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FaBclub review 18th April 2010 written by Clive Meggs It's a heat wave outside, summer has arrived at last. I am sure it is going to be pretty hot inside the White Hart as well this afternoon. We have two fantastic guests, Mick Ryan and Paul Downes as well as a number of floor singers. I can't wait for the action. Tone Deaf Leopard are our comperes this afternoon and start the proceedings with a gospel song - Putting the Devil Down - to let all us sinners know what we are missing on a Sunday morning - Lordy, Lordy!!! Build Abe Lincoln's Railway is the name of their second song, sung acapello with Trevor on the tambourine for a change. He must have been having lessons from Sue. Leather clad Norman is next, appropriately dressed for his first number - TT Races. I suspect the cobwebs have been removed from his two wheels because of the fine weather. He follows with Save The Last Dance For Me with a trumpet solo in the middle. Is there no limit to his talents? Paul makes a welcome return to the fabclub and is introduced as a bother boy because of his heavy boots, but we all know he is lovely really. He starts with a familiar Show Of Hands song - Cousin Jack. The gremlins then get into the amplifier and after a short technical break Paul continues with a Richard Thompson song about another motor bike, a Vincent Black Lightning. A great performance in the face of technical adversity, Paul. Please come back again soon. Rocking Bob is our last floor spot before our guests, and starts with The Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again, a song from the 40's. Bob says he mustn't sneeze during the next song because of his loose crib sheets on the music stand. He continues with You Made Me Love You, a song I remember as being one of my own father's favourites. Nice one, Bob! The time has come for the first session from our guests Mick Ryan and Paul Downes. They start with a jolly song about a group of workers, not dissimilar to Aufeisdersein Pet, called They're The Lads Who Won't Give In. They follow with a song collected from a gypsy traveller, sung by the gypsy's grandson, who promises he could do better than his granddad because he was, as he put it, rubbish. After a tale about butter and escaping from prison they sing a song about Ashwater Town in North Looe, Devon. A very powerful song next with a great chorus of O Death, not sure what it is called though. Some great stories from Mick in between songs, this time extolling the virtues of bovine augmentation (or bull----). Another great chorus song follows - Here's Good Luck To The Lazy Man. Some fantastic guitar playing from Paul on their next song, with a refrain of Again and Again and Again. They finish off their first spasm with Bells II, a song written by Mick for one of his folk opera's, Great stuff - can't wait for more in the second half. After our customary break Len is called to the front to give us a couple of songs. He starts with a gentle song I have not heard him sing before at the fabclub - Hanging On A Wire. He follows this with a John Lennon song - Imagine - one of my favourites. Great stuff, Len!! Joe is our next floor spot, on his guitar this week. His first song is called Heading Out and I can't remember hearing this one before. Some great guitar picking, Joe! He follows this with a song he wrote in the 90's about the Isles of Scilly called In Nature's Wonderland. A fabclub virgin next, although Moni Aldous has been running Romford Folk Club for a number of years. She starts with one of her own compositions - Swallows From Africa. I haven't heard her sing this for a number of years - it is quite refreshing to hear it again, as it is for her second song Such A Charming Young Man. Please come back again soon, Moni. Our main guests return after the raffle, starting with some powerful guitar playing by Paul with - I Am The Foe. The next song was written by Mick about the Tolpuddle Martyrs with the title of Put Them Down Again with some even more powerful guitar by Paul. Another song next from the folk opera The Navvie's Wife, a gentle ballad Forever and Forever. The Land of Cockade is next, a song about dreams of a land where you can have anything you desire, a bit like it is today as Mick points out, however, this was written many years ago. Paul changes to the banjo for this. Mick comments on the number of guitars Paul owns. He has about 20 in his bedroom. Paul responds with a quote from Ralph Mc Tell who says a man who knows how many guitars he owns does not have enough. Another gentle song next followed by a solo from Paul Downes - I Hate The Rain ( I tend to agree with him). A World premier next, a song to celebrate the summer never done in public before - Summer is A-Coming In Again. This is a song that will be on their new CD due to be released shortly. The next song was written by Mick in 1991 after the death of his father and has the title of Love Is Life, because he realised after the experience that life goes on - how true. This is a beautiful song that reflects the true craft of our guests. A song about the railways next with a compulsive chorus - The Railway's Golden Age. This was billed as their last song but after a little gentle persuasion they return for an encore. They finish with a pig song during which there is a long pause while Mick coughs his heart up, and carries on as if nothing has happened. True professionalism I say. What a great afternoon's entertainment! We are back again next week for a get a floor spot session in the function room. Hope to see you there!!!! |