Clancy's

I went to Clancy's last night It was not a bad night, a huge improvement on the sound - well done Pat!

David Kenningham (pictured on the right) was on top form with a version of Stephen Stills "Love The One You're With" and a moving rendition of one of Jackson Browne's songs, the name of which escapes me. It's got a line about "blood on the wire"

Well done Dave - I don't know where the local scene would be without you so don't lose heart and keep on exploring new territory with your enviable guitar playing and emotional stage presence!

I shuddered when I spotted Tommy "Bap-Bap" Walshe standing at the bar , I quickly looked the other way, but too late. He came over; "Micky Woods" he shouted in his Belfast brogue. "Where's your guitar!" he pulled out his trumpet mouthpiece and squeeked "prrrp prrp!"

I was feeling quite tired and couldn't face a whole night of his constant bullshit so I let at about 10pm.

People that I saw there were: Dave K Pat & Debbie O, Richard P, George, Ken & Sheila, Jim Radford, Keith Ferris and a few more. They could have done with an audience, the rest of the pub was almost empty.

Anyway, no work tomorrow, so it's The Monty Club tonight.

Blimey

Blimey - I'm back on days for a few weeks! (might be more) I went to Mycenae House on Monday. It was the same old stuff, not a bad night out. Wednesday I was at Folkmob I won the raffle - hooray! Good to see Kevin playing the blues as good as ever. Chris did a super version of "The Hunter". Brian is giving me a lift to Orpington Folk Club in about an hour - I will report back.

Nigel Saunders

I haven't posted here for over a week. I've just been totally knackered. I can't seem to sleep in the day. Still I'm back working normal hours now for a few weeks, so I'll be able to catch up on the old folk scene. I'm hoping to contact Linda Smith with the possibility of a lift down to a session a t a pub in the middle of nowhere (Kent) tomorrow (Sunday) It promises to be a good session.

Anybody heard anything from Nigel? He's been gone for four years! He did phone me a couple of times last year, but since then nothing. His email address has also stopped functioning. He was a really super bloke and I'm sure everyone misses him.

Rochester Sweeps

I caught a train to Rochester yesterday. I was feeling quite tired as I had only an hour or so sleep after the night shift. I got there at about 2.30 pm and headed toward the High Street. Morris dancers, there were hundreds of them! I spotted Richard Bridge playing his plugged in mandolin to accompany some clog dancers, I tried to catch his eye without interrupting him but he seemed to engrossed in the spirit of the dance, so I carried on down the street. There were a bunch of blokes in red and white wearing fezzes doing a weird dance/ritual that seemed to be attracting a large crowd and there were lots of colours and blackened faces about. As I turned the next corner I came upon a stage with PA and everything! Ty and Aisha, two people that I know from Orpington Folk club, were performing followed by that great Kentish band Pig's Ear. Great stuff. I went into a pub at the end of the High Street - Expectations I think it might have been called. There was some nutter playing over amplified guitar and alto sax along to a backing track. Flash bastard! Nothing to do with The ambiance of the Sweeps, in fact his crappy, badly played pop music, which blasted through the wide open pub doors into the street, had obviously ruined the day for the poor morris team who had the bad luck to draw the pitch outside!

Anyway I wandered back down the high street and bumped into sevral of the Greenwich lot including my old mate Alex Gorham. Then I made my way to that wonderful pub in John Street "The Good Intent" where to my surprise I found several folkmob people, in fact there were so many it seemed like it could be a rehearsal for Knockholt. There was:

Sue & Mick Forde
Mr & Mrs Mike Porter
Annie & Fay
Richard Phipps
George
Jim Radford
Dave Kenningham
Linda Essex

Plus the great John Barden, Melodeon Boy, Growler, Richard Bridge and a few more whose names escape me. It was a great session, there again with that crowd how couild it be anything else!

The only downer of the day was that I missed Tone Deaf Leopard. They had gone off to see Sid Kipper in concert.

Mitch Hiller

I went to Orpington Folk Club last night. Mitch Hiller was the guest. Mitch put on a really great show with a mixture of Rock, Folk, Pop and blues classics played in his inimitable style - some really excellent guitar playing on a beautiful amplified Gibson acoustic. The great Dave Silk joined Mitch on double bass for two numbers - I like the beard Dave! Thanks to Brian Bruce for giving me a lift there and back.

May Day

May Day, I suppose we should all be out dancing around a maypole! It is a beautiful morning out there, pity I've got to get some sleep.

Anyway way a great writer Cordwainer Smith was. I just did that to make sure that I knew how to insert a hyperlink, so I hope that it works.