Hi and welcome to the first Dreamers Newsletter of 2023. I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year break.
We’ve got a lot to look forward to this year with lots of excellent guests booked, starting with Jim Causley on 22nd January. Before that, we have two Singers Nights, this Sunday 8th January and the following week.
Jim’s visit is a part of his New Year Wassail tour, travelling far and wide. T The tradition of wassailing goes way back for Jim who grew up in a wassailing village not far from Sidmouth Folk Festival. The songs (and the cider!) are part of the identity of Jim’s native county of Devon, where wassailing has marked the New Year for centuries. These seasonal concerts have become an annual tradition of their own and it’s great to see Dreamers as one of the venues. If you want a sneak preview online, there’s a hybrid gig from the Quaker Meeting House in Oxford this Saturday, 7th January – details at Jim Causley’s New Year Wassail | Live to Your Living Room.
Zoom sessions are now well established as part of the folk scene – the next Cornish Zoom session is not until 28th January (our usual day, the 4th Saturday, after an early – but very well attended date in December). I’ll try and keep you posted about other zoom sessions from time to time.
Something a bit different this Friday, 6th January (at 7.30) with Saltlines. This is a collaboration between bestselling author Raynor Winn (The Salt Path) and folk-roots supergroup The Gigspanner Big Band. Together they celebrate the beauty, stories and traditions of the South West Coast Path in a performance of old songs with their origins in the South-West, and brand new compositions written by Raynor Winn especially for this production. It’s a 90-minute film, recorded at The Lighthouse Theatre in Poole. It’s available to watch for 24 hours, so you have a little while to catch up if you aren’t free to watch it straight away. Tickets at WeGotTickets | Simple, honest ticketing | SALTLINES Streamed Concert – With The Gigspanner Big Band & Raynor Winn
And a choice of online events next Thursday 12th January, both at 8.00:-
- Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin) will be singing in the New Year with a special concert, designed to thank their fans for their support throughout the last twelve months. Old favourites, new songs, and more instruments than they can comfortably fit in their living room. Tickets from Edgelarks: live online at Online event tickets from TicketSource!
- Blending traditional folk with electronic influences, The Drystones bring fresh energy to timeless traditions. With a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nomination under their belts, and previous performances at the likes of Glastonbury Festival, they’re certainly ones to watch. The Drystones | Online Gig | Live To Your Living Room
Late I know as this Newsletter has been on holiday (but it’s never too late for carols really) – Folk on Foot has a new festive episode featuring the Wexford Carols sung by the beautiful voice of Caitriona O’Leary. There carols came out of the persecution of catholics in Wexford in the 17th and 18th centuries. Various visits and a fascinating story with great music and an atmospheric, seasonal experience. Folk On Foot
And, finally, I’ve just received 3 copies of the latest Folk Life UK magazine with lots of news about the folk scene in the South-West and further afield as well as tunes, words and history of some great songs. Thanks to David Harley who took over from me and put the Cornish section together – they are still looking for a longer term contributor.
Enough for now, take care
Nigel