Welcome to Swinton Folk Club, established 1972! Due to circumstances beyond our control, we're currently unable to update the Club's old website, hence this blog to share news of forthcoming events.
Last guest night for 2016 sees the welcome return of the four lads who have been friends and companions for many years and given all of us rare and wonderful nights of humour, song and warmth (and of course witty repartee!).
Gary and Vera Aspey became full time professional
artists in April 1974. Their experience and performance content has,
over the years, taken them to many varied venues including Folk Clubs,
Arts Centres, Theatres, PTA & Sports Clubs, Round Table &
Masonic evenings, TV & Radio, around the world including Australia,
New Zealand, Hong Kong, Brunei, Oman, the Falkland & Ascension
Islands, Belize, Cyprus, Sardinia and several European Countries.
Gary and Vera are old friends of Swinton Folk Club and have played here many times before. Be sure to join us for an evening of fun and laughter!
Anthony John is an old friend of Swinton Folk Club, and his Guest Nights are always a highlight of the club year. Monday 5th September promises to be no exception.
Anthony
John Clarke was born in Belfast on 18th October 1956. He started
songwriting at the age of nine inspired by the sixties but it was
only when he left Ireland and came to England that he pursued his
passion for writing with any vigour. Lacking belief in his work he
languished in the shadow of others for too long but the creator of
"Irish Eyes" and the beautiful "Seven In Ireland"
was destined to make a mark on the British contemporary music scene.
Living in Liverpool and being managed superbly by Sheelagh McGovern
for many years afforded Anthony John the opportunity of performing
his songs far and wide. Seven tours of the East Coast of the USA
ensured him a small but loyal following there which remains loyal to
him to this day. Bookings at clubs up and down the UK and recent
developments including the vocal collaboration with Elizabeth van de
Waal increased his popularity and made him an established folk name.
There
are very few places in the UK and Ireland that Anthony John has not
played. His supporters are loyal and many, and the tributes he
receives from his peers bear witness to the talent and hard work of
one of the folk scene's nicest guys. He retains his reputation as one
of the top songwriters on the scene and his hard work and dedication
to his craft are a credit to him. For him, songwriting is indeed a
craft.
"The
songwriter has a responsibility. It's not enough to put a tune to
some words or some words to a tune. The song is a vehicle for a
notion that the writer has about something. If it wasn't, then the
song would have no beginning, middle or end. It's not complicated.
The notion is what starts the process and the completed song is the
fruition. It invites others into the notion, the idea, the feeling,
the celebration, the private moment. And if you can provide a laugh
or two along the way it gets my vote."
Monday
4th July we welcomed Geoff Higginbottom back to the club. It proved to
be a wonderful evening from Geoff (as always!) who entertained the well
attended gathering with his wealth of traditional songs and music
presented in his own inimitable style. The audience responded by joining
in the great choruses and jovial banter! Thank you Geoff.
Our guest for 1st August, Steve
Turner, is known as a pioneer of highly sophisticated English
concertina song
accompaniments, stretching the boundaries of
traditional forms, with one
of the best voices in the business.
He is a multi-instrumentalist, who also accompanies himself on the
cittern, and also plays mandolin and banjo.
After a thirteen year break, building
up an internationally known stringed instrument business, he made a
welcome return to performing in folk clubs and festivals in 2005.
Steve’s 5th
album, his first for 22 years "The
Whirligig of Time"
was long listed for the BBC folk awards in 2008. His 6th album "Rim
of the Wheel"
was released in spring 2012 and received rave reviews – David
Kidman in N.E. Folk Roundabout called it “sheer genius a sure
contender for one of my folk albums of 2012” This was backed up by
many festival bookings and re-plays on the radio on the Mike
Harding Show Radio 2
and Late
Junction Radio 3
and a
full page article in F/Roots in July 2012.
It has been a tradition of long standing that we hold a Shanty Night on
the last Monday in June in memory of John Collinge.
John was a stalwart of
the club for many years, and enjoyed nothing better than a good
Shanty sing-a-long and songs of the sea.
Here's a wee sample, from a Shanty Night a few years ago (I've tried to find one of Feet In Mouths doing the Club's unofficial anthem, 'The Little Pot Stove', but without success.) All the same, here are a few more Club stalwarts raising the rafters in style.
So come to the Club on Monday and help do the same!
Due to unfortunate circumstances REDMAYNE are unable to appear at the
club next Monday 6th June and our thoughts are with Dave Pollard.
At
very short notice STANLEY ACCRINGTON has agreed very kindly to step in
the breach and will be our guest. Look forward to seeing you all to
support the amazing Stanley!
Our third guest night of 2016 will be this Monday, featuring the great Stanley Accrington!
"Stanley emerged from
the dark days of the late 1970's and has been terrorising the cultural world
ever since.
He has written
hundreds of songs in a range of styles on a vast rake of subjects. There are
old-style songs on current happenings and modern style songs on ancient
events. There are poems, pastiches, parodies, and possibly anything. Apart from the silly
and very silly material, Stanley has always been writing serious songs to
confuse the situation further. Stanley has been
performing all over UK and occasionally beyond at a wide variety of locations
and events. The pigeon-hole to put this stuff in
is 'miscellaneous-ish'."
teve
Turner, is known as a pioneer of highly sophisticated English
concertina song
