Marlow Bottom Acoustic Club

After Dave had led the assembled throng in some tunes including Jack Robinson and Old Tom, and Dick had ceremoniously opened the singing with Let Union Be, we were treated to the unusual combination of Tabla, Harp and Cello. This proved to be, as the name Anwen implies, very beautiful. Anwen played some traditional Irish tunes (e.g. Planxty Irwen), some tunes written by France (e.g. Lover’s Moon), and we had a short and exciting burst of Bach played with cello & tabla. Many thanks indeed to France, Philippa and Tarseem for coming along and playing for us. We wish them luck in the future.

The rest of the evening was given over to our regulars Dick, Alan, Rosie, Dave, Steve, Karen, Roger and John, and also to two newcomers Fred and Sharon.

Fred began by using his “I Want to be an Elephant” song to create the spot where words or tune disappear and then this spot moves around the room – which it duly did – affecting Dave who started but didn’t finish his American Civil War song, and Philippa who blamed Fred for having to end a piece rather earlier than intended! Fred later played an amazing set of tunes on a willow whistle, namely Jack on the Green, Valley of Silence, Peg Ryan’s Polka and something Scandanavian like Ratjavillen.

Sharon came with a group of people who had heard about the club via the internet and she gave us a splendid rendition of Rock of Ages – and very well done to her as she hadn’t played a guitar for some considerable time.

Some, but not all, of the other songs in the evening were: Dave’s own “Harvest” and “Northern Geordie England”, Joan Armatrading’s The Weakness in Me, Richard Thompson’s “Waltzing’s for Dreamers”, Briege Murphy’s “Maid of Liosamhavagh”, the traditional “Twas on one April Morning”, “Daddy Fox”, and Steve’s American version of “Union Miners”.

With 13 audience and 11 musicians / singers as well as our 3 guests we had a very lively break with lots of tunes and chat whilst the raffle was going on.

We will be at The Belle Vue in High Wycombe on Wed 1st October and several of us will be at The Anchor, Friday St, Henley on Friday 3rd October for a song / tune session & roast potatoes apparently!

Please note that we will be at The Prince Albert, Frieth, for 2 weeks on a row in Oct – on the 8th and 15th, and at The Old Ship at Cadmore End on the last Wed in Oct – the 29th. Then we'll be on countdown to the Xmas season and, hopefully, a repeat of the club's Xmas dinner at The Old Ship on 17th December - to be confirmed, but put a note in your diary so you don't miss it!

Tony H came to The Prince Albert because he was in the area. However, he'd turned up at on Tuesday - we were there on Wednesday and would have welcomed him.

We were delighted to welcome three Fenners this week. Dave and Alison's daughter Cathy made a big impression on her first visit, initially with Kate Rusby's Falling and later with her own song Sleep Tight Absent Friend of Mine. We hope to hear her lovely voice and more of her songs when she's not at university.

Her parents did pretty well too.... Alison sang Working on the Railroad, True Love Comes Smiling and a lovely song that I think is called Cape Breton Lullaby. Dave started with Exiles, which happens to be my favourite Steve Knightly song.

Richard Wright, keyboard player, occasional singer and songwriter from Pink Floyd died this week. In tribute, Dave and Simon sang Brain Damage from Dark Side of the Moon, with mild manic cackles from others. They also gave us The Waterboys' Fisherman's Blues. Simon' tunes for the evening were The Prince Albert and the jigs Huntsman's Chorus and The Brooks Reel.

Stuart F, a geophysicist by trade, told us how his Sunday was spent waiting for a drilling team to reach the gas as he'd predicted. He then sang Vin Garbutt's poignant Waits and Weeps about the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster. Delia's songs were The Old Beggarman and The Raggle Taggle Gypsy.

Bromyard Festival had been a wet affair for all attendees. As well as mud, John returned with a very funny song abut Bournemouth's 1974 relocation from Hampshire to Dorset. No-one Listens to the History Man was in an altogether different vein.

Other songs for the evening were:

• Dave H: Misty Glen of the Highlands, Connemarra Horse Trade Fair
• Dick: Let Union Be, The Two Brethren and Fair Rosamund
• Rosie and Alan: Angie Baby, Dream a Little Dream of Me
• Rosie: The Kipper Family's Hollow Ground
• Karen and Roger: Dougie Maclean's This Love Will Carry Me

and tunes:

• Roger: Green Mountain Petronella, Der Rijke Boer
• Rosie and Alan: Tar Road to Sligo/Tripping Upstairs/Blarney Pilgrim
• Alan: My Darling Asleep

We're at TJO's next week, where 'Anwen' will play a couple of feature spots. They're a trio with France on harp plus cello and tabla, so this should be an interesting evening. We'll still have plenty of time for songs and tunes. See you there.

This was a floor spot at Rosie's 50th brithday ceilidh

We had a warm welcome at The Old Ship and managed to fit into the restaurant area. It was lovely to be joined by Dave, recorder player, for his 2nd evening with us - some time since his first as he injured a finger soon after his first visit. There was an excellent mix of songs & tunes.

Instruments: 3 melodeons, a duet concertina, another concertina, 5 guitars (1 unused in the end as Steve felt like singing unaccompanied chorus songs), 1 recorder, 1 harmonica, 1 bodhran, shaky things.

Dave H started the evening tunes with Isabella, Young Collins and the Princess Royal, and then Mr Frost's singing marked the official start of the evening with Sportsmen Arise. Dick also sang, Ben Hall and The Miller.

Karen & Roger - Waltzing's For Dreamers, Shenandoah (+ some lovely guitar accompaniament from Bob) & When I'm Gone.

Recorder Dave - Tunes - Parson's Farewell, Boufons, Portsmouth, & the amusing self-penned song about a Transport Cafe song to the tune of The Gypsy Davy

Bob - Black is the Colour, Geordie & Will The Circle be Unbroken

Dave H - self-penned sojngs, Nova Scotia, Mother Nature (accompanied by melodeon) & tunes Jack Robinson & Old Tom of Oxford

Alan & Rosie - various tunes including Kerry Polkas, John Ryans, & Monty Pythan's Galazy song, & Stevie Wonders, Blame it on the Weather.

Dave F accompanied by Alison on concertina - The Digger's Song

Dave accompanying himself - Joni Mitchel's "Playing Real Good For Free"

Alison accompanied by Dave on guitar - a French song about if a monk could dance.

Alison - kate & Anna McGarrigle's The World Song - excellent for joining in to.

Simon - The Games People Play (in small font!)

Simon and Dave F - the highly amusing Would You Like to Add me As a Friend (Chumbawumba)

Steve - the unaccompanied chorus song Riverdays & Miner's Lifeguard

John (fresh from his Orpheus choir practise) - the Hunting for Fish Fingers song,

Next week we are at The Prince Albert at Frieth - see you there.

Our decision to make The Belle Vue a regular venue seems to have been a good one. We had a good turn-out and got a warm welcome from Alan and the locals. And we didn’t disturb the darts players too much.

Douggie came all the way from Bracknell and was on fine form. The highlight of the evening for many people was his version of John Kirkpatrick’s Eddie Baker’s Muckspreader, which has 8 long and very funny verses. He’d started with a variation on the Gypsy Davey and finished with Dylan’s Death is not the End.

The job of following Douggie’s tour de force fell to John, who rose to the challenge with If You Had Brain and later contrasted this with Anathea.

Helen had a much shorter trip to the pub and was very welcome. As well as leading some tunes on concertina, she sang Pat Murphy’s Meadow, Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies and Going to California.

It was good to see Stuart and Delia again. Delia sang Who Will Buy My Besom and My Bonny Labouring Boy. The pub was serving two draft beers from the west country, one of which was Dartmoor Ale, so Stuart was compelled to give us Tavistock Goosey Fair.

Richard Thompson hasn’t been with us for a while so Karen and Roger gave a first airing to Waltzing for Dreamers. Their other song was Across the Great Divide, which I think we’ve heard before. Roger brandished his harmonica to lead Jack Robinson.

After a week in Norfolk, some of which was spent on a boat on the Broads, Rosie's original accent was in good shape for the Kipper Family's The Body. She and Alan also gave us Jethro Tull’s The Witches Promise and an ironic Sunny Afternoon. Rosie also led several sets of tunes which had enthusiastic participation from all and sundry.

We also had:

• Let Union Be, Limehouse Lass and Man in the Moon from Dick


• Black Velvet Band, Little Feat’s Willin’ and The Band’s The Weight from Steve (who needs to get his backing singers in order)


• Herbert Smith’s 4 Hand Reel / Dark Girl Dressed in Blue and the always-popular Nobby Hall from Simon


• The Raconteur’s You’re Not Free, Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill and an unaccompanied version of Tim Minchin’s Not Perfect from Martin

Here’s hoping our next visit to the Belle Vue is as enjoyable. Meanwhile, we’re at The Old Ship, Cadmore End next Wednesday.