Sunday, 4 December 2016

5th December 2016 at Swinton Folk Club: FEET IN MOUTHS!

FEET IN MOUTHS (Dave, Ged, John & Steve)

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!).
 
Come along and enjoy!!

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

7th November 2016 at Swinton Folk Club: GARY AND VERA ASPEY!

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!

Sunday, 28 August 2016

5th September 2016 - Anthony John Clarke

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." 
 


Sunday, 31 July 2016

Guest Night Monday 1st August: Steve Turner!

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.
Steve’s new 7th album “Spirit of the Game” was released in January 2016.

Wednesday, 22 June 2016

JOHN COLLINGE SHANTY NIGHT: MONDAY 27TH JUNE 2016

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!


Tuesday, 31 May 2016

CHANGE OF PROGRAMMING: MONDAY 6TH JUNE

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!

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

April 4th: Stanley Accrington

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'."

Here's a little sample:


Saturday, 5 March 2016

March 7th: Dai Thomas

Our second guest night of 2016 is nearly upon us, starring the legendary Dai Thomas!

The King of the Salford Bluesmen, Dai has a truly awe-inspiring repertoire of classic Mississippi Delta Blues classics, featuring tracks by Skip James, Charley Patton, Blind Willie Johnson, Papa Charlie Jackson, Charlie Poole, Clarence Ashley, Henry Thomas and many, many more.

If you love the blues, a night with Dai is a must. Here's a little sample of what the man can do.



Wednesday, 27 January 2016

February 1st: John Brindley

Our first Guest Night of 2016 has been confirmed. Our guest will be Jon Brindley!

"My fiddle was handed down from my Grandma and I could well play you one or two of my compositions. I was inspired to take it busking all round Europe after reading Laurie Lee. I’ve explored music through many forms. Celtic melodies, blues, contemporary folk, country, rock, popular songs and traditional ballads can all be picked out of my repertoire and it’s usually my own interpretations. Expect the unexpected!"

Jon will be playing Swinton Folk Club on Monday 1st February 2016.

Saturday, 28 November 2015

December 7th: Feet In Mouths at Swinton Folk Club

On Monday 7th December 2015 - our last Guest Night of the year - the guests will be FEET IN MOUTHS - the members of which are well known to all at Swinton and beyond (John Cartain, Steve Chatterly, Ged Todd and Dave Wynn, the latter crossing our northern border to be with us again).  It promises to be a lively and entertaining evening as always when the lads get together and the followers of the band, new and old, will be served up a night of laughter and quality music.

Feet In Mouths always provide a fantastic night out, so you won't want to miss this.

Sunday, 1 November 2015

2ND NOVEMBER - GARY AND VERA ASPEY

Gary & Vera Aspey will be our guests on Monday 2nd November 2015. They became full time professional artists in April 1974. Their experience and performance content has, over the years, taken them to many varied venues at home and much further afield. They are very valued friends of Swinton Folk Club and engaging with the audience is important in each of Gary & Vera Aspey’s performances, when presenting their songs (some as singer-song writers) combining the reality of life, the seriousness and the laughter of it all. Come along and join us

Monday, 28 September 2015

5TH OCTOBER: BEN SANDS

MONDAY OCTOBER 5th 2015 sees the return of a great artist to the club.  BEN SANDS who hails
from Northern Ireland -singer/songwriter/musician/ storyteller - all in one lovely character.

Ben Sands lives in Newry, County Down, close to the mountains and the sea and not far from the small farm where he and his six siblings grew up in the 1950s and 1960s.
He sings songs - mostly his own. He writes songs - about life and love and the ways of the world. Some are whimsical, some are sad and some are very humorous indeed. In between he tells stories, some of which are true!
He plays quite a few instruments as well - guitar, banjo, mandolin, whistles, keyboards, and fiddle - he has even been known to wrestle a tune from the uilleann pipes.
Ben has been touring and recording with his sister Anne and brothers Tommy and Colum since the late 1960s.
“The Sands Family” have recently released their 17th album - "Home for Christmas" and a splendid "live in concert" DVD .  They have made countless television appearances; performed extensively in Ireland, UK, Europe, Canada and USA (including Carnegie Hall); shared microphones with such folk luminaries as Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Tom Paxton, Harry Belafonte and Arlo Guthrie ….....
These days the members of the “Family” still greatly enjoy getting together for special tours and festival appearances but are more likely to be found scattered far and wide, pursuing very successful solo careers.
Ben writes and performs with a natural ease and his songs are finding their way into many repertoires and recording studios.
To date, Ben has released five solo albums, including the highly acclaimed “Take My Love WIth You”, (Spring Records, 2010) - its title track was written for and sung to his daughter Kellie on her wedding day.
Ben's most recent album, "Live in Berlin" was recorded at a concert there in March 2013.

Monday, 31 August 2015

SEPTEMBER GUEST NIGHT: ANTHONY JOHN CLARKE

ANTHONY JOHN CLARKE will be the guest at the club on 7th September 2015.
Anthony John is always a very popular visitor to Swinton, so it may be a good idea to claim your seat early to ensure you experience a night to remember. See you there.

Monday, 18 May 2015

IMPORTANT UPDATE - JUNE 2015 Guest Night

IMPORTANT UPDATE - the JUNE 2015 Guest Night will be held on Monday 8th June NOT Monday 1st June. Our guest is MARK DOWDING - a great stalwart of the folk scene for many a year and well known thoroughout the North West for his wide repertoire of traditional style music and songs"  The night starts at 9pm and a warm welcome will be awaiting you.

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Hello again!

A belated Happy New 2015 to all our followers!

My apologies we've been so long without updating the website; last year I moved up to Liverpool so opportunities to attend Swinton Folk Club have been sadly few and far between. I'm still the webmaster here though until I find some poor devil to take over, so I will do my best to get things up to date!

Last night, Monday 2nd Feb, saw a cracking gig in which Tom Travis & Dave Howard with Dai Thomas certainly entertained a very receptive audience. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening of blue grass and bon ami and banter.

Our next guest night will be Monday 2nd March 2015, with Ian Goodyear and Tom Brown.

I'll add more to the What's On section as news of further bookings comes in.

Keep the faith!

Simon.

Sunday, 15 December 2013

16th December - Swinton Folk Club Christmas Party!


JUST TO CLARIFY. SWINTON FOLK CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY IS ON
16th DECEMBER 2013 @ 8.30pm.

SEE YOU THERE!

Monday, 18 November 2013

Jon Brindley and Feet In Mouths!

Jon Brindley played Swinton Folk Club on the 4th November and gave us all a night to remember. His musicianship was magical and the variety of material was amazing.  Those of us lucky enough to share the experience will be only too happy to know that he will be entertaining us again towards the back end of next year.  Can't wait.

In other news, Feet In Mouths will be playing the club on Monday 2nd December. They're always a joy to watch and listen to, so this is definitely one you don't want to miss. 

The event will be ticket only, so book now to avoid disappointment! Tickets are £3 for club members, and £4 for non-members. To book, email suerobinsontodd@yahoo.com or ring Ged on 01942 811527. 

See you on December 2nd!

Monday, 23 September 2013

Monday 7th October - Anthony John Clarke

Hi all,

Our old friend Anthony John Clarke will be playing at the Club on Monday 7th October. This is a tickets-only event!

There are only a few days left to get your tickets so don't miss out on what promises to be a great evening.

To book, email suerobinsontodd@yahoo.com

Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Anthony John Clarke: Monday 7th October at Swinton Folk Club

Our latest guest night was 2nd September, with the ever-reliable Saggy Bottom Girls.Our apologies - both to the band and anyone who missed seeing them, for not updating the website before the gig!

Our October Guest Night will feature Anthony John Clarke. An old friend of the Club, he's long been one of our favourite guests, and will be performing in Swinton on Monday 7th October.

This is another ticket-only event, so to avoid disappointment please email subrobinsontodd at yahoo dot com or ring 01942 811 527 in order to book your tickets.

Sunday, 9 June 2013

Updates

Last Monday's gig with Marian Bradfield proved a resounding success.  Thank you for all your positive comments and your contribution to the atmosphere of the evening.
 
Many of you appreciated the self pennned songs introduced by a soft Irish lilt giving you an insight into her reasons for writing about moments in her life. We're glad to announce that we can look forward to seeing Marion again in 2014. 
 
This Monday (10th) is a singers night - it would be great if you could support Bill & Allan who are stepping in for Ged who is away on a course (work does get in the way of Life!)
 
The next Special night to book in your diary is the John Collinge Shanty Night on 24th June. Come and bring your sea related songs  - or perhaps Pirate poems?
 
The next Guest will be Geoff Higginbottom - another great night with the man with the big voice and personality.  Not to be missed.
 
The Shanty Night and Geoff's gig will NOT be ticket only events, but Anthony John Clarke's gig on 7th October will be: tickets for AJC's performance will be available from the beginning of August.


We also have another new guest confirmed: John Kelly will be playing the Club on 5th August.

Hope to see you at one or all of these - in the meantime, enjoy the summer weather!