
Fo'c'sle Programme April 2008 |
Moving from his native Lancashire to Perth, Australia 30 years ago, Bernard reinvades his homeland every year. Without ever getting detached from his roots, he performs original songs exceptional for the wit and clarity of the lyrics and immaculate ragtime/blues style fingerpicking guitar accompaniment - he might sing you his song-writing song Here Comes the Chorus, or his ode to the common cold The Bronchio-Dilated Blues, or his landmine song Gardens of Death (currently being used on an International Red Cross video). As well as playing large and small festivals and venues all over Australia, he leads Working Voices combined Trades Union Choir. Described by a major ‘down-under' Festival Director as "a great all-round folk troubadour with a unique talent, all peppered with passion and humour", he regularly tours the UK, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore and performs with (among many others), Ralph McTell, Foster & Allen, Taj Mahal and Richard Thompson and he appears weekly on Australian TV as a singing political satirist. The latest of his 9 albums, called WEST, celebrates 175 years of European settlement in Western Australia and his song My Little Dot Com has been 2 years on ABC playlists. Try not to miss his first visit to the Club.
Play or Sing, read a Poem, tell a Story, listen, fetch the beer, anything
Spending 30+ years earning a worldwide reputation, Frankie's compelling voice, bubbling exuberance and musical dexterity make her unforgettable. Of her several CDs, two in particular show the range of her material - English ballads are beautifully sung on CD Till the Grass O'er Grew the Corn (with John Kirkpatrick and Maddy Prior) and another CD The Fair Moon Rejoices contains many other strands of Frankie's career (including 3 of Leon Rosselson's songs) but no ballads. A review by The Herald said "There's nothing fragile about Armstrong's singing - it glows gloriously on Mike Westbrook's Blake settings and she attacks songs of injustice with honest and impressive conviction". Singing with total commitment Frankie reaches the hearts of listeners - and she also has the precious gift of getting everyone around her singing.
Steve and Kristi are both from singing families (Kristi's parents were a barbershop duo). They perform with verve and humanity (either solo or duo) with Steve on guitar and Kristi on Ibanez bass and their great rapport and infectious enthusiasm will be remembered from previous visits - they "draw you into a tale and make you care about the people and places" (Dirty Linen). The songs of this lovable duo are based on the people they meet and on the past and present pioneer culture of the US Pacific North-West (where they live) with some of Steve's songs having a wry ‘don't mess with Mother Nature' bent. As well as performing in Folk Clubs in the UK and USA, the Nebels have graced many historically-themed events in their home country with their own specially-written songs.
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