Friday 13th Folk Concerts
This venture has become dormant after the first and only Friday 13th Folk Concert. There won't be another unless Ray is hit by a huge source of inspiration. To put it in Ray's own words:
It seemed like a good idea at the time. When I started work on the first one I realised just how much effort I had been committing to the club. I then asked myself: "Do I really want to start going through all this again?" The "positive" negativity of the reply was deafening.
The concert was held on Friday September 22nd and headlined by The Witches of Elswick, a fabulous female harmony singing group who are as funny as they are musical. They were supported by Damien Barber who is normally a headline act in his own right.
The Witches of Elswick"A cappella harmony with attitude" BBC Radio 2 Chance - or maybe destiny - lured Fay Hield, Bryony Griffith, Becky Stockwell and Gillian Tolfrey from the corners (and middle) of the country to a small flat in Elswick, and the Witches were spawned. They sing a cappella harmony, and base their material on the traditional songs of these islands. We'd like to say that folk songs are in safe hands, but these four
candid young women have put a stop to that! Following the success
of their first album, "Out of Bed", and appearances at
major UK festivals including Glastonbury, Sidmouth and Womad, The
Witches of Elswick are now touting their second album "Hell's
Belles". |
The Witches were put here to bombard you with their dangerous four part harmonies and uproarious sense of humour. Careful mind, they're even naughtier off stage than on…
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"Damien Barber's sound, style and presence combine the best of Peter Bellamy and Nic Jones" Dirty Linen USA "A set of forceful, confident performances from a "He possesses each song completely, makes it his own then gives it back to us." Alan Rose, Living Tradition |
Damien BarberVocals Following his emergence via the BBC Young Tradition Awards, Damien's solo career has established him as a leading light of the new wave of young professional performers. "A renowned soloist in a field where young traditional singers
are still few and far between. Damien epitomises the resurgence
in the interest in the British and Irish traditional music."
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