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FaBclub review 26th July 2009 written by Liz Montgomery Grays is in festive mood this weekend as it's the Thurrock festival and our compere for the afternoon, Margaret, regales us with stories of inadvertently visiting Thurrock Festival with her grandson Charlie yesterday. She opens with a song written specially for her called " Ban-jo" - unfortunately she can't remember who wrote it for her…. (answers on a postcard or email to FaBclub please! We think it was probably Maureen in Spain). And then performs "Red River Valley" - dedicated to Bernard. Speaking of whom… Bernard and Maureen (not Maureen in Spain) take the floor next. Bernard explains he spent the first year playing the uke untuned not realising it needed tuning. And on to more tuneful matters with a series of lovely jigs and folk tunes. Joe is going for the keyboard today with a Dave Cousens number - "Glimpse of Heaven" - as usual Joe can get a quite simple looking Casio keyboard to produce an amazing arrangement - wow And now he is onto the Hohner with a lively version of "Nut Brown Ale" (Andy Barnes). A bit of poetry from Liz - On the Common Pond - written for her fathers 90th birthday.. And another version of "Summer is icumen in" - thanks to researches by Bernard. TDL have a new song - a hillbillyish song about personal hygiene difficulties in a relationship - I think it was called "Dirty Smelly P I G" followed up by the wonderful "I knew the bride when he used to be a man" - at least musically based on the similarly titled "I knew the bride when she used to rock n roll" by Nick Lowe. Paul Steele provides us with his masterful guitar-work and superb songs - always gritty and intensely emotional versions of classic ballads "A ballerina dances on" and a beautiful setting of a Mary Webb poem. He makes it look SO easy. A little light refreshment and the FaBulous FaBclub raffle and then a reprise to round off another lovely afternoon.. " Bernard and Maureen with more jaunty numbers on concertina and guitar accompanied by the extended FaBclub percussion section; " Margaret performs "Have I told you lately that I love you?" and "Sloop John B"; " Joe has the keyboard out again… "Riding down to Portsmouth" and on the accordion "The American King"; " Liz with "The Rolling English Road" by G.K. Chesterton and self penned "Growing Old Disgracefully - Appearances"; " TDL - a folk version of an Al Wilson song (not Harold Wilson as suggested by Sue, I should point out - now that puts an even weirder twist on it) - "Take me in" and an entirely new version of "Lay down Sally"; Paul rounds off the afternoon with some solid folk Guthrie and Dylan classics including "( I ain't got) No home in this world any more" |