Woodman Folk Club - Newsletter

Greetings one and all!

Well, a couple of months in to the new season now and the nights are drawing in, it’s getting decidedly chillier round the Netherton nether regions, and it’ll soon be time for the annual mega-twinkly lightshow to commence on the approach to the festive season…...…..God forbid!!

Just one new act making their club debut this month, along with a superb selection of dear old club friends who will be making their welcome returns to us. But before I tell you about the guests don’t forget that……

…..Friday November 3rd will be another of our sensational Singers’ Nights. Don’t be disappointed, these singers’ nights are normally over-subscribed, so please contact Debby or Derry on 01384 560462 to ensure you get a floor spot. Alternatively just come and enjoy the talent on display. A great night is guaranteed!

Please note that if you have pre-booked a spot you need to be at the club before 8:00 to confirm, or the slot may be re-allocated.

Then on the 10th of the month we are extremely delighted to showcase a brilliant new act to the club in the form of The Rosellys - (Rose-Leys as opposed to Rose-Ell-Ees for those of you that strive for pedantic perfection)! They are an English country music band from Herefordshire who understand how to interpret traditional country music with an exciting clear sound. They produce well-crafted ballads as well as upbeat songs with a slightly rocky feel, and also classic country songs, all sung harmonically through the mic. It’s here that you sense the love for the music. The vocals are sensitively accompanied by instrumentation that isn’t too loud and compliment the voice of the main singer, Dr Rebecca Rosellys. Sometimes they gig as a duet, just Rebecca and husband Simon, but tonight we have them in all their glory as a full 5 piece band. Can't wait!

The 17th brings us another real treat. We are proud to present the stunning musical talent that is Joe Topping. Well, it’s been a long time coming but it’s great to announce Joe’s return to the club. It was in 2014, believe it or not, that he was last at the club so his return is long overdue. Joe is a singer-songwriter who has been described as a cross between Ry Cooder, Woody Guthrie and Paul Brady. He has developed his own unique bottleneck guitar style which he employs in many of his original songs and has a voice that can move from velvet soft to steely and powerful. Joe has played on stage and in the studio with many legends of the British folk scene including members of Fairport Convention, While and Matthews, Andy Irvine and many more as well as in the bands Elbow Jane and The Rainbow Chasers (with Ashley Hutchings).

Finally for another exciting month, on Friday the 24th We are pleased to announce the return of the excellent Dave Ellis & Boo Howard. Dave & Boo are a London based acoustic duo with a musical partnership that began in 1979. Back in the ‘70’s Dave became a regular solo performer at well-known London venues such as the Marquee, the Roundhouse and the Lyceum. He was listed as “one of the 6 best guitarists in the world” by Melody Maker and opened for many big names of the day including The Edgar Broughton Band at the Rainbow and Rod Stewart and Status Quo at Reading Festival. Boo joined on bass and vocals and the two became a solid songwriting team. In the early 2000s Dave and Boo developed an acoustic act which returned them to their folk club roots. The songs are at the heart of it all, served by imaginative and stylish arrangements and by the singing and playing of two seasoned, wholly in-tune musicians.

Moving on to December, the 1st will be another of our sensational Singers’ Nights. Don’t be disappointed, these singers’ nights are normally over-subscribed, so please contact Debby or Derry on 01384 560462 to ensure you get a floor spot. Alternatively just come and enjoy the talent on display. A great night is guaranteed!

Please note that if you have pre-booked a spot you need to be at the club before 8:00 to confirm, or the slot may be re-allocated.

Then on the 8th we will be welcoming back one of our excellent finds from the recent past, Mr. Gary Edward Jones. As regular visitors to the club will know, Gary is a singer-songwriter from Liverpool, with a voice so reminiscent of Paul Simon that he regularly takes out a tour entitled “Something About Simon” in homage to his muse. His debut CD, ‘The Cabinet Maker’ was released some while ago to great acclaim. Many of you will remember from his previous visits that Gary has penned some beautiful songs so the night will be filled with his own stuff plus, maybe the occasional cover. Gary plays guitar and as far as I know this will be his second visit to the club as a solo artist having been joined by other members on his three previous ones, so something a little different tonight and I can promise you it’ll be worth waiting for.

And finally, for this year at any rate, the 15th will once again feature a Christmas themed evening brought to us by Mad Jocks & Englishmen.
This will start at 8:00pm and not the usual 8:30pm as we have such a lot to pack in!
Exactly one year ago we featured this wonderful local trio, as indeed we had done exactly a year before that! I think I'm beginning to see a pattern emerging here! Anyway, we’ll gloss over that and simply say that this will be the sixth appearance of the irrepressible MJ&E to the club having been regulars since their triumphant debut in November 2016. The band are legendary around the folk clubs and festivals of Olde England having been recording and performing for over 40 years, so they know a thing or two about putting on a good show. The three original members that form the band are George Gallagher (vocals and guitar), Nick Weston (banjo) and Andy Brownlie (vocals, guitar and mandolin) and the music, though folk based, is now much more eclectic and the typical Jocks set will incorporate bluegrass, folk, contemporary, and a generous smattering of comedy. You won’t be disappointed.

And that’s about it but don’t forget to look out for the next thrilling instalment of the Woodman Newsletter, coming to a screen very near you…..in about a month!

Cheers m’dears

Rob