Great night at Herga

Subject: Great night at Herga
From: Singing Referee
Date: 22 Aug 05 - 06:25 PM

Just got back from Herga and had to post this, Couldn't find an appropriate thread so started a new one.

Wonderful night at Herga; El Greko was featured and was his usual splendid self; superb new song, destined to be a classic!

Great to see Alaska Mike again, meant to say fairwell, but missed him at the end, please come back, as soon as you can!

Good to meet Micca and Liz the Squeak.

As usual, magnificent singing from the floor.

Didn't count but there must have been 40+ there tonight. The new venue seems to be a roaring success. May be those of us who were used to the old place hadn't realised just how intimmidating the environment around the pub had become to occasional and new visitors. The Arts Centre provides a safe and convenient location and will be even better when we get into the Traveller's Bar in two weeks time. Shame about 'jobsworth' but I guess it's a small price to pay.

Tell everyone tha Herga has a new lease of life. 40 years in the same venue was a great record, but I recon this is definitely a "change for the better". (as Dan McKinnon would have said!)

Going to bed now, so I'll stop rambling.

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Leadfingers
Date: 22 Aug 05 - 06:33 PM

And about a quarter of 'em were catters !!!

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 02:40 AM

It was my first foray into Herga territory, it was fantastic to see many old friends there (it turned into a sort of 'where two worlds collide' moment) and meet some new ones. The atmosphere of the club is wonderful, the singing incredible and parking was more than ample!

I made the effort specifically to see Alaska Mike, but didn't realise there'd be so many other Catters there too.... it was great to put more faces to names. It was well worth the effort of getting there, especially to hear El Greko's new song and some of his older ones, most of which I'd not heard before. Thank you to Micca for a) telling me where it was, and b) coming all the way out there on a school night! As it turned out, the drive home was smooth and unhindered, I got into my house just as the midnight chimes struck!

As for Alaska Mike - he is every bit as funny, erudite and handsome as he is in the Chatroom... His good lady wife (or 'the competition' as she is now known) is a perfect match for him and it was a priviledge to meet them both.

And now many more people know why I'm 'the Squeak'!!

LTS

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Moses
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 06:31 AM

Thanks to the wonders of modern (I've dragged myself into the 21st century with a new mobile phone)technology, Breezy, on the quayside in Padstow, was able to listen in to El G's new song and he too rates it as very good.

The library are about to disconnect me so I'll just say it was a great night and especially pleasing to see so many catters there.

Christine

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Micca
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 08:35 AM

Magic evening, Thanks Liz for giving me the incentive to get off my back end and make the journey, ElG was fab as usual and his new song is excellent, very much up to his exacting, high standard, Good to see Trayton and meet Singing Referee and hear him and Moses sing together at last, and Johnny Collins and all the others that sang, the choral singing was BRILL!!! they DO support chorus singing at Herga Very well indeed, and a chance to say farewell to Alaska Mike and Tawmie, Hasta Luego guys, "sometime again" as the Inuit say. Thanks Herga for another Great Night

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Lanfranc
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 01:37 PM

I can only endorse everything said above! A superb evening.

I went along mainly to listen, but carried a guitar "just in case". When my turn came to sing, I couldn't resist finding out what the famous Herga chorus would make of "Mary Ellen at the church turned up". They sang the chorus as if they'd been singing it all their lives (perhaps they had!).

Alaska Mike only sang two songs, but I made up for it by purchasing all his CDs for future reference.

Both Micca and El Greko debuted new songs, which was brave of them.

George was in fine form, as were Moses and the Ref, but the quality of the singing throughout was awesome.

As far as I recall, the last time I went to Herga was sometime in 1969 or '70, though we know most of the residents from their outings to Waltham Abbey and Storbans. Although it's a 80-mile round trip, we'll be beating a path to Harrow again soon.

Alan

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Zorg
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 03:23 PM

What more need be added to the above comments, a wonderful night. Shame about the beer. If you liked us come again

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Houston_Diamond
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 03:29 PM

I feel soooo privilaged to have been there...(especially on my birthday!!!)

Thanks to all of you talented people that performed (especially Alaska and George)

I am sooo sure that the 'Hut' will be too small soon and the (reasonably large)little room will not be enough soon.

My only reservation is of the location creating the loss of ½ an hour (possibly longer) at the end and I really hope they can extend the finishing time to 11pm with an allowance of 10~20 minutes.

I will try my best to get there more often as it is only 3 to 4 miles from me.

Hope to see and hear you soon (even Liz the Squeek - I'm tryin to get to Towersey)

Houston

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: rumanci
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 03:57 PM

they're all coming out of the woodwork .......aaaarrrrgggghhh !!!

I'd better chime in too and echo all the sentiments above - a wonderful evening - thankyou to everybody for making it seem that way for my first ever visit to the Herga......how did I ever miss it first time round ? ;-)

rum x

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Rasener
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 04:05 PM

And all this without Breezy being there!!!!!!

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 04:11 PM

Er.... my song was pretty new too.. still singing it in.....

LTS

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 24 Aug 05 - 05:31 AM

Thanks for the kind words all. Houston, shame we didn't hear you sing this time, I'm looking forward to your next visit (and soon!). But there were indeed such a host of fine voices (and excellent material too) in the room on Monday! A most appropriate sendoff for Alaska Mike - who told me later that evening that of all the folk gatherings and clubs he has visited in the world, his two visits at Herga this month have been the most memorable. He and Johnny Collins have formed a mutual appreciation club (watch out for Johnny coming out with a couple of Mike Campbell songs soon).

But most of all, I am pleased for Herga. It's a great vindication of our secretary's (Mike Sparks) push for a move from the old dump. We just spent 8 weeks in the middle of the summer at a new venue, and we have been seeing our numbers steadily rising even before we have started using the Arts Centre's publicity machine (I am lining that up for September). And there are people in the area who want to collaborate with work in schools etc, or want to help us stage a proper "London Folk Festival".

We have lots of plans. I dream of a Herga that has tripled its singers nights attendance in a year's time, with guests that force us to use the little theatre next to the clubroom because of their popularity; with a drop in average age of at least 10; but above all retaining the same famous quality singing, and the same supportive, open and friendly atmosphere that made it so enjoyable even in its leaner days. It used to be the "Mecca" of folk music in the South, 30 years ago - it can be that again.

Folk clubs in decline? Perhaps, some - but not this one!

So, thanks all - and come again!

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 24 Aug 05 - 06:01 AM

To be honest El Greko - I like the 10.30 finish - it meant that by car, I can get home by midnight (it was striking just as I walked in the door), so it may be a possibility that I come a little more often.... I don't know how long it takes by public transport, but I would venture to guess it's probably another 30 - 45 minutes on top of that, especially if I linger in the carpark chatting as we did Monday!

It's been SOOOO long since I had a proper folk club to go to... with singers and raffles and all..... got quite nostalgic and I can guarantee there was absolutely NO-ONE representing my former club there!

LTS

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 24 Aug 05 - 06:18 AM

Some of our regulars see it your way too, Liz. I confess that at first when I heard the booking "slots" at the Arts Centre I was taken aback, but then - it's nice to find parking space on the street when I get home; and to drive home before the pubs offload the drunks onto the street; and to catch a little extra sleep (I am 3-4 nights out, and rarely get to bed before 1am). Why be tied to the licencing laws anyway?

So, unleash your nostalgia and come often. Loved your song by the way, it sounded well run-in from where I was sitting!

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: trayton
Date: 24 Aug 05 - 08:13 AM

A fine night indeed, long may Herga survive.
It was good to get to the new venue it's a fine room to sing in.
It was strangely like the temporary classrooms at my old school it was just like old times standing at the front expecting to be told to " stop that, sit down and be quiet"
Now if we can only find a new venue for Uxbridge folk club!
malcolm

Subject: RE: Great night at Herga
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 24 Aug 05 - 09:28 AM

Thank you.. that was only it's third public outing by me...... and the second time someone has asked for the lyrics. It got done somewhere else by the first chap to ask for them.... but I know not how it was recieved.

LTS