This rural romp, developed over a number of years, deals with matters both cultural arhl agricultural. It ranges from the ancient (such as corset-hauling shanties, and the coming of the Romans) to the modern (incomers, and the new vicar) via the timeless (farmers' wives, and the harvest).There are songs and choruses to delight both young and old, rich and poor, mild and bitter. 'The Harvest Moan' is self-explanatory; 'We Did It Sideways' comes from the bitterly fought Cromer-Sheringham Crab Wars; the 'The Happy Clappy Chappy' celebrates some of the strange characters of Sid's village. There are stories of the highest quality, such as the mysterious 'Reedham and Weep', and the hilarious 'The Shaming of the True'. And, since Sid comes from Norfolk, he naturally talks turkey - you are guaranteed a memorable evening of laughter and song, which will both amuse and amaze.
(www.sidkipper.co.uk).
Little Johnny England are a unit consisting of five musicians, all of which have worked within the folk and traditional scene as individuals and in bands such as The Albion Band, Phil Beer Band, Show of Hands, Dansaul and the Morris On Band. They are Gareth Turner (melodeons), P J Wright (guitars and vocals), Guy Fletcher (fiddle and vocals), Miranda Sykes (bass and vocals) and Trevor Foster (drums). Combining their experiences to become quite simply a live act in every sense, equally at home working in an acoustic manner as they are in a major concert setting, their aim in the last six years has been to take traditional and contemporary folk music to a wider audience.
(www.littlejohnnyengland.co.uk)
SOLD OUT
For our Christmas party, we've invited back the best English traditional country dance band in the land. Firm favourites at Forest Folk, Sidmouth Festival and beyond, and especially in their native Hampshire, the Bursledon Village Band play simply superb, toe tapping, wants-to-be-danced-to music, full of rhythm and bags of energy.
(www.bursledonvillageband.co.uk)
He came and wowed us one hot June summer's evening with that smooth deep singing voice and endless supply of songs—now he's back! One of the most able and talented singer/guitarists on the folk scene today, Paul's sensitive and fun approach to his live perfommances puts him among the most respected artists on the British acoustic music scene today. He has a rich musical background that has progressed through working with Phil Beer, The Arizona Smoke Revue, Pete Seeger and, currently, The Joyce Gang.
£5
Roots Rock At its Very Best
Phil Beer is the multi-instrumentalist half of England's foremost acoustic duo 'Show of Hands'. His instrumental wizardry is well documented and has been utilized by countless artists over the years, the most notable being The Rolling Stones, Mike Oldfield and Steve Harley. He was for many years lead guitarist and singer with the Albion Band and co-wrote many of their songs. While having his feet firmly in the 'Acoustic' camp, he has "kept his hand in" with electric music over the five years with an annual outing of the Phil Beer Band. The Band plays a unique blend of folk 'n roll which is quite unlike any other band currently on the circuit.
£10
The Ceilidh is a joint event with North Boarhunt Village to raise funds for their village hall. It will be held in a grand marquee on the village recreation ground. Bar and b-b-q will be available.
Song & Ale
Forest Folk's Song & Ale will be held 25/26 June, starting on the Friday evening, with song and music sessions programmed through Saturday, ending Sunday lunchtime. Sessions will be held free with a jug collection, and camping will be available in North Boarhunt at £6 per pitch. Please let us know if you are thinking to coming along.We're delighted to tell you we've just booked Colvin Quarmby for our guest night in September - anyone who's seen them will never forget the high energy performance of Gerry Colvin or the beautiful lyrics of his slower numbers. Together with Nick Quarmby (Phil Beer Band), Martin Fitzgibbon (original drummer - Rocky Horror Picture Show) and Dave Dutfield (ex Albion Band), we've in for a great night's entertainment.
"If the Beautiful South had gone down the roots road, they may well have sounded like this" (Folk Roots)
"Chirpier than a bucketful of Trill. More hooks than a fishermans convention" (Folk On Tap)
"One of the most creative and exciting bands to have emerged onto the folk / acoustic scene in years" (Record Collector)
The Demon Barber Roadshow (tickets £10/£8)
The Demon Barbers team up with some of England’s most exciting young rapper, clog and morris dancers - Black Swan Rapper - Fiona & Tiny Taylor - Dogrose Morris - to create a high energy
Music and Dance Spectacular
The Demon Barbers
Formed in July 2001, this new band has already gained major recognition for its innovative arrangements of traditional song. With Damien, Bryony and Will maintaining the solid folk core, the band is held together by the driving rhythm section of Ashby & Sykes.
- Damien Barber - vocals/guitar/concertina
- Bryony Griffith - fiddle/vocals
- Will Hampson - melodeon/harmonica
- Lee Sykes - bass
- Rich Ashby - drums
Black Swan Rapper rule the world - yes they really do!
Black Swan Rapper did another great job at DERT (Dancing England Rapper Tournament) this year, coming away with loads of awards:
- Most exciting dance in the premier category
- Overall best dance
- Best Musician
Energetic young Morris team Dogrose were founded in 1998 and made their first appearance at Holmfirth Folk Festival. They have appeared at festivals all over the UK: Sidmouth, Whitby, Warwick, and recently became an integral part of the Demon Barber Roadshow. Back in November 2002 they went on a Folkworks tour called English Roots with Waterson-Carthy and others which wowed the Turner Sims audience in Southampton and have now appeared on the popular TV show 'Later with Jools Holland' performing with Blur, Eliza Carthy, Suggs & Craig David.
The Taylor sisters clog superbly at every event
PDF Poster for this event (360 kb)
Please download and use if you are able!
The Demon Barbers' website is near! Launch date 10th Oct 04
The Demon Barber Roadshow - Review by Alan Rose, The Living Tradition
There was none of this ‘can’t be a prophet in your own land’ stuff around as Damien Barber and his colleagues played his adopted home village as a preview of their country-wide tour. The friends and neighbours who packed into the Church Hall received the feast of music and dance (and an interval curry from Steve Tilston) with rapturous enthusiasm. The show, produced by 3’s Company and compered by Fay Hield, opened with an assured spot from local troubadour Spence who warmed us up neatly for the business in hand.The Demon Barbers are a five piece band featuring Damien on lead vocals and either guitar or concertina, Bryony Griffith on fiddle and vocals, Will Hampson on melodeon, and, in case you were thinking they were a conventional folk outfit, the distinctly non-folkie Lee Sykes and Rich Ashby on bass and drums. Extra percussion was interspersed through the set by Fiona and Tiny Taylor’s dynamic, dead-on clog dancing. We also got two forms of ritual dance – Dog Rose Morris put the ceiling in severe danger with their gravity-defying athleticism, while Black Swan Rapper delivered the show stopper as they danced in ultra violet tinged darkness with the whites of their shirts and the fluorescence of their swords as the only visual markers. Bryony plays for both with true aplomb, unfazed by smoke and the close proximity of enough testosterone to sink a small battleship.
If it sounds like a young person’s thing then it undoubtably is. Fortunately it’s an old person’s thing too, and the Roadshow’s appeal spreads far beyond regular folk club attendees. Damien, his Barbers and the superb dancers are in posession of talents and material which, given the right exposure and a wagonload of luck, could lead them far beyond the confines of the folk circuit. I’m sure it is far too early to hold up comparisons to the Steeleye Spans of yesteryear but, on the other hand, I would like to think in days to come that you read it here first.
The Worth Valley has long been a hotbed of both innovative and traditional folk-musicality. The Demon Barbers are worthy recruits , spanning the two with dazzlingly original interpretations of age-old English culture. Fair meks us proud.
However, anyone seeing the Demon Barbers in the coming months will see something much more than just a concert by a band. The Demon Barber Roadshow is a total package about to make its first tour of the UK and certain to become one of 2002's major folk talking points. 'The show is quite fast, flowing together pretty seamlessly. The atmosphere is supposed to stay high all the time. It's a continuous show and we aim to stop it being bitty. The whole idea is to make it continuous and keep the energy level high."
The idea of the roadshow grew out of an all-star 'Damien Barber and Friends' concert at Whitby Festival. "It went down really well. So I thought we could do something with it, tighten it up a bit. I was in the process of trying to get a band together at the time. The main problem was, with eleven or twelve people involved, how the hell are you going to pay for it? Originally we had thought of offering the Roadshow at Festivals if we were all booked individually. Then we hit on the idea of applying for the National Touring Programme, which we have just received. I have to say a big thank you to the Arts Council."
One song in their set very much sums up what the Roadshow is all about. Alfred Noyes' Companion of a Mile tells the story of Will Kemp's journey, morris dancing from London to Norwich. The tune for the poem came to Damien from Chris Sugden and the combination of song and dance on the road is very much what the Roadshow is all about.
In the course of the evening's entertainment three different styles of traditional dance are introduced. The Northern Clog dancing of Rhiannon and Fiona Taylor is very much an integrated element of the band. On Widdicombe Fair, for example (not the widely known song but a word-heavy Norfolk narrative that Damien collected), the vocals are driven by the clatter of clogs as much as the band's rhythm section. "One important idea early on was the clog dancing accompanying the songs, so that the dancers are very much part of the band."
David Hall and The Demon's melodeon player, Will Hampson, are Dog Rose Morris. Accompanied by Bryony's fiddle, they perform traditional Cotswald Morris. Bryony is also the live musician playing when the amazing Black Swan Rapper make their appearance.
Given Damien's Norfolk background his involvement in a Rapper Team is a little surprising. "My girlfriend's involved in dance and a couple of years ago I went to DERT - The Dance In England Rapper Tournament - and hung out and watched Rapper Dancing all day. Several of my friends, people I'd known for eight or nine years, were involved without my ever really realising it. One of them, Dan Offord, wanted to start a new young team. At first it was just a release for me to go out and dance and just have a good time instead of performing."
Since then, Black Swan have themselves proved a massive and award winning success at DERT and are one of the most spectacular elements of the Demon Barber Roadshow. Able to operate in a startlingly confined space, they dance in smoke under U/V lights with glowing swords. If that sounds like Dark Vader meets Cecil Sharp, their choice of music is equally radical: Bryony's fiddle weaves away across a pre-recorded drum and bass track, created by Lee Sykes - no mean feat as Damien explains, "The way music normally works in Rapper Dancing is that the dancers don't work to the music; the musician plays to the dance. Whereas with a pre-recorded track you have to dance to the pace of the music, which was a bit odd to start with, because the rhythm's there and it's not moveable." The effect is stunning and unforgettable.
What is obviously complex and demanding can become more even more nerve-wracking. 'The most challenging gig we had to do was at Windy Bottom Festival where we were on a seven foot by seven foot stage, some three feet off the ground. It was in virtual darkness and when we did the tumble back, the lads holding the swords had to literally pull us in to stop us falling off the edge. Thank goodness we practice on eight foot boards is all I say!"
All these elements combine in a show which is literally breathtaking for both performers and audience. In a world where the word unique is casually and excessively overused, the Demon Barber Roadshow offers a literally unique entertainment experience and just the kind of shot in the arm that folk music needs from time to time.
The Yetties are ...
Bonny Sartin
Pete Shutler
Mac McCulloch
They are one of England's most popular folk groups. They take their name from the Dorset village of Yetminster which was their childhood home. Their obvious love of the West Country, it's songs, stories and humour wins them friends wherever they go.
Christmas Ceilidh with The Bursledon Village Band, Sibby calling (tickets £6/£5)"The Bursledon Village Band provide lively English Traditional Dance Music for Barn Dances, Ceilidhs and other Folk Dances. We have been playing for 25 years, have recorded several CDs and appeared on National Radio and Television. We provide English music for Barn Dances, Celidh's both for private occassions and public fundraising events. We have appeared at most major Folk Festivals in the UK."
John Spiers plays melodeon and sings. Jon Boden also sings and plays fiddle.Their musical partnership was forged in the vibrant heat of the Oxford Folk Session Scene. Regarded by those who first heard them as a musical match made in heaven, their shockingly original slant on the best of the English tradition rapidly attracted recognition and excitement.
Quickest off the mark to spot their potential was Martin Carthy ("Norma and I saw this lad called Jon Boden playing at the Lewes folk club down in Sussex and we were completely blown away by him. This lad was wonderful" Adhoc Magazine). Fellside Records soon snapped them up and just two days in the studio saw them produce Through & Through, followed by stunning reviews
Technically they stand head to head with the best of their generation: "Jon Boden plays fiddle with an earthy vigour that's utterly compelling and sings in a frantic breathless manner as if the hounds of hell are taking lumps out of his backside, while John Spiers harmonises and plays urgent driving melodeon to a very high standard indeed." …"halfway to reinventing the style without even realising it…a significant new act has landed" fRoots magazine.
The originality, conviction, energy and technical ability of this young duo has already won them a prestigious nomination for the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award, a shortlist position in the BBC Radio 3 World Music Album of the Year, and they are already in great demand on the club/festival scene
New trio comprising Peter Knight, best known as Steeleye Span's violinist, fiddler Tom Leary and folk-funk guitar maestro Kev Dempsey. Should be exciting!
Tom and Kevin are well-renowned as a fiddle and guitar duo - they are now joined by the stunning violin playing of Peter Knight. Best known for his leading role in Steeleye Span, his violin and voice helped give Steeleye the distinctive sound heard on classics such as Gaudete and All Around My Hat. Tom Leary is one of the most respected fiddlers in folk circles - a member of Feast of Fiddles, and founding member of electric folk rock band Little Johnny England. Kevin Dempsey is a fast and fluid finger picking guitarist, and with Dave Swarbrick, formed the brilliant Whippersnapper. Definitely an evening not to be missed!
"Squeeze-box merchants at the height of their powers"
The Living Tradition
"They have a very English sound and it’s absolutely delightful! Beautiful music and highly entertaining songs . .
. This combination and this CD are both winners."
BBC Online
Tim van Eyken and Robert Harbron are two of the most distinctive performers of English music today. Both highly skilled musicians in their own right, Tim and Rob play together with a unique style and sensitivity and a fresh sound rarely heard in England. Their heartfelt performances of traditional and contemporary tunes and songs display an incredible musical interaction to which their astounding virtuosity is the icing on the cake.
Tim van Eyken was the 1998 BBC Young Folk Award winner, and has delighted audiences around the world with his melodeon playing, singing and sensitive guitar style. Tim is a member of Dr Faustus and Waterson:Carthy and has worked with numerous other artists as a producer as well as a player.
Robert Harbron has performed widely in Great Britain and toured in Scandanavia, Europe and North America, performing and recording with The English Acoustic Collective, Dr Faustus, 6 FOOT 3, Chip Taylor and Music of the Northlands among others. He has been described as the greatest concertina player of his generation.
£5
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