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Reviews

Monday 28 April 2008. A singers/club night with a difference as we used the smaller room for a change and it worked very well indeed. John Windle, Richard Bircumshaw, Sid Oakley and yours truly were to be seen occupying the stage at various times of the night, including Mark, the Regent's night porter, who summoned up the courage to get on stage for the very first time - good on yer!!!

Monday 21 April 2008. A disappointingly small turnout for The Kambourines, but those who did witness their return to Doncaster were the winners. Raghnild Kambo and Endre Olsen are the band's backbone but they are beautifully complemented by Chris Marshcall on bass and Joe Keelan on electric lead and mandolin. There's a slightly different dimension to them now but the new material marks their progress and how anyone can not walk around on a daily basis without Endre's melodies bullying their minds would be a mystery! Let me announce the awards: Winners - the audience. Losers - the Coronation Street mindset.

Monday 14 April 2008. Such themes as the Boxing Day Tsunami ("Surrender") and Autism ("Alice's Song") were addressed with heartfelt compassion, completely devoid of mawkish sentimentality. "Alice's Song" was in fact written for Brian's niece, which was subsequently released as a single by The Strawbs, for The National Autistic Society's Year of Awareness, and Cathryn and Brian's treatment of it tonight was one of the high points of the performance. I should imagine anyone who gets up in an English folk club to sing "Dixie" would be hard pushed not to segue into All My Trials and go all Glory Glory Hallelujah on us, to a rolling blanket of swaying cigarette lighters. Cathryn Craig can sing "Dixie" and push aside all that nonsense; bypassing The King by at least a century and have us all back in the American Civil War with no strain on the imagination whatsoever. "Mr Jefferson" reminds us all that even a President of Thomas Jefferson's historical stature, of one who to this day still rubs shoulders with Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt (see Wikipedia under 'Mount Rushmore') could also have pretty diabolical views on slavery. Like the infamous wolf/ears analogy, 'you don't want to hold on to it, but you don't want to let it go.' Mr Jefferson really ought to have stopped being a wuss and let it go! The outstanding performance of the night was Cathryn's powerful song for Matoaka (Pocahontas), the inspirational "Accanoe" which matched Peter Rowan's "Land of the Navajo" for sheer heart stopping drama. The additional percussive rattle (cleverly attached to Cathryn's wrist) and haunting vocables added authenticity to the Native American chant which brought the song to it's powerful climax and which ultimately became one of the most memorable moments in this club's history, period. The song ended the first half as there was nowhere to go but the bar after such a performance. Other remarkable songs of the night were "This Night, These Dreams and You" with Brian's beautiful guitar accompaniment, Cathryn's bold supportive comment on her niece's wanderlust "I Will" and the soulful "Walk Slowly through This Life", which pretty much sums up my code of living. A triumphant night. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 7 April 2008. I crowed about them last time they were here (November 2006) and wondered whether or not I was being over exuberant in my weekly promotional blurb in advance of their gig at the Regent. No. They were brilliant. In their official promotional literature, Fiona Lander and Paul Mason, tell us that 'folk provides the theme but jazz determines the style' and, god, does it do that. Taking much of their set tonight from their latest CD 'The Reason', they provided stunning glimpses of what you can do creatively by blending two genres of music with massive musical ability. For example, take 'When the Boat Comes In/Dance to your Daddy' - oh no, not that old chestnut you might declare. None of it...you've never heard anything like it in a folk club before, but you will again because they'll be back. Thanks guys for 'Somalia' but there's much more to get excited about now. Buy their album and see hear what you missed. And, oh, for good measure how about a late flurry of Fleetwood Mac's 'Oh Well' to leave you exhauseted and wanting more? Did I say 'brilliant' earlier on? Brilliant. BC

Monday 31 March 2008. Tonight should have seen troubadour AllanTaylor making his debut at the club but unfortuantely, Bronchitis had the upper hand and we re-arranged his date for 16 June. So who stood in at short notice? Again, the reliable Roy Machin and Mike Miller treated us their laid back style of blues and re-confirmed their love of playing music in the right spirit. John White and Fiona Sergison supported with a good 30 minute set, providing evidence that talent is alive and well in Donny! Another good night.

Monday 17 March 2008. Well...what can I say? 150 in the club and pub (we made it free and open access for the occasion) and an insane but very enjoyable evening was had by all! I kicked it all off followed by Mike, Phil and Paul, then two wonderful musicians in Andy Whittle and Gren Bartley who were offered an immediate gig on the strength of their performance. The purist fayre done with, we all sat back (or danced!) to the Clamjaffrey Irish - or honorary Irish band for the night. I left them to it at 12.10 am and they were still going strong!

Monday 10 March 2008. Tonight, Wizz Jones took command of his slightly weatherworn Epiphone and treated us to some songs from another era. I can't imagine tonight’s performance being any different from those heady days of Les Cousins in London's Soho district way back in the Sixties. Wizz still has the hair too! Starting with Big Bill's "Guitar Shuffle" and revisiting several blues standards along the way, including "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out", Doc Watson's "Sitting On Top of the World" and "Corrine's Blues", from his very first LP, Wizz performed with the kind of assurance that can only come from experience, which in his case is as plentiful as hydrogen. As a songwriter, Wizz admits that he is far from prolific, 'I don't like doing it' he confesses. This is clearly a shame as his songs are really quite good. "The Burma Star" and "Lucky the Man" address two generations of the Jones family, his father and his daughter respectively, whilst "Happiness Was Free" takes a closer look at relationships, and at the same time, in tentative nostalgic terms, alludes to the ideology of the 'beatnik' generation. There is no question that Wizz knows his instrument well and can tackle with relative ease the cream of the blues giants as well as bringing to the table songs by Jesse Winchester "Black Dog", Bob Dylan "Song to Woody", Jackson C Frank "Blues Run the Game" and even Clive James "Touch Has Memory". Wizz also is a darn good banjo player as he frailed majestically through Ewan MacColl's "Father Song". So, just as Big Bill had done in that old film, as he placed his guitar back in it's battered case and left that dark and seedy Belgian night club all those years ago, unaware he was inspiring a generation of musicians including the young Wizz Jones, I watched an older Wizz Jones leave the Regent on this cold and rainy windy night, guitar in hand and banjo over his shoulder and felt equally inspired.  Allan Wilkinson Fitting support came from local heroes, Roy Machin and Mike Miller who shuffled into the club and mischievously suggested that they perform a Wizz Jones set - they being ardent admirers! No they didn't but they still produced 20 minutes of their own catalogue of Old Americana which went down very well! BC

Monday 3 March 2008. Dan Arborise appeared relaxed on stage at the Regent tonight. You imagine none of these songs are played quite the same on any two nights. It was difficult to tell exactly where one song ended and another one started, but this was in no way uncomfortable for the listener. For all intents and purposes, each song of the set could have segued into each other and I wouldn't have batted a closed eyelid. It was music to drift off to. I guess the inconvenience of changing tunings, having a sip of water or just basically drawing breath were good enough reasons for breaks between some of the songs in the performance, but essentially it was all part of the same organic flow of sound. Improvisational at their core, the songs lent themselves to the creation of an ambient soundscape rather than a distinct set of individual songs. Even the irritating emergency service vehicle sirens from the streets outside spookily blended in with the overall sound without too much disruption. Now you couldn't say that if it happened half way though a tin whistle tune at a Vin Garbutt convention! Half of the material tonight was relatively new, with a handful of songs from the debut 'Around in Circles' album. "Let Me Be", "Take Heart In Your Hope" and the instrumental interlude "Paths" were presented together as an uninterrupted suite, which incorporated various swirling tempo changes and the clever use of foot-operated sampling devices ensuring the performance maintained a coherent thread that held our interest. "Everything You've Been Taught To Love Is A Lie" is one of Dan's outstanding songs both on record and in live performance. The heavily echo-laden guitar solo, which takes up the second half of the song, had an almost spiritual quality in its mantra-like pulsating rhythm. If there was any doubt about the extent of Dan's love affair with the music of John Martyn, it was all pretty much confirmed by the time the encore came around, where tonight Matthew, Dan Arborise is going to be.. as he closed the night with a pretty faithful version of "Don't Want To Know". Despite the comparisons, Dan Arborise is an artist in his own right who can hold an audience's attention throughout a performance with little chit-chat and with exclusive emphasis on emotive and dexterous handling of original songs. Allan Wilkinson Support cam all the way from Sheffield in the guise of Paul Pearson, with Charlie Barker providing a glossy cello backdrop and harmonies to Paul's trademark committment. Complimentary murmurings were to be heard at the culmination of their set.  BC

Monday 25 February 2008. A club night and a lovely opportunity to practice new material or to just enjoy playing. Tonight, Roy Machin and Mike Miller turned out along with John Law, Richard Gibson, Mike Jenkinson, Kev Fitzpatrick and myself. Non-stop playing and 2 and a half hours flew by. BC

Monday 18 February 2008. He's not everyone's cup of tea, judging by the smaller audience turnout tonight, but no-one can argue with the musical ability of Jon Gomm. His style is unusual (to say the least) and far removed from the folkier side of acoustic music but for most of the audience it was hypnotic with harsh percussive treatment of his (even more) battered Lowden, utilising effects aplenty to produce the end product - mostly self-penned jazz/flamenco/rock influenced pieces. You can't please 'em all! Providing support tonight were Mike Jenkinson and Kev Fitzpatrick who, once again, took to the stage in their unassuming manner and produced 30 tight, entertaining minutes of material including covers amidst their own worthy produce. BC

Monday 11 February 2008. Ruth Notman is a young woman who can go very far in the folk music world if she desires. Accompanying herself on keyboards and guitar, she presented most of 'Threads', an exceptionally well produced debut album. Her voice is her strength; still raw enough to stir the emotions before conformity and opportunity present the catalyst for smooth edge change. Maybe her endearingly naïve patter and song introductions add to the mix. Yours truly provided support for the evening. BC

Monday 4 February 2008. This time, the Wacking Shilelaghs turned up for their debut and made quite an impact on this quieter club night! So did Jon and Fiona, particularly the latter with her lovely smokey jazz voice. Stalwart Mike Jenkinson and his nice mate, Kev Fitzpatrick produced offereings in their usual unassuming manner and Richard Gibson, Allan Wilkinson and myself completed the bill for the night. BC

Monday 28 January 2008. The one sure way of filling a back pub room, or in this case a hotel function room, where local enthusiasts work hard to stage music nights, sometimes at their own expense, is to every now and then invite someone of the stature of Martin Carthy to help put bums on seats. This wasn't the best night at this club by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the fullest it's ever been for Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club, and that in itself is a good thing. Martin Carthy is a leading figure on the folk scene and in many respects he has 'paid his dues' and the letters that appear after his name (on envelopes, if not on billboards) have been truly earned. As a musician and singer he has been involved in dozens of projects over the years, but he still has time to come along to these smaller venue clubs to perform and little has changed over the ensuing years. He's still the man on the pallet being hoisted up into the sky with his faithful Martin on his lap, even forty-odd years on. Kicking off with "Heather Down The Moor" Martin settled into a set of songs and tunes familiar to anyone with even the vaguest passing interest in the folk revival. "Limbo", a song about the debtor's prison in his native London, which has been recorded by Carthy Snr with Brass Monkey and also Carthy Jnr on her 'Anglicana' album, can also currently be heard on Ruth Notman's debut 'Threads' as indeed can "Heather Down the Moor". Tonight, Carthy sang this and an array of other songs with his usual flair and passion. I have two minor irritations these days with Martin Carthy which I will impart to the masses fully aware that I may be shot at dawn by the folk police. Firstly the excessive tuning up. Bizarrely, the longest tuning festival in tonight's performance, which went on for a good two or three minutes, preceded "Invitation to the Funeral", an unaccompanied song! Secondly, and this may be contentious, is Martin's current trend of abandoning strict tempo rhythm for what I hesitate to describe as freeform droning. I noticed this trend began some years ago, but it has now enveloped almost every song. "Bonny Woodhall" falls very much into this category of highly stylised phrasing. "Seven Yellow Gypsies" returned to standard timing and I was able to tap my foot once again, instead of stuttering with it. Still, these are minor niggles. Where his sense of rhythm shines these days is in his treatment of instrumentals. A masterful guitarist with an instantly recognisable sound, Martin excelled in his delivery of Morris tunes such as "Princess Royal" and "The Quaker/Banbury Bill" where he doesn't miss a beat. But there again you wouldn't dare with a Morris team depending on you. Carthy described "Company Policy" as fifty per cent of his songwriting output, proving you don't necessarily have to be prolific to come up with a good song. This protest over the Falklands episode resonates still with audiences today, due in no small part to the fact that we are still doing wars. "Bill Norrie" from the same period shows Carthy as a masterful story teller, although I didn't really see the need to introduce this song in so much detail as it employs a pretty self explanatory narrative. It's not all death and doom with Carthy as he treated his audience to lighter moments with a couple of regular songs in his set "A Stitch in Time" and "The Devil and the Feathery Wife", both of which bring out the smiles, even after many hearings. Martin finished the night off with "Green Broom" from his family band Waterson-Carthy's 'Fishes and Fine Yellow Sand' album, leaving Doncaster once again with little doubt that a national treasure had just popped by. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 21 January 2008.There was always an injustice brought upon folk entertainers in the Eighties when Southern Rag became Folk Roots and those who sought to change what we expect to see in folk clubs throughout the land poured scorn on the likes of Derek Brimstone, Stanley Accrington, Tony Capstick and the like. Like those who welcomed Punk and who chose to rubbish Progressive Rock in the process, the chroniclers of the ever changing folk scene temporarily suffered chronic memory loss and failed to acknowledge that it was precisely these artists who kept the clubs open for so many years and bridged a gap between the old vanguard and the new wave. Bernard Wrigley is one of those entertainers whose audience couldn't care one jot about what is and what isn't folk music. They know that they have come along for a giggle and they know without a shadow of a doubt that they'll get one, or two, or a belly full. Straddling the unlikely boundaries of Northern seaside postcard humour and American country blues, Bernard invites us into his world of Uncle Joe's Balls, Fisherman's Friends, a nice works outing to Blackpool and what exactly you would do if the binman's been and been and missed your bin! Anyone with an aversion to poetry readings in folk clubs would have to eat their own words in the company of Bernard Wrigley. His one-verse poems are as funny as it gets; little wonder that his book "Shorts For All Occasions" seemed to be selling better than the cds tonight. Topping off a night of good humour and gentle songs including Fats Waller's "Feets Too Big" , Jake Thackray's hilarious "On Again, On Again", with still the best opening line of any song, and Dominic Behan's "Liverpool Lou", Bernard treated us to a few blues impressions from the likes of Patrick Moore, Gabby Hayes and the right honourable Baron Hattersley of Sparkbrook.. stand well back! Excellent night. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 14 January 2008. The Peter Pan of the British folk scene was back at Bob's Monday Music Club at The Regent once again tonight, making his fourth appearance at one of Bob's soirees in as many years. Jez Lowe looks no different today than when he was making appearances in Doncaster a couple of decades ago, armed with guitar and cittern, as he and his Hurdy Gurdy Man came singing songs of love (whatever happened to Jake Walton?) Tall, dark, handsome, stripey shirt; it's all still there, but most importantly, the distinctive voice, fabulous guitar and (aforementioned) cittern handling and skilful song writing ability is unchanged in its quality. Great songs, great performances and a good deal of warmth from a Geordie who knows his audience and who knows how to get the best out of them. Familiar songs from his repertoire such as "Latchkey Lover", "Spitting Cousins" and "Another Man's Wife",rubbed shoulders with newer material such as "Will Of The People", "Famous Working Man" and "The Sea And The Deep Blue Devil", all from his latest CD 'Jack Common's Anthem'. It has been said many times, not least by this reviewer, that Jez has the ability to write songs that address current issues, but withmelodies that sound as though they could have been written years ago and yet, sound accessible to new and old ears alike. Little wonder Jez was one of the chosen performers to be included in the 2006 Radio Ballads with the insightful "Taking On Men". Tonight Jez played mostly solo but was joined towards the end of the night by fellow Bad Penny Kate Bramley on fiddle, for a nice 'Sonny & Cher' duet on "Greek Lightning" as well as the Bad Pennies' "There's No Fun Without Fools" and a rousing "You Can't Take It With You When You Go" before Jez got up to finish off the night with "Tenterhooks", a word that describes the absolute opposite communal feeling amongst the audience tonight; certainly not on tenterhooks, but quite possibly on cloud nine. The support for tonight's gig was a fine duo comprising of Kate Green and Patrick Walker, who opened with an unaccompanied "Cuckoo Song" (also known as "Heffle Cuckoo Fair", proving once again that Kipling makes exceedingly good songs) and went on to charm the Regent audience with a selection of finely chosen delights from such diverse sources as Lal and Mike Waterson ("Fine Horseman" and "A Stitch In Time" respectively), Scullion's "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" (covered by everyone from Sinead O'Connor to Kate Rusby), Robert Burns' "Ye Banks And Braes O' Bonnie Doon" and Nina Simone's "Feeling Good", a good way to get the audience feeling good for the remainder of the night. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 7 January 2008. Allan Wilkinson has been treading the boards of the local music scene for many years, contributing to the whole in different ensembles including the Buffalo Brothers, Solace, Sovay and Swiftnick. He has earned the respect of many a critic without perhaps achieving the acclaim that his songwriting and eclectic repertoire probably deserves. But as all jigsaws are never completed until the final piece is found and inserted, Allan's puzzle seems complete with the obvious partnership with son Liam. Wilkinson junior is a talented musician and songwriter and, as you would imagine, complements his dad perfectly with voice and instruments. Their harmonies are natural, appearing effortless and tonight they gave serious treatment to a wide range of material including Liam's beautiful, Crocodile Island and Allan's Michael, High on Your Shoulders, Dad and Breakfast on Bourbon Street, a diary of his New Orleans experience. For good measure, the Beatles, Randy Newman Brian Protheroe amongst many others were visited for material delivered with aplomb on a variety of instruments including guitars and mandolin with Liam adding depth and another dimension to their live performances on keyboards. Excellent. Doncaster should be proud. BC

Monday 10 December 2007. One of the busiest musicians on the British folk scene today, Tom McConville was back in Doncaster tonight for the last of this year's gigs at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club at The Regent. Tom has not only been a huge influence on many fiddle players over the last few decades, most notably Seth Lakeman who appears to have taken up the mantle of fiddle whiz-kid for this generation, but he's also built up a reputation for being an all round good bloke with an enduring smile and pleasing stage presence. You feel that presence well before he actually gets up to play, as he is one of the few musicians who sticks around for the support to give 'support'. That's a quality that should never be overlooked by performers in this field. Tom's regular partner Pauline Cato is currently taking a break from touring for a while whilst she and her husband spend time with their newly arrived baby. In the meantime, Tom has been on the road with the young guitarist Dave Wood, who's been providing the rhythm on which to set a rich selection of fiddle tunes, jigs and reels, as well as a bunch of songs from the North. As his nickname plainly suggests, the Newcastle Fiddler has his roots deeply seated in Geordie tradition but manages to express himself with songs from all over the place. Chorus singing is still encouraged in folk clubs but never so enthusiastically as when Tom McConville as at the helm. Each song performed tonight began with several runs through before the song got underway proper, and in some cases the audience let themselves go. I think when it comes down to it, Tom, like most people I've met from the North East, is proud of his birth right and nowhere is it better expressed than in Mark Knopfler's song "Why Aye Man": We're nomad tribes, travelling boys, In the dust and dirt and the wrecking noise. Drills and hammers, diggers and picks, Mixing concrete, laying bricks. There's English, Irish, Scots, the lot. United Nations what we got. Brickies, chippies, every trade. German building, British made. Sounds like we have a theme song for the next series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet if nothing else! Allan Wilkinson

Monday 3 December 2007. What Rosie Doonan did in 45 minutes at Bob's Music Club tonight was something that many performers curiously avoid, and that is to fill the room with space. It wasn't only what she put into the performance; it was what she left out that made all the difference. There was no pointless strumming in 4/4 time, no obtrusive piano chords, and not one unnecessary syllable uttered. It was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect gig. Yes, we would have liked longer, but isn't this what makes us want to come back for more? Isn't this why we buy the CD to take home? These are rhetorical questions by the way. With the standard of skill and musicianship found in young professionals in the folk and acoustic clubs nowadays, it is not uncommon to experience moments of complete bliss every now and then, moments when you not only shut up and pay attention, but almost hold your breath to fully benefit from what you are hearing from the stage. Tonight I was holding my breath so long that I almost required paramedics to administer shock treatment. Rosie Doonan is indeed this good, no question. Edge of the seat stuff. I recently caught Rosie at a gig in Wakefield with her full band that consisted of drums, bass and guitar as well as trumpet and tenor sax and having heard the new album, I anticipated one or two frills that might be noticeably missing in tonight's solo performance. I have no doubt whatsoever that Rosie can pull off a solo gig, but the new album is so full of sound that I was having difficulty imagining what "That Boy" or "Moving On" would sound like without the full band treatment. Of course Rosie second guessed this and avoided those songs, choosing to concentrate on the sensitive stuff instead. "Time" is without question the best original song I have heard this year, in fact if it hadn't been for Becky Unthank getting her tonsils around Robert Wyatt's "Sea Song" this summer, I would have no difficulty in promoting it to best recording of anything this year. Both songs are performed equally well live or on record and both most definitely bring out the goose bumps. Rosie tried out a new and as yet untitled song as well as a couple of covers from two diverse sources, Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" and Ashley Hutchings' "Brief Encounters". It's always nice to hear something recognisable in a live performance, whoever the singer might be, but in Rosie's case, her own songs stand up on their own merit. In a fair world Rosie Doonan would be reaping the same rewards as Kate Rusby on the folk scene or at the very least the likes of KT's Melua or Tunstall with songs as accessible as "Only One" or as moving as "Hold On" but we all know this is not a fair world. Rosie was the girl who needed time; I think her time has come, and about time too. For Bob's 100th presentation since starting this club in September 2004, it is entirely fitting that, for this reviewer's money, it was the best 45 minutes so far and by far. Stunning.  Allan Wilkinson

Monday 26 November 2007. It's not often I get to start a review with the sentence 'fresh from Songs of Praise', but Emily Smith and Jamie McLennan's last public appearance before setting out for Walthamstowe Folk Club last night, was indeed on the long running Sunday evening God-slot prog, singing "Jesus Draw Me" in a church, with full band, especially for St Andrew's Day. Tonight, the duo came to Doncaster on a cold November evening to play a couple of delightful sets at the equally celestial Bob's Monday Music Club at The Regent. Emily is one of those song writers whose songs are hardly distinguishable from those already in the tradition. They are written in a style that takes in all the crucial elements of a good folk song, and her endeavours in song writing have not gone unnoticed nor unrewarded at home or further afield. Picking up the BBC Radio Scotland Young Scottish Traditional Musician of the Year Award in 2002 at the Celtic Connections Festival, it's hardly surprising that she can also play her instruments well (Accordion and Piano). The Dumfriesshire born singer went on to win the folk song category award in the USA Song Writing Competition in 2005 with "Edward of Morton", one of the songs she performed tonight, and to top it all, she is a gifted singer with a clear and vibrant vocal style. Joined by her New Zealand born husband Jamie McClennan on guitar, fiddle and whistle, the duo played some fine jigs and reels as well as songs both new and old. Jamie claims to be Emily's agent, PA, chef and bin-man, but he's also her entire rhythm section rolled into one. He's a busy lad. Emily announced at the beginning of the show that much of the set would be centred around her latest album 'A Different Life', but apart from "Always A Smile, "Edward Of Morton" and the jaunty "Go To Town", much of the material was from elsewhere, proving that Emily has a broad scope to choose from. The one notable contemporary song not from her own pen was Iris Dement's "Sweet Is The Melody", which fitted in with the plausible Celtic/country crossover, which Emily is more than capable of pulling off. If I was to compare Emily's overall sound to anyone it would be that of the Rankin Family, who are a proven force in this area. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 19 November 2007. Tonight's club night witnessed the first appearance of a very old friend, (the friendship is old I mean!) Mick Shaw. Mick possesses a passion for folk music that is pure and unrivalled and it was a pleasure to see him pur his heart out through song as he has always done. He shared tonbight's stage with Richard Bircumshaw, 50% of Strange Triangle, Mike Jenkinsson and Kev Fitzpatrick, Mike, Phil and Paul who collectively and individually contributed and myself - another good open mic session.

Monday 12 November 2007. Standing in for Dave Burland at short notice at The Regent tonight was a bunch of friends who were only too willing to help out under the sad circumstances. I'm sure that everyone associated with the club would like to wish Dave all the very best through this difficult time. Roy Machin is one of South Yorkshire's best kept secrets. I think he probably sees himself as a consistently reliable support artist to anyone of any merit visiting town, but we all know differently don't we? Roy has one of the most distinctive voices in the country and an eclectic taste that could rival that of Ry Cooder and should in all fairness be selling out concert halls. There's nothing awkward about Roy Machin and his regular partner Mike Miller (guitar and dobro) when they get up and play. Once they settle into their set, you cannot help but fall back into your seat and relax for an hour, whatever kind of day you've had. Tonight at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club, Roy and Mike cherry picked songs from such diverse sources as Townes Van Zandt (Poncho and Lefty), Danny O'Keefe (Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues), The Andrews Sisters (Wing and a Prayer) and Bob Dylan (Living the Blues), to name but a few. Roy has always demonstrated his ability to transport his audience back in time and evoke the atmosphere of a different era entirely, whether it be post war American blues, Fifties country music or the pop tunes of the Sixties and Seventies. Where he differs from most of his contemporaries though, is when he allows his eclecticism to wander into the realms of almost forgotten territory. Tonight the duo were in the mood for making whoopee, which featured not only in Gus Kahn's original "Making Whoopee", but also in Jimmy Rodgers and Clayton McMichen's "Peach Pickin Time in Georgia" and also in the brilliant "My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes", a curious song from the repertoires of just about everybody from Debroy Summers and Sophie Tucker to the late George Melly, via Al Bowlly and The Waldorfians along the way: "Since making whoopee became all the rage It's even got to the old birdcage My canary has circles under his eyes" Classic stuff. It wouldn't be right to conclude this review without mentioning the support for tonight's gig, although in truth, the entire evening was a collaborative effort by friends of Dave Burland. Bob Chiswick opened the night with a couple of his own songs including the excellent "Mystified" before handing the stage over to regular Regent 'performer and surrealist raconteur' John Law who was accompanied tonight by Paul on dobro. John's lived-in voice and uncomplicated guitar style make it easy for him to pick and choose from a wealth of Whistle Test-era songs from the likes of Tom Waits (Heart Attack and Vine) and Steve Winwood (Back in the High Life Again) to classic Leadbelly fare (Bourgeois Blues). Rounding off what turned out to be an excellent night at The Regent, Ray Banks brought to life a few old timey fiddle tunes on his trusty banjo accompanied by Mike Miller on guitar. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 5 November 2007. Bob Chiswick continues to bring both new (or should that be 'nu'?) as well as more established acoustic acts to the Regent and tonight was an especially inspired choice. Megsons' reputation has been steadily growing over the last couple of years, with help coming from the likes of Seth Lakeman, Bob Fox and Karine Polwart, for whom they have provided support on their respective tours and appearances. In all fairness though, establishing that reputation really comes down to the fact that they are so thoroughly brilliant. Stu Hanna and Debbie Palmer took their Northern roots and temporarily re-planted them a little further south to establish a base in London where their reputation was given time to flourish. A few years and a couple of highly recommended albums later, that move has proved to be highly successful and their fan base grows stronger daily. Tonight at Bob's Monday Music Club, Megson came along to perform songs exclusively from their two albums 'On the Side' and 'Smoke of Home' and in doing so, picked up a few more friends from the Doncaster area. If your thing is anthemic power ballads and thrashing guitars then you would have come to the wrong place tonight as Megson deal almost exclusively in gentle understatement. A Megson song normally begins with an almost inaudible brush of strings, on either guitar or mandola, which Stu alternates between throughout the set and steadily builds to a favourable climax once their two voices are added, and maybe the addition of a penny whistle every now and again. They each share singing duties, which is perfectly fine, but it's when those two voices meet that the fireworks start, and believe me those fireworks were far more entertaining than those fizzling and splurting outside tonight. Harmonies as good as this are normally reserved for siblings but of course Debbie is shortly to become Mrs Hanna, so unless that sort of thing has started to happen in Teesside, we can take it as read that such harmonies can be found outside the family unit as well as in it. Megson kind of remind me of a younger version of Gregson and Collister, during the days when Richard Thompson advised the duo to 'do the folk clubs' during a break from the band. They have the same sort of freshness and tightness that Clive and Christine once possessed. Megson excel in the specific area where many tend to fail, in the gentle tip-toeing songs that require the audience's complete attention. They would probably struggle with songs like "Follow It On" or "Just Stay" in a noisy pub. They have the ability to bring the volume of their voices down to absolute minimum where you could literally hear a pin drop. Should the future Mr and Mrs Hanna become mum and dad, they would find no difficulty in providing feasible lullabies for the little Megsons. Take the coda for "Every Night When the Sun Goes In" for example. Could harmony humming ever be more beautiful? It's not all emotive gentleness with Megson though, and occasionally the up-tempo foot-tappers break through spectacularly well. "Smoke of Home" is an exuberant celebration of 'upping sticks' and leaving home, to which you can't help but shuffle in your seat. Likewise "Freefall", another Hanna led song, makes good use of the percussive qualities of both guitar and mandola in the hands of one who knows his instrument well. The traditional songs sit well beside the self-penned material, so much so that the difference between the two is difficult to distinguish. There is a unity of style that seems to make everything Megson touch flow evenly throughout the set, whether it be the traditional themes of "Butternut Hill" or "Lambkin", the blues-inflected "Flood Water", the jaunty confessional of "I Lied" or just great story telling such as "Grace Darling", the overall performance consistently maintains a unified sound. Megson finished the night with the only song that doesn't appear on either of their albums, the traditional "The Sheffield Grinder", which invited the normally reserved Regent crowd to sing their little hearts out. I think this was simply down to the fact that tonight the audience was universally pleased with themselves for having the good sense to come to this gig. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 29 October 2007. Although it was essentially a Steve Tilston gig at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club tonight,                                                   I couldn't help feeling like I had attended a double bill. Even with just a five song contribution as tonight's support,                                                      Liz Ryder captivated the audience, the organisers, this reviewer, and I dare say Steve himself with her gentle and                                                delicate songs. Opening with "Skyline", a song familiar to those who have either visited her MySpace page or picked up the EP of the same                                        name, Liz went on to play a short set of songs designed to allow us that brief glimpse into her life. Songs like "44th Street"                                          from Liz's second album 'On the Neon Highway' show a maturity of style for someone so young. You almost struggle to                                            connect what you hear with what you see. Born in Los Angeles in 1981, Liz grew up here in the UK and began writing and performing from an early age. Although she                                                is a multi-instrumentalist, she accompanied herself tonight on just guitar and showed an accomplished flair with both open                                            and standard tunings. Note to self: why do female guitar players who use open tunings never sound flash? Perhaps they                                            don't show off like their male contemporaries! I was interested to find out what Liz might have heard around the house whilst in either LA or Kidderminster; what her                                                folks had on the Dansette, hoping to reveal an insatiable appetite for Joan Baez, whose voice Liz immediately brings to                                                mind. I was pleasantly surprised when she told me it was more like Cat Stevens and The Beach Boys. Sounds like our house. Steve Tilston is no stranger to these parts and should, in a perfect world,fill large concert halls.Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see the current acoustic music scene), Steve remains slightly cultish amongst those of us who love songs. There is no better song writer in the UK in my opinion; he just rubs shoulders with a bunch of equals.                                                                This year Steve has been added to the prestigious list of artists to have a Free Reed box set released joining Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy and Swarb (amongst others) to have their career encased in one of those familiar oblong boxes. This has not only been a good move in terms of bringing out previously unreleased material, but also in making Steve return to some of those songs for live performance. Tonight Steve abandoned some of the songs that have been consistently in his set for years, such as "Here Comes the Night", "Here's to Tom Paine" and even "Slip Jigs and Reels" to make way for some older material such as "In the Light Tonight", more recent songs like "Tottedown" and "Rare Thing" and brand new off the page songs like "Goodbye Madame Muse". Steve Tilston, like Bert Jansch and Wizz Jones, comes from that very British tradition of folk singer whose beginnings are definitely rooted in the blues. Tonight Steve once again demonstrated those influences in "I Need a Cup of Coffee" and "Big Bill's Been Here and Gone", with more than just a nod towards one of his musical heroes Big Bill Broonzy. Some of the usual Tilston fare came out once again tonight, although slightly altered since our last exposure to it, "And So It Goes" for instance, with its tongue-in-cheek swipe at our American allies, and casually slipping in Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" in the middle of "Tsetse Fly Shuffle. Who'da thought? Up to now, one of Erik Satie's three "Gymnopedie" pieces was always a prelude to "Here Comes the Night", but tonight Steve decided just to play the piece in it's entirety, proving once again that if Satie was a 'phonometrician', one who measures and writes down sounds, the Steve is a musician; he just gets on and plays it, however complex. The song that particularly pricked up my ears tonight was "Over the Next Hill", familiar to Fairport Convention fans as the title song from their 2004 album release. It's always a treat when you hear a familiar song, performed by its author, even if it's sometimes not quite as good as the cover versions you hear. Townes Van Zandt springs to mind. In Steve Tilston's case though, the author version is always infinitely more superior.   Allan Wilkinson

Monday 22 October 2007. Club nights still surprise me (Bob) Non-playing listeners are in a minority but perfomers always show and do themselves proud, whatever their style and ability. It's usually not for the connoisseur - they tend to pick and choose their moments - but more for the grass roots performer who loves doing what they do and are not afraid to show it to others. How I wish more people were so open minded. Tonight we had a mixture:- Mike Jenkinson pours out his heart and soul which always adds value to any performance; Allan Wilkinson showed what an assured musician he now is; Sid Oakley played guitar tonight and tackled Jake Thackray's 'Sister Josephine' completely unaware of the identity of the architect supreme and had us in admiration of approaching such a beast(!); After promising for much of 2007, Emyr Jones made his debut and what a delight he was with a very assured performance; Threesome, Mike, Phil and Paul also wet their Regent's head and gave us some belting standards to harmonise to, and I finished them all off!

Monday 15 October 2007. Rab Noakes' contribution to music over the last four decades has been remarkable to say the least. Mention of Leiber and Stoller,           Terry Melcher, Ringo Starr, Lindisfarne, Stealer's Wheel, Barbara Dickson and Gerry Rafferty from the past and more recently Karine Polwart from the present, you start to picture a very colourful and interesting musical background indeed.   Who Rab has worked alongside, either as a contemporary musician, a fellow band mate or a record producer, becomes secondary to the real value of having someone like Rab Noakes around, that of a wonderful and inspiring song writer. Highly prolific and of a consistently good standard, Rab Noakes writes melodic songs that seem to have that special quality of being perceived on at least two levels; the self absorbed singer songwriter material that typifies most aspiring songsmiths who  started out in the early Seventies, but at the same time great and memorable pop songs.   Tonight Rab Noakes brought some of those songs to Doncaster and shared them with a decent sized audience at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club at the Regent. Much of the set was centred around Rab's new album 'Unlimited Mileage' which he recorded with his band The Varaflames. Once again, songs such as "When You're Not Here" become instantly memorable as in the case of most good pop songs. When I talk about good pop songs I am of course using as a yard stick the likes of David's Byrne or Bowie, not "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" you understand. "What Are You Doing Here" could easily have been a David Byrne song; the sense of melody and structure is identical but yet it has a freshness that is pure Rab Noakes. Sonically "Light In My Heart" could not escape the notice of someone who has for years lived and breathed all that Rafferty/Humblebakerwheel stuff, but lyrically, the song becomes distinctly Rab's own:                                                                                   "There's a record I'd like to hear,                                                                          I'll have to flick the dust off the needle first,                                                                                 But it still won't be all that clear..                                                                                                This time"   I was going to say they don't write 'em like that anymore, but they obviously do, thank God.   Understandably disdainful of the term 'covers' to describe songs by other writers in his set (homage's might be a better term), Rab played homage to some of his fellow writers but rather than presenting his 'personalised' take on some familiar songs, Rab gets down to the essentials and strips away all the fuss. On the new album we find a pretty faithful adaptation of Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love", which invites even the most afflicted two-left-footed amongst us to grab a partner immediately. At the Regent tonight, there was at least a fair amount of shuffling rhythmically in seats. Rab doesn't live in the past. He treats Cohen or Talking Heads or Radiohead with equal respect. "High and Dry" is a wonderfully constructed song that lends itself remarkably well to any genre of music, whether it is performed by a popular indie band, jazzed up by the likes of Jamie Cullum, or just sung at full throttle with an acoustic guitar, it remains a damn good song.   Leaping back into the depths of his highly respectable back catalogue, Rab could have plucked any number of familiar songs from the days of knocking around with the likes of Lindisfarne, we've sat on benches and 'turned again' lots of times to dozens of floor singers over the years, but tonight Rab chose instead to select wisely from the best of his dozen or so albums. "Kill or Cure" from 'Lights Back On', "Lonely Boy Tonight" from 'Restless' and a few from the recently re-released classic 'Standing Up' "I've Hardly Started Yet", "Gently Does It" and "Open All Night", all showed a marked versatility in the craft of song writing.   Rab finished the night off with a song that appeared on the album he made with harmonica player Fraser Speirs, 'Lights Back On' back in 2000. The Leiber/Stoller/Spector classic "Spanish Harlem", like the Leonard Cohen and Radiohead songs before it, become not merely hit 'covers', but 'songs' once again. Hearing "Spanish Harlem" without the big production number treatment or even Aretha Franklin's gorgeous warbling, makes you instantly re-evaluate the song as something we should have all been singing in clubs for years. I'm just happy to let Rab do that for us.   Rab's albums from the early Seventies are reminiscent of Steve Tilston's. Two young songwriters with youthful voices and things to say, each with one ear on Bert Jansch and the other on pop radio, and both now fully developed songwriters and national treasures to those of us who appreciate a good song. Will either of them ever be a household name? Well in mine, they already are. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 8 October 2007. When Kirsty McGee and Mat Martin are on tour, they mean business. The pile of assorted instrument cases by the stage at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club at the Regent in Doncaster tonight resembled that famous 'pile of suitcases' sculpture on Hope Street in Liverpool. With a variety of stringed instruments from the banjo, ukulele and mandolin families, all stacked neatly on their respective racks, the duo were ready to play gig sixteen of their current twenty-five date UK tour. The duo fully intended to play two sets tonight, presumably utilising each and every one of these weird and wonderful instruments and armed with a set list that covered the best songs from all of Kirsty's recorded output, which now runs to three full albums no less and a couple of EPs. Sadly this wasn't to be. Kirsty has been suffering from a dreaded cold recently and tonight in Doncaster, her voice finally disappeared towards the end of the duo's first set, despite vigorous efforts to fight it off. It was not only pointless to go on, it had the potential of causing unnecessary damage to Kirsty's voice. Despite the premature end to the duo's concert tonight, the nine-song set they did manage to get through was certainly worthy of a few words. It was just long enough to be considered 'festival-length' after all. In keeping with the vaudevillian theme of their current tour posters and hand bills, the duo appeared on stage looking very much the part. You get the distinct impression of either American vaudeville or Old English music hall. I loved the quote in Maverick magazine who described them as the Tim Burton version of Simon and Garfunkel. Whatever period in history the duo choose to adopt in order to feel comfortable on stage, one thing cannot be changed or contrived and that is the sound of Kirsty's voice and the manner in which the duo arrange their songs. They have an instantly recognisable sound and their delicate arrangements and multi- instrumental accompaniment forms a perfect backdrop to Kirsty's unique voice. Even though the concert was reduced to just the one set, the duo managed to perform material from each of their three albums and a couple from the new 'Hobopop' EP, which they are promoting on this tour. Opening with "Lamb" a new song with a distinctively Appalachian feel, courtesy of Mat Martin's frailing banjo accompaniment, revealed to anyone used to Kirsty's voice some sign of frailty. Anyone who was in the audience experiencing Kirsty for the first time wouldn't have noticed I'll bet. "The Profit Song" and "Killer Wasps" provided some jaunty rhythms which are fast becoming the duo's trademark, the latter reminiscent of the Hot Club of France, with its Djangoesque guitar accompaniment played beautifully by Mat Martin. Of the older songs, "Bliss" from Kirsty's 2002 debut 'Honeysuckle' has been resurrected after requests from the audiences they've been playing to this year, and the popular "Coffee Coloured Strings" and "Plane Vapours" from the second album 'Frost'. Kirsty performed three songs from her latest album 'Two Birds', "One Star", "Thank You" and "Freshwater", with it's desperately bleak chorus of 'the body knows nothing till the soul cries out, the soul knows nothing till the body burns', before realising that her soul was crying out for her to stop singing and rest up before it indeed burned out! Kirsty and Mat gave each member of the audience a copy of the 'Hobopop' EP as a gesture of goodwill and as compensation for the shortened set, although in reality, the evening was still very much a success. With a bit of re-shuffling, Bob Chiswick opted for the traditional 'show must go on' avenue by inviting some friends to step in. So with an impromptu set from regular support John Law, a bit of warbling from me and another set by the visiting support duo James Meadows and Steve Lacey, who had incidentally kicked off the night, the audience hopefully went away having had another good night at the Regent. Get well soon Kirsty. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 1 October 2007. It's not difficult to fall in love with Claire Hamill for she has such an infectious personality. With several albums behind her and a chaotic career that has seen her recording classic bed-sit singer-songwriter albums, providing the UK with our very own Carole King, our very own Joni, as well as stints with Wishbone Ash and collaborations with such prog rock/experimental luminaries as Steve Howe and Vangelis and even some forays into jazz, she now returns to the stage armed only with an acoustic guitar, an enduring smile and a bag full of memorable songs. Tonight at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club at the Regent, Claire performed several of those songs that have spanned her thirty-seven year career. I could wax lyrical about how apt the metaphorical opener "Phoenix" was to a so called 'fan' who managed to miss out on an earlier incarnation of Claire Hamill in the early Seventies, due to algebra and distance. But I was making up for lost time, rising up from the ashes in an almost embarrassingly flirtatious manner. Hey, I'd be just the same with Diane Rigg you know! "The Man Who Couldn't See Tomorrow's Sunshine" again from the first album, has lost nothing in the intervening years and still sounds as fresh today as it did when I first encountered it in 1971. "Japanese Lullaby" and "Glastonbury", both from 1988's 'Love in the Afternoon' album are songs from quite a different era than those of the 'One House left Standing' period. 'New Age' is probably the choice term for those recordings, yet as solo songs, with just a single acoustic guitar, they are comfortable bedfellows to the earlier 'bed-sit' songs. No better example of this is in "The Moon is a Powerful Lover" from the 'Touchpaper' album. The heavy power ballad treatment on the recorded version was completely replaced with a sensitive touch tonight. Playfully, Claire segued into "Bésame Mucho", which I have to confess, I had all on refraining from demonstrating my own peculiar version of the Rumba, right there in front of the stage. You cannot escape the tangible grasp on romance that Claire Hamill possesses, her songs are so tightly packed with it, the seams cannot possibly contain the strain and the waves of emotion tend to flood out like a veritable tsunami. Wearing her heart on her sleeve, Claire provides an extraordinarily candid flip side to love and romance with "I'd Rather Have Sex with a Stranger", effectively giving up on love in favour of casual sex, ensuring he's gone by dawn. Confessional songs such as this are what we all love about Joni Mitchell and there is little wonder Claire has been used in the same sentence as Joni for decades, in fact tonight, in paying tribute to Mitchell, Claire tagged "Both Sides Now" onto the end of "Singer." Returning to the first album with "Where Are Your Smiles At" was for me, one of the highlights of the night. Singers tend to rarely improve with age and much of the youthful sparkle often gets lost somewhere along the way. Claire however, manages to hold onto that youthful spirit and her voice tonight was remarkably fresh. After a stunning "You Take My Breath Away", Claire returned to the stage for her regular finisher, ironically the song that started it all off in the first place, the jaunty "Baseball Blues" proving once again that time alters nothing really. The fact that I missed all of Claire's early Seventies concert appearances was finally compensated for tonight at The Regent, and probably in that one song alone. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 24 September 2007. The first club night of the new season and a nice balance of acts and music to dress it up! Allan Wilkinson, Dominic Woodhouse, Yours Truly and Paul Pearson and Charlie Barker, both as solo artists and and as a double act with Charlie on cello. An immensely enjoyable night.

Monday 17 September 2007.There should be a government health warning printed on each ticket to a Harvey Andrews gig that reads: Warning, drink coffee or eat chocolate at your peril, and as for not turning off your mobile phone... Harvey is from the 'old headmasters' school of entertainers, where you feel you have to sit up straight, keep your mouth shut, speak when you're spoken to and put your hands up when asked to do so. His fans love it. His overtly 'grumpy old man' persona is forgivable simply because he has a warm nature and a big smile. He can also write some good songs, and often does. His sell out appearance at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club at The Regent on Monday night brought together a capacity crowd of fans, most of whom probably remember him from his earlier days. They came along to hear songs like "Gift of a Brand New Day" and "Boothferry Bridge", and in all fairness, they heard those songs as if it was indeed the Seventies, for Harvey has changed little over the years. His voice is still as clear and sweet as ever and his easy on the ear alternating bass finger picking style of guitar accompaniment remains the same as it's always been. A highly prolific songwriter, Harvey has been singing in clubs all over the world for the best part of 43 years and much of his current repertoire centres around approaching his twilight years, with songs of a simpler time; elderly siblings reunited in "Grain of Sand" or pure nostalgia in songs like "When I Was a Boy" and "Cheeky Young Lad." It's not all wine and roses though, as he touches upon unhappier moments like broken marriages for instance in "I Didn't Get the House." Having once been a writer of what could be described as 'protest songs' Harvey now appears to be more concerned with the process of growing old. The introduction of a brand new song "Moon Over Callow" seems to be a touching meditation on ordinary suburban life, afternoon tea and a chat with the neighbours over the garden fence, and how well the shrubs and trees are looking at the moment.Not only a 'writer of songs' but now also a writer of books it seems, as he read out an amusing passage from his autobiography "Gold Star to the Ozarks". Harvey stopped singing songs like "Soldier" and "Targets" presumably because they don't seem to be relevant anymore. Even after a song like "Living in an Ugly World", to which a brilliantly timed police siren sounded off midway, Harvey confesses that on the contrary, he believes we live in a beautiful world. 'The problem though, is human beings.' Allan Wilkinson

Monday 10 September 2007. It would probably be impolite to describe here just how scared Crosby Stills and Nash were when they took to the Woodstock stage way back in '69 for their supposed second gig ever, but last night for their third gig ever, Becky Mills and Patsy Matheson seemed relatively relaxed when they appeared at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club at the Regent as a duo. This could possibly have something to do with the slight difference in numbers, granted, but in both cases, cutting your teeth in high profile bands appears to bring out an assured confidence in an artist or in this case, two artists. On this occasion, Becky and Patsy have temporarily strayed from fellow bandmates Rachel Goodwin and Jools Parker to bring to this Doncaster audience the essence of Waking The Witch in a stripped down version.                                                                                                           What Waking The Witch do share with the aformentioned Sixties 'supergroup' is a flare for vocal dexterity that is best captured live. Fortunately, very little is lost in the singing of Becky and Patsy, both of whom possess distinctly different voices that somehow work together incredibly well. From the outset, I wondered whether the 'missing' voices would be so noticable as to signify a gaping hole, but pleasantly surprised was I. Taking selections from each of the bands' three albums, the duo managed to deliver each song without losing any of the power of the four piece on songs such as "Only Human" with some sweet slide guitar, the outstanding "Jenny Thornton & The Boys from the Abattoir" with it's cute whistled coda filling in for the brass section used on the recorded version, "There For Me" the usual Waking The Witch opener and "Spring Song" with its creative use of a South American rainstick. And then, as if this wasn't enough, along comes the touching "Man Of Moon", Becky Mills' achingly personal song which invites us all to witness first hand emotional turmoil in song. The haunting coda of 'rewind, pause, play' seems to stay with you. Once heard, never forgotten. The three cover versions of the night could not have been culled from more diverse sources; "Gold Watch Blues", a Donovan cover written by Mick Softley with its interesting jews harp accompaniament, tells the all too familiar tale of signing away ones being to a life of work; the traditional power ballad that is and always will be "Matty Groves" with all the 'umph' of, let's say your common or garden British folk rock outfit; and of all things, Gary Numan's "Cars". I guess you really had to be there to witness it, but if this isn't too much of a stretch, imagine "Cars" as appearing on Joni Mitchell's first album and fitting seamlessly between "Night In The City" and "Marcie" - I know, difficult to imagine but true. Musical trinkets such as the Bolivian rainstick, an assortment of shakers and rattlers, the odd jews harp, a couple of nice guitars and a mandolin are all delightfully utilised in this duos' set, but when it comes down to it, it's those voices that matter, that's what it's all about. Becky Mills and Patsy Matheson make it all seem as easy as breathing and I suspect to them, this is precisely what it is. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 3 September 2007. Roger Davies is a West Yorkshire song smith with a delicate touch. You are more than likely to be instantly taken by his cool delivery and easy going relaxed stage presence. This is because there's a certain un-patronising warmth about a performer who refers to his audience as his 'gang', and consequently, you seem to enfold yourself within his circle, not kicking, not screaming. Roger takes his birthright seriously, and there is an abundance of affectionate songs centred around his hometown of Brighouse and surrounding area. Roger's namesake Ray Davies proved once and for all that you can write a song about places with British names and make them just as cool as the Americans; Waterloo Sunset being the definitive example. Roger's "Huddersfield Town" captures this essence in the same manner but manages to avoid it being just a pastiche of that particular style of writing. "Northern Trash" despite its confrontational title (to a Donny lad that is), still maintains the 'affectionate' aspect of his writing about home. "Raynor Road", "Bradford Girl" and "Little Town" all fit neatly into the canon that is Roger's tribute to his Northern roots. There's nothing long and drawn out or with any excessive multi chorus's in Roger Davies' songs, they're all pretty short and sweet and to the point. During his two club length sets at Bob Chiswick's Monday Music Club at The Regent, he managed to pack in a total of twenty-three songs of which there were only two covers, Bernard Wrigley's tribute to Dame Nellie Melba (no, not Kate Rusby Mr Harding) in "Knocking Nellie" and a Hugh Moffat song made popular by the late Johnny Cash, "Rose of My Heart". The rest were all his. Harvey Andrews apparently said of Davies "The best thing I've seen in 20 years. That lad has everything...I can't teach him anything. If I had a torch I'd throw it to him..." Of course there are similarities in the singing of these two song writers; both have a clear delivery and a sweetness of style and an ability to tell a good story. But I don't particularly see Roger Davies as the new Harvey Andrews, he's clearly his own man. I suspect Roger has a wry sense of humour, evident in songs such as "Beer Belly Blues" where he name checks literally dozens of pubs, possibly a Guinness Book of World Records amount of pubs, and all in one song, as he tells of how he gained his beer belly, even though he is a tall slender slip of a lad with hardly 'owt on him. I went along to see Roger after catching part of a support spot some weeks previous at the same venue and hoped he would sing a couple from his "Northern Trash" cd. He actually sang every song from that album and pretty much everything from his earlier offering "Little Town" as well. You can't come away disliking Roger Davies. He has a conversational approach to his between song patter which gives a distinct 'boy next door' feel. I wonder if this transpires quite the same south of Watford Gap? I would hope so. Allan Wilkinson

Monday 23 July 2007. And what a fantastic night to finish the season on; one of the best nights I can remember. Wonderful music from friends - Allan and Liam Wilkinson, Strange Triangle, The Outsiders, Dominic Woodhouse, Dave Pinder-Gibb....and I did a bit with Chris, my nephew who played on my last CD (and it was his birthday!) It would take too long to write a review for each act seeing as they were so good, in fact, Mike Jenkison took the trouble to write and say how uniformly good the acts were - all on top form. Well, time to sink back into the deckchair in the front room - you don't think I'm going to risk it outdoors in this weather do you?! Thanks to all who came and especially to those who played - I'm indebted to you all.

Monday 16 July 2007. Emily Druce. I could get all aloof and distant from you here and tell you all that I told you so. But I can't because she surprised me as much as she did you. What a fabulous act! Acoustic blues performed in different finger picking and flat pick styles on a guitar made for blues - actually it was made for Emily by her usual partner, Steve Jones but you know what I mean. And that voice! God it was awesome as it delivered Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy and Dylan classics along with her own material. John Law produced an entertaining support set (top lad) and bought one of Emily's CD's at the death. "A've nivver bowt a turn's CD afoor but I am nah,' he exclaimed as he parted with his money. If it's good enough for the Lawman then it's good enough for all of us. Enough said I think.

Monday 9 July 2007. What a cracker! Or craicer? Doesn't matter, The Outside Track, 5 precociously talented young musicians who met last year whilst studying at the  Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in Limerick, produced a belter of a night. On tour in the UK to promote their epnomously titled debut album, we were lucky enough to capture them for the night. Many firsts here: first time we've had a 5-piece band; first time we've ever had a harp on stage; and the first time that anyone has ever asked if they're playing in a fishing village! Never mind, we'll forgive them anything for playing like that for us tonight. Happy days.

Monday 2 July 2007. Jess Gardham is a star. New album, 'Beyond Belief,' paraded and performed before an admiring throng who I'm sure will want to see her again. And what a lovely lass! 'Can I swear on stage? Can I? I mean, I never do...but well... here goes.....bitch!' Ooooh, Jess, how awful, go and wash your mouth out! And it's not an act - WYSIWYG with Jess and believe it. Lovely. Mike Jenkinson provided his best support set to date. Good songs, performed with conviction and what I perceived to be confidence...but Mike will tell you differently! It's good stuff young Mr J and getting better with every outing up there.

Monday 25 June 2007. the club night weas cancelled as a result of the worst floods that I've ever seen and I do hope that none of our friends have been afffected by it - my thought are with you if you were.

Monday 11 June 2007. Michael Berk calls all of his pieces 'songs', but he can call them whatever he wants because what he does to a guitar doesn't warrant any singing! Another trial here: could the club stand 2 hours of nothing else but guitar instrumentals, no matter how good they were? Yep! Another gamble, another triumph. He was fantastic! But, being one of Jon Gomm's pals and having played at his wedding, I knew we were in for something good and we got it. The piece de resistance of course, was his reproduction of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody which was staggering in its execution and impact on the audience. Amongst Jon Gomm's merchandise is a t-shirt which warns: 'Don't let Jon Gomm play your guitar!' Mr Berk can play mine anytime! John Law returned for the support and was even better than his first stint when he supported Johnny Dickinson - great to see him.

Monday 4 June 2007. Rod Clements - excerpt taken from Allan Wilkinson's review (see http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=40589356) ...Rod has pretty much returned to his roots these days, playing to small audiences in hotels and bars, the music he grew up on, which is essentially country blues with a Woody Guthrie flavour. He describes it as 'coming full circle'. Gone are the days of touring the concert halls of the world with the likes of Lindisfarne and Jack The Lad, his spin off band, but he sure looks like he still enjoys the road nevertheless... ...Alternating between a resonator dobro type guitar, a bog-standard electric guitar and an acoustic box with a headstock so unfeasibly large, it qualifies as the only other thing beside the Great Wall of China that is visible from the moon, Rod brought back to life early Lindisfarne songs such as the aforementioned Meet Me on the Corner, a revamped Train in G Major (now in E Major due to voice age), Bert Jansch's Rambling's Going To Be The Death Of Me (from the Bert tribute album People on the Highway) and Rod's second 'hit', Can't Do Right For Doing Wrong, a hit for Erin Rocha a couple of years ago. Rod forgot to mention that he has a third hit under his belt, being the bass player on the much lauded Streets of London by one Ralphie McTell. One outstanding song from tonight's gig was Rod's Existentially Yours, a scathing observation on organised religion and consumer culture, chiefly aimed at a North East car dealership. Oh those old protest songs still pack a punch folks! The support came courtesy of Roger Davies, a West Yorkshire songsmith with a delicate touch....cool delivery and easy going relaxed stage presence.

Monday 21 May 2007. Lyra Celtica consists of accordian playing Lynn Tocker, Frankie McGuire on a percussion and whistles and Mark Canning on guitar. Tonight, they produced 2 wonderful sets of celtic instrumental music and song from their Scottish roots. I have to be totally honest, I wasn't sure if the club would be up for nearly 2 hours of mainly accordian based music but it not only sustained it but bayed for more! Variety, folks...we MUST have variety. Support came from Fyrish, Dave Cowan and Marjorie Paterson who seem to have come on greatly since they last played at the club when it was located at the Sal - very enjoyable.

Monday 14 May 2007. 'Nah...I don't need monitors, man', drawled Johnny Dickinson just before the briefest of sound checks. And so we dispensed with them and were drawn in to the seasoned blues gigging world of the slide-playing maestro on his first appeance at the club. Johnny doesn't spend much on such frivolous necessities as guitars either and he has a refreshingly blasé attitude to 'Brand' guitars - 'They're only tools after all'. Yes, his lutes may not be expensive but don't tell that to the Gibsons, Martins, Lowdens etc of this world - the sound he gets from whatever he plays is simply 'stunning'. He ran through a selection of solid blues material with some reverential refernce to celtic classics thrown in and, finishing off the last 15 minutes of the night without the aid of the PA, he showed what a master player he truly is. Lost in his love of playing he seemed oblivious of time and I think that's what the audience felt too. Newcomer to the club, John Law, produced an entertaining support set courtesy of his Mexborogh-born philosophies!

Monday 30 April 2007. Martha Tilston and Matt Kelly played to a full house and only licensing laws and their long drive home stopped them from from providing any more encores - the audience would have stayed a lot longer! Martha possesses a most beautiful voice and material from her albums (Rolling, Bimbling, Ropeswing and Of Milkmaids and Architects) was presented against the lovely backdrop of Matt's fiddle or bass. Excellent. Support came from Meghan Barber and without Fawn, her band, she showed that she has potential to compete in that hinterland between folk, blues and lounge jazz.

Monday 23 April 2007. It just shows you what happens when you have a break for a couple of weeks...a small turnout for the club night tonight - Mike Jenkinson, Allan Wilkinson, Rick Chappell, Sid Oakley and myself all played in a very relaxed setting - and it was fun! As an extra ingredient to club nights, we introduced a songwriters workshop where each performer took one of their own compostions and broke it down by explaining its background, construction, motivation etc and it worked really well. Good stuff chaps. Rick hasn't written too many songs but it was all agreed that his 'Forever Young' was a revelation - great song. Allan, Mike and mysef also dissected a piece each and it was generally agreed that it had been an enjoyable and intesting romp. Part of the F&F for club nights now. Calling all young songwriters: come gather 'round.

Monday 2 April 2007. Cathryn Craig and Brian Willoughby have been to Doncaster before: Brian has actually stayed at the hotel and Cathryn was here when she heard the fateful news that Al Gore has lost out on a points decision to Bush. Still, their latest venture to the old Roman town was much, much more memorable for some wonderfully performed music. Their collaboration usually entails Cathryn putting the lyrics to Brian's melodies with startling effect and the existence of I Will, Alice's Song, Two Hearts, Mr Jefferson et al stand testimony to that. Cathryn, a Virginian but Nashville based, has an amazing voice; it pours out the lyrics and every word is delivered with the conviction behind the reason to write it. Her song introductions are equally as entertaining with Brian, coolly perched beside her, waiting to deliver the most appropriate, tasteful, and at times, blistering accompaniement to add glaze to the canvass. Enough said - get the picture? If this is informing you what you missed, well, what can I say? But if you were there I hope it has captured it for you again! Chris Euseden took 3 hours to get from York to play a short support set with Mike Miller and, from an audience perspective, it was worth the trip - excellent fellas. Oh, and yes, I played 3 songs from my new CD - happy days!

Monday 26 March 2007. A quiet club night to round off a fabulous month. Mike Jenkinson gets better and better; Richard Bircumshaw gave us vocals as well as instrumentals on his fab Lowden; newcomer, Sid Oakley, got into the spiirt of the night quickly; Paul Pearson was his usual intense but enjoyable self on stage and I decided to play some stuff I hadn't done for absolutely ages - with mixed results, but it didn't matter because that's what club night are for!

Monday 19 March 2007 - 'Jesus...he's incredible!' and I've no doubt that, for those who believe, he was. But Sandie was talking about Jon Gomm, and he was. With 5 pickups in a Lowden guitar not particularly designed for the percussive treatment it suffers/receives, Jon treated us to an unbelievable spectacle of musical amazement (I sound like Leonard Sachs from the Good Old Days) Anyway, he brought along his CD's and other merchandise, which includes a T-Shirt imprinted with the legend 'Don't Let Jon Gomm Play Your Guitar' - and you wouldn't, but you just drooled at the way he played his. It's virtually impossible to describe in type - a fusion of jazz ('I went to jazz college, but left after a term - they made me write an essay'), rock and melodic rythyms supported by intoxicating drumming coming from every part of his instrument. Not satisfied with bending strings, Jon just drops off a top E or B down a note from the machine heads during the beat of a bar and returns it - perfectly, whilst still singing, drumming, playing harmonics and lead riffs. And if you think it's just 'showy' then forget it - the guy can produce great songs and sing in his mesmeric tones to the ultimate effect. So, for the second week running, 2 sets disappeared too quickly to the point of frustraion as the final number was introduced. Probably the best musical and visual performance the club has ever had. Reem and Laura came back to provide support for us tonight - I love 'em.

Monday 12 March 2007. I woke up with the same smile I went to sleep with. If Mick Hanly's sensational performance is not in the top three of the club's history then I have missed it. What a night - stories told inside intoxicating melodies and flawless guitar work with Mick's warmth visible both on and off stage. Of course we had 'Past the Point of Plenty', his USA Billboard chart topper, but most of last night's offerings came from his latest album, 'Wish Me Well' and I know that everyone left the club last night wanting to do just that. When a guy can introduce a song which makes you smile and then want to weep with him before he's performed it, then you know, you just know that there's something unique happening in front of you. I'm booking him back as soon as I possibly can. Charlie Barker provided the support and, yet again, proved that she has great potential to succeed on the acoustic circuit. Wonderful night.

Monday 5 March 2007. The Queensberry Rules - The Queensberrys rule! 3 great lads from Stoke-on-Trent with an affection for their home town and its trials, poured their hearts out on stage and, in doing so, won many new friends. Now on the Fellside label and a third through a UK tour to promote their latest album, 'The Black Dog and Other Stories' they have matured into a fine performing unit with Gary's assured vocals being tastefully supported by Phil's understated but excellent guitar work and Duncan's versatility on double bass, fiddle and mandolin.And they finished it all off with a wonderful cameo of Jackie Wilson's 'Higher and Higher. Smashing!

Monday 26 February 2007. Another cracking night - this time, a club night with some great performances. Mike Jenkinson paraded his intelligent songs with aplomb; Reem and Laura's debut was enthusiastic and assured; Richard Bircumshaw played and sang this time, showing that he can also write songs; and Dave Pindar-Gibb, at long last, made his debut and showed us all what we've been missing for the last two and a half years - an accomplished set which got us all singing and stinging our hands with applause! Well done everyone and thanks, and ...oh yes... I played too!

Monday 19 February 2007. Well, that old 'Sorry, Full House' sign is seeing more of life these days and this time is was thanks to Last Night's Fun who paraded themselves as a foursome with the addtion of bodrhan player, Ciaran Boyle to the established Chris Sherburn, Denny Bartlett and Nick Scott setup. We had the trio at the Sal in February last year and it was a pleasure to welcome them back to Doncaster, particularly with the dimension that Ciaran adds to the music. He sang a few songs and, at one point, introduced one with a longer line of patter than Chris! Some wonderful arrangments again and Denny's vocal interpretations of songs, one of which was accredited o Shane McGowan, onced again balanced the set wonderfully against Chris and Nick's sorcery on the conertina and uilleann pipes. Great night.

Monday 12 February 2007. The Doncaster debut of Anthony John Clarke: memorable for poignant observations - pastiches of life, wistful and entertaining wit and his discovery of the fact that the DFS furniture chain from whom he purchased a settee recently, is acutally part of our local heritage - so there was a Donny connection after all! Anthony has become a songwriter of the highest order and Irish Eyes, Tuesday Night Is Always Karaoke, Savin' The Best 'Til Last, But Then I'm Irish, The Only Life Gloria Knows, I'm My Own Grandpa, to name a few all showcased his talent for capturing the magic and the madness. A grand evening. Paul Pearson and Chris Treebeard made the short trip across from Sheffield to reveal the truth about the wild habits of musicians from the seven hills - they've all got allotments! Another stirring set from the two - they never fail to engage.

Monday 5 February 2007. Using his own p.a. which almost self assembled and sound checked in 20 minutes, Kieran Halpin gives off the impression that he knows what he's doing, which is completely accurate. The Irish troubadour opens his heart through his songs, his close friends for over 30 years and through them he's able to convey emotions and observations that this quietly spoken man might not utter in conversation. 'A Box of Words and Tunes' is the simple title of his latest album but the content is anything but as he spat out 'Letter to America' his deep retribution to the Bush administration over recent events which he's had the conviction to perform to Americans in the States. Similarly, 'Yellow like Van Gogh'  portrays sentiments disguised by his introduction and 'Glory Days', his tribute to his departed friend, Chris Jones, contains imagery that only the art form of poetry and music can portray.  An excellent performance. And we had Dominic Woodhouse as the supporting act! Dominic is another softly spoken individual whose voice leaps out of his body when he gets near a microphone. Tonight, he let us into his world of Dylan and blues rooted material which also influences his own songs, particularly 'Fever' written for his children as a way of banishing a recent bout of family flu - I know I wouldn't want to linger if I was a virus! Well done, Dominic.

Monday 29 January 2007. Flossie Malavialle. Second visit to Doncaster - the first was in the Sprotbrough days - and she's even better, maturing like a good wine from her native soil. An amazing voice, natural and commanding, delivered 2 sets of wonderful material drawn largely from her latest album 'The Wilderness Years' which included a stunning version of Starrett, McRory & Laird's eulogy to 'John Condon', reputeldy the youngest soldier to be killed in WW1. A large audience had any  resistance to enjoying themselves completely removed by the Franco/Geordie accent and the scene was set for a great night. A natural performer and entertainer. Support came from our friend, Mike Jenkinson, whose growing confidence showed as he delivered an excellent, wide ranging set of material, including self penned songs and jokes! The veil of self deprecation is slipping, mate!

Monday 22 January 2007. "I can't remember when I last enjoyed myself so much - what a belter!" Club nights just get better and better and it's a great reward when those who support the club through thick and thin can summarise one like that. So many players and not even enought time for the fabled music quiz...but that'll keep. Great solo sets from Mike Jenkinson, Dominic Woodhouse, Paul Pearson, Richard Bircumshaw and excellent band sounds from the Outsiders and Strange Triangle - oh...and yours truly of course. Can't wait for the next one.

Monday 15 January 2007. Next up, Jon Strong sat in front of his amazing Bose L1 and delivered a blistering performance to an audience of his afficionados. Quality songs and his own quirky observations of life made up 2 sets which absolutely flew by. A new album is due out sometime in the summer of 2007 and there'll be a big queue for it, I can guarantee that. Paul Pearson and sidekick, Chris Treebeard (stage name, honest - the second one, I mean!) delivered an excellent 30 minute support set in Paul's usual style of total intensity and conviction.

Monday 8 January 2007. Jez Lowe, opened the season in our new venue and what a success! A near full house enjoyed a range of Jez's unique material delivered in the usual intimate and engaging way with most of his devotees singing every line for him!  Faultless, as you would expect. Steve Womack, the club's first ever guest when we were housed in the Sprotbropugh Country Club, managed to squeeze a cameo appearance in with a couple of self penned songs, which served to remind us that behind his comic front, he possesses considerable prowess as a singer and songewriter of the highest calibre. A great night in a venue made for live music.

Monday 4 December 2006. And so it came to pass, like all things do, and the final night at the Sal was blessed with Dick Gaughan. I must confess that prior to the gig I was never one of Dick's biggest admirers and I booked him at the request of our loyal followers. But - yes you've guessed it - I've changed my mind! Maybe it's because the previous time I saw him I thought the sound system left much to be desired and you can't compromise on that with DG - you have to be able to hear the lyrics to appreciate just what you're getting for your money. And it's great value. There is an intensity to Dick's performance which grips and draws you into that fire which has never diminished over the decades he's been pouring out his point of view via his soul. And into the bargain he's a great bloke! Ruth and Gary Wells supported with some lovely material (including Jon Strong's 'Gun Metal Grey') played in their usual charming fashion. A nice end to the era. Why are we moving are you asking? Well there's a few reasons. Firstly, the pub was put up for sale during the early part of the summer and, as the months drew on without a buyer being identified, every intelligence led us to believe that most of the prospective buyers had indicated that they would convert the function room into a restaurant, thereby leaving us homeless. Secondly, the room itself has an uncomfortable design for a club of our nature and many of our audiences gave us this feedback, along with the fact that as the building is so very old, the large-bore hot water pipes which flow through the room, left us with heating which couldn't be regulated or turned off - even in those ridiculously warm summer months! In addition, the stage, lighting and backdrops had to be constructed every week which became a pain! More importanly though, the move to the Regent is exciting. The room is great. It is located within a lovely hotel; is larger with air conditioning; is much more comfortable with it's own stage and lighting system; and it enjoys other forms of entertainment throughtout the week which makes it a live music venue of the highest order. And I can tell you this ...l can't wait to get in there! Thanks to the Salutation for some great nights and memories but the prospects for the club at the new venue are even more exciting. Hope to see you all there soon.

Monday 27 November 2006. Perversely, I love these nights. A small audience before an absolutely wonderful act...and we had them all to ourselves. For the many missing and for those who ony turn out for the big names, they'll be kicking themselves at missing another 'Sal discovery'. Landermason were simply superb, delivering what they promised with 'folk providing the theme but jazz the style'. Saxophones, clarinets, keyboards, whistles and guitars were the instruments but the soul was Fiona Lander and Paul Mason, presenting a range of own material, traditional and contemporarty covers. 'Take Five' on penny whistle? Yes, and you had to witness it to believe it. And...and...the best guitarist that the club has ever seen - full stop. Paul's presentation of 'Somalia' was absolutely breathtaking - the first time I've clapped like a lunatic before a number ended - no-one noticed...they were all too absorbed in quality. Nick and Kim Rooke provided the support - lovely blend and delivery of material influenced by their background. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm lovely night.

Monday 20 November 2006. A quieter 'Lively at the Sal' club night but 'Hey' - who cares when you enjoy yourself this much! Paul Pearson was let loose on Doncaster soil again and showed that certain something he has for 'possessing' a song. And Dominic Woodhouse showed that he is fast getting on top of his trepidation at being on stage by producing some great songs and delivering them with a voice which is very easy on the ear. Similarly, The Outsiders produced another good set and it's great to see their increased confidence feeding their motivation to perform again. And, of course, there was me! Another quiz, another successful Mr Jenkinson and another room of Sal followers gong home happy. That's what it's all about, my dears.

Monday 13 November 2006. 'So, what did you think?' asked Max at the end of the evening. My instinctive reply: 'A joy, it was a joy' And so it was. Belinda O' Hooley's debut at the Sal maintained the high musical standards of the club whilst delivering warmth and humour as an aside. A first set performed solo with just sensitive keyboard arrangements backing her distictive voice, she suprised the audience by producing a mini Abba medley within 5 minutes of a beautiful 'Spancil Hill' traditional arrangement! Her second set saw her produce   Heidi, Josh and Isaac as backing vocalist, bass player and drummer to pep up the set and take it off into another interesting direction, allowing her to display another side of her songwriting talents. Great performance. Support came from none other than Bernie Parry, songwriter extraordinaire, who produced a set of material from one of his most recent CDs, 'Songs From Stony Rock' - great to see him on that stage.

Monday 6 November 2006. A full house at the Sal saw the return to South Yorks of one of the legends of the folk music scene - Vin Garbutt. A professional folk singer and entertainer for over 35 years, he has lost none of his appeal and his enthusiasm remains undiminshed for a music medium he loves. It was like sittiing in Uncle Vin's front room listening to his tales of travels, experiences and health - magic. There is, and only ever will be, one Vin Garbutt. Support came from the Folk Pirates, an impromptu name devised at short notice by Jennifer Papps and Emily Rushmer, an engaging and talented duo who charmed the socks off the throng with some lovely self penned material, delivered with delicious harmonies - another plus to discover local talent like this - long live the Sal and all who sing in her!

Monday 30 October 2006.   Another brilliant club night with debuts from Strange Triangle and The Outsiders. Both trios are from Doncaster and, for differing reasons, it was good to see them both taking to the stage at the Sal. The first being Strange Triangle's range of Paul Weller covers delivered with gusto and enthusiasm and the second being the return to performing aftere 22 years of The Outsiders. Both acts aquitted themselves very well and added to the growing reputation of the club as a beacon venue for the widest range of acoustic music. Also in the limelight was regular Richard Bircumshaw with his nimble finger picked tunes and Dominic Woodhouse, a young man with a certain presence on stage which belied his professed nervousness. Yours truly released the guitar case catches and with Mike Jenkinson and John Crisp both tying for first place in the music quiz with a 70% score (!) I think we all departed happier for the experience.

Monday 23 October 2006. A glint of Silver tonight, or rather Mike Silver. In a well lit room he entertained his audience with his silky vocals and well crafted songs drawn from a range of experiences over the long years of his career. A reasonable throng were also entertained in true family fashion when Wilkinson Phillips took to the stage as the support act. Father and son, Allan and Liam were joined by relative Michelle who had travelled from London for the gig and produced a nice set of homely numbers from the Wilkinson pens which were ably backed by Michelle's flute and tenor sax. Those who were not celebrating a birthday were in a minority and between you and me, I think a good night was had by all!

Monday 16 October 2006. 'A small but appreciative audience....' Yes, we were small in numbers tonight but large in praise as Alan Reid and Rob van Sante got the most natural of encore requests/demands. Lovely guys, an intimate evening, maintaining the wonderful standard of fabulous music nights at the Sal. Canny Scot, Alan and 'Cool Dutch' Rob gave us a purist night of traditional and self penned material delivered with simple yet effective arrangements on keyboard and guitars. Special again. Support act, The Blackhearts are a hard working duo from Lancashire who are now beginning to reap the rewards of constant gigging and their set was tight, interesting and impressive.

Monday 9 October 2006. How long can I go on writing superlatives? People visiting this page will think I fib about what happens at the Sal because I retell the experience so often with relish. But let me tell you this - She is wonderful. Who? Eleanor McEvoy, of course, re-appearing at the club in front of a full house. Her new album 'Out There' was raided for much of the material but her classics intervened. An audience, mesmerised by every note, wouldn't let her go....3 encores and they'd still be beying for more as I type this if I hadn't intervened. And how lovely that Eleanor should ask Ruth of 'Ruth and Gary Wells' fame to sing 'Only a Woman's Heart' with her. Magic. Ruth and Gary supported and..well... they are quality you know. Take it from from someone who thinks he knows.

Monday 2 October 2006. The dawn of Fawn! The 4 piece fronted by young Meghan Barber didn't disappoint. Wonderful arrangements of self penned and other covers, notably Prince, Gloria Gaynor and Bros! Fabulous sound created and embellisehd by Max McNally too - they'll be back. Support came from Perfect Second who can truly aspire to Perfect First if their cameo is anything to go by - jazz, rock and traditional unaccompanied...wow. And... young Danny Spooner managed to show off his virtuoso pop/rock material with a lovely set to kick off the second half. Another ... aaaahhhh....lovely night.

Monday 25 September 2006. Wonderful 'Lively at The Sal' club night - a full house and the place bursting at the seams with players. Richard Bircumshaw let us hear some more of his instrumental work; a debut for Mike Jenkinson and well worth the wait; blues from the hands and voice of Steve Butler; Allan Wilkinson's eclecticism reigned again; Paul Pearson's impassioned cameo; another debut from young duo Damask Asphodel; another surprise package with the debut of Dominic Woodhouse; and Tony Dargan and Alan Gill wrapping things up nicely at the end. Oh, and as usual, yours truly opened the night. Another good 'un.

Monday 18 September 2006. Personally speaking, the best night in the club's history. Other tastes and opinions may vary but I'll bet by not very much. The Kambourines were magnificent on what was - take this in - their first UK gig. The first came to the club in April to a club night and so became the first act for me to book on the strength of what used to be called a 'floor spot'. They were special then and so, on their full debut, I was intrigued to find out what they would be like doing a full night. An odd start to say the least - maybe nerves - with minutes ticking by before they got into their first number...but it was worth the wait. Everything about their almost innocent persona comes across with honesty and integrity and once they got into their set I was completely hooked. Now listen, I'm not young; I don't count myself as a fan of anyone; I'm not impressionable any more. Wrong. They are the best act I've come across in the 5 years or so that I've been back on the music scene. Full stop. A first set that included Blame This Love, Doug and Carrie, and Peter Pan - all songs from their Myspace platform - was expanded by material equally as strong and, as the night progressed, they built up a head of steam with some sensational songs and arrangements. I always think that great songs take you by surprise, either by the lyrics or the melodies, and they kept me guessing. Kambo, Olsen and Haggis, collectively known as the Kambourines...watch them closely...they could go all the way.

Monday 11 September 2006. Ruth and Gary Wells kicked off the new season with two lovely sets of great songs delibvered in their own inimitable fashion. Material like Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Richard Thompson's The Sun Never Shines on the Poor, Joan Osbourne's One of Us, Nanci Griffith's A Hard Life Wherever You Go, Cindi Lauper's Time After Time and Eleanor McEvoy's Only A Woman's Heart. In the words of Allan Wilkinson 'They could play a stinker of a night and I'd still say nice things about them, but fortunately they never provide any such opportunity for that, they're always pretty much on form and with impeccable taste to boot'. Nuff said.

Monday 10 July 2006. And so the final night of the season came and we went out in spectacular fashion! Yes, Rosie Doonan and Ben Murray, third time at the club and just as wonderful as the first...and second! Taking the audience into their own Doonan/Murray front room, they charmed with their own particular chat/chemistry and those songs.....They're our favourites - official. And what a coup with the suport act - one certain Dan Webster who took to ther stage and forcibly captured their attention and admiration immediatey with some tremendous songs, delivered with a voice that doesn't seem to belong to him! Wonderful. Roll on September....................

Monday 3 July 2006. On probably the hottest night of the year, the Sal was the coollest place to be! Radiators turned off and a breeze blowing through the room allowed a hardy audience to also appreciate the other reason why is was so cool - Kirsty McGee and Mat Martin's debut at the Sal was sensational. The nicest people on the planet allowed us to enter their world by the medium of muisc and what a nice world it is. With an array of instruments (one guitar actualy made by Kirsty) mostly played by Mat, they produced a range of songs from Kirsty's three albums, 'Honeysuckle', 'Frost' and 'Two birds' and absolutely charmed the socks off us! The highlight of the night being a magnificent rendition of 'skin' from the first CD. Two of the most disarming people on the acoustic music scene and they'll be back - I swear on that. Andy Whitehouse, from Scunthorpe, provided support with his own rock-influenced material, backed with some inspired guitar work and gutsy vocals - he's come on leaps and bounds since first appearing at one of the club nights and it was a pleasure to watch him.

Monday 26 June 2006. You know, good nights fly by - this one did at warp factor silly. The two Toms - Napper & Bliss gave us two stonking sets featuring material taken from their joint and individual pasts. Backed by tasteful arrangements on guitar, mandocello, concertina, mandolin, octave mandolin & banjo (phew!) they proceeded to treat the Sal to an interesting insight into the background of their well-researched traditionmal material and refreshed us with TB's more contemporary self-penned offerings. Interspersed between the tunes we had nuggets such as God Speed, Dead Men, Campbell the Rover and Turn and Face the Wind with the madatory encore of The Violin. Great harmonies, great craic, great fellas. Support came from Pillowfish, Tom and Helen, who complemented the bill ideally. Once again, those who missed it, well..............

Monday 19 June 2006. Another lovely 'lively' night! This time we had yours truly, Ben Trott & Amy Wakefield, Tony Dargan, Charlie Barker, Jon Chapman & Ben Trott, in that order providing some great entertainment. Amy has rarely sung in public but the Sal gave her the stage to show off an impressive set of vocal chords, ably supported by Ben Trott, who also produced a short set of his own material. Tony Dargan impressed yet again with some lovely material and guitar work. Charlie, from Sheffield provided a confident set of both her own songs and covers such as Joni Mitchell's 'Big Yellow Taxi' and Jon and Ben finsished the night for us with Jon's pieces recorded directly onto his pc to contribute to a live album he's working on. Another quiz kept everyone in their seats with Tony D emerging victorious - the swot!

Monday 12 June 2006. The Sal may have been sweltering in the heat on probably the hottest and most humid night of the year, but it was hardly noticable when Gina Dootson was on stage! Once again, she delivered her material with such punch, passion and sensitivity, that you can't help but convert into an instant fan. A diminutive figure behind her Gibson or Lowden, no matter - you know she's there and, well, she just has to become the really big deal sooner or later. The Steve Gascoigne Band provided a great set in support, with Steve's Springsteen-esque vocals clearly in the driving seat of of the guitar, bass, keyboards and drum set-up. We like Steve!

Monday 5 June 2006. Over from Ottawa, Canada for their UK June tour, Finest Kind provided an evening of mainly traditional material delivered with superb three part harnony arrangements. Ian Robb, Ann Downey, and Shelley Posen proved why they have developed such a strong reputation in their homeland and across North America. Guitar, banjo, double bass and concertina were used sparingly and not to the detriment of their major strength - singing, glorious singing. Wonderful. The Jon Chapman Band provided a complete contrast in delivering Jon's own material. Joined by Ben Trott on guitar and Kim Kristian Osmundsvaag on cello, Jon's material was painted beautifully throughout by the totality of the arrangements. Jon plays regularly at the Sal - come and catch him.

Monday 22 May 2006. Another ‘Lively at the Sal’ club night to shout about! 4 performers this time but what quality! Wakefield let Tony Dargan out for the night and he came up trumps in his usual inimitable fashion with some great songs delivered well. Richard Bircumshaw presented his own unique material and Phil Carter not only starred with his (much easier) quiz but also delivered a set which demonstrates his growing confidence in performing. I even managed to please myself too! Another cracking night.

Monday 15 May 2006. Back by demand, a slimline Bob Fox produced another stunning evening’s acoustic entertainment with a range of traditional and contemporary material which reflects the man’s wide taste in music. Bob also draws heavily on songs from his native North East which reflects his love of folklore research but it’s his interpretation of these and other pieces which sets him apart. His arrangements are both tasteful and complimentary to the material and he always adds that little bit to other people’s songs which is hard to define but is distinctively ‘Bob Fox’. Support came from Peculiar Blue - Lynn and Paul - from Wakefield and they produced a short set of their own material, both melodic and heartfelt. Phil Carter has rarely played in public but opened the evening as if he’d been doing it for years! Another top quality night at the Sal.

Monday 8 May 2006. Sometimes you just take a chance….sometimes it fails…sometimes it works…and this one worked! Nashville’s Hunter Moore, over in the UK on a short tour, produced a set drawn from his 4 albums and transported the audience back to his own backyard in Tennessee. His pieces represent insights into American life and each one has its own story to tell, ranging from religious beliefs to his emotions about missing the Vietnam draft as a young man - something we cannot comprehend but the troubadour captures it for us. He has a simple, but sturdy guitar style applied to his classic Gibson and his voice paints the picture over it. Lovely, intimate night -he’ll be back.

Monday 24 April 2006. Jon Strong did what he does best - delivers his own wonderful material with such blistering, driving guitar work that it makes you think that his band are still up there on stage with him! Older material such as ‘Gun Metal Grey’ was delivered with newer stuff including an interesting rendition of Rod Stewart’s ‘Mandolin Wind’ - the first time I’ve ever heard it in a folk club! All this accompanied by endearing patter in a native, whimsical Huddersfield dialect - another damn good night. Support came from Louise Hull, a Wakefield-based singer/songwriter who produced a short, but interesting set of her own material and revealed a tremendous voice - come back soon, Louise!

Monday 10 April 2006. ‘Lively at the Sal’ Word about the Sal seems to be spreading because tonight we had visitors not only from as near as Doncaster, Retford and Scunthorpe but also from as far as Liverpool, Ireland and Norway no less. The Kambourines are made up of Dan, a fine singer from Liverpool, and two Norweigians, Ragnhild and Endre, thus making rehearsals an absolute nighmare I sh