What’s On at…

Dr-Price-and-Folk-Club

THE MUSIC DIARY…

Welcome to our wonderful Folk Club, which is staging live shows every Wednesday in the Pontyclun Institute Athletic Club at 8.30pm. 

Our Zoomaround sessions start on the first Tuesday of the month (8.15pm for 8.30pm) – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89787380016 Meeting ID: 897 8738 0016 – no password. We hope to see you there!

May 31, 2023: Showcase – Under Milk Wood, a reading organised by Steve Lamb (Wales)

The version of this play presented by Llantrisant Guildhall Players is just 25 minutes long. This bite-size adaptation retains the sense of one day passing in the life of a West Wales fishing village called Llareggub – just read that backwards to get a sense of the humour that runs through the play, alongside the trademark melodic lyricism of work by Dylan Thomas. Llareggub is populated by eccentric characters who are celebrated in this ever-popular play for voices. Steve says: “If you like our abridged version, then hopefully you will seek out a full production of the original play.”

Admission: £3

June 7, 2023: Hilary Spencer

Hilary holds the record of the artist who has performed on the Llantrisant Folk Club stage more times that she can remember – she’s funny, she’s bewitching, she’s highly entertaining and her fabulous three-and-a-half octave voice just hooks the delighted crowd. A trained opera singer and a colatura soprano, she joined Jacey and Brian Bedford in the award-winning acapella trio Artisan in 1984 and toured the world – she became known as ‘That Voice’. She also hooked up with Chris Harvey and Alison Younger in the totally barmy MrsAckroyd, a loving showcase to the late poet and performer Les Barker. She joined forces with incredible guitarist, writer and star of Esther Rantzen’s That’s Life show Grant Baynham in the duo Quicksilver, until tragedy struck when Grant suddenly passed away on July 29, 2022. Nowadays, Hilary is out on the road again – and she’s singing for you! (NB: The SParky Samba Benefit Night (Wednesday June 7) is postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.) 

Admission: £8 (members £5)   

June 21, 2023: John Alderslade (Wales)

Now living in Aberystwyth, John can boast a 50-year love affair with the big wide world of folk. He started performing in 1968, then solo and fronting a number of groups. He started the well-travelled trio called Stonegallows with Pat and Alan Briers, which broke up only this year; different personnel came and went, but John remained constant. Balancing solo performance and a puppet and live action folk group (the Old Will Folk Entertainers Company), John formed two duo acts with Joffre White and Tony Batten.

John actively chaired the committee that set up the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival, which ran for 35 years; Still happily doing things in his own inimitable fashion, he continues to captivate his audience at folk clubs and festivals with songs collected from friends, side-splitting humour and a half-century’s wealth of stories. 

Admission: £8 (members £5)         

July 5, 2023: Kit Hawes & Aaron Catlow

They played for Llantrisant Folk Club and received a great ovation – and now  they’re back again! One of the most exciting duos to emerge from the UK in recent times, Kit and Aaron combine heartfelt musicality, unparalleled virtuosity and vocal harmony. Using the folk music of the British Isles as a catalyst, Kit and Aaron create dynamic and effervescent interpretations of centuries-old material as well as original songs and compositions, all the while celebrating the timeless aural quality of a guitar, fiddle and vocals duet.

Studio albums The Fox (2016) and Pill Pilots (2019) have been met by wide critical acclaim, receiving five-star reviews and local and national airplay. The duo tour extensively in the UK and internationally across Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. BBC-2’s Mark Radcliffe is a champion of their work, saying: “Kit and Aaron are reminiscent of the late Dave Swarbrick and Martin Carthy… I can give them no higher accolade. They deserve to be thought of as amongst the best”. Please watch this video of Kit and Aaron performing ‘I Know My Love’. 

Admission: £8 (members £5)

July 26, 2023: Wilmot – A Musical Journey by Chris Dale (Wales)

Based on the account of William Knox, who emigrated from Scotland to Ontario, Canada, June to August 1838.

  Admission: £5 

 

 

August 2, 2023:  Beach Party with Jack Dawgs (Wales)

Howlin’ good-time music! Swansea-based Jack Dawgs is the latest bluegrass band created by Gower Bluegrass Festival organiser and guitarist / mandolinist Roland Emmanuel (on the right of our picture). Roland started a number of bluegrass groups, including The Grass Snakes and the wonderful Roots ‘n’ Galoots. 

It’s August, it’s the long, hot summer and it’s Beach Party time – please bring your virtual deck chairs, your sandals, your shorts and your beach towels! (If you’ve forgotten your beach apparel or if you prefer to wear your everyday clothes, that’s all right, too.) There will be prizes for the winners of the Knobbly Knees and Bulging Biceps competitions, too – so go on, start sunning yourselves!  

Admission: £8 (members £5)

August 23, 2023: Showcase with Rena Gertz

At the National Mod in Perth, Scotland, which is the Scottish equivalent of our Eisteddfod, Rena has won one of the most prestigious solo competitions, the silver pendant for Gaelic learners. Rena originally came from Germany, but she’s now living in Prestonpans, a small mining town on the Firth of Forth which is approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh. The photo shows an overjoyed Rena holding her silver pendant – and smiling!

Admission: £3 

September 13, 2023: Mark Dowding

To say that Mark Dowding is just a folk singer would be an understatement. His accomplished performing and musicianship, alongside his extensive knowledge of the history of every song he sings, has earned him an excellent reputation at folk clubs and other events. His mellow voice has been likened to a chocolate box.

From his first performances over 40 years ago at school PTA evenings, through local folk clubs, including being a resident at Harry Boardman’s club in Salford in the 1970s, Mark has honed his craft as an accomplished singer and multi-instrumentalist (including guitar, banjo, concertina and mandolin), with a varied repertoire from historical songs – particularly those of Lancashire – to music hall, songs of the 1920s and 1930s. He has performed widely across the country and has several radio and TV credits. 

Admission: £8 (members £5)

September 20, 2023: Pete Coe

Pete Coe has had more than 50 years of music making on the folk scene. His contributions include traditional song research, song writing in traditional style, the founding of several seminal bands (the founder member and visionary force behind The New Victory Band, Bandoggs and Red Shift) plus solo and duo performances, dance calling, recording, field research, local folk activism in Ryburn Three Step and teaching at various levels. Together with his wife, Sue, he received the Gold Badge Award from the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) in 2016 for their outstanding contributions to folk dance, music or song.

“There’s a very good reason why Pete Coe’s career has been such a long and successful one: this is a man who never rests on his laurels and who is constantly looking for new angles from which to approach his music. In addition he’s an extremely competent singer, musician, arranger, step dancer and a stage performer of rare ability.” (John Waltham, Living Tradition)

Admission: £8 (members £5)

October 11, 2023:  Colum Sands (Ireland)

Magical songwriter Colum Sands has performed in over 30 countries around the world, confirming the universal appeal for the songs and stories with which he observes the minute and often humorous details of life.

A member of the internationally renowned Sands Family from County Down, Colum established his reputation as a songwriter with the release of his first solo album, Unapproved Road in 1981. Songs like ‘Whatever You Say, Say Nothing’, and ‘Almost Every Circumstance’ were soon in the repertoire of artists from Billy Connolly to Maddy Prior and June Tabor.

His second album, The March Ditch, inspired a special BBC television documentary and songs like ‘The Man with the Cap’ and ‘Looking the loan of a Spade’ confirmed his unique ability to observe locally and appeal universally. On his travels around the world, he soon discovered that many of his songs had arrived before him, carried by other singers and in recordings by fellow performers like Andy Irvine, Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, Roy Bailey, Mick Hanley and Enda Kenny.

Between touring and recording, countless other performers have been introduced to the air waves through Colum’s work as a presenter of BBC Radio Ulster’s Folk Club programme, he has also broadcast a series of programmes for BBC Radio 2 and has compiled and presented a series RTE Radio called Rootin About. His work in radio and studio production earned him the Living Tradition Award for services to Folk and Traditional Music. Colum has also produced countless albums for traditional singers and songwriters, he also produced four tracks on the Sound Neighbours CD, released by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, an album which was short listed for a Grammy Nomination. His ninth album, Turn the Corner, came out in 2012. His songs continue to travel and his tenth collection, Song Bridge, was released in 2020.

Admission: £8 (members £5)

October 25, 2023: Bruce Watson (Australia)

Bruce Watson’s performances are joyful and thoroughly engaging, with witty lyrics and energetic presentation. He is a masterful craftsman of songs, be they evocative and heart-wrenching or side-splittingly funny.

Bruce is an icon of the Australian folk scene. Based in Melbourne, he plays regularly at festivals, folk clubs and other venues throughout Australia. He has received a stack of songwriting awards and had his songs covered by performers of the calibre of Eric Bogle, Joe Dolce, Greg Champion, and a host of other Australian and international performers.

He has produced seven albums of original songs, received radio airplay across Australia, and he appears on many compilation albums.  Bruce has released his latest and eighth album, Year of Wonders, accompanied by some of the cream of Melbourne’s folk musicians.

Admission: £8 (members £5)

November 15, 2023:  James Delarre and Saul Rose

Spectacular fiddler James Delarre and respected folk melodeonist and singer Saul Rose met at Sidmouth Folk Week in 2007, brought together to play music for Morris Offspring. After a punishing week of morning workshops and all day and evening performances with the dancers, they had become firm friends. They continued to play for Morris Offspring for a couple of years and shared the stage with Jim Moray. Every time they meet the music flows – with the timeless combination of fiddle and box, James and Saul have been making musical magic together for what seems a very  long time now. The duo intertwine seamlessly, dancing around the tunes between the notes, finding space and air and breathing fresh life and energy.

 James is a founding member of the critically-acclaimed bands Topette!!, the now-disbanded Mawkin and Mawkin:Causley and is in demand within the traditional folk scene and beyond. Saul is a long-time member of Waterson:Carthy, winners of two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Saul, who was nominated for the Musician of The Year award in 2010, was one-third of the power-folk band Faustus and is a founding member of Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band. Please listen to a video of James and Saul performing ‘Out With My Dog In The Morning’.

Admission: £8 (members £5)

December 13, 2023:  VRï (Cymru/Wales)

VRï are Jordan Price Williams (cello, voice), Aneirin Jones (violin, voice) and Patrick Rimes (viola, violin, voice) – three young men from deepest, darkest chapel-going Wales who have mined the cultural upheaval of past centuries and drawn inspiration from the incredible story of a time when Wales’ traditional music and dance was suppressed by Methodist chapels, and, earlier, its language by the Act of Union. As audio archaeologists, VRï have unearthed long-lost nuggets that shed a new light on a vibrant folk tradition that harnesses the raw energy of the fiddle with the finesse of the violin, the beauty of chamber music with the joy and hedonism of a pub session. Their songs, sung with powerful vocal harmonies, tell stories of the people who struggled 200 years ago, just as many struggle today. It’s a wonderful and unique soundscape that connects across the centuries to give us a sense of belonging, of community, and a magical feeling of weightlessness and uplifting freedom. 

VRï’s 2019 debut album Ty Ein Tadau (House Of Our Fathers) received a five-star review in FolkWales Online Magazine and Songlines magazine plus numerous awards nominations and wins. Their second album, Islais a Genir (A Sung Whisper) netted credits for Best Album and Best Instrumental Track in the prestigious Wales Folk Awards, held the Millennium Centre’s Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff Bay, broadcast on BBC Radio Wales and Welsh language TV channel S4C. 

​Please watch a video of VRï performing ‘Aberhonddu’ – a soldier gets called away to fight in the Napoleonic wars, and he misses his home town of Brecon. The Arts Council of Wales has secured for us a Night Out grant. 

Entry: £10 (members £8)

For past guests, click here

For booking Information & general enquiries…

Pat Smith   Mick Tems
Telephone 01443 226892   Telephone 01443 201634
Mobile 07989 209824   Mobile 07531 812400
Email (click) Pat Smith   Email (click) Mick Tems