Our first FaB Club of the new year is a Get a Floor Spot session, and
it's a packed house after the holiday break - with lots of old and new
faces. Jo Migdal is our MC for today.

It's an exciting start to the New 08 as we already have our guest sessions
booked up right through to November - and lots of GAFS sessions
planned too for everyone to join in and have fun.

And don't forget next week we have the FaB Club Charity fund raiser for
the local Thurrock branch of the National Animal Welfare Trust and
their work to rescue animals and to house pets that might otherwise be
abandoned as a result of owners going into care or hospital ; with a big
raffle and one of our FaB club buffets; a great show is promised. It will
be £5 very well spent…

NORMAN opens up with a virtuoso performance on two different Banjo
Ukeleles - he tells us they have two completely different tunings - first a
George Formby number of course - Andy the Handyman then Guarding
the Home Guards Home (I think…). It's nice to hear some "new"
numbers, and always interesting to hear Norman talk about Ukeleles

BERNIE and MAUREEN are introduced cheekily by Jo as the Little and
Large of FaB Club - Maureen promises to sort 'im aht after. A medley of
Walter Kiddleys Waltz and Three Hand Reel on concertina and guitar is
our recompense, followed by an arrangement of more traditional tunes -
Woodland Flowers and Marmelade Polka - lovely stuff.

The man of steel - PAUL STEELE - provides a change of style with his
gritty and impassioned delivery of modern folk numbers - Sweet Little
Mystery (John Martyn) and a great Band song - Rockin' Chair - superb..

(Clive) Our resident poet next LIZ - provides us with some late seasonal
stuff - Christmas Day at Coalhouse Fort and Christmas Shopping at
Lakeside. Rounds of applause and lots of joining in from the shoppers
in the audience.

Be afraid very afraid - TONE DEAF LEOPARD - provide us more with
traditional (ish) fare - the Cuckold song - version B loosely based on
Seven Drunken Knights - Oddzoons..!!!!!! Then a great Eric Bogle song
- Can you sing any Dylan? (the answer is no!)

The variety continues and we have more ukulele fun with MARGARET
"LADY FORMBY" - rounds off our first half with a song always associate
with the New Seekers - I'll Never Find Another You. And then to prove
that the ukulele is certainly not limited to George Formby - "Hi Ho
Silver Lining" - which really gets the crowd showing their age and
joining in with the chorus

Time for a natter… and to sell more raffle tix

JO opens up the second half with our second John Martyn number of the
day on one of his many beautiful guitars - May you never - fabulous
picking and arrangement as ever. Then onto a mandolin number -
composed after an encounter with Hands Around - the ladies morris
side- called English Roses - which he tell us is on his forthcoming new
album - a great upbeat number.

Marie (drums), Penny (guitar) and Tony (whistle) join us from up the
line near Cambridge - they are FFION FAER - and featured on the Link
FM Fab Club show in November. Now we are delighted to welcome them
as live FaB Club virgins…Yay… quick bit of tuning necessary by Marie
due to "all the hot air" in the room - surely not !!! - a medley of Jigs
from County Clare to kick off. An arrangement of Step it up Mary
follows -with storming guitar and vocals from Penny and solid backing
from Marie and Tony.

Amazing FaB Club raffle next with lots of prizes and happy winners…
still a few mystery prizes left from before Christmas - I won a beautiful
Waterman fountain pen in my mystery prize then - I can't think of
anything more inspiring for creating new verses

Rounding off the afternoon:

NORMAN goes swimming with the wimmen - actually no - its TT Races -
the reason he joined the George Formby Appreciation Society
apparently…

BERNARD and MAUREEN provide us with another atmospheric
instrumental duet.

And PAUL STEELE - this time with all ten fingers - and all picking as
fabulously as ever - and as emotional a delivery as you could ever want
of I want you (Bob Dylan, of course…)

(Clive)LIZ and Oh My - Haven't They Changed…well at least 3 people
in the audience haven't seen this before, but those three people were so
impressed !!!!! I don't know what it is about this poem but I can listen
to it again and again and still hear something different.

MARGARET performs a song Dennis Homes wrote for her: I feel lucky;
and provides us an update on Maureen and Keith who will be back in
the UK shortly.

And our last half -

JO performs Nature's Wonderland - a lovely track from his last CD -
based on St Agnes in the Scilly Isles.

TDL treat us to an Elvis number, as it is around the anniversary of his
birthday - Trevor claims he performed this in Dusseldorf the night Elvis
died (or was it Trevor died - I got confused at this point) - a version of
Are you lonesome night (involving Aludrox and Tums and ExLax - phew
what a combo!) he claims he found on the net….

And a final serenade from FFION FAER. Penny leads a song inspired by
the works of a Fenland poet local to them, about the Roma - Bow Top.
Then some reels with fine whistle work - London Lasses and Sally
Gardens. To finish off a joiny in thing - lots of other guitars and shakers
emerge around the room - Rattling Bog. Come back back soon.

We may have to have a FaB club outing to their club I think!


LizM