Bob Fox
On Wednesday, 18th March, our guest at the Carrington Triangle was Bob Fox from Seaham, a former coal mining town, about six miles south of Sunderland, hence he specialises in songs from the North East.
After the usual half hour of floor singers, Bob moved onto the ‘stage’ with an ease of manner, immediately engaging with the audience through interesting and amusing stories and song introductions, He began with My Love is in America by Chris Leslie, a wistful, haunting song about a young man whose girlfriend is forced to leave him in order to emigrate to the States with her father. This was followed by a song about the Sunderland naval hero, Jack Crawford, sometimes called The Hero of Camperdown. It tells the story of how he ‘nailed his colours to the mast’ during that battle in 1797.
The third song, The Year Turns Round Again, was from the theatre production of War Horse, in which Bob appeared as Song Man, followed by another song from that production, Learning to Plough, where Joey the horse had to be taught how to ‘ plough a good furrow’ for a Devon village competition.
Bob told us that he had to learn to play the melodeon for War Horse, and had one made in Gateshead to look like an early twentieth century instrument (Just a bit of info for melodeon enthusiasts!).
Towards the end of the first set came a song by Jez Lowe called Greek Lightening about a couple trying to get by on benefits, dreaming of a holiday in the Greek islands, but having to settle for day trips to Roker and Whitley Bay. As a northerner myself, I don’t happen to think those choices were a bad alternative, but a life on benefits is not much fun.
Bob began his second set with Champion at Keeping Them Rolling about old-style long distance lorry drivers. It was written by Ewan MacColl, and Bob did mention, in his humorous way, that Ewan, who was really English pretending to be Scottish, sang as a Geordie (well, why not ?!).
Peppers and Tomatoes was next, a political song by Ralph McTell referring to how the Orthodox Serbians and Catholic Croats got along with each other until Serbia, supported by Russia, went to war, intent on divide and conquer tactics.
The Whitby Tailor was a rather quirky music hall song in which a shy young man, trying to date a young woman, suggests, after too many drinks, that they swap clothes. He ends up half naked while she runs off in his trousers, the pocket containing all his money!
Bob followed with such well-known Geordie songs as The Bonny Gateshead Lass, When the Boat Comes In, The Lampton Worm and The Water of Tyne, ending this very entertaining evening with ‘ Big River’ by Jimmy Nail, another well-known Geordie.
Inspired by Bob’s mention that Sunderland people were not Geordies but Mackems, I did a bit of research into these names. Apparently Mackem originates from Sunderland’s shipbuilding heritage, ‘we mack’em and they tack’em’, meaning, of course, ‘we make the ships and they take them out’. The name Geordie, on the other hand, possibly originates from the support Tynesiders gave to King George 2nd, during the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, or perhaps the nickname for local coal miners who used safety lamps or ‘geordie lamps’ as designed by George Stephenson. There is much rivalry between Geordies and Mackems, stemming from sides taken during the Civil War, industrial competition and football teams.
Just thought you might like to know all that.
Yes, it was, in Geordie-speak, a champion night, having that canny lad back after a ten year gap. We all enjoyed his many chorus-songs, his powerful – and at times very passionate – singing, skillful guitar work, his melodeon playing, and well, his northernness!
Maureen McGuinness, on behalf of Carrington Triangle folk club.
