Author: folkonwight

Awesome April 2021- Folk Music on the Isle of Wight

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John Bentley, singing a happy song.

Zoom, Zoom and more Zoom

Isolation Row, John Hacker’s wonderful brainchild to get us through lockdown, was one year old in March. The Tuesday zoom to celebrate this anniversary featured cake, hats, cuddly toys and, of course, bubbly drinks. All the songs had to be happy and cheerful, much to John Bentley’s disgust. But, Bluebeard soon had his revenge!

On the following week, JB was in charge. Only songs about murder, death and disaster, heartbreak, loss and misery were permitted. By half time, the official death count had reached 209, including a mine disaster (168 men and boys lost), a massacre (30 McDonalds chopped up) plus an unspecified number of lambs and goldfish gone west, five broken hearted lovers, one flat broke feller who had to leave town and one singer claiming to be killed thoftly with a thong. John Bentley was in seventh heaven!

Andy Roberts at Quay Arts

New Releases

Andy Roberts’ album of thirteen of his folk club favourites, ‘The Rowan Tree’, will finally be released on 10 April 2021. The songs Andy writes are always interesting and melodic. This album has been enhanced by collaborations with other local musicians. A bookable online concert to celebrate the launch takes place on Saturday 10th April from 18.00 to 19.30. Album details: The Rowan Tree | Facebook To order tickets for the concert, £3, click here: https://andyroberts.bandcamp.com/merch/album-release-livestream

Vincent Scriver (far left) on stage with the Festive Folkies

Meanwhile, Vincent Scriver (of Double Hitch and Festive Folkies fame) has a new solo venture, called Eagre. His reflective instrumental release ‘Parting/Sweet Sorrow’ is free to stream and just £1 to download for keeping. eagre.bandcamp.com

Pubs Open

The Traveller’s Joy Folk Club is scheduled to meet in the pub garden on Thursday 15th April at 2pm.

Good News-Folk Music on the Isle of Wight, March 2021

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The Crew at Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties, 2019

Exciting News 1

A new cross-Solent folk night dedicated to sea-related songs is currently in the process of being launched. The plan is to meet alternately in Yarmouth and Lymington a short haul away from the ferry terminals. As casting off is impossible at the moment, there will be Zoom meetings, (probably fortnightly) to get everyone on deck.

The first Zoom cruise, earlier this week, was well-crewed with plenty of lusty sea shanties and a good range of forebitters and landlubber ditties. The voyage was a harmonious one. The captain, Steve West of Lymington, was most welcoming to all the sailors, whether singing or listening.

Exciting News 2

Planning is well underway for the Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties Festival 2021. The original date in June is impossible, of course, but a new date has been earmarked. Provisionally, the festival will now take place from Friday 3rd September to Sunday 5th September 2021 in Yarmouth, so pencil it in your diary.

Ace sound man, Mike Butler

While we wait

Those wonderful organisers, John Hacker, John Bentley and Mike Butler, are giving us another Quay Folk Club on Sunday 28th February at 7.30, (which is why this post is appearing a little earlier than usual). Guests are regular Zoom visitors, Steve and June Wigley from Derbyshire, plus our very own Keith Newnham. An enormous amount of work is involved in such a production and the team have put together quite a few club evenings since the virus took hold, as well as the Isolation Row Folk Festival. Watch on YouTube  www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZu8dbWsZ9Q   or Facebook www.facebook.com/supportquayarts/posts/257849495917347   Club funds have been depleted in order to support Quay Arts through lockdowns, so contributions to boost the club’s coffers should be made to   www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/quayfolkclub

John Bentley

Isle of Wight Folk Music – February 2021

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Shanties are having a Moment

Martyn Waitt, of the Shalfleet Shanty Singers, has achieved TV fame, thanks to the power of TikTok. The humble marine work song has been much in the news since a young Scot, a postman called Nathan Evans, shared a video of his version of the ‘Wellerman shanty’ on the site. Martyn’s daughter suggested he should join in and together they came up with a covid-related rewrite. Within two days it had reached over a quarter of a million views, then half a million just four days later. Appearances on both BBC local news and national news followed quickly. Martyn has since shared a number of other shanties on TikTok and now can boast nearly 30 thousand followers! Here is the link if you would like to sing-along-o-Martyn. https://www.tiktok.com/@martynwaitt/video/6919619034170281218

yarmouth 1

The Wonder of Zoom

Meanwhile, the three zoom ‘folk club come all ye’ sessions a week are as as popular as ever. It is wonderful to see and hear local friends as well as meeting fresh faces from all over the country also and America, Hawaii, Canada etc, etc, etc. A recent highlight was the Oddfellows Burns themed afternoon with Ian Watterson’s dramatic rendition of the Address to the Haggis. These get-togethers are so valuable, keeping us all ‘tuned up’ until we can finally return to the old haunts such as the Dairyman’s Daughter, pictured below with Ian on ‘stage’.

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Zooming Away-Isle of Wight Folk Music January 2021

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Festive f lamplight

Well, Tier 1 was great fun while it lasted! A (distanced) crowd of carol singers were even able to let rip in Cowes one evening. Sweets were fired around the room at the the Porter Folk Night’s Christmas meeting. On Christmas Eve a hardy crowd gathered in the garden of the Travellers Joy in Northwood. The Festive Folkies played to a curry- stuffed audience at the Quay Arts ‘Lamplight’ session with all their usual verve. Ably supporting the Festives were debut supergroup ‘The Watch’ and the ever-popular 2nd Time Around, all ably photographed by Bob White.

J Hacker xmas

John Hacker (pictured above) and John Bentley (pictured below) gave us their Review of the Year on Boxing Day. If you missed it, it is still available on this link https://www.facebook.com/supportquayarts/videos/303908451014153

J Bentley xmas

So now, it’s back to Zoom, Vectis Radio and streaming for the time being. Grateful thanks to Maretta Heap, Richard Hughes, Steve Love, John Hacker and Andy Roberts (pictured below) for providing our regular folk fixes all through most of 2020 and going forward – see Events section. Wishing all you folkies a happy and music-filled New Year!

Andy Roberts fireside