Thought it would be nice to give a bit more info about the acts coming to Walthamstow Folk over the next few weeks.

Tonight (23rd May) we have David Ferrard. This is his first visit to the club but he’s well know in the area and played a fabulous gig at the Leytonstone Festival last year. He’s also beeen playing around the festivals for a few years now so we’re a bit behind the curve in only just getting him to the club.

Then we’re closed for the bank holiday and on 6th June we have the amazing Jeff Warner. The last time Jeff was at the club I managed to be in the US. I have made no such mistake this time round!

As well as being a superb instrumentalist, he plays the bones, spoons and all sorts of other things you didn’t think were actually instruments.

Then on 13th June we have Tom and Barbara Brown. Russ and I have known Tom and Barbara for some years know as they run the evening singaround at the Broadstairs Festival where we’ve had some absolutely splendid evenings. Again, they’re overdue for a visit! Their last visit was back when the club ran in Hale End.

On 20th  June the Kittiwakes pay their first visit to the club as the main guest. We’ve seen them before in featured spots but now they get their name on the programme.

They also have a MySpace page.

The last week of the season on 27th June is Futureproof IV which Russ has already written about.

The Raven have been regulars at the club for a while now. It’s been a pleasure seeing them find their feet and develop into two fine performers. Especially pleasing was watching them support Eliza Carthy recently. They blew the other support acts off the stage. And the others were quite good too!

I’ve now seen Emma Scarr knowing who I was watching and she’s great! Having seen her play The Plough and the Old Rose and Crown quite a few times it was good to match the name to the face and to know that Russ had booked her for Futureproof.

Thanks, see you there?

Claire

We’re all set to go for our Folk Against Fascism Special this Sunday, April 25th.

Alongside all our regular friends we’ll be hearing from the likes of Roger Huddle, The Raven, Slight Aches, Edwin Brooks, Steve White and the Protest Family and the awesome guitar wizardry of Dave Dellare.

And whilst the Icelandic volcano may be causing havoc for air travellers (including our own Other Theresa, currently camping out in Seoul airport!) it’s meant that we can also welcome the stunning singer Somaye who was supposed to be gigging overseas this weekend. Check her out at http://www.myspace.com/somaye

Plus we’ve decided that we’re going to drop a formal entrance fee for this evening and dig out the venerable love-bucket for a collection which we’ll use to give a donation to FaF and to Unite Against Fascism who’ll also be on hand with information and ideas for how you can get involved with the fight against the BNP.

We’re working really hard to make this event a success and to really make the point that there’s no place for the BNP in the folk scene – it promises to be a great night and we’ll look forward to seeing you there.

Doors open 7:30 – Admission FREE!

Regulars to the club will know I’m on a big Pete Seeger kick at the moment.

So you can imagine how chuffed I was to find this photo of our forthcoming guests Steve Suffet & Anne Price on stage with the man himself. The photo was taken at Ecofest in Central Park, New York City. October 4. 2009.

How cool is that?

Steve and Anne will be coming to visit on Sunday 9th May.

A recent conversation made me realise that having a bit more about the upcoming guests on the site is useful to people when they’re deciding quite how cold (now sub wet) it is on a Sunday evening.

The next guest we have is the wonderful Bruce Molsky and I’ve collected a couple of YouTube clips for those who don’t know who he is, not that those who do know who he is are forbidden from watching them!

Bruce plays fiddle, banjo, guitar and sings.

You can get advance tickets here.

These clips were recorded at the Edinburgh Folk Club in 2008
Bruce Molsky – Drunkard’s Hiccups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4MXu3j6Qvw (they don’t give permission to embed the clips)

Bruce Molsky – Charmin’ Betsy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnDYiWrIZrg&feature=related

And some other clips:

We were pleased with how the advance tickets worked for Martin Simpson’s recent visit so we’ve decided to use the system a bit more often!

So we’re pleased to announce that advance tickets are available online for the visit of the wonderful Bruce Molsky on the 11th April.

Click here to buy tickets for Bruce online

Next Sunday (the 20th) is our Christmas Party!

We’ll be making our own entertainment this year so make sure you bring your best festive floorspots with you.

We are also proud to announce that the Folk Club will be taking on the Quiz Next Door in the very first Captain Birdseye’s Yuletide Challenge! No point in going into too much detail but suffice to say it’s a great oppotunity for us to kick some Pub Quiz arse!!

Admission is only £3. See you there!

Here’s a heads up about an event happening on Sunday afternoon (the 13th December).

We’ll be providing a scratch band so if you fancy bringing an instrument and joining in let me know.

Appropriately enough our guest that night is a huge admirer of William Morris and one of the best songwriters in the world – the fabulous Leon Rosselson

A centenary celebration for a building

The William Morris Hall

Somers Road E17

Sunday 13 December
Assemble at 2 pm
Music and words,
then walk to Ye Olde Rose and Crown for more celebration

Tuppence a brick (old money)

On 13 December 1909 artist and socialist Walter Crane opened the William Morris Hall: bringing to joyous conclusion six years of fundraising, preparation and hard voluntary labour.

In 1903 the brothers Ben and Charles Buck started the idea of a home for the socialist, radical and trade union people of Walthamstow. Funded by workers buying a brick for 2d (old money), sponsored bike rides and social events, the collective organisations of the Social Democratic Federation, Walthamstow Socialist League, the William Morris Club, the Clarion Cyclists, the trades council, anarchists, suffragettes and many more, the hall was built by volunteer craftsmen on Sunday mornings on squatted land.

The William Morris Hall for the 30 years was the centre of political and cultural life in the town. Amongst the many speakers who came over the years were: dock worker’s leader, Ben Tillet, the Countess of Warwick, H M Hyndman, Will Thorne, new Labour MP for West Ham South (1906), Sylvia Pankhurst, George Bernard Shaw, Victor Grayson, lion tamer, adventurer, folk hero, firebrand independent socialist MP and Walthamstow’s own Val McEntee. From day one it housed the Socialist Sunday School, where over a hundred children each week come together in secular fellowship to learn the socialist 10 commandments.

In the early 1920s the William Morris Brass Band and the William Morris Orchestra were formed. One for street marching and open air meetings, the other for concerts and dancing. The Hall had its own choir. In 1923 Charles Buck started a theatre group; performing plays by Ibsen and Shaw.

The building is a now home to the Limes Community and Children’s Centre. The inside has changed but most of the bricks are the same. I want to celebrate it’s 100 years with words and music. The pioneers who campaigned for a fairer, different world did it with verse and song, as well as marches and struggle. Let’s celebrate the building, the Buck brothers and countless others, but most of all let’s celebrate our past into the future.

Please bring banners

Our friends Playing Rapunzel are presenting an evening of spooky songs in honour of Friday 13th on Friday 13th November at the Plough.

For those who haven’t seen them at the club Playing Rapunzel are Mich Sampson who mostly plays piano and Marilisa Valtazanou who plays a Roy Castle like variety of instruments. And they both have superb voices, too!

Like all the best outfits they’re hard to categorise but tend towards contemporary songs with a literary tinge, although they do lots of traditional stuff too.

They’re superb musicians and really good fun too with a lovely warm stage presence.

The gig kicks off at 8 (doors open 7:30) and admission is £6. You can buy advance tickets from http://www.playingrapunzel.com/gigs.html

Oh and I’ll be doing a support slot in the interval – I’ve got a new spooky song to try out as well!

Hope everybody had a great summer.

The club starts up again after our summer break this Sunday (the 6th) with a visit from  Damien Barber & Mike Wilson. Two of the best traditional singers (as well lots of other things) in the country it promises to be a seriously good evening.

As always we’re at the Plough Inn, Wood Street, London E17 and we start at 7:30. Admission is £6.

Mary Mc Laughlin and Anne Lister performed together as the duo Anonyma from 1984 to 1989, touring widely in the UK, the US and Ireland, and releasing their acclaimed album Burnt Feathers on the Fellside label. Anne and Mary were known for their inventive arrangements and stunning harmonies, as well as their choice of material which ranged from their own distinctive compositions to traditional songs.

Since then Mary and Anne have followed solo careers (Mary in the US, Anne in the UK) and there have been few chances for them to meet up and work together. However in August 1009 Mary is coming to the UK for her first visit in many years and they will play a few concert dates together – including Walthamstow Folk!

Please note this gig is on a Saturday. Doors open 7:30pm.