Fri 4 Under the Tree storytelling in Northwood Park for the Biosphere Festival. Tickets
Fri 4 Care in the Garden Music and Food Social 18.00-21.00 with Second Time Around playing. Booking essential Tickets £12.95 eventbrite.com
Sat 5 Folk themed Mardi Gras ‘Our Folktastic Isle’ from 12.00 Ryde. Morris dancing 14.00 at St Thomas’s Square Ryde before procession arrives 15.20 approximately
Tue 22 Carnabys Fringe Folk Day at Carnaby’s Diner, Ventnor from 14.00 until 21.30. with Sea Gels Shanty Band, The Anywhens, Richard Hughes, Steve Love, The Crew, Second Time Around and Razorjake. Free entry but it is advisable to book a table for this event Tel 01983 629551.
Sat 26 2nd Time Around presents ‘Across the Pond’, exploring the origins and development of Appalacian music and wider American music genres. At Ventnor Arts Club for Ventnor Fringe 16.45 start Tickets £11.50 Tickets
Apologies, no pictures today, wordpress has dropped the ‘add’ button!
December Highlights
The annual Christmas Reflections Concert in aid of Salvation Army Christmas Appeal. takes place on Saturday 9th at the Salvation Army Hall, Newport at 7pm. Performers: 2gether in Harmony, Maureen Shaw, Island Storytellers, Maturing Nicely, Sea Gels Shanty Band, Rodney Bean, Ruth Lockyer, Peter Ellis, The Watch. Always a lovely evening
Green & Matthews return to Quay Arts on Wednesday 13th with their Christmas show on Wednesday 13th, A Christmas Carol, with Victorian carols, mid-winter songs and lyrics set to traditional folk and carol tunes. Tickets.
On Saturday 16th, Bloodstone Border Morris dance to celebrate the solstice at Culver Down beacon, 15.45. This will be Bloodstone’s last performance. It is very sad to see the ending of this wonderful morris side, long admired for their vibrant style and showmanship.
Boxing Day has the annual morris dancing followed by a singaround at The Dairyman’s Daughter, Arreton, from noon. Enjoy!
Historically minded folkies might be interested in the book launch of ‘I’m Not Blessed Well Jokin’ an oral history of Bembridge, by Alan Phillips at Bembridge Village Hall on Saturday 9th from 10.00 to noon. The book costs £12 and is based on interviews from the 1970s with local ‘characters’ remembering stories from the 1800s onwards.
Galleybaggers Folk Club will meet at the earlier time of 7pm on December 28th. Guest spots from The Wandering Winkles, John Thorpe plus the usual come-all-ye sing around. Mince pies will be available!!
On May Day morning, the Men of Wight dance at the Longstones to welcome the magical dawn. It is well worth getting up at silly o’clock and tramping along by torchlight to be part of the gathering up on the hilltop in the atmospheric half-light. When dances have been danced and songs have been sung, there is a haze of scented bluebells to enchant the walk back down.
Bob’sBasement Band goes International!
On Friday May 5th and Monday 15th, Bob’s Basement Band are offering a set of Polish tunes at the Painters Arms, Cowes, followed by an Irish playalong session.
Wolverton rocks
Wolverton Folk and Blues Fair is on Saturday 13th May this year. What a wonderful event this is! Tickets, only £10 in advance, are available now from Waterstones, Briddlesford Farm Shop, Brighstone Village Shop and Orchard Bros., Freshwater Bay.
One More Day, me hearties
The Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties Festival runs from Friday 26th to Monday 29th this year, giving us an extra day of amazing music. And it is still donations only!
Each year, Ruth Wyman organises a concert to collect funds for the Salvation Army appeal for the homeless. This year’s ‘Christmas Reflections’ concert is on Friday 2nd December at The Salvation Army hall in Pyle Street, Newport, at 7pm. Among the performers are The Watch, see above, Sheshells, Maureen Shaw and Ruth herself
On Sunday 4th, the Oyster Girls are once again dancing to raise money for the charity Shelter. They will be performing in Cowes from 2pm.
The Sail Pattern folk rock band, pictured below, visit Porchfield Cricket Club on Sunday 4th. Their concert is raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society. Phone 07969 735728 to find out if there are any tickets left.
On Boxing Day, the courtyard at The Dairyman’s Daughter will once again be filled with the jingling of morris bells. The annual mummers’ play will be performed by Mr Baker’s Dozen.
If you missed last month…
Quay Folk Club held their very first ‘Special Guest Night’ in November with Drywood Duo, pictured below, supported by Second Time Around. The evening was very successful, so the plan now is to bring guests over from the mainland approximately twice a year. December’s offering on Sunday 18th will be Christmas themed, featuring a performance by Mr Baker’s Dozen of ‘The Christmas Boys’ mummers play. The club organisers, aka. the Quay Cabal, have their own spot, followed by a festive medley led by The Watch and Sheshells.
The long- awaited reopening of the weekly Tuesday singaround at the Dairyman’s Daughter in Arreton took place in November. The format remains the same as that before the pandemic, a mixture of song with a good scattering of playalong tunes. At the packed first meeting there were tributes to Den, who used to run the evening. A small group of volunteers will take turns to direct meetings in future. It is a big responsibility – deciding which way around the circle of performers to go.
Madge first got involved in folk music, song and particularly dance early in the 1990’s, by joining the Island Cloggies, where she first met husband Brian, the Cloggie’s main musician. She afterwards became a member of the Isle of Wight Appalachian Stompers, then Appletaps, a group which performed Appalachian and Tap stepping. Madge took up North West morris dancing, first with Wight Bells, then, when Brian taught morris dance at the newly created Carnival Centre, she joined him in the group which became Guith Morrris. When the group divided, Madge moved to the Whitgar half. So, Madge’s dancing career spanned a wide variety of styles over 30 years or more, including stepping, North West, Cotswold & Border Morris and country dancing.
From 1994, Madge became an honorary member of Caulkheads Ceilidh Band, helping with equipment, on the door and demonstrating dance moves when needed. At the New Year’s Ceilidhs at the Dairyman’s Daughter, too, her dance demo skills were always much in demand.
Madge and Brian married in 1996, on her birthday 24th May. They both enjoyed the many folk clubs and sessions here on the Island, plus folk festivals all over the country. Despite constantly saying to Brian; ” What have you done to me!!” Madge found she enjoyed immersion in folk music, made many friends and became quite knowledgeable on the traditions.
Condolences go to Brian and family on their sad loss. For friends and family, the funeral will be held at the Crematorium at 13:30, followed by a wake at Bluebells, Briddlesford Lodge Farm. Dress informal. Madge loved pastel shades.
Charitable Folk
Well done to the Howling Wolf Folk and Blues Club, they raised £40 at their Pete Holden Memorial Gig at Dimbola Lodge. Congratulations, too, to Monkton Arts, an evening event organised by them and featuring The Dance Preachers raised a whopping £1,329 for those in need in Ukraine.
The Dance Preachers at the Depozitory, Ryde
Coming up in August
Folk bands are represented in both Shanklin and Sandown Regattas. Brown’s Golf Course Cafe, a lovely venue, has an evening on Saturday 13th with both The Crew and Sheshells performing, 5pm start. At the end of the month, Sunday 28th sees Second Time Around return to The Hideaway on Shanklin clifftop for two hours of music starting at 3pm.
The Crew at Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties Festival
Coppersmith busking for Ukraine as part of Ukrainian Support Day – Ryde
So much happening
April was absolutely packed with folk events. One evening hosted four events, two of them in aid of Ukraine. The Ukranian Support Day in Ryde raised over £3000 and The Caulkheads, JC, Ian Watterson and friends took donations of £350 at their barn dance. Well done to all concerned!
Sheshells at The Ukranian Support Day
St George’s Day was suitably filled with the jangle of morris bells and songs about the patron saint.
Oyster Girls dancing on St George’s Day
Magical May
May is shaping up to be equally busy. The Longstones saw a sizeable crowd gather to welcome the rising sun.
Men of Wight dancing the sun up.
Currently, 31 one-off events in May 2022 are listed on the Events page, and that does not include regular clubs and folk nights. Highlights: Bob’s Basement 20th Anniversary Celebrations at the start of the month; Wolverton Folk and Blues Fair on Saturday 14th and the expanded Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties starting on Friday 27th May.
The morris sides are brushing up their dances ready for the long summer season. Clubs and Folk Nights are filling up as Covid recedes, it appears. More one-off events are being planned, like 2nd Time Around entertaining at the Lord Louis Library this month and a concert by Slainte Va at the Mountbatten Centre early in April.
Slainte Va
The omicron wave did result in one or two postponements so there is more to look forward to later on. Quay Arts put back the Cara Dillon date to April 30th and Outside Track to 29th June and they are bringing Rachel McShane and the Cartographers over for a return visit.
If comedy is your bag, don’t miss Steve Love’s Island Songs as you sip your morning coffee at Monkton Arts Cafe, Ryde. Steve performed there fortnightly last year and it looks like his ‘world tour’ is back on again.
See Events for details of all these happenings and many more.
Folkonwight wishes you all a happy and music-filled New Year!
Boxing Day at Arreton Barns was quieter than usual but there was plenty of dancing
Quiet start
Not surprisingly, recent uncertainty means fewer gatherings at the start of 2022, but there are plans under discussion for possible new clubs and folk nights later in the year……
Or perhaps not so quiet
Meanwhile, there are two major events at Quay Arts Centre to look forward to. Vibrant five-piece band The Outside Track visit on Friday 28th January. The Outside Track’s blend of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music and song has brought them an enthusiastic following. Expect an energy-packed mix of fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar and flute plus step dance and vocals delivered by virtuoso musicians. Not to be missed! https://www.quayarts.org/event/the-outside-track-2/
On Friday February 25th, Peter Knight and John Spires, two of the most gifted musicians on their chosen instruments, the violin and the melodeon. Together they create inspirational performances based on musical folk traditions, particularly the rich heritage of dance tunes. This will be a night to remember, well worth spending your Christmas present money on! https://www.quayarts.org/event/peter-knight-and-john-spiers/
Christmas went ahead
Tony Nicol in the ‘Christmas Boys’ Mummers Play at Arreton Barns, Boxing Day
Here are a couple of highlights…….
The Festive FolkiesMorris dancer Dilys at Arreton Barns, Boxing Day Men of Wight, Boxing Day, Arreton Barns
folkonwight 