Notts Alliance

Notts Alliance packed the club last Wednesday, 10 December.

The group has been an important and respected part of the Nottingham traditional music scene, with some changes in membership, since 1972. The current lineup, Chris Orme, Phil Hardcastle and Stephen Bailey, dates from 1986. So there were many old and new familiar faces of singers, dancers, and musicians in the audience. I remember Notts Alliance from back in the 70s, when the much-missed Sid Long was in the group, and I was certainly pleased to be there this week. Although they’re active and important around Nottingham, they hadn’t been guests at Carrington for a long time, not since before the pandemic.
They gave us an entirely unaccompanied set with striking harmony singing, sharing leads across all three. They’re all grand singers, but I particularly enjoyed Phil’s clear tones coming through on some of the quieter numbers. Steve effortlessly shifted across a very wide range for his harmonies.
Although Notts Alliance were always part of the local traditional scene, they gave us a lot of contemporary songs mixed in with the old songs*. They started with Richard Thompson’s stirring Wall of Death and ended with Jez Lowe’s Back in Durham Jail. But in between there were several old songs like Creeping Jane (a tribute to Joseph Taylor) and a lovely version of Bushes and Briars, with several verses which aren’t usually heard.
We had seasonal songs too – a wassail, and John Jacob Niles’ I Wonder As I Wander (probably not as traditional as Niles made out, but at least 90 years old, so it’s become part of the repertoire by now – and it’s a nice song).
Chris has raised the telling of bad jokes to a fine art, and that livened up the evening, too. Some of the jokes even made Phil and Stephen wince.
In all, a great evening, with powerful chorus singing from the audience, as always, and a great feeling of mutual support around the room coming out of the strength, depth and longevity of the local scene.
We hope it’s not so many years before we have them back again.

Notts Alliance’s long history brought some important singers from the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire folk scenes to the club. Here’s Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham giving us a song, with Al Atkinson and Ken Brammah listening.
Hugh Miller

*My classification of ‘contemporary’ is a bit biased: Ewan MacColl’s Radio Ballad songs (they gave us a few) from 1960 or so are still modern as far as I’m concerned.