Doug Eunson & Sarah Matthews
Doug and Sarah are longstanding Derbyshire artists who had been our guests before Covid, so longstanding members expected a mix of traditional songs and dance tunes, some of them by Sarah and Doug. They have had 30 years of playing together in ceilidhs and folk clubs, which showed in their clear introductions and well-planned set list. The Taoist Tale from Doug, a song by Tucker Zimmerman about the uncertainty of luck, was followed by hornpipes and the Child ballad Willy’s Lady where Sarah shone.
They soon let us join choruses of In Praise of Alcohol, a Robert Service poem, and the 16th century Jolly Good Ale and Old. We had dance tunes from Belgium and France, Orange in Bloom and a lovely tune written by Chris Wood. Sarah followed the Thomas Raine song Fourpence a Day with her composition Gathering Round about the joy of participation in celebration. When we asked for an encore, they gave us the Padstow May Song which let us finish the night with a rich chorus.
