October guest: Dan McKinnon

Dan McKinnon performed two strong sets on Wednesday 16 October in his laid-back Canadian manner, with superb guitar-playing and engaging storytelling. His songwriting gave a taste of the history of Halifax and the maritime provinces, and he made a good choice of other singers’ compositions (though he only sang one Stan Rogers’ song ☹ – on his pre-Covid visit he’d given us more of Stan) and we responded well with our choruses.
Thanks again to the nine other singers and musicians who added to a lovely atmosphere.

Dan McKinnon at Carrington Triangle Folk Club

Blind Eye support night, 2nd October

Bronwyn Westacott

Our night in support of Blind Eye on 2 October went very well. It featured Bronwyn Westacott and Dave Mooney. Bronwyn gave us songs from a variety of socialist and feminist traditions, along with some excellent songs of her own. She also attracted a wider audience than we normally get. Just what we needed.
Dave accompanied his powerful vocals with ukulele, mouth organ, nose flute, kazoo, fancy expensive kazoo with its own presentation box – and then added a jig doll for a bit of variety. Great.
Even better, the evening raised £185 for Blind Eye (https://www.blindeyesouprun.com/), who go round the streets of Nottingham every Sunday morning, with warm food, hot drinks, clothes and other supplies (and a little time and conversation) to support those living on the streets. Well done, everyone.

Dave Mooney

Our NEXT GUEST is Dan McKinnon (https://www.danmckinnon.ca/) on 16 October.

Our next guest: Dan McKinnon 16 October

Our next guest, on 16 October, is Dan McKinnon, a performer from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who we have already enjoyed at the club in pre-Covid days. His warm voice, superb guitar and original compositions have won him widespread praise. Dan’s thoughtful songs and smooth melodies cover the entire folk spectrum, traditional, historical and contemporary, but above all they are stories in song.
https://www.danmckinnon.ca

(photographer unknown: sorry)

We Mavericks: guest night 11 September

We had a lightly attended meeting for We Mavericks on 11 September, which seemed a shame, since those who were there said how much they enjoyed the evening, and that they would like to see the duo again.
Both are first rate musicians who work very well together. Lindsay’s fiddle playing is superb and Victoria is an excellent singer with a great range and variety in her voice. The subjects of the songs were varied and interesting, helped greatly by the introductions. Their warm and enthusiastic approach to the music came across really well to the audience – and they seemed to enjoy the club and the floor singers (always good to see) which made for a really good atmosphere on the night.

We Mavericks: Wednesday 11th September

Every so often we are approached to see if the club would like to offer a booking to folk artists from abroad who are on tour in a particular month. We Mavericks ( https://www.wemavericks.com.au/) are Lindsay Martin and Victoria Vigenser. Lindsay’s masterful strings and vocals complement songstress Victoria’s magnificent voice and driving rhythms. Originally from Riverina in New South Wales and Auckland in New Zealand respectively, they first played together in 2018, but have since had a fast rise to Australian festivals, music awards and as the Australian choice to attend Folk Alliance International. Ambient Light NZ sums them up “glorious harmonies and touching melodies of We Mavericks. Together they craft exquisite folk music, evoking spirits originating from Appalachia to Alba.”   

Admission is £12 or £10 for current members. Please bring cash as we don’t yet have any card facilities.  Doors open at 7.45 pm for an 8.15pm start and we finish by 11pm.

We are open every Wednesday until our party on 18 December, with singers and musician nights apart from the guest nights below. Membership is now £5 for the rest of the year.

Our July guests were Lizzie Morris & Dan Watson

Lizzie and Dan are a fine duo who communicated lots of enthusiasm with the audience and showed a strong rapport between the two of them. They gave us plenty of strong fiddle playing, both in song accompaniment and a variety of interesting tunes, and a range of songs with some lively sing-along pieces in the second half. They brought in an enthusiastic audience and gave us a very enjoyable evening. (https://morrisandwatson.net/)

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MORRIS AND WATSON

Our Next Guests: Wednesday 17 July

Back in 2020 our committee agreed to book this young duo to perform on 18th March, but we agreed to postpone two days before as the lockdown was announced. Lizzie Morris and Dan Watson from Barnsley have been playing together since their studies at Leeds College of Music, graduating in 2015. They perform a mix of traditional and self-penned songs interspersed with fiddle tunes, capturing the entire frequency spectrum, driving their songs and tunes directly into the hearts of their audience. Kate Rusby says “They’re fantastic” but aye she’s a Barnsley lass isn’t she.

Admission is £8 or £6 for current members. Please bring cash as we don’t have any card facilities. Doors open at 7.45 pm for an 8.15pm start and we finish by 11pm.

We have guests booked for the rest of the year as follows:
Wednesday 11 September – We Mavericks – touring from Australia & New Zealand
Wednesday 16 October – Dan McKinnon – return visit of Nova Scotia songsmith
Wednesday 13 November – Chris Sherburn, Denny Bartley and Emily Sanders
Wednesday 4 December — Jim Causley from Devon including seasonal songs

See you any Wednesday in our comfy redecorated room upstairs at the Gladstone.

Next Guests: Richard Grainger and Chris Parkinson 19th June

Richard Grainger is a prolific and diverse artist, a singer, songwriter and musician who has been performing on the British Folk Scene since the 1980’s. He sings songs of Teesside, the moors and the coastal communities. Richard Grainger is an internationally recognised song writer.
Chris Parkinson was a co-founder of the British folk band The House Band (1984-2001), playing accordion, harmonica, melodeon and keyboards. He has played with John Kirkpatrick in Sultans of Squeeze, as well as accompanying Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson and Ralph McTell, amongst many others.

The Ballad of James Readman

Upstairs at The Gladstone, 45 Loscoe Road, Carrington, Nottingham, NG5 2AW
Doors 7.45 for 8:15 start
We don’t have advance tickets: just turn up and pay on the door (cash only) £12/£10 members

Carrington Triangle Folk Club meets every Wednesday for singarounds, with guests once a month

Next guest: Virginia Kettle Wednesday 15 May

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Yes, we have managed to arrange a solo performance by Virginia Kettle, one of the songwriters and joint lead singer in the band Merry Hell, which a full house enjoyed at Lowdham nine weeks ago. She was only free to sing a couple of her own more personal songs there, but at a small festival last September she performed solo for a full hour so we agreed to book her now. Her songs are thoughtful and witty with a strong commitment to not being a shrinking violet.   

Admission is £12 or £10 for current members. Please bring cash as we don’t have any card facilities.  Doors open at 7.45 pm for an 8.15pm start and we finish by 11pm.

Next guest: Damien Barber on 17th April

Raised in Norfolk and heavily influenced by such earlier Norfolk singers as Walter Pardon and Peter Bellamy, Damien is a stylish and distinctive singer, either a Capella or accompanied on guitar or English concertina. Though he has lived in West Yorkshire for over 20 years he retains a strong East Anglian identity.
Damien was 5 years old he was first taken to The Orchard Garden’s Folk Club in North Walsham, Norfolk where his family lived and where he began to absorb the styles and sounds of local singers such as Tony Hall, Peter Bellamy and most notable of all Walter Pardon. Walter was one of the last great Traditional singers of the region and, along with his weekly visits to the folk club, Damien was fortunate to listen to, and play with, Walter a number of times at his home before his passing in 1996.

Admission is £10 but only £8 for current members. Please bring cash as we don’t have card facilities.  Doors open at 7.45 pm for an 8.15pm start and we finish by 11pm

Damien’s YouTube channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3pb0cPGKWtESlZnJEIDOg
Damien is also one of Breaking Tradition, the people behind the brilliant Lock In dance shows: worth catching next time they come round: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2qqVbomHVQ

It’s £10 in cash for membership for the rest of the year until Christmas, which gives free entry to singers’ and musicians’ nights every Wednesday at 8.15.

We have guests booked for the following dates in 2024:
Wednesday 17 April – Damien Barber – tradition from Norfolk and new Yorkshire songs
Wednesday 15 May – Virginia Kettle – vocalist/guitarist in Merry Hell: pleased to come to us
19 June – Richard Grainger & Chris Parkinson
17 July – Morris & Watson

See you any Wednesday in our comfy redecorated room upstairs at the Gladstone.