The Boodlum Band at The Players Theatre, Thame

The Ian English Boodlum Band are appearing at

The Players’ Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame

Sat 7th February 7.45pm

The Ian English Boodlum Band (Ian English, Adrian Broadway, Dave Reece and Trevor Toms) return with their fast-moving show of offbeat comedy and zany songs. In their opening set they use a backline of ukulele, keyboard, phono fiddle, double-bass and washboard to accompany their songs and humour that will lift your spirits and dispel any January blues that have rolled-over into February!
In the second set they return as rock legends BAM! with their own brand of pulsating, thrusting, hunky, gutsy, ironic R&B - somewhere between rock and a hard bass. Fans travel a long way when BAM! are gigging, although not always in the direction of the gig.
With a show crammed full of comedy, music, magic and wit, you can be sure you won’t leave wanting more!

Tickets £8 (£7) available from: 'Tickets Anywhere' 5 Greyhound Walk, Thame.

01844 217228

Straw Bear Festival at Whittlesey

A very cold Saturday morning saw the Haddenham Hoofers travelling over 80 miles to Whittlesey near Peterborough to take part in the annual Straw Bear feastival.

This festival, following Plough Monday (the 1st Monday after Twelfth Night) dates from when no one quite knows and died out at the end of the 19th century but was revived in 1980. The Straw Bear - a man dressed in a straw costume and his attendant keeper lead a procession of over 250 dancers, musicians and performers from various parts of the British Isles performing traditional 'Molly', 'Morris', 'Clog' and 'Sword'. There is also American style 'Appalachian' dancing, street performances and Mummers plays. A decorated plough pulled by a local Morris side is now a established part of the procession.

Following the procession, street dancing and entertainments take place. Some of the dancers, musicians and entertainers perform in the local halls and pubs.

At the end of the day, the Straw Bear is ceremoniously burned (minus the man inside of course.)

For more information visit http://www.strawbear.org.uk/

https://sites.google.com/site/haddenhamhoofers/

The Straw Bear Procession

The Hoofers danced in the street in the morning with other Appalachian groups. The temperature was -3!

Junior Hoofers braving the weather

How to play the banjo in -3 temperatures, accompanied on guitar by Matt Morton.

After visiting the soup kitchen laid on by the parish church for lunch, The Hoofers spent the afternoon performing in the 'Childers Hall' - slightly warmer!

It was an enjoyable day, particularly when we joined forces with other Appalachian side musicians to play for the dancers.

New Year's Day at the Killy

New Year's Day was busy as usual at The Killingworth Castle Inn at Wootten near Woodstock, Oxfordshire for traditional music and dance. It all started at midday and went on until late afternoon.

Outside were a number of dance sides performing

In the warm bar, a session carried on throughout the afternoon with many musicians taking part.

The session took a brief pause in the early afternoon for the traditional Mummers Play.

The Inn was packed with musicians and others enjoying the traditional new year entertainment.

Anywhere for a Barn Dance

Kinderhook has played at some unusual venues during its 26 year existence, like school playgrounds, Beaconsfield cricket pitch and even the main car park in Tring High Street. Recently we did a barn dance in a Railway Station! The Oxford Rewley Road station building was dismantled at its original site in Oxford city centre and re-erected at The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Quainton. It was here that we did a 60th birthday barn dance. It was actually the second time we'd done a barn dance at this venue. I also performed as a Victorian Entertainer for two days as part of the centre's Victorian Christmas days this month.

The dancers with a coach from the Royal Train of 1901 in the background

Kinderhook playing by the booking office

Me (2nd left) with the other ' Victorian Staff ' in front of the 1901 Royal Train coach

Haddenham Shamrocks

The Irish session at The Rose and Thistle, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire (every second and fourth Tuesday of the month) continues to develop.

We now meet in the main bar so there's always an audience for the session. It's a cosy atmosphere with log fire in the Winter months and a very supportive landlord.

There's a core group who are regular attenders and so the repertoire, social atmosphere and hopefully the overall sound have developed positively since the sessions started last January.

Songs are now included in the Irish repertoire but everyone joins in every tune and song unless they need a rest!

A third of the 15 regulars live in Haddenham itself and just over a third come from Thame and local villages. 3 travel all the way from Oxford to be with us.

This is the last session before Christmas. In the background you may be able to see Bodhran Bev - unable to play because of a broken arm!

Oxford Fiddle Group CD2 Recording

Recording is well under way for the Oxford Fiddle Group's second CD. This afternoon we had a four hour recording session and 10 tracks have been recorded so far.

Tom organising the fiddles

The santuary of the double bass corner

The material is well rehearsed from the Tuesday evening get togethers so the recording is a fairly relaxed affair. We always have a leisurely food break with the 'Bring-a-plate-of-food' lunch.

Lunch break

It is hoped that the CD will be finished and available by February 09, in time for our tour of the Algarve, Portugal. Details of the CD and other information about The Oxford Fiddle Group can be found at www.oxfordfiddle.co.uk

Here I'm managing to get away from the double bass for a moment

to play some mandolin on the CD

'After the Fair' Bampton Free Folk Festival

I spent this weekend at the Free Folk Festival in Bampton - Devon not Oxfordshire! It's called 'After the Fair' Festival because the Charter Fair takes place on the Thursday - the 750th this year.
The festival is almost all sessions from lunchtime onwards in four venues - The Bridge House Hotel, The Quarryman's Rest, The White Horse and The Blackberries. The sessions on offer were Song, Irish, English, Breton and a mixture of everything while Morris Dancing etc happened outside the venues.

A White Horse Session

A French session

The Breton musicians on bombarde and melodeon

Some English 'Table Top' Dancing

It was a great weekend of session music which seemed to be enjoyed by all. I met up with Rob Hopcott who writes a blog about festivals and sessions in Somerset, Devon & Dorset and also recognised Devon musicians who I last met in the Kilcrohane Music festival, West Cork.