, the Wee Folk Club in Edinburgh (it really is small but it's a great atmosphere) and the Stirling Folk Club. Another really fun one was the Dalmellington Folk Club. I had a warm welcome and a great time in all the Scottish folk clubs although some were better attended than others.

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: GUEST,fi_in_nz
Date: 10 May 04 - 05:03 PM

Talking of the Dogs Bollix - Dave of Mawkin - there is also a great pub in Auckland called the Dogs Bollix which has a great session on Tuesdays.

I was in Vancouver in December, Breezy, and unfortunately the folk club only runs in summer - v. bizarre. We have some of our cosiest club nights in the winter. Hopefully I'll make it up there during the summer sessions though since the summer venue is great.

Cheers

F

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: harlowpoet
Date: 11 May 04 - 03:34 AM

Must admit to a certain bias but Waltham Abbey Folk Club is pretty good.

We've just launched our new website if you want to check it out here

Waltham Abbey Folk Club

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 11 May 04 - 11:31 AM

not so much a folk club more an institution The Taybank Hotel Dunkeld.

Music hangs of the wall literaly.

Sessions most nights

guitar workshops regularly

And

The friday night folk club upastairs.

Oh yes and occassional concerts.

Goood beer and stovies too.

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: oldsalty
Date: 11 May 04 - 04:17 PM

we have 2 great clubs at whitby!sun nite,Tap and Spile,run by Derek Elliott and wed nite,The Plough,run by Mick Haywood.Both kick off bout 8 pm

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: oombanjo
Date: 11 May 04 - 05:51 PM

DON'T FORGET NELLIES (THE WHITE HORSE INN AT BEVERLEY) VISIT IT ON ITS WEB SITE.

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: BanjoRay
Date: 11 May 04 - 06:34 PM

I agree about the Bodmin club - one of the best I've ever been to in 40 years of going to clubs - friendliness, fun, characters, quips, harmonies, floor spots, great beer. I think it's to do with the Cornish not being English.
Ray (Welsh)

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: GUEST,fi_in_nz
Date: 11 May 04 - 07:25 PM

What about clubs outside the UK? There must be some great ones in the States/Canada/mainland Europe too... no?

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: GUEST,fi in nz
Date: 11 May 04 - 07:26 PM

PS - all this is giving me a great itinerary for my next trip home.... thanks :-)

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: rich-joy
Date: 11 May 04 - 08:36 PM

Well, here in NE Oz (actually, SE Queensland),
people are very complimentary and enthusiastic about "A Bit of Folk on the Side" (aka ABOFOTS), held on the 1st Saturday of the month at The Up Front Club, in the beautiful hilltop town of Maleny.

10 months of the year it's a blackboard-style format and usually, we have an OVER-abundance of interesting performers, coming from over a wide-ranging geographical area too.    On our birthday month in October, we have special booked Guests and a big Singing Session (after CAKE, of course!).

Run by my Partner, Paul Lawler (ex-Sydney and Darwin folkie).

All very welcome!!

See also the "Folk in Eastern Australia" thread for more info! (link?)

Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 12 May 04 - 09:55 PM

I can highly recommend the Paint Creek Folklore Society in Rochester, Michigan (in the Detroit metropolitan area). (I was a member for years, until I moved to the UK.) Meetings are first Saturdays -- in the evening, in the charming Lawnridge Hall, which is a sort of house attached to a church -- a very cozy place to have a meeting.

PCFS is a bit unusual (at least in the US) in its emphasis on participation; in my experience, most US folk clubs/organisations mainly organise concerts rather than expecting members to sing and/or play -- perhaps this is why you haven't had many US clubs suggested on this thread so far. (You might also want to be forewarned that beer is not an integral part of the US folk scene as it is in the UK (and -- I assume -- Oz & NZ).)

Anyway, the evening starts off with a short (45 min or so) "workshop" -- usually on some aspect of folk music, dance or folklore, then there's a refreshment break (no beer, sorry!), followed by a song swap. The song swap has a "theme" and anyone is welcome to get up & sing a song or play a tune. There is a wide range of performing experience represented -- from beginners to pros, but everyone gets a warm reception. BTW, don't worry too much about the "theme" -- it's rather loosely adhered to; once when the theme was "Cooking", someone did a song that "I thought of while I was cooking..." ;-)

After the song swap, the "official" meeting ends and jamming commences; Lawnridge Hall has a bunch of little rooms which are perfect for small jam sessions. There are usually at least two: a big one downstairs (involving quite a few hammered dulcimers, as well as guitars, fiddles, etc) and a "singing jam" in an upstairs room.

Well worth getting to, if you're in the area.

Cheers,

YY

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: Panther650
Date: 13 May 04 - 03:56 PM

Anyone know any good traditional folk clubs in Glasgow?

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: GUEST,fi
Date: 13 May 04 - 04:38 PM

Paint Creek sounds cool YorkshireYankee. We're thinking of buying a van in Canada somewhere (probably Nova Scotia) and travelling down to New Orleans next year over a few months. Who knows, we might make it to Detroit.

F

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 13 May 04 - 09:51 PM

Sounds great, Fi! If you do manage to get to Paint Creek, tell 'em Vikki Appleton sent ya (it'll be a blast from the past for some of 'em!).

Cheers,


YY

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 14 May 04 - 09:12 AM

Just a reminder for anyone in striking distance...Gainsborough Folk Club is TONIGHT at around 8.30-9pm start. Be Blessed

Subject: RE: Where are the Great Folk Clubs?
From: Scooby Doo
Date: 15 May 04 - 06:33 AM

Llantrisant Folk Club is brilliant you can contact the club on www.folkwales.org