Reviews 2022

Woodman Folk Club - Reviews
Mad Jocks and Englishmen

Woody* 16 Dec 2022

Click on photo to 
see larger image
Hi everyone Woody here again with the final review for 2022. Another fabulous night at the Woodman Folk Club, of course, and it’s CHRISSSSSMASSSSS. So, as the chimes of Left Bank Two by the Noveltones inevitably faded into the distance, the evening was opened by our MC, Chris Irving, resplendent, as he was, in suitably sparkling Christmas attire. It was red.

First up to entertain us were the troupe of Woodman Regulars, (minus John and Carol Hoare who were unfortunately poorly). Each of the remainder performed one song apiece. Dick Woodhouse – Mary’s Boy Child – with beautiful guitar accompaniment. Velvet Green – with Paul’s self-composition – Let It Snow, naming more Christmas songs than I care to mention here. There was of course a chorus to get us in the mood. Cos and Baz sang a Huw Williams song Gabriel’s Carol. Cos played a guitar accompaniment tuned to open C sus2. I only mention that because she told me it was. And finally, as always Bryn Phillips joined as usual by his Christmas elves to provide cartoon illustrations, while he sang the Bellamy Brothers Old Hippy Christmas, complete with the audience joining in the choruses.

It could easily have ended there quite successfully - but it didn’t. Instead to the stage came some old friends of the club; Bromsgrove Folk Club’s very own Fairfield. It was about this time that things started to get a little chaotic. Once Luke Smith realised he was supposed to be playing a ukulele not a guitar, for their first song, Tom Lehrer’s A Christmas Carol, the fun started. Luke in exchanging his uke for guitar to perform the former Bananarama song – seasonally adjusted lyrically by John Connor – managed to catch Bob Bignell’s hand with the end of a guitar string. (No, I don’t know which string – it was just a string). Mayhem ensued throughout. Firstly, the call went out for a tissue – “clean please”. At least two arrived – and there was much dabbing of wounds. There was no question of stitches thankfully and the song continued. After a suitable delay Mad Jock’s Andy Brownlie appeared and administered first aid in the guise of a band aid (I know we say plaster, but this is a music gig). Bob the trooper that he is continued throughout. In tune with the way of the evening Cosmotheka’s Robin Redbreast started well but it wasn’t long before the sound system began emitting some very strange effects on the performance before giving up completely leaving Bob and Luke soundless all together. Nonetheless they soldiered on while Derry Jones fiddled with various parts of his laptop as well as some equipment on the floor, before performing major surgery with a – wait for it – cocktail stick, with which he somehow reset the entire system and sound was restored. It is to Fairfield’s great credit that they continued throughout. Applause was suitably given when the song finished. From this point onwards things almost became normal, if the Fairfield Christmas repertoire can be considered so. Old favourites followed: Chipmunks Roasting On An Open Fire; Yellow Snow; Walking Round In Women’s Underwear; Shawn Phillips’ Christmas Song and finally Roaring Jelly’s Australian Christmas, royally enjoyed by an audience of useless Pommies, without Christmas suntans.

And so, we moved on to Mad Jocks And Englishmen, who remain as Andy Brownlie; George Gallagher and Nick Weston. Their fifth visit and their second Christmas show for us since The Woodman Panto’s demise pre Covid. And what a replacement. I have described in my previous review what to expect from Mad Jocks and we were not to be disappointed. A three-section set began with their “traditional” music set, interspersed with their “traditional” jokes. Bonnie Lass Of Fyvie (Oh), sung according to Nick to remind us how dreadful traditional folk songs really are. Dougie Maclean’s Caledonia. Banjo Signal from Nick – who has been named as one of the best banjo players in the country – in the city… Paul Simon’s The Boxer with the audience accompaniment – Tshhh, in the appropriate places, Chris Irving getting carried away at one point with a huge pair of cymbals. Killiecrankie, a very traditional song about the Jacobites, required a lesson from Andy in order that we could join in the chorus in a language we didna speak and didna understand anyway. But we enjoyed it. A real departure for the band came next the Elbow song Kindling, written by David Grant and Guy Garvey. The first section finished with an old Mad Jocks favourite Step It Out Mary, a love song with choices to be made by the subjects, who when having sensible options choose to kill themselves. A true folk song.

There followed samosas and mince pies. Delicious. And a raffle with five prizes. You will be saddened to know I didn’t win this week. Well, who would want alcohol or a Mad Jocks cd anyway? AND THEN…

The pantomime. It would take me too long to explain it, so I won’t attempt to, except to say it was alleged to be Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The cast were:
The Wicked Queen – Nick
Snow White – George
The Huntsman – Andy
Various Dwarves – Bob and Chris
Alexa The Digital Mirror – Debbie

It is impossible to go into any more detail, but to say the least we were rolling in the aisles.

Once the panto costumes were changed the third section began with the traditional Whiskey In The Jar and then another old Mad Jocks favourite The Dutchman, a song written by Michael Peter Smith, a really touching song originally popularised by Liam Clancy. Nick’s rendition of the traditional bluegrass tune, Flint Hill Special was of course preceded by Andy’s comparison between a banjo player and a Radox foot bath. If you don’t know the answer, drop me an email at the usual address. Roger Miller’s King Of The Road proved a popular but new addition to the repertoire. There followed more chaos – the audience participating in The Grand Old Duke Of York. Briefly this involved actions – standing up on the word up and down on the word down etc. Imagine then having to do this but not singing firstly up – then down and then none of the above. I still haven’t recovered three days later. White Christmas/Jingle Bells preceded The Leaving Of Liverpool which was the last song of the night. OH, NOT IT WASN’T, because there was a well-deserved encore to follow. I have always enjoyed singing I’ll Fly Away with Mad Jocks and this was no exception. A perfect end to a perfect night.

And so, we all went home, but we will return on 6th January for the first Singer’s Night of 2023.

I shall conclude as normal by saying.

A Wonderful Night Was Had by All.
Here’s to The Next One.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


* Notes taken by Les Jones, who also typed up the review, but the views expressed are
those of Woody, the club mascot.