Crail Folk Club

Singaround at Crail Folk Club

I've been away for two weeks in Scotland, more precisely the East Neuk of Fife, so that meant I missed two sessions at Havering but managed to make a visit to Crail Folk Club on the second Thursday.
Crail Folk Club meets at the Golf Hotel in Crail, Fife on the second and fourth Thursday in the month unless it's the mid summer season when they move to Crail town hall. I think there's also a session at the pub in Largo Ward on the other Thursdays but that may not be published. Ayway, Crail turned out to be another very friendly club with a large pool of talented regular singers out of whom different combinations are likely to turn up on any one given week. The specific venue is in one end of the restaurant section of the Golf Hotel, just opposite the small bar area. With the doors closed and about two dozen people present it soon became rather warm but we'd got kind of used to that. The format was that of a singaround, which is new to me but not uncommon. Seated around the room facing inwards, an imaginary baton is skillfully passed around clockwise by the MC, so everybody gets the chance to either sing or pass, as many times as it takes. In this case, four times by closing time. Many people sang acapella and there were also about seven guitars, and later one violin. Not a ukulele in sight.

There was a mixture of Scottish folk songs, old music hall songs, Irish and American songs and one or two I wouldn't presume to describe acurately.

Not having a guitar with me, I was dependent on somebody volunteering to lend me one which they did and I'm very grateful to John for letting me play his fine instrument. To start with, I really ydidn't know what to expect so I sang one song unaccompanied - "Going Up Camborne Hill Coming Down"

Then one of my own - "The Wreckers Prayer"

Followed by "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out"

and "Captain Coulston"

We enjoyed our evening at Crail folk club with new friends and felt like a home from home so if we end up in Fife again next year, which would be lovely, I'm sure we'll return to see what's going on in Crail or Largo.

Havering Folk Club 12th August

This Wednesday at Havering Folk Club we had to leave early because Linda was feeling quite unwell but the first half was very good. We're getting more visitors or new members from Romford Folk club on Tuesday nights now. These are people well known to some of the the Havering regulars but not to myself because I've never been to Romford Folk Club.

Anyway, the interesting thing about the songs I played this week was the reaction from a handful of my friends in the audience. My stuff usually goes down well but when four seperate people make a point of telling me they particularly enjoyed it this week then it makes me think about what differences there might have been in my performance this time to tip the balance. Maybe I played more like I do when I'm at home, a bit more relaxed improvisation or else they just like a bit of guitar playing instead of just songs. It was a quietly attentive audience, more so than some weeks so that may have had something to do with it, or just wondering why I got up to go home during the interval!

Luckily Linda managed to record the two songs on video before taking ill so I'll post them in under here.

Long Andy Roberts version of Colours by Donovan

Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out

Missing Weeks

I missed a couple of weeks at the Havering Folk club recently due to illness and events, so the last one I attended was on October 8th, another singers' night at which I played "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" "Don't you Grieve" and the Wreckers Prayer, my first repeat.