The Six Bells Folk & Blues Club, Chiddingly, East Sussex
  • Home
  • About
  • 2025 Programme
  • Blog
  • Contact

The Six Bells Folk & Blues Club  Blog

Ella's Extraordinary Evening

31/7/2016

0 Comments

 
It was one of those quiet evenings that has a slow start, but we started none-the-less. I began this evening of no particular theme with the Irish traditional ‘As I Roved Out’, followed by a song I wrote for the Songwriters’ evening earlier in the year: ‘Bless the South London Irish’. This was a song about my dad, but I added another verse to bring it up to date. Having just upgraded my bazouki to the more usual flat-back Irish style, I was enjoying the warmer tones. It’s a beautiful thing, and I felt that it compensated even more effectively for my lack of virtuosity.

Clive played next and observed that when he had arrived, the place was like the Marie Celeste but without the plates of food. Simon had been along earlier to set up, thank you so much Simon, but Clive found himself alone. The room soon became more lively as our audience filled out. He gave us Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘Early Morning Rain’ followed by Don McLean’s ‘Starry, Starry Night’ as a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh: ‘This world was never meant for anyone as beautiful as you…’

Keith Wilson followed, playing guitar to accompany two of his own songs. The first he described as a ‘silly’ song ‘Do Something, Say Something’ and then ‘Too Sad to Sing the Blues’ in his own unique jazz blues style.

Simon took the stage and told us about his daughter’s wedding at Lewes Castle on the Saturday following the Reggae Evening. When his wife asked if he was feeling emotional , his reply was that he just didn’t have enough breath having climbed 152 steps before even walking his daughter down the aisle. He had also gone with a generous supply of festival-style rain ponchos, but his daughter’s optimism about the weather, won the day. Simon tells a good story. He decided to sing Bob Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’: may God bless and keep you always, may your wishes all come true…..

More of the wedding story was shared. As father of the bride Simon was aware of the onerous responsibility of making a speech. He had missed Reggae Night, having planned to focus on this mission whilst alone for the evening. He sought advice from the usual advisory service at the pub, where all ‘experts’ directed him to the internet. Having consulted the ideas of Churchill, Martin Luther King and Kermit the Frog, he was left with his own integrity on the subject, since he didn’t want to win a war or woo a frog.

‘The night came down like a party dress.....' Simon sang Gillian Welch’s gently waltzing ‘Barroom Girls’.

Mike Foy changed the pace and the volume with a punchy version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Going to California’. There were some technical issues with a mic which lead to a ‘more reliable Mike’ as the offending piece of equipment was replaced. More reliable Mike went on to sing an emotionally charged song about Brexit which included the use of two capos. ‘A Leaving Song’ written at 3 in the morning.

Mike Aldridge offered us some humour in his usual inimitable way with a song about poisoning pigeons in the park and maybe a squirrel or two, with his sweetheart. He’s such a romantic. The romantic theme continued with a song about friends who share everything with each other.

As often happens on these evenings, there is great variety in the songs which are performed. Chris Liddiard followed with two of his pensive songs which contemplate the nature of existence and mortality: ‘Where the Hell am I Going?’ and ‘Will we be Singing in Heaven or Singing in Hell?’ He did observe that he used to write love songs, but times have changed. He also reminded us that at the next White Horse evening everyone will be singing his songs back to him. That’ll be an interesting night to remember.

Liz and Derren have visited the club before, but not for sometime. Their daughter Bunny was going to join them but decided to leave it for another time. They sing duets to the accompaniment of Derren on guitar and Liz on Auto-harp. With some really lovely harmonies, they gave us John Holt’s ‘In My Neighbourhood’  and ‘Angel Band’, a Stanley Brothers song.

There was time from another song from most folks and Simon began the last round reminding us that in four weeks’ time we have a ‘songs from the 50s’ evening which he will be running. ‘Try a little Tenderness’ was his final song of the evening and Mike Foy gave us a blues number: ‘Ramblin’ on My Mind’. Clive followed with a Percy Sledge song that for some reason moved the music stand so deeply, that it attempted to throw the words all over the floor. Chris Liddiard sang ‘Never felt more Like Singing the Blues’ which he remembers from the days of doing a paper round in 1955. This was a song made famous by Guy Mitchell and Tommy Steel. Mike Aldridge wound up the evening with another tender love song, the ‘Masochist’s Tango’. This was quite hilarious and it was unfortunate that not more people were left at this point to join in the laughter. So the evening had been up and down and around the full arena of human experience and emotions and ended up with a laugh. Nice one Mike.

Thank you again Simon for setting up and to Clive for manning the sound desk. We look forward to 9th August when Clive will be hosting the evening. See you all soon J Ella


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    The person that runs the evening writes the blog

    Archives

    December 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Blogs 2015
    Blogs 2014
    Blogs 2013
    Blogs 2012
    Blogs 2011
    Blogs 2010


    Note - You can leave a comment - by click ing on the blue "comments" link at the top and bottom of the blog.


We hope to See you Soon at The Six Bells Folk & Blues CluB - Chiddingly, East Sussex


  • Home
  • About
  • 2025 Programme
  • Blog
  • Contact