Isle of Wight Folk Music – Golden October 2023

Posted on October 1, 2022 by folkonwight

Exciting find

A recording of Isle of Wight Dialect made in 1962 has come to light. Stanley Cotton, a native of Whitwell, reads tales from WH Long’s Dictionary of the Isle of Wight Dialect and a rhyme from Percy Stone’s ‘Songs of the Soil’. The recording was made by Daphne Griggs, a student at Edinburgh University, as part of her master’s degree project. 1962 Dialect recording

Some October highlights

Saturday 8th presents a difficult choice! On the one hand, The Brighstone Barnacles, Sorella Acapella ( a harmony choir) and The Watch perform at St Mary’s Church, Brighstone in a concert for the homeless. It starts at 7,.30. For fans of storytelling, however, Three Island Storytellers, aka. TisTales, present Island Tales at the Medina Bookshop, Cowes, 19.30. Tickets £10 (essential) isleofwightliteraryfestival.com

Brighstone Barnacles 20210905_142135

Later on, Friday 14th sees Shalfleet Shanty Singers in an evening of sea shanties at St Swithins Church, Thorley, 19.00. Light refreshments available. Free entry, retiring collection. On Sunday 16th, Ralph McTell makes a return visit to the Medina Theatre at 7.30. £28. Trafalgar Night celebrations will be taking place on Friday 21st with The Crew at The White Horse, Whitwell, from 7.30.

Shalfleet Shanty Singers yarmouth 1

Isle of Wight Folk Music – Jubilee June

Posted on June 1, 2022June 1, 2022 by folkonwight

The Crew at Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties

Jubilee Jaunts

Folk song, jingling bells and flapping handkerchiefs will once again fill Arreton Barns on Sunday 5th. Here is the programme. Proceeds go to the Isle of Wight Independent Inshore Rescue.

Festival founder Chris Waddington was presented with a High Sherriff’s Award

Yarmouth Rocked

Even at its quietest, there were crowds of 150 plus enjoying the Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties Festival, and it wasn’t often quiet! The swish new marquee kept resounding with cries of ‘more’. One heart-warming moment came when a High Sherriff’s Award was presented to Chris Waddington, the originator of the festival. The award clearly came as a total surprise to Chris. Another highlight was to see The Crew welcoming a little girl from Yarmouth School onto the stage and including her in their act. Next year, the festival will run for four days, from Friday 26th to Monday 29th May 2023.

The wonderful committee, performing as Afterguard (their audience was singing along in the sunshine)

What’s on in June?

Only over 40 events so far, plus the regular clubs and folk nights!

November 2021 – Isle of Wight Folk Music

Posted on October 31, 2021 by folkonwight

November – month to look forward to

November is looking good. Peter Knight, formerly of Steeleeye Span and a superb fiddle player, is due to bring his trio, Gigspanner, to perform at Quay Arts Centre on Wednesday 3rd. The bargain ticket price is only £16. Also coming up this month – The Watch and Rug Band at Monkton Arts, the annual Playford Ball, Irish-themed songs and poetry in Ryde, ‘Classical meets Folk’ in Ventnor and a fundraiser for the Foodbank. See Events for details and links.

Helping a good cause

A fantastic result from a fantastic weekend. The organising committee of The Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties Weekend presented a cheque for £3000 to Needles Coastwatch Institute. The money was collected through car parking fees and donations. Also after much in-depth discussion, the date has been announced for 2022. Next May, the green at Yarmouth will resound with shanties and forebitters between 27th and 29th May, 2022.

Slainte Va at the Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties Festival

Good news

The Quay Folk Club Cabal met recently to discuss the feasibility of occasionally bringing over a top-quality band or performer from the Big Island. Watch out for announcements…..

October 2021 – Isle of Wight Folk Music

Posted on October 1, 2021September 26, 2021 by folkonwight

Caroline Giles

It was very sad news to hear that Caroline Giles died recently, in mid September. Caroline was an accomplished musician who joined in at play along sessions on a variety of instruments, guitar, violin, banjo and, most frequently, flute, recorder and whistle. In the 90s, Caroline played in the local band ‘Well Oiled’. She regularly visited the Dairyman’s Daughter Folk Night and her tunes were always a highlight of the evening.

Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties, 2021

The ever-popular Brighstone Barnacles produced a humdinger of a set at Yarmouth

Here are some random comments from enthusiastic audience members at the Yarmouth shanty festival. “The best so far”, “When is the next one?”, “That was a really enjoyable weekend”, “Very well organised”, ” Amazing quality of musicianship”, “We are so glad we came along”.

Great Expectations

There has been so much interest about the future of the Tuesday weekly folk night at the Dairyman’s Daughter. Unfortunately, it is unable to restart at the moment. Keep watching for announcements, as soon as a date is set it will appear in Events and the Clubs etc. page.

Following the success of a one-off Cajun jam session at the Porter Club last month, there are hopes of a monthly Irish jam session at the same location. A meeting has taken place between a potential session leader and the club secretary. Watch out for further announcements.

Meanwhile, rumours are coming out of West Wight. The possibility is being explored of a new folk night at Dimbola. The previous folk night was very successful, full to capacity and more for a number of years. Perhaps there may be pent-up demand for a singaround with a guest spot.

Andy Jackson Variety Concerts

So, after a year’s delay (side effect of Covid) and many, many changes of name, Ruth Lockyer’s series of concerts in aid of The Salvation Army’s Christmas Appeal for the Isle of Wight’s homeless will finally go ahead. The first concert is in Wellow on Saturday 2nd October, followed by Shalfleet at the end of the month, Ryde in November and finally the usual annual concert in Newport in December.

Sheshells, who will be performing at Wellow

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

Posted on February 27, 2021 by folkonwight

`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.

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