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FaBclub review 25th July 2010 written by Liz Montgomery Tis the last FaBclub before the August break and we have a great attendance. Outside is summery and sultry and the fairground is at full pace over at Grays Beach. It's a rowdy rabble today and Trevor Leopard tries to get us into some sort of order. He starts us with a song dedicated to an old friend of his - about a flying machine competition "Flying Farm Hand" - then Sue Leopard provides us with a protest song against the raising in the Titanic - "Let her lie" - written by Colin Pitts. Trevor has allocated performers to the Nice List and Naughty List - so Paul B is first up off the Naughty List. His first song is about his great Grandfather, "My great grandad John", knighted by Queen Victoria for inventing something importantly industrial to do with coal dust and boilers - Sir John Douglas… great fun about history and what happens to the memorials today. "Sand in her shoes" is another super number - written by Al Stewart - gosh haven't heard that for ages - good summer music. Trevor moves him to the Nice Table as a result. Foxon are on the Nice List - lets see how they perform ;-) "Needle and thread" - a Tom Clements song opens their first contribution of the afternoon. With lovely minor key concertina accompaniment today, they slip into a Sandra Kerr song More family harmony with Bernard and Maureen - a whole medley of traditional tunes and shanties on concertina and guitar - always a lovely set although Maureen is complaining that Bernard has been doing some re-arrangement with extra "dumpety dumps!" in. Nice or naughty is beginning to slip off the target a bit I think. Me (Liz) next - I have to go to Slough and Maidenhead tomorrow .. so the inevitable John Betjeman poem is due and then "The Workshop" which is about my Grandfathers workshop. Mike W is equipped with guitar today -and is accompanied by the FaBclub choir on "The Wild Rover"… and is in a bit of a theme with "I'll go no more a-roving" - so lots of singing along. Still no name has been decided for Margaret's canary yet - so far she has loads, and even more mildly inappropriate ones are suggested by the assembled crowd.. still nothing is quite right for him though. And after lovely stories about a childrens party she held yesterday, she sets off into "I'll never find another you" and "Have I told you lately that I love you" - today on the green ukelele. Len is feeling in an experimental mood today - and capitalising on the singing propensities of the assembled masses - "Waltzing Matilda" and "Heave away (we're bounded for South Australia)" A quick break for refreshments and then back in the function room! Lovely to have Steve O'Kane with us today - he has spotted we are into singing today and kicks off with his song about the lost parts of the Mardyke. A lovely ballad called "Goodbye" follows - he thinks penned by Steve Earle. Lovely to welcome Peter - as a FaBclub virgin - and a first performance of his poetry; a brave first performance with a WW2 based poem -"The mind of a country that has gone insane" and part of a poem about being a 17 year old Motown-hooked dancer and his experiences at the clubs in Ilford. Very thought provoking and original. TDL are back up on stage with a song inspired by Broadstairs Folk Festival and discovering a whole room full of hurdy-gurdies… given the classic TDL treatment, of course. And a song "Oh Lord wanna thank you for my Mercedes Benz" based on the shipwreck of the Napoli off the Devon coast in January 2007 and the subsequent - er- beachcombing. Seconds out and a loverly raffle too.. " Paul B - "Cousin Jack" and "Cat's in the Cradle" (latter song written by Harry Chapin) " Foxon - "Waiting" written by Margaret - and, so appropriate today, "Summertime" " Liz - "Oh my- haven't they changed" " Bernard and Maureen (or is it Brian and Marlene? - you had to be there!) - with some more nice tunes on concertina and guitar including one called "Enrico" " Mike W - "The Irish Rover" and "What did you learn in school today?" " Margaret - "Island in the sun" - and "Once in a very blue moon" " Len - A Tim Hardin song -"Black Sheep Boy" and "Fire and Rain" " Peter - "The day America wept" and "The bullycat - a true story" " Steve O' rounds off our afternoon with a number I omitted to write down - but very good and "Country Roads" So a great afternoon - not sure how many of us ended up on the Naughty or Nice lists though ! |