Isle of Wight Folk Music – New Year 2025

Happy New Year!

Fri 17 JC and Angelina Fun Trio Bugle Inn Brading 20.00-22.00

Sat 25 JC and Angelina at the Portland Inn Gurnard 19.30

Fri 31 Storytelling Tales of Darkness and Dread at CHOYD Yarmouth PO41 ONU 18.30 for 19.00. £8

Morris News

The morris display on Boxing Day at the Dairyman’s daughter was ‘the best since lockdown’ according to Anne Onlooker.

A change at folkonwight

After approximately 12 years of sterling service for the benefit of the Isle of Wight folk world, Debbie has decided to pass folkonwight to a new custodian -see below.

Debbie set up the site to help publicise our folk sessions and so that the many IoW folk music fans who are not on facebook could keep up to date. I am sure you would all like to thank Debbie and her assistant John Bentley for the time and expertise they have given on behalf of us all. They are both still admins for the Folk Music on the Isle of Wight facebook group and Debbie has kindly agreed to help me with emails.

I have decided to adopt a pen name -‘K’, for reasons which I am sure some of you will appreciate. I don’t promise to do updates as speedily as before, so send in information in good time, please.

Email – folkonwight@aol.co.uk

I have been making some mainly cosmetic changes while learning about the site, I hope you like them.

Interesting events in November – Lots more in the Events section

Sat 2 The Annual Playford Ball, East Cowes Town Hall, 14.00-17.00 . £8 on the door. Tea/coffee/squash provided, bring anything else. Wear what you like, period costume or modern posh is ideal. They walk through all the dances

Thur 7 An evening with Brighstone Barnacles at the Sun Inn, Hulverstone, 19.00 start

Thur 7 Have fun learning to dance the morris with Men of Wight (women welcome) at Newport Methodist Hall, Sea Street, Newport,  20.15 to 21:45.  Contact bagman@menofwight.org.uk

Fri 8 to Sun 10 Wight Walk and Fiddle Weekend, Northcourt House, Shorwell. Details bobhuxtable@btinternet.com

Sat 9 and Sun 10 Donal O’Riain with JC on guitar and Tom Ferguson on bodhran, Monkton Arts, 19.00. £15 http://ww.monktonarts.co.uk

Sat 16 Heidi Talbot and Boo Hewardine at Quay Arts Centre, 20.00. £16

Sun 17 Medina Tattoo -The Crew are taking part

Sun 17 Quay Folk Club at Quay Arts, Newport. Guests: Hunter Muskett. 19.00 Donations

Isle of Wight Folk Music – Oh October

Here is a message from Men of Wight morris side.

Want to keep fit this winter?  Don’t want to pay gym fees and get all sweaty?

Try dancing, or more to the point try Morris dancing!

Dancing has been recommend by the British Medical Association for many years. Morris is great fun, a very social and is a quite gentle, balanced form of exercise that stimulates not only your body but your mind as well.  

The Men of Wight Morris practice once a week, Thursday evenings – come and have a go. (Don’t be put off by the “Men” title, we are both sexes).

We welcome anyone over the age of 18, no previous experience of any kind of dance is needed, we give all the tuition you need.

Send us an email to get more details or just pop along to see what we are up to.  Practices start 17th October, Newport Methodist Hall, Sea Street, Newport,  8:15 to 9:45. 

bagman@menofwight.org.uk

Isle of Wight Folk music – Sparkling September

Some September Highlights

Thur 12 Shackleton Trio at the Medina Bookshop, Cowes. 19.00 Booking essential info@medinabookshop.com/ 01983 300044

Shackleton Trio

Fri 13 to Sun 15 Waverley Park Beer, Music, Poetry Festival Fri Red Sqwrl 19.00, Sat Run with the Pineapple 18.00, Sun 13.30 Phil Washington, 14.30 East Cowes Shanty

East Cowes Shanty

Fri 13 2nd Time Around at Braai, New Farm, West Lane, Brading, 19.00

Sun 15 The Hooleys at Adgestone Vineyard, 13.00 to 15.00

Fri 20 to Sun 21 Isle of Wight Steampunk Festival, Ryde https://www.iowsteampunkfestival.co.uk/

Fri 20 The Crew at Star Coffee and Alehouse, Ryde, 20.00

Sat 21 Mr Baker’s Dozen celebrate their 25th birthday with other morris sides. Dancing around Newport from 11.00

Isle of Wight Folk Music – Sad news again

Brian Reeves

We say a sad goodbye to Brian Reeves, a leading light in the folk singing, folk dance and morris dance community. His knowledge of folk traditions was extensive. Brian’s book, Folk on Wight, is a treasure trove of information about the folk revival here. As a singer, he performed solo and with many bands, most recently The Watch. Brian called for numerous barn dances and ceilidhs and danced with Men of Wight, Guith Morris and Whitgar. He will be much missed but the memories of good times with singing and dancing will live on. Deepest condolences go to all Brian’s family and friends.

Chris Koppany

Condolences also go to Glenn and Michelle Koppany and their family and friends on the tragic loss of their son, Chris. Chris was multi-talented. As well as being an artist and prose writer, he performed his own poetry to rapt audiences at folk clubs. One Christmas, he took a leading part in the Isle of Wight mummers play. He was an excellent actor who dealt well with the dialect and made the stage come alive during the fight scenes .

Another post with September’s highlights will follow in a few days.

Isle of Wight Folk Music – Amazing August 2024

Some highlights

Big Figgy Gig is at Jubilee Field, Moa Place, Freshwater on Saturday 10th, starting at 12.30., or enjoy Irish music from The Hooleys at Adgestone Vineyard from 1pm

On Saturday 17th, 2nd Time Around (3pm), Sea Gels Shanty Band and Eric and Alan of The Watch (6.30) shiver a few timbers at The Spyglass Inn as part of Ventnor Pirate Festival, See Events for updates.

On the afternoon of Sun 18 The Crew entertain at Dell Cafe , Puckpool

2nd Time Around play at the Havenstreet Steam Fair on Friday 23 and Saturday 24th

Sat 31 Lucid at Brown’s Golf Course, Sandown, 15.00 to 17.00. Bring chairs, blankets etc. Refreshments available at Brown’s Cafe. Donations welcome.