Bath Acoustic Club

I have great pleasure in announcing that our feature slot for June will be occupied by Trevor Valentine. We haven't seen Trevor in a while, and will be delighted to welcome him back! He is a gifted songwriter, entertaining performer - and multilingual as well!! Over the past 2 or 3 years, he has visited us accompanied by guests from USA, which has been fun but, speaking personally, I'm looking forward to hearing him solo!

As regulars will know, we have had a full list for floor spots for months now, so be warned! You are advised to sign in by 7.45 latest to give us the best chance of fitting everyone in. Music theoretically starts at 8.00, but if the list is full and everyone is settled, we can kick off a bit earlier, to give us a few more minutes.

No guitar cases etc to be left on the landing, please. Admission continues to be £1 for the time being.

*sings* June is busting out all over ... (lovely girl, June!)
See you on the 2nd!

This week’s session of the Bath Acoustic Club provided another superb musical feast, with many outstanding performances. We were led by Strange but True, the duo which consists of Rob Winder (vocals and songwriting) and Mick Mangan (guitar, vocals and songwriting), and they are very good indeed.

They began with Sixteen Tons, then Rob’s sombre Waiting for a Train, followed by Mick’s Changeover Day (incidentally the title of their new EP/CD), which refers to the ingress and outflow of holidaymakers in the summer in Cornwall. Next came the Nightingale, Make me an Angel and the inevitable Midnight Special. Later Rob and Mick returned to close the evening with When We Sing Together. It was noticeable how much the audience enjoyed joining in. I have heard Strange but True several times before, but they seem to get better and better. Last night they were truly impressive.

The evening had begun with Allan Taylor’s bleak but somehow beautiful Roll on the Day, before Catherine gave us her latest song In the Eye of the Beholder, the second half of which is apparently still in production. She followed this with Del Shannon’s Runaway, with bells on her toes. I cannot really do justice to this, but we all loved it!

Paul Crocker appeared solo for a change, although he did play his baritone dulcimer for his second tune, Ode to Joy, by some German composer. This followed the traditional Irish air, The Banks of the Lee. Kevin Hart started with Leonard Cohen’s Who by Fire, followed by his own song, Down to the River. Matt Bragg was another who sang contrasting pieces. First was G K Chesterton’s The Rolling English Road, set to music by Maddy Pryor, followed by The Who’s Substitute.

Rosie Upton gave us Henry Clements’ Needle and Thread, followed by Carriden, both from her excellent new CD. Garth gave us The Cure’s In Between Days, followed by Bob Dylan’s It’s All Over Now Baby Blue. Then the wonderful Jon Asprey favoured us with a rare visit to sing two of his best songs, Farther Down the Road, followed by Back to the City. Just wonderful.

After the break, the ever-excellent Fred gave us two of his own songs, It’s Been Easy and Please Don’t Send Me Away. His guitar work seems to get more intricate each time I hear him play. Simon Taylor, appearing solo, gave us Bob Lind’s Oh How the Nights Do Fly, followed by his transcription of Steely Dan’s Bad Sneakers. I gather there is more Steely Dan in the pipeline, to which I certainly look forward. He really was splendid.

Then, when next Anna sang “I’m So Happy”, you really knew she was. She followed her song I’m Home, with Orange Blossom Nights, recalling Spain, with Sam flaunting his Spanish guitar skills alongside. Then Sam himself sang They’re in Love, followed by My Fare Home, inspired by a busking Irishman at the Cheltenham Races. Sam seems to find inspiration everywhere, and manages to craft it into some amazing songs.

Next, Andy Ranshaw gave us a beautiful instrumental, South Wind, which we have previously heard on the dulcimer, followed by another good crowd-pleaser, Whiskey in the Jar, to appropriate audience accompaniment. Simon Meeds gave us Mike Starkey and Dave Marshall’s Southern Star, followed by Tom Mossman’s Lasso the Moon, with some pretty nifty guitar playing to go with it. Finally, Nigel gave us one of Mick Ryan’s hymn arrangements.

Apart from the overall excellence, the evening impressed on me the eagerness of all the audience to sing along whenever practicable. We really all do enjoy making music!

Well, here we are, nearly halfway through the year already, (I've just had a birthday, and why should I be the only one bitter at the quick passage of time!), and I am announcing our guest artistes for May! we are all well-acquainted with Rob Winder, who has been a stalwart regular at the club for years, and I'm sure Mick Mangan has visited us before as well, playing solo. Anyway, now they play as a team , the mighty Strange But True - and very good it is too! Last time they were with us, I was so moved by one song that they did, I just sat there with full, stunned attention then went off and researched the history. Fantastic.

Because we have some cash in hand atm, thanks to high attendance enabling us to cover the cost of the room, we are reducing the admission charge to £1 for a bit, which is a STONKING bargain!
As we have been over-subscribed with keen performers for the last few months now, please try and sign in by 7.45 latest. Last month, we had to reduce everyone who played in the second half to one song, which was the only way to fit everyone in!

Other than that, no guitar cases left on the landings, please, and see you in May!

A full house at the Bath Acoustic Club on Tuesday enjoyed another great performance from an over-full performers’ list. Sadly, despite starting early, this meant that many performances were limited to one song each.

We were led by the truly excellent singing and playing of Kate and Richard Harris, who have long been among our favourite floor singers. Kate had put together a beautifully chosen list of songs, which she sang in her delightful Scottish accent, accompanied by the impeccable guitar (and accordion) playing of Richard. They began with Follow the Heron by Karine Polwart, before taking us to Violet Jacobs’ Baltic Street in Montrose. Suzanne (not the Leonard Cohen version) followed, then Penny for the Ploughboys by Colin Cater (with a polka to follow, but sadly no Morris Dancers), Mick Ryan’s Love is Life, before an unexpected Help, from the Beatles. At the end of the evening, Kate and Richard left us with Our Town, and me with some very fond memories.

We had started the evening in a Scottish vein, with the Gaelic love song Sine Bhan (Fair Jean) and some excellent chorus singing by the assembled Sassenachs! Who knew that so many understood Gaelic? The massed dulcimers of HP Sauce (Hilary Davies and Paul Crocker) then enchanted us with The Unquiet Grave/Star of the County Down, and Hyfrydol, which was composed by Rowland Hugh Prichard, though well known by churchgoers as a hymn tune. Garth gave us Yesterday’s Wine, by Earl Okin, followed by Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues.

Matt Brag gave us two of his own songs, Up To You, followed by his take on Hamlet. Amazing! Rosie Upton, fresh from recording her new CD (Threads and Yarns), sang us two songs from it, The Bloody Gardener and the late, great Mike Scott’s Men Bu**er Off. Terrific! Terry Helyar gave us Our China’s Been Broken and The Parting Glass, which is always worth a hearing. Honoured visitor Simon Meeds gave us Tracy Chapman’s Last Night, followed by On Shining Wings. Lovely.

Bryony gave us the suitably seasonal Easter Tree, followed by her own take on Linden Lea. Sue Skinner, whom we haven’t seen for far too long, popped in to sing, appropriately, On a Wing and a Prayer, and her own version of The Selkie Seal.

Rob Winder, paying us a visit prior to his appearance as part of Strange But True’s feature spot next month, sang an outstanding set consisting of Bonnie Susie Cleland (which is a serious discouragement for Scots lassies who wish to marry Englishmen!) and that splendid shanty, The Bulgine Run, which I haven’t heard sung for many years. Rob and Mick Mangan as Strange But True have recorded an EP of songs which will be available at their gig with us next month, profits to charity.

Kevin Hart started off the second half of the evening with a couple of his own songs, No Money and Back in Bed. Anna let down her hair, being careful not to get caught in the undertow, before enjoying a Hot August Night. Catherine, celebrating 25 years at her salon in Bath (she must have started as a child), gave us the Congregation of the Damned, followed by the topical Space Oddity.

Matt Cook gave us The Devil that you Need. “Silver” Sam then sang us his own wonderful The Noisiest Crisps. Simon Taylor and Mike Fossett, making I believe their first visit to us, gave us a song about separation, Seven League Boots. It was good to hear Mike’s fiddle. Two Oak Sons, mellow Americana as ever, gave us Louisiana, before the wonderful Andy Popplestone reminded us that The Times They Are A-Changing. Finally, Nigel informed us of the real reason for the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii. It apparently involved aliens and a child’s nappy. I was going to add “you couldn’t make it up”, but Nigel did!

Another wonderful evening, and yes, Jan, I did turn to mush!

Yay, I managed to do a reasonable job with Kate's photos, which were a bit small! It was a bit of a learning curve for me, with "background fill", and "tolerance" and everything! I expect the average 12 year-old would have had it all done in 5 minutes, but you know how it is! Anyway, now you can see their lovely faces!😊

Our 7th April session is going to be a real treat, with an extended set by Kate and Richard Harris. We are privileged to have them as regulars at the club, and the combination of Kate's stunning voice and Richard's delicate and accomplished guitar playing is just marvellous. (According to Jim, Kate's singing makes him "go to mush", so we look forward to seeing THAT as well!)
Kate is trying to find me a nice photo of them both to use on this page, but I decided to put something up meanwhile, to publicise the gig ASAP!

There will be floor spots as usual, 2 numbers per act. Please come along and check in by 7.45 if you wish to perform, as we have been pretty busy lately! We will certainly do our best to fit everyone in.

Other than that, £2 admission, no guitar cases left on the landings please, and see you on 7th April!

We knew that we were in for an amazing evening as John Gotting (Johnny G.) was the featured artiste. I had been looking forward to hearing David Metcalfe in a feature spot for the first time. Unfortunately, however, he had to withdraw on medical grounds, but John kindly stepped in. He gave us a varied programme, initially with his nylon-stringed guitar, changing to his steel stringed instrument for the last two numbers.

John started with Lover Man, followed it with Ungalunga Man, then gave us My Soul is Going to Live with Jesus, Please Don’t Waste the Wine (or should that be Time?), before speeding things up with Nadine. At the end of the evening, John returned with one of my
favourites: I’m at the 11th Bar of a 12 Bar Blues, followed by a few choice tunes with his slide guitar. We listened spellbound throughout.

The evening had begun with a selection of bluesey songs from Eddie, accompanied with his vintage, and much-admired guitar. Eddie has been a regular member of the audience for some time, but this was his first real shot at performance. I hope he perseveres.
Catherine, fresh from guitar masterclasses in exotic places, then flew in to give us a couple of her own songs: the Devil in Me and I Need You to See Me. Her songwriting really is taking off.

Next, Lesley, making a welcome return after some time away, gave us Hugh Williams’ The Summer Before the War and Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk, sung in her delightfully clear style. Then a newcomer, Matt Cook, gave us a couple of his own songs, including We’re Making Rainbows, and I hope he returns soon. Our own Garth gave us the delightfully titled I’ve Seen Tomorrow in her Eyes, followed by the Barry McGuire song Eve of Destruction from 1965, but sadly still ominously relevant today.

Another visitor, Mike Rong’un (I rather suspect a stage name) then played a couple of his own songs: Psychic Garbage Man and Bird Feeder, which was a masterpiece dressed up as a blues. He was persuaded to attend by Sam, to whom much thanks are due, but
sadly, he had to return to Mid Wales afterwards. Nevertheless, he left an indelible impression! Anna Giles (Sam’s other half) then sang us a couple of her own songs, accompanied by Sam: In Wonderland and Passenger. Anna always provides thoughtful
songs for our enjoyment.

Playing solo again, Hilary Davies delighted us with the Eighteenth Century Swedish Polonaise No.93, followed by the American piece Henry Reed’s Breakdown. Hilary’s Dulcimer playing is always enchanting and, I feel, a bit other-worldly. We were then enchanted again by Rosie Upton, who has just finished recording her latest CD, and gave us George Grubb’s version of Banks of Green Willow, followed by Henry Clements’ moving song for his mother, Needle and Thread.

After the break, our own dear Jan relaunched us with Leon Rosselson’s History Lesson, followed by Greenback Dollar, which was one of the very first Folky songs I ever heard from a Kingston Trio EP back in the day. Happy memories, and a great performance from Jan, too! Next “Silver” Sam gave us another two of his own wonderful songs: Mr Whippy, about the battle between two ice cream salesmen, and I’ve Had my Fill of your Cracks. He really has a cornucopia of great songs, and he also plays a mean guitar.

Sam was followed by Andy Ranshaw, who gave us Mad Boys of Bedlam and Franklin, chosen he said, as they were both great tunes, and indeed his skilled fingers played them beautifully. Andy Popplestone, in superb form, as ever, gave us Rob Johnson’s
More Than Enough, followed by Martin Simpson’s Love Never Dies

Kate was recovering from some virus, so she and Richard – who are our headliners next month – gave us only one song. However, since this was Ralph McTell’s beautiful Naomi, and since Kate linked it with her own life story, it was more than satisfying. Phil Robinson, yet another newcomer, and who had been waiting patiently the whole evening, then finally had the chance to give us two of his own songs, the titles of which I failed to catch, but which he accompanied with some excellent guitar playing. Again, I hope he returns in the future. Our last performer was our own Poet Laureate,
Pat Popplestone, who read us her rather splendid poem about a Leprechaun. It is good to have her, and her poetry, back with us again.

Another wonderful evening, and grateful thanks to all who came, and again to all who played and sang.

Sadly, Dave Metcalfe, who was to occupy our feature slot in March, will be unable to do it, for medical reasons. We wish him well, in all senses of the word, and hope he will be able to give us an extended set early next year. All the best, Dave!

Luckily for us, we have the lovely Johhny G., who has agreed to step in at short notice. We know him well, of course, and know that we are in for a treat on 3rd March!

The club continues to be popular, and we continue to have a full list of performers every session. Naturally, this is a great position to be in, but it often means we have to disappoint some folks because there is just not enough time to fit everyone in. We don't want people arriving at lunchtime in order to pounce on poor Jim as soon as he sticks head in the door, but can we suggest please that you sign in by 7.45, enabling us to get the list made up and be able to start on time and fit as many people in as possible.

Other than that, no guitar cases on the landings, please, and see you on 3rd March!

Thank you for your attention in this matter!

The upstairs gallery in the St James’s Wine Vaults was packed to overflowing for the February session of the Bath Acoustic Club to hear The Road to Avalon, perhaps better known as Jo Cullum and Steve Goodfield. So popular was the evening that we had to disappoint a number of hopeful performers (sorry, Garth). This was in spite of squeezing several extra performers onto our performance list.

Jo and Steve offered a varied diet of songs including ones by John Prine, Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams, as well as one of Jo’s own, Fire and Water, which certainly held its own in such distinguished company. Jo has a beautifully clear voice, while Steve sounds as if he has just arrived from one of those parts of America where people wear hats like his. The Road to Avalon began in an Oldsmobile, while we had to Hold On, before being asked What in the World’s Come Over You? Having travelled through Fire and Water, we were told She’s My Honey, before finishing our journey at the end of the evening at Lake Charles. We were accompanied at one point by an Irish bouzouki, beautifully played by Steve, which added to the enjoyment. Thank you both for a lovely ride.

The evening began with a tribute to the Hard Cheese of Old England, composed by the late Les Barker, and enthusiastically encouraged by the audience. Then Dave Metcalfe sang us two beautiful Irish songs, Carrickfergus and the Fields of Athenry. Next, David Vigar gave us one of his own songs, the impressive Next of Kin, followed by Graeme Miles’s Where the Ravens Feed, which evoked wild and lonely places. The ever-excellent Fred Sanders sang about weekend dads, followed by his standard Please Don’t Send Me Away. Well, we haven’t done so yet!

Having complained that we had made his brown eyes blue, Terry Helyar sang us the lovely Scottish ballad Broom of the Cowdenknowes. Helen and John, making their first visit to the Club, gave us songs about a river and Tennessee, and clearly charmed their audience. I hope they return. Then HP Sauce, also known as Hilary and Paul, manoeuvred their dulcimers (both types) into position to give us a Little (Swedish) Tune, followed by the largo from Dvorak’s New World Symphony. Both these beautiful pieces held us spellbound.

Kate and Richard gave us Dougie MacLean’s Mary Queen of Scots, followed by Tom Waits’s Time, both characteristically different and both beautifully presented. They were followed by Anna (accompanied by Sam), who sang us her own songs Can’t Stop the Rain and Summerhill. There is an increasing quantity of original talent blossoming at the Bath Acoustic Club. This was again the case when Matt Cook, another first-time performer with us, sang two of his own songs – both admirably short and to the point. He certainly left his audience wanting more!

After the break, Kevin Hart started us off with another of his own songs, We Found Us, which helps to prove my thesis. Then Mike Godwin returned to us, accompanied by his enthusiastic friend Ian, to give us Mister Bojangles and Melissa. They were followed by Sam, with another two of his own songs, Think Long and Hard – which encapsulated a father’s advice to his daughter on the subject of choosing a husband – and what he calls the Youth Hostel Song. Sam is both a superb guitarist and a talented songwriter who veers from the extremely humorous to deeply reflective. He (and Anna) are impossible to pigeonhole, but are an enormous asset to the Club.

Pete Gubbins, who seems to be touring with his band at present, returned with his friend Chris on (acoustic) bass to give us two of his own songs, No More and Help Me. Two Oak Sons, singing delightfully in harmony, gave us Over the Hills and Far Away, which we know as Sharpe’s Theme from television, followed by the hauntingly sad Who Will Sing Me Lullaby?

Next, Matt Bragg was Coming Out from the Window, followed by Warren Zevon’s Mr Bad Example. Our favourite traditionalists, Vicky and Richard, gave us their version of the Blacksmith, followed by Admiral Benbow, who seemed to have a somewhat varied career. The duo’s assortment of instruments always adds a very pleasant flavour to the evening. Finally, the irrepressible Jonny G, absolutely wowed us with his Wild Romance and Walking Along with a Smile on my Face. He certainly put a smile on mine. In fact, he is due to return next month as our featured artiste, so I am certainly looking forward very much to that.

The move to Tuesday evenings continues to go well, and seems to be allowing more people to come along and to take part. We actually started the evening before the advertised time to enable a few more to perform. If numbers continue as they have been going, we will have to consider starting earlier on a regular basis. Just come along in good time, and we will do our best to fit you in.

We are delighted to welcome Jo Cullum and Steve Goodfield, aka Road to Avalon, as our guests for our 3rd February session. Jo and Steve have visited us before, of course, and some of you will know them from their lovely club at Chipping Sodbury. We can look forward to some country, some trad, and some quality contemporary songs, all played skilfully, with some beautiful singing and vocal harmony. (And I reckon they might well come up with some good chorus songs as well!)

As Jim has described, we had a lovely relaxed session last time, with a comfortably full list, yet with time to fit everyone in. However, some regulars were absent, and had that not been the case we would have been a bit pushed. Now we have switched to first TUESDAY, and not competing with the yoga group, we have time to set up, and time to compile the play list, and start punctually at 8.00pm. Can we ask, please that if you wish to play, you sign in by about 7.45, then we know what we're in for, so to speak! It's horrible to have to tell someone they can't play because the list is full! On busy nights, we respectfully ask that you save your renditions of Desolation Row and Tam Lin for another time, ;) !!

Other than that, no guitar cases on the landing please, and see you on TUESDAY 3rd February! 2026 is off to a flying start!