pologies for the absence of the Newsletter for the last few weeks. As many of you know, I went into hospital for a simple (same day) gall bladder removal and ended up staying for 17 days. Now at home and recovering but it’s a slow process – we’ll be back at the Club as soon as we can, of course, though at the moment this weekend feels a bit soon.
In the meantime, I’m sure we’ve missed lots of good guests and singers nights, hope it’s all been going well. Coming up we have a singers night this coming Sunday (2nd March), followed by guests Jeff and Elaine Gillet on 9th March and then, of course, Dreamers own 25th Birthday Party on March 16th. Plenty to look forward to.
I’m also late with congratulations for Joe, his partner and the whole family on the arrival of their new baby, Fye, a couple of weeks ago. Welcome/Wilkommen. We look forward to seeing them all at Dreamers before long (in the meantime, I’m sure Jill will be very happy to share news!)
Whilst I’ve been ill, about the only folk thing we were able to do from the comfort of home was the Cornish Zoom Folk Club on 22nd February which turned out to be another fantastic session with numerous performers from all over the UK, Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada and Spain. Some great songs too (including “My Old Man’s a Dustman” in the style of Bob Dylan!). Next one in 22nd March.
Early notice that Rum and Shrub will be giving a concert on Friday April 4th at 7.30 in St Agnes church in aid of Cancer Research. They will be supported by Out of the Wood (Toby Kessell and Jan Dyer) and all proceeds will go to CRUK. I imagine most of us will have been affected by cancer in one way or another so this is a great charity to support (not to mention the music!). Tickets at £10 each are available at https://www.atlanticcoastcluster.org.uk/tickets/
The big West Country Summer Folk Festivals are already active in promoting “early bird” ticket sales.
· Sidmouth Festival runs from 1st to 8th August 2025. The list of performers already booked is long – you can buy a range of early bird tickets and see more about who is coming at Tickets – The Sidmouth Folk Festival
· The Cornwall Festival in Wadebridge runs from 21st to 25th August. Earlybird tickets will remain on offer at £79 adult and £39.50 under 18s until the end of St Piran’s day, Wednesday March 5th. After that date full festival tickets will be £99. Among those booked fo far are The Henry Girls, Merry Hell, The Magpies, Tim Edey, Jackie Oates with Mike Cosgrave, Bagas Fellyon, Piskie Trap, The Countrymen, Martha Woods and Wake The River. Full Festival Earlybird Tickets – Cornwall Folk Festival
It’s a long way to go but you may be interested in Mick Ryan’s new production in Chippenham, Wiltshire on 22 March 2025. This is “The Innocent”, a story told in words and song to celebrate the short life of Thomas Helliker known as the Trowbridge Martyr who was hanged on his 19th birthday 22 March 1803. Local workers in Trowbridge feared the introduction of mechanical shearing frames to finish the cloth. Tickets from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-innocent-a-story-told-in-song-by-mick-ryan-a
Online, there’s a new episode of Folk on Foot with the Brighton based band Bird in the Belly taking us for a walk on the South Downs Way during the Tremula Festival of Outdoor Podcasting. For the very first time, there’s an audience of Folk on Foot fans. The band (Laura Ward, Adam Ronchetti Tom Pryor and Jinwoo) share a song about a day out in Brighton in 1813, a love song to a Welsh Ploughboy and music inspired by the nature writer Richard Jefferies’ 1885 post apocalyptic novel “After London”. Then it’s into a beautiful village church for the grand finale. Bird in the Belly at the Tremula Festival on the South Downs Way
On Wednesday 5th March at 8.00, Live to Your Living Room features Yorkshire folk singer Jack Rutter who has established himself as one of the standout voices of the folk, roots and acoustic music scene in recent years. A hugely engaging stage presence, his soaring vocal, powerhouse guitar and bouzouki playing and masterful arrangements of traditional songs and contemporary covers have enthralled audiences from the largest festival main stages to the most intimate folk clubs. Jack Rutter | Online Gig | Live To Your Living Room
And, don’t forget that if you want to see what’s going on further afield or to read all sorts of folk-related material, there’s the excellent Folk Life. Including a feature on Cynefin, a unique musical project about. the culture and traditions of Ceredigion which aims to provide a window into the past, and in addition bringing present day issues into sharp focus. A personal dispatch from the struggle to maintain a language, culture and way of life. There’s a web-site for this at https://cynefinmusic.wales – just one of many interesting features, more at www.folklife.uk/
That’s quite enough for now – a bit of catching up this time. All the best
Nigel