Being Friday the 22nd of May, 2015 ...

Berry was electric with this very neat device ...

Berry can always be forgiven for introducing new dimensions
to the notion of traditional music.

We witnessed the mortification of anisoptera ...

... inside a jar.

Phil sang a song with a chorus in French ...

"Na-na-na-nah," it goes.
What has somebody done to this man's brain?

Interestingly, on the previous week, Mike H. had performed a totally different, self-penned song with exactly that same chorus.

We were delighted to welcome our occasional visitors, Derek and Roberta, from Worcestershire.
Derek's music was truly resonating ...

Now, about a song ...
Paul correctly identified the so-called 'Singing Postman' as Allan Smethurst ...

About another song ...
Waltzing Matilda, lyrics by Banjo Paterson in 1895, is reputedly, (reliably?) set to a pre-existing Scottish melody, Bonny Wood of Craigielea, composed by James Barr, published in 1836, for lyrics written by Robert Tannahill, who had died prior to publication ...

Search for almost any traditional song on YouTube and  you will

find that this guy has covered it.

Raymond is a veritable mine of information.

Then we heard a charming instrumental about an extraordinarily large sea-bird ...

Hello, my name is Diomedeida.
You can call me Dom.
Dire consequences will befall anyone who shoots an arrow at me.
Apologies to STC of The Ancient Mariner!

Then we went quietly home with joyful hearts, hopeful souls, intact of limb and sound of mind.

The only fictional death was that poor dragonfly.

I think the albatross survived!

About a Gig ...Travelling North to Sing and Play ...

'Colin & Friends'

have been invited to perform at 

Folk at the Chapel in Billingshurst.

(The above link is clickable.)

You might remember that we've been there before.

(I understand that the leaky roof has been repaired.)

Saturday, 6th June, 8.00pm.

Evershed Unitarian Chapel, Billingshurst,
RH14 9QS.

(Park at the Library.)

Admission: only £3.00!

There is one CFC participant who opined that Colin might have difficulty finding any friends.
(Now, who is the only person in our gathering who uses this verb: to opine?)
Well, we have Angela, Paul, Roger, Mick and Lucy in the ensemble.
(No, I did not have to pay them!)
In recent weeks we have been rehearsing a couple of sets of five songs, working up to a grand collaborative crescendo.

There will be no real deaths, just two songs that herald glorious anticipation thereof.
No whales die, and there are no severed limbs.
Sex is restricted to just one song in anticipation of legitimate, intramarital pleasure of the flesh.
No inebriation ... just remember that we're in chapel!

You can sing along with some of them, but watch out for Roger's rogue closing phrasing with Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy!

Please come along and support us.

Stuart might invite you to take a floor-spot.

Being Friday the 15th of May, 2015 ...

Mike P. occupied the chair uncomplainingly ...

"The Bullring is silent," sang he.

We enjoyed a most delightful rendition of a classical tune from Mick ... 

If you look very carefully, you might discern Mick 

... on the front row, left?

(Sorry, fireworks and naked flames have been banned!)

Phil paid tribute to B.B. King who has sadly been called to Blues Heaven ...

Roger joined in with enthusiasm.
The rest of us remained in silent admiration and wonder.
"How do they do that?!"
Very many thanks, Phil and Roger ... that was a triumph!

There followed some intelligent(?) discussion regarding ping-pong balls and super-glue.

We believe that was something to do with plectrums.
Roger makes his from Tesco Club Cards!

Mave sang about home economy, and she educated us that 'block-ornaments' are not home decorations.
They are residual scraps of meat/offal from the butcher's block at the end of a working day.

Such is the enlightenment that we acquire weekly at The City Folk Club.

Tony very cleverly squeezed three instrumental tunes into one spot - all with the same three-chord-progression.

Then he sang something in A-Level French ... something about being alongside a fair-haired lady. 

"Na-na-na-na-na-naah," sang Mike H.

Someone asked, "What language is that?"

It took us a while to pick up the chorus, but it sounded like a folk song!

Conor transported us to somewhere near New Orleans ...

Yes, to Dogsbody's delight, it did involve a train!

We closed with a collaboration about a young financier ...

"No, not that sort of banker,"
explained Angela!

Being Friday the 8th of May ...

Maybe we all fulfilled our civic responsibilities at the ballot-box on the preceding day, so Paul facilitated the evening beginning with the following advice ...

"Anyone who talks about
   politics will have to DIE!"

Thus warned, we simply got on with making music.

Bob took us on an extra-terrestrial voyage ...

Roger did not sing about politics.
Nevertheless, he declared that he was content to die on the Plains of Abraham ...

Death of General Wolfe
(Benjamin West, 1771)

Mike sang about a maritime expedition ...

This fine vessel, named Mikrobe, is for sale.

So ... no [real] deaths and nobody drownded ...

... 'n fact nothing to laugh at, at all!

(Apologies to Marriott Edgar, 1880-1951)

Being Friday the First of May, 2015 ...

YES ... MAY DAY!

Dogsbody introduced the proceedings by giving an account of Beltane, a Celtic/Gaelic feast, which falls on this date.

Ancient celebrations involved fire, nudity and invocations of fertility.

We, however, had no conflagrations, all remained clothed and the nearest we came to fertility was to congratulate Bob and Val on their recent grand-parenthood.

The City Folk Club, as you will understand, is a non-political organisation, so we paid only minimal attention to the left-wing significance of this particular date.

Having said that, Melissa's powerful offering was near the mark of socialist revolution ...

Great Enoch still shall lead our van ...
(Enoch was the name of the hammer
that was used for machine-wrecking.)
An interesting commentary about the song can be found
by clicking cropper lads.

Once more we admired the new chairs, nobody was tossed to the floor ... but ... look what was discovered lurking in the new Centenary Room ...

"I'm such a lonely chair; won't somebody take me home?

Perhaps the Guides are preserving this rustic relic as a memento of more austere times.

Maybe we can use it as the 'naughty seat'?

Jo and Graham's dog wasn't too keen on the cat ...

Sylvia was bereft that her true love had been pressed into service ...

"Somewhere over the..." played Phil ...

Berry sang about a mystic smile ...

We all joined in to finish the evening thus ...

We went home feeling very happy.

Then, on Saturday, it rained!