TAMWORTH FOLK CLUB GUEST NIGHT - February 1st

Artisan and Juke Joint Jammers

Due to circumstances beyond my control your reviewer did not arrive at The Gamecock until Steve was thanking the support act for their first set, and was announcing a beer break, something new I thought as the audience has never needed a break in the past to purchase intoxicating liquid. Anyway it meant that I would have to wait for the second half to listen to The Juke Joint Jammers, then I realised the group was made up of some of the stalwarts of our club, namely John Philips, Dick, Derrick, Dino and Alan, or as Bob Bull refers to as the Blues Boys in the corner, and I had a head start on the review because they are good on any night.

After the beer break and comfortably seated due to there being a smaller but perfectly formed audience, Artisan took to the performing area of the room surrounded with guitars, a double bass and amplifier and started to sing entirely unaccompanied, the instruments belonged to the support act.

The broad Yorkshire accents of Hilary Spencer, Jacey Bedford and Brian Bedford co-ordinated perfectly in superb harmonies to mainly songs written by Brian. It was the words that struck me with witty and poignant observations of life, funny, thoughtful but never tragic. I have to confess with some vocal harmonists who sing their own songs, you leave a concert thinking of slitting wrists, mainly your own, but not this night. Since they started singing together in 1984 they have not only given up their day-jobs but have toured world wide, Britain, Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, Hong Kong, and now Birchmoor that`s definitely world wide.

In the first set they sang nine songs, the first one all about talking (it is a pity there was not a Donaldson in the audience to appreciate it) the rest varied with lyrics from "not in my back yard to white horses, kicking the habit, I ain't going down, what's the use of wings, and too old to care". A complete gambit of emotions mixed with delightful harmonies.

The girls came amongst us with the raffle at half time, another official beer break, and Nigel announced the winners, all 23 of them (I exaggerate). In no time the main house lights, including the snooker tables were dimmed and the Juke Joint Jammers re-united with their instruments set out on a medley of songs from blues through rock and roll to instrumental which shows just how professional our home grown talent is. Dick's lead singing, Derrick and Alan's guitars, Dino`s instrumental prowess and now Johns double bass all added to a very enjoyable 20 minutes which went all too quick.

Artisan began their second half with a song I think Hillary and Jacey had asked Brian to write the words for called "time to breath" as his compositions usually don't give them time to breath to sing them. Followed by "breathing space" a contemporary reality of loves and lives. A lively rendition of "snakes and ladders" which literarlly translates to, be kind to who you meet on the way up, as you will probably meet them again on the way down, thoughtful but true. As I said earlier it was the words in these songs which made me think, and usually I forget most of them or even names, but that's a different story.

Another great night, and looking foreword to the next guest night, in Steve's words "mind the orse road".

R.D.C.
2002

 

Click HERE for Ray's Vin Garbutt review