REVIEWS from Autumn 2008

 7^th Sept BRIAN PETERS.

  Well, I’m a Brian Peters fan, I love the Child Ballads and this was my first excursion over to Loughborough for Swan Folk. I am so pleased I made the effort for what a cracking good concert we were treated to.

Brian started off with a couple of songs, the first of which was a rousing version of the well known ballad, ‘The Golden Vanity’, a tale of drowning and deception where the hero dies and the villain gets off scot free. He then switched from guitar to anglo concertina for a trio of lively tunes. Two nautical songs followed then, on melodeon, a set of beautiful hornpipe tunes collected 200 years ago from the landlord of the Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit. Unlikely names I know, but that’s what he told us! He finished the first half with the epic ‘Sir Aldingar’. I timed it – it lasted 8 minutes! What a feat of musicianship and singing. He drove the ballad along with guitar accompaniment and such is his skill as a storyteller he had us enthralled as the tale of lust, false accusation and revenge unfolded, and this time the villain got his comeuppance!

After the usual beer break and spots from the floor (sorry Steve but Brian wins as your ballad only lasted 5 minutes!) Brian resumed with a more measured couple of songs, the lyrical ‘Banks of Green Willow’ being another of my favourites. He then switched from guitar accompaniment to anglo concertina to give us three lively jigs followed by a comedy number ‘Six Nights Drunk’. Here Brian has written a modern set of words on the old theme to excellent and entertaining effect. However for me the highlight of the second half had to be hearing him play ‘Dallas Rag’ on anglo concertina. Concertina + Ragtime = Wow! To finish we got solid performances of the Keith Marsden song ‘Prospect, Providence, Perseverance’ and the ‘Derby Ram’ by which time I think he was pretty much exhausted. It must have been hard work to keep up such a high degree of enthusiasm and presentation for such a small audience. Never the less he gave a lovely rendition of ‘Scarborough Fair’ as an encore using the Castleton Bells of Paradise tune which worked beautifully. For those of us who were there we had a marvellous evening and Brian deserved our hearty applause.

So whether you’re a ballad anorak or not, next time you see Brian Peters on the guest list turn up. You’ll be treated to an evening of the highest level of entertainment from a highly skilled musician and singer.

Julie Palmer. Nottingham.

 21st Sept VICKI SWAN & JONNY DYER

Vicki and Jonny arrived with a varied and extensive array of instruments (all of which they played with great skill) from guitars and accordion through flute, small pipes to Vicki’s latest instrument ’the Nyckelharpa,’a Swedish instrument - a bit like a bowed hurdy gurdy somewhat less droney in sound it seemed somewhat gentler to me.

Before the evening started we had to change the room round to how it used to be due to the lights in the back stairs failing- thanks to Vicki & Jonny for their patience and help.

Their music was ’easy’ listening often using different tunes (I suspect written by themselves)  I personally enjoyed the song ‘follow me home’ -not sure if that was the title but it came in the chorus a lot! The second half started with one of Annie’s favourite tunes (The Willows) A nice balance between tunes and songs. They were well received by those there - unfortunately not as many as their skill warranted.

Chris

 5th October JOHN KIRKPATRICK

I arrived at the Swan tired and a little depressed, two seconds after John Kirkpatrick started his set I was wide awake and feeling very happy! This guy is the best live performer on the folk scene. He started with a brilliant set of morris tunes ( the Saints set) which should have brought life back to the dead (it did to me!) and followed up with a wonderful selection of tunes and songs (some of which came from his own pen). For me the highlights of the evening his rendition of the old Steeleye Span classic ' The lark in the Morning' and a haunting melody 'The Dark Queen' which was simply wonderful. This was the most enjoyable evening I have had in a long time (since the last time he was here - a very long two years ago). Memo to Chris and Annie - Don't make us wait so long to see him again!!! 

John Prowse

 19th October THE ASKEW SISTERS

As Autumn evenings descend upon us the Askew Sisters are a very good reason to venture out and be entertained.

 Strongly billed and highly recommended by the likes of James Fagan, Nancy Kerr, who are, themselves, held high in esteem in folk circles.

 Emily and Hazel, a duo playing fiddle and melodeon, each as an individual playing to a high standard.  Their skills coming together as one, which the  audience appreciated,  and responded warmly to very accomplished artists.

 Varied in programme we were treated to fine, simple traditional music of songs, reels and dance music. Highlights include Shaalds of Foula (from the Shetlands), Robin Hood and the Pedlar, The Unfortunate Tailor, Dusty Miller and High Germany.

 Overall impressions are that these two fresh faced ladies have the potential to go all the way and become part of  folklore in music. We will certainly see and hear more of these two young ladies.

 To round off, thank you to all in the floor spots, Chris and Tony’s Peggy and the Soldier, Nigels stalwart performance on harmonica,and Nic and Jac’s Song of the Magpie. 

Ray

 2nd November PETE MORTON

Pete started off with a song about the economy, followed by ‘6 Billion Eccentrics.’ During the evening Pete performed a wide range of material, including a number from his new ‘multi language’ CD. Whilst I don’t speak any of the languages that he used I can still appreciate the songs on a level of hearing them as ‘mouth music’ What I did notice was that Pete’s voice has become less ‘aggressive’ and somewhat more ‘melodic’ without losing his passion. He is able sing with this passion without being ‘preachy.’ To my mind this makes the songs more effective.

He ‘finished with ‘Another Train’ (difficult to imagine a performance from Pete without this song). He still makes it sound ‘fresh.’ His encore was an interesting ‘middle English’ version of ‘Rock Around the Clock’ All in all a less ‘mannered’ performance and more listenable because of that.

Chris

16TH November MARK NEWMAN

For those of you who don’t know Mark and his music, a quick summary. He is a terrific, non show-off guitarist with a pleasant, unassuming voice. The material he sings and plays covers various bases, from trad. Folk (Marie’s Wedding, Clumsy Lover, Lili Bolero etc.), through to singer song writers like Tom Paxton and Tom Lehrer, and also into bluesy material such as ‘Do- Wah - Diddy’ (Blind Blake) and ‘Judgement Day’ (Rev. Gary Davis).

Mark arrived with a bad cold, but it didn’t stop him putting on an excellent, professional show for those punters who appeared. With a bit of repartee between him and the audience, a good atmosphere was created and we all enjoyed ourselves. High lights for me were ‘Sitting on Top of the World’ (which seemed to lean towards Skip James, rather than the better known Mississippi Sheiks version); ‘Denmark Girls’ by Nick Kerr--(no I didn’t know him either!) and Mark’s usual signing off number, Big Bill Broonzy’s ‘Glory of Love.’

I can’t let the ‘small audience’ issue pass without comment. This was a great concert by a well known, respected figure-- (like most ‘do’s at the Swan.) I know there’s a recession on, but it’s £7-- not three figures for a night at the opera!

Why few people came to this gig is a great mystery to me -- right up there with the Marie Celeste, Bigfoot, and the alarming tendency of Joe Public to vote for John Sargeant. The Pack Horse is going--make sure you keep the Swan in the Rushes club solvent.

  Support your local folk club!

Nigel

(I've been made aware that The Old Pack Horse is going to run once a month  see the folk diary for details- this info came after I received Nigel's review. chris)

 30 November 2008 Archie Fisher

Archie Fisher gigs are increasingly rare, particularly well away from his beloved Borderland, so this opportunity to see him in the East Midlands was not to be missed, even on a bitterly cold night. Archie has been a notable figure on the folk music scene for more than 40 years, making his mark early on with his sister Ray during the folk revival of the 60s. He has toured widely in the US and Canada, and his songs have been picked up by the likes of Fairport Convention, Stan Rogers and Eva Cassidy. If you catch him at a festival, the esteem in which he’s held by his fellow professionals is demonstrated by the number of them that will be in the audience – “sitting at the master’s feet” as a well-known club circuit singer said to me once.

A decidedly unflashy performer, Archie’s warm, mellow voice is beautifully accompanied by his smooth, rhythmic guitar style. It’s deceptively simple – mostly arpeggios in either DADGAD or open G – but as those of us who’ve tried to play like Archie will know, it’s rather elusive. His set tonight was typical of his performances, mixing his own material with selections from the tradition and from other contemporary composers. Certain themes appear often in his own songs, such as lost love, the sea, his love of riding and the life of a travelling musician. His most recent CD, Windward Away, is recommended for those who’d like to get a musical snapshot of Archie’s work over nearly 30 years, including a batch of tracks originally recorded in the 1970s and then lost until recently.

I think it’s fair to say that Archie’s quiet style and Scottish diction do make him one of those performers who benefits from appropriate PA in anything other than the most intimate venues; if he returns to Swanfolk (as I would certainly hope) this might be worth considering to get the best from his performance for the whole audience.

Sam Hudson