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TATTERS
THE NEWSLETTER OF TIGERFOLK
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Below is the current edition of
our monthly newsletter. If you would like to receive this every month
by e-mail, or would like to get a past month's newsletter e-mailed to
you, then please contact Dave Sutherland.
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Web
Editor's Note / apology: I have been having excessive problems editing
the website since an update of my computor software in November
resulted in my loosing the Editing software that has been used for the
tigerfolk site in all the time it has been up and running. The
only software currently available on my computer is not really
compatable with the design of the site and is full of bugs.
Every month / new task seems to throw up a fresh range of bugs, as you
can see from the weird layout of this paragraph and the ones succeeding
it - trust me, I've no idea why they look like this when the est of the
page is fine - it all looks the same on my computer screen but not when
uploaded to the internet!
Persevere
down the page - it gets better further down - and note the appeal at
the end of the newsletter! If anyone can recommend a good web editing
software package, I'd like to hear from you!
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21st BIRTHDAY EDITION |
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It was at our last committee meeting a few weeks ago when I
suddenly began to take on the role of an elder statesman. The fact was that although
the rest of our committee have been around folk music for a goodly number of
years and they are all extremely knowledgeable on the subject in general and
all the various avenues that lead off from the broad term “folk music” such as
Morris Dancing, traditional customs, storytelling, Molly Dancing etc., but when
it came to the history of Traditions at the Tiger it appeared that I was the
man!
One question led to another and they were all there; did I
know Roy Harris before I moved to the East Midlands? Was I there on the first
night? Who were the early guests? All demanding answers which hopefully this
small amount of potted history will satisfy the curious.
Yes I knew Roy Harris well, long before moving down here
was ever an option; we go back to the mid sixties when I was involved with The
Royal Turf Folk Club, Felling on Tyne and later through Birtley and South Tyne
Folk and Blues. However it was after a Tynemouth Festival that Roy stayed at
our place and it was the next day that during conversation our passion for folk
music and football became apparent and so we would meet up whenever Roy was on
tour up in the North East to bemoan our respective club’s fates (as well as
enjoying a night’s singing of course).
It was Roy that I contacted prior to moving here in July
1978 and we saw quite a bit of each other over the ensuing years as much as my
shift patterns and Roy’s touring and then health issues would allow. Later when
he took on the editorship of Folk90 (formerly Singaround) I spent quite a bit
of time around his place in Sandiacre dropping of pieces for the magazine,
swapping music books or exchanging albums.
However it was quite a surprise when, early in 1991, I
received a telephone call from him telling me of a venture at the Tiger Inn,
Long Eaton which would feature Pete and Pat Elliott with Benny Graham. Now I
was aware that another folk club had been sounding out The Tiger a few weeks
earlier and I didn’t pick up from the conversation that this was going to be a
regular feature so I went down to this first night expecting to meet a handful
of like minded people as well as my friends from Birtley. Upon entering the
room at around ten past seven I was overwhelmed by the amount of people inside
and the number of old faces who had turned out for the occasion. Later that
night I realised that this was going to be a regular event every first Sunday
in the month and we would be hearing the very best in traditional music and
song. I have to admit that due to a children’s party I missed the next month but
from then on in I attended as many as shift rosters would allow having
purchased family membership on my second visit and giving the kids an excuse to
stay out late if they came to the club.
After two years of introducing some of the finest exponents
of our music and storytelling by then Roy announced his departure to Cardiff
and before going formed a huge committee to run things after he had gone. A
committee that was in effect too big by half and in the early stages most had
dropped out leaving just a hard core to take things forward and of that
original crew I am the only survivor…………and to think that I told my wife I
didn’t want to be involved in running a folk club again.
Naturally we picked up more committee members on the way
and we even changed premises on one occasion, not bad in twenty one years, but
one thing has remained the same; we always strive to bring the best traditional
music and song, be it from England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, America,
Australia and further afield if possible to the top room on that first Sunday
in the month.
Another twenty one years ahead……….don‘t bet against
it!!
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Hi Dave,
I hope you're well and that the club is still thriving. I noticed
when reading the January Tatters that you have your 21st birthday on
February 5th - quite poignant for me, as I remember vividly arriving
with singers from Glossop in the Community Service bus piloted
intrepidly by my wife Margaret. "Roy's started a new club - it has to
be good!" was our rallying cry. And it WAS good; I'll never forget
that opening night: a great crowd, great fun, and a wonderful night
from the Elliotts. I have a booking in the Forest of Dean on the date
this year, otherwise we would have hoped to join you.
What I really meant to say was
that Jeff Davis and I are doing a
concert together at Keith Kendrick's Old Oak series on February 23rd,
and I'd be very grateful if someone could mention it on your birthday
night. Keith might be there himself, of course.
Brian Peters |
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Sunday 5th February
21st Birthday Celebrations with
Benny Graham
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I know it sounds a bit of a cliché but as far at Tigerfolk
is concerned Benny Graham needs no introduction. Benny was the first guest of
Traditions at the Tiger along with the late and sadly lamented Pete & Pat
Elliott back in 1991 and they were back again exactly one year later to
entertain us once more.
Since then Benny has been back as a guest in various
combinations, as a storytelling trio with Johnny Handle and the late Jeff
Dennison, as a duo with Bob Fox, as one third of the rejuvenated Pegleg Ferret
and on his own as a solo performer.
Benny is generally acknowledged as having one of the best
voices on the current folk scene and add to that his store of material, most of
it emanating from his native North East of England, and the knowledgeable yet
entertaining manner in which he puts it over it is easy to see just why he is
such a favourite around the folk clubs and festivals. Certainly in this area
where out friends at Grand Union book him with equal regularity and it was one
of their promotions, the exciting “Pitmen Poets”, where we last saw Benny, in
the company of Bob Fox, Billy Mitchell and Jez Lowe just before the end of last
year; watch out for the Jez Lowe connection to be repeated before this year is
out.
Benny was the obvious choice of guest to honour us as we
celebrate out 21st Birthday and it is great to welcome him back to
Long Eaton on 5th February.
Dave
Sutherland
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Roy Harris
It was hoped right from the outset that the Birthday night
would be main guest Benny Graham and the night to be run by our founder Roy
Harris; something that everyone was agreed upon and we were looking forward to
it with undisguised enthusiasm.
However early in December Roy contacted me, full of
apologies but owing to certain health concerns he had been advised not to
undertake lengthy journeys especially by public transport. While we
acknowledged this we also put alternative plans into operation and with the
kind assistance of Mike O’Leary – Johns we thought that we had cracked it and
that Roy and Mike plus wives would be with us on 5th.
Once again I was to receive an e-mail expressing regret that
Roy would have to cancel, not for health reasons this time but due to total,
domestic upheaval. Apparently the association from which Roy and Elaine rent
their flat in Cardiff are replacing all the kitchens in their block and the
work will be going on while he is due up here therefore it will be impossible
to leave the building unattended for the weekend.
Coupled with that Roy’s computer was attacked by a Trojan
Horse virus last weekend which has wiped out all his files, address books, Open
University work – everything; therefore he is unable to send the message of
goodwill that was his intention once that he knew he wasn’t going to make it.
He did tell me how proud he is that we are embarking on out
21st year as he was told when he first mentioned that he was about
to start such a folk club in Long Eaton that he’d be lucky to see it survive
more than six months.
Sorry that we will not see you on 5th February
Roy but we’ll be thinking of you on the night (and some of us during the
day…from 12:15 onwards)
Dave
Sutherland
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Review of Sing-around January 1st 2012
A small but select group formed a cosy circle on this New
Year’s Day, with many good wishes for 2012 passing among. Then the door kept opening again and again as
we widened the circle many times until we had a second row forming. So it was a good number of singers and
audience that enjoyed a very convivial evening at the start of the new
Tigerfolk year. Dave Sutherland did the
honours as MC and started off seeming to be in the wrong month with ‘on the
first day of April’? but all turned out well with a version of Campbell the
Rover. John Bentham sang the traditional
Haxey Hood version of John Barleycorn.
As I write this we are just recovering from the said HH day. A day of mixed thoughts. Hood days are always good for meeting old
friends but it was so crowded and TV crews were in abundance with 2 crews from
BBC2 that didn’t know each other or that they had both been booked to attend,
so watch out for coverage on that channel as well as others. Calendar customs seem to be getting
‘fashionable’ or is it just the excuse to drink copious amounts that draws
people in, a point that I put to several ‘academics’ that I shared a table with
over lunch. I could go on about this but
I’ll stop ranting and back to the review.
The time of the year was also noted in my story of Old Father Time, Jack
Crawford’s lovely January Man, Dennis Sabey’s New Year Song and the passing of
time from Marc Bloc and the Circle Game.
Julie Palmer kept us festive with the Carnal and the Crane. Winter songs of ploughing, ploughboys and
jolly waggoners came from Phil Preen, Julie Palmer and Pete Burnham. Sam Stephens seemed to be commenting on the
lighting in the room with Dark the Night and Alan’s dark side of army life for
Mr Atkins but Dave Walters brightened it up battling against adversity. Bob Crosby brought travellers songs to mind
with his Free Born Man, Dave Sutherland evened things up with McColl’s Radio
Ballad giving the gipsy answer of faults on both sides and John Bentham sang
Scowie’s tale of the Stallion Master racing the Solway tide. A watery theme developed with Pete Holland
and his kippers, my story from the RNLI of Noah’s adventures, Jack Crawford,
being inspired by the Erewash Canal, sang Blackwaterside. Then came the storms, from Pete Burnham’s
Faithful Sailor Boy, Bill Wilkes getting the Mary Ellen Carter to rise again
and Bob Crosby Sailing Down to Old Maui. Maggie Proctor calmed the storm by
rocking the cradle and Dave Gillan asked what man could want more. Dave Walters and Denis Sabey took us over the
pond to build a railroad while sparing a dime and ploughing ready for the new
season and Phil Preen was in danger of being hung in Arizona but Alan and Lyn
Cooper wished him joy, health, love and peace and love and joy come to you so
all was well. Sam Stephens’ Bold Dragoon
had someone called David Cameroon featured?? Pete Holland had the penultimate
say hunting the hare. So to the end and Dave Sutherland led us in a rousing
Union Miners. We had at least four
different folk clubs represented at this excellent sing-around session showing
that folk music is doing very well in this area and long may it continue. I asked myself afterwards with excellent
sing-arounds like this at the Tiger, why don’t we do more but then I thought of
all the wonderful guests we have and I wouldn’t want to miss one of them and so
many other clubs to go to, there just isn’t the time or the stamina so I will
look forward to the next time we have a TigerFolk Sing-around knowing it will
be another enjoyable night.
Sheila
Bentham
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Bendle’s Bit
Happy New Year and let’s start it with good news.
First a revival, locally folk music has returned to
Loughborough where Pack Horse Folk are meeting every second Friday of the month
at the pub of the same name. Good luck
to them and all who sail with her.
Secondly, the confirmation that Lancashire will not be
losing the Four Fools Festival after all.
Admittedly it has changed its name and date, now the March Merry Meet on
Friday night and all day Saturday, 9th&10th
March. Still being held at the Crown
Worthington and what’s more it is a free event!
No reason not to support this then.
Thirdly, and still in Lancashire, the Maritime Festival at
the Inland Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port will be held over the Easter
weekend. A superb setting for an event
that promises to establish itself on the “Shanty Festival” calendar and that to
my way of thinking is no bad.
Good News too for the Duke William, who now will proudly
display the Haxey Hood, in red ribbons, above the bar until New Years Eve.
It was as warm a January day as I can recall but would the
welcome be as warm for this year’s Haxey Hood?
The grapevine had been busy over the last few months about the field
where the game is started and most of it played. Had it been sold, had a quad bike track been
created on it, as has been rumoured, and with the wet weather of recent days,
what state would it be in?
Well, like the weather, the field was fine. Nothing had changed and what with the slope
of the ground and a drying wind, there was scarce a hint of mud. Conditions were tickety boo.
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After the dozen of kids sack hoods had finally been traded
in for £2 apiece, apart from one that the lad was going to take and show his
granddad who he was sure would give more than a couple of quid, the “Sway Hood”
was thrown up. It was always a valiant
but futile campaign waged by the team from the Carps (Carpenters Arms), Westwoodside. The sway slowly wound, ground and rounded its
way towards Haxey. It was eased off the
field onto the road down a vertical drop of a couple of feet. It doesn’t sound much of a height but when
you have a sway of some 50 plus people all about to topple that distance
altogether, then it could well be and inevitably would have been bloody and
dangerous. Great thanks must go to the
Boggins who supervised this brief but essential break in the game.
The Hood, at this juncture, was only 150 yards from Haxey
Church so it would only be another 15 minutes or so before it was being swayed
down the main street. How wrong we
were. Westwoodside succeeded in spilling
the sway straight across the road, down the softer angled grassy bank into the
field below. It took nearly 45 minutes to cover those hard won yards to the
Church, but as soon as the Sway was back on the road, it was just a case of
where would it go in Haxey. The Duke
would appear to be the pub that’s the place at the moment with the younger
punters and as they have the muscle and the power, well, to the victor the
spoils.
A
grand day and considering the masses of people there, a well organised and
controlled Sway Hood, with more technique than just brawn that made it a Hood
to remember.
Next year will be a Saturday Hood and if the TV programmes
go out during this year, it will be busier than the normal mayhem that a weekend
date brings. We will have to wait and
see.
John
Bentham
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And finally…………….. anyone out there with certain IT skills who might
like to administer a little bit of TLC to our website?
I’m sure that Corinne would love to hear from you if you
could spare a few minutes to get it back in proper working order.
Just contact me on dsutherland3@hotmail.com and I’ll pass
any offers on.
Please, don’t all rush at once!!
SEE YOU AT THE STUMBLE INN FOR OUR 21st PARTY
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