Shanty Time .......

I saw Fisherman’s Friends : One and All this afternoon - the sequel to the original Fisherman’s Friends which came out a few years ago. It is a really feel good factor film, with some great shanty singing - including a few old favourites such as Wild Rover. The Irish singer Imelda May added romantic interest (and a new song). Not really a plot spoiler as it’s in the trailers - but I had to check when I came home that Fisherman’s Friends had actually performed at Glastonbury - and yes they had - on the same bill as Paul Simon and Beyonce. Sea shanties are certainly riding high in popularity - so I am delighted that the new Fordingbridge Folk Club will host the South Coast’s own Portsmouth Shantymen as the first of our special guests on Friday November 4th.

So much to do ......

So now I have decided the sort of Folk Club to try to get off the ground .. what do I need to do to get it running for October 7th? We need a venue, publicity, people who can play and sing……. oh and I need to think about finace !!! After a couple of weeks of hard work, most of the practicalities have been sorted.

I started by looking for a venue - a pub with a room would have been ideal, but nowhere in Fordingbridge seems to have a space which would work. Avonway Community Centre has come to the rescue - their Jubilee lounge is perfect - nice layout and seats 20 - 30 in a comfortable layout, and the South room can seat about 60 for larger evenings when we have guests. There is a kitchen we can use - and even a bar which i hope they will be able to open for us - and if not we can take our own booze. And the costs are very reasonable.

Posters and leaflets have been designed and printed and will hit the streets at the beginning of September.

I have for the first time ever opened a Facebook account (Fordingbridge Folk). An early hitch meant I was suspended for 24 hours for posting on too many groups - oops. Fortunately I was reinstated!

Now all we need is some performers ………

So what next?

What sort of Folk Club was the first question in my mind. Having been to a few in the past - as well as to a few Folk Festivals (as a Morris Dancer - or is that too much information?) - I had come up with four possibilities.

1. A club which relies totally on paid performers - booking a professional act every month, and the members are the audience.

2. A club in which the members provide the music and singing - as many as turn up do a couple of items each.

3. A mixture of those two - sometimes an evening for members, sometimes a paid professional act.

4. A jam session - all the members join in playing together a selection of well known tunes.

I decided on the third of these - the ‘mixed economy’. It gives variety, is likely to attract larger audiences on guest evening, and might be better for publicity. And if it all goes well - maybe eventually meet twice a month with one session with entertainment provided by members and one by paid guests.