Dear all,
Sorry to say, but SCE is no more.
It was a brave attempt to establish something slightly different which didn't reach its goals.
Nothing ventured, etc.
Who knows, I may try something new!
Thanks to the supporters.
S.
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Sunday, 17 April 2016
A Kitty, a Kirsty and a Konfused host
Our guests at SCE #8 were notable for their differences and remarkable for their similarities (one of which, alliterative names, confused the host - sorry!).
An imbalance of male over female SCE guests was partially redressed this evening with the visit of Kitty Day and Kirsty Merryn, two highly accomplished singer-songwriters from different but complementary traditions of the genre.
Kitty's writing betrays her love of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and, to these ears at least, the influence of Americana and transatlantic writers generally. She confessed to an affection for Jackson C Frank, the near-mythical singer-songwriter (hero to Bert Jansch, amongst others) whose one album, produced by an as yet unknown Paul Simon in the 1960's, is still a reference point for many of her ilk. The iconic folk-music derived chord-changes her writing is couched in speaks of a noble tradition stretching back to British folk music via poor, white immigrants to the US, Appalachia and Woody Guthrie.
In Kitty's hands they are the setting for the tender and honest songs which are a very apt vehicle for her beautiful singing. Her economy of arrangement is an object lesson for many performers who don't understand, as she does, that less is more.
Classically-trained and jazz-influenced, Kirsty is as much a teller of other people's stories as a confessional writer. Songs imbued with jazz rhythms and changes are underpinned with a far-more-than-competent keyboard technique that offers a rich and compelling backdrop for her tales. Her velvety vocal delivery is likewise coloured by her training, making for a very rewarding evening of contrast with her stage-mate.
She has no break-up songs, she told us, but she has no need of them, speaking of love, her forebears and urban life with great lyrical control.
The host (me) sang a few of his own, doing his best to keep up and asked occasionally penetrative questions about the art and craft for the greater edification of the audience.
Americana and jazz; guitar and keyboards; confessional and narrative: a song-writing evening to treasure. These two writer/singers are to be sought out. They come SCE-recommended.
Join us on 12th May at SCE #9 with Catherine Ashby and Fabian Holland.
An imbalance of male over female SCE guests was partially redressed this evening with the visit of Kitty Day and Kirsty Merryn, two highly accomplished singer-songwriters from different but complementary traditions of the genre.
Kitty's writing betrays her love of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and, to these ears at least, the influence of Americana and transatlantic writers generally. She confessed to an affection for Jackson C Frank, the near-mythical singer-songwriter (hero to Bert Jansch, amongst others) whose one album, produced by an as yet unknown Paul Simon in the 1960's, is still a reference point for many of her ilk. The iconic folk-music derived chord-changes her writing is couched in speaks of a noble tradition stretching back to British folk music via poor, white immigrants to the US, Appalachia and Woody Guthrie.
In Kitty's hands they are the setting for the tender and honest songs which are a very apt vehicle for her beautiful singing. Her economy of arrangement is an object lesson for many performers who don't understand, as she does, that less is more.
Classically-trained and jazz-influenced, Kirsty is as much a teller of other people's stories as a confessional writer. Songs imbued with jazz rhythms and changes are underpinned with a far-more-than-competent keyboard technique that offers a rich and compelling backdrop for her tales. Her velvety vocal delivery is likewise coloured by her training, making for a very rewarding evening of contrast with her stage-mate.
She has no break-up songs, she told us, but she has no need of them, speaking of love, her forebears and urban life with great lyrical control.
The host (me) sang a few of his own, doing his best to keep up and asked occasionally penetrative questions about the art and craft for the greater edification of the audience.
Americana and jazz; guitar and keyboards; confessional and narrative: a song-writing evening to treasure. These two writer/singers are to be sought out. They come SCE-recommended.
Join us on 12th May at SCE #9 with Catherine Ashby and Fabian Holland.
Wednesday, 23 March 2016
14th April 2016 (SCE #8)
The Details
Date: Thursday, 14th April 2016
Venue: The Urban Bar, 176 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ
Time: 8.30pm
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Whitechapel Tube & London Overground, various buses
The Performers
 |
| Kitty Day |
Yorkshire
born and raised, Kitty’s musical education ranged from classical to
jazz and she is a multi-instrumentalist but she has only recently
found her singing voice, and for this an acoustic guitar is the
perfect accompaniment. Kitty grew in leafy West Yorkshire and has played in
many ensembles and bands. She made her debut covering Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan on the Ukeylove
scene and progressed to writing and performing her own songs on
guitar, releasing the debut album ‘Master & Pioneer’ in 2011.
She writes deeply personal and idiosyncratic songs from the heart.
 |
| Kirsty Merryn |
New
Forest born singer songwriter Kirsty Merryn tells stories of boxing
champions, forgotten heroines and frozen winters. She has become a
regular on London’s folk scene, delighting the crowds with her
delicately introspective piano based songs and sophisticated musical
style, which are balanced beautifully by an intimate and finely
observational lyrical content. Kirsty was recently listed in
Buzzfeed’s ’34 Brilliant British Songwriters To Discover’. In
2015 she completed her first UK tour and is working on her debut
album, produced by award-winning Gerry Diver (Sam Lee, Lisa Knapp,
The Speech Project), which will be released in 2016.
 |
| Mine Host |
Simon Hopper is the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this blog.
Whistling, analysis-in-depth and fine, fine songwriting
We had another heartening display of song-writing/performing at SCE#7 on the second Thursday of March. It's a joy that we're able to entice such dedicated tellers-of-stories-in-song along to gritty Whitechapel for the celebration of life, love and all points poignant.
Jeremy Tuplin is a singer/writer with his own idiosyncratic take on both those trades. It's said to be a marker of a special talent that you couldn't mistake them for anyone else. Jeremy's debt to a variety of writers - especially one L Cohen to these ears - can be heard in his songs. But it couldn't be anyone else writing or singing them.
Jeremy gets under the skin of what it is to be. In Time's Essence he sings of '... a world we create', never feeling the need to resort to the dominant chord and thereby leaving both the melodic arc and the song's message hanging. It's waiting for something. The answer as to what is not imposed on the listener. His finest moment, though, came in a song that he had to persuaded to sing because it came from 'a dark place', he said. The Morning Sun is a special piece; 'But I chose to love and guard myself / Instead of being vulnerable to the love of someone else... / You don't love me any more / And the morning sun is just a little too bright'. Jeremy Tuplin will help you to understand. Just listen.
Our other artist's songs hit you directly. Boozer's Lament and It Hurts Me, Too get you first time, right in the gut. They are the kind of songs you feel you've heard before but they are very definitely the output of Rob Corcoran, a warm, open Irishman who shares his triumphs and disasters equally liberally. He forgot his Bob Dylan-style harmonica cradle so substituted for this with the most note-perfect whistling you've ever heard.
In All For The Sake Of A Song, addressed to one - perhaps to a former lover - who told him to 'accentuate the negative' he suggests 'Think of all the bridges you've burned / Champion cuddlers you've spurned'. In Boozer's Lament he asks his departing barmaid lover why she blamed his drinking for their breakup when she sold him the beer in the first place. It Hurts Me, Too reminds us that the instigator of an ending feels the pain of it as well.
Yours truly was the compère and question-master. We discussed writing influences, methods and preferences, the dangers of too much self-revelation - especially to a current lover, the reasons why we write and why we think an audience should listen - or not.
It was an illuminating evening. Join us for our next concert on 14th April - an all female guest list with Kitty Day and Kirsty Merryn.
Jeremy Tuplin is a singer/writer with his own idiosyncratic take on both those trades. It's said to be a marker of a special talent that you couldn't mistake them for anyone else. Jeremy's debt to a variety of writers - especially one L Cohen to these ears - can be heard in his songs. But it couldn't be anyone else writing or singing them.
Jeremy gets under the skin of what it is to be. In Time's Essence he sings of '... a world we create', never feeling the need to resort to the dominant chord and thereby leaving both the melodic arc and the song's message hanging. It's waiting for something. The answer as to what is not imposed on the listener. His finest moment, though, came in a song that he had to persuaded to sing because it came from 'a dark place', he said. The Morning Sun is a special piece; 'But I chose to love and guard myself / Instead of being vulnerable to the love of someone else... / You don't love me any more / And the morning sun is just a little too bright'. Jeremy Tuplin will help you to understand. Just listen.
Our other artist's songs hit you directly. Boozer's Lament and It Hurts Me, Too get you first time, right in the gut. They are the kind of songs you feel you've heard before but they are very definitely the output of Rob Corcoran, a warm, open Irishman who shares his triumphs and disasters equally liberally. He forgot his Bob Dylan-style harmonica cradle so substituted for this with the most note-perfect whistling you've ever heard.
In All For The Sake Of A Song, addressed to one - perhaps to a former lover - who told him to 'accentuate the negative' he suggests 'Think of all the bridges you've burned / Champion cuddlers you've spurned'. In Boozer's Lament he asks his departing barmaid lover why she blamed his drinking for their breakup when she sold him the beer in the first place. It Hurts Me, Too reminds us that the instigator of an ending feels the pain of it as well.
Yours truly was the compère and question-master. We discussed writing influences, methods and preferences, the dangers of too much self-revelation - especially to a current lover, the reasons why we write and why we think an audience should listen - or not.
It was an illuminating evening. Join us for our next concert on 14th April - an all female guest list with Kitty Day and Kirsty Merryn.
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
10th March 2016 (SCE #7)
The Details
Date:
Thursday, 10th, March 2016
Venue:
176 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ
Time:
8.30pm
Entry:
£5.00
Travel:
Whitechapel Tube & London Overground, various buses
The
Performers
 |
| Jeremy Tuplin |
A
singer-songwriter from the West Country where he cut his musical
teeth at intimate venues and folk clubs around Somerset. Now based in
London but gigging all around the UK, his songs explore themes of
romance, humour and adventure and more with soul-baring honesty. An
insightful lyricist whose truly original story songs are infused with
folk, indie and Americana influences to name a few, combining to
create a unique sound defined by a distinctive, deep vocal. His
debut EP 'Carry The Fire' was released in November 2014.
 |
| Rob Corcoran |
It’s
hard to categorize London based Dubliner Rob Corcoran’s music by
genre. He sings and he writes songs but he's not the
typical singer-songwriter. He is clearly influenced by vintage
American and Irish folk but he’s in no way a folk singer in the
traditional sense. He cites his father’s old vinyl collection
which included the likes of Bob Dylan, Makem and Clancy and Simon and
Garfunkel as the early gateway to a life long fascination with
songs, and his later obsession with the lyrics of people like Townes
Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen as providing him with the tools to
explore the inner, often shadowy core of things.
|
| Mine Host |
Simon
Hopper is
the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this
blog.
Duets, solos and songs of love and sorrow
Ady Johnston's day-job is as a guitar teacher and listening to him perform reveals why. His playing provides the fullest accompaniment to his songs. He writes personal songs such as that of his relationship with his furniture-restorer grandfather who taught his grandson his craft.
Ady sings with warmth and conviction and betrays his 1960's song-writing reference-points in his harmonica playing. He has a pop sensibility that places some of his work outside of the pure singer-songwriter genre, but his set is richer for that. If you weren't with us at this gig, search him out. You'll be rewarded.
Blanche Ellis and Maya McCourt (AKA Various Guises) sport deft guitar and shoulder-strung cello, but, especially, stunning harmonies sung with voices whose timbres' sweetly complement each other.
Influenced, also, by writers from just after the middle of the last century, their mixture of English folk, bluegrass/Appalachian and pop-tinged songs is high-modernist in its array of styles, but it's their instrumental blend, their on-stage insouciance, and, especially, the deftness and richness of the harmonies that will stay with you.
The club host, Simon Hopper (me), as ever, did his best to perform up to the standard of the guests and ask interesting questions of them about their art and craft for the further elucidation of the audience.
Join us next month for Jeremy Tuplin and Rob Corcoran. March 10th.
Ady sings with warmth and conviction and betrays his 1960's song-writing reference-points in his harmonica playing. He has a pop sensibility that places some of his work outside of the pure singer-songwriter genre, but his set is richer for that. If you weren't with us at this gig, search him out. You'll be rewarded.
Blanche Ellis and Maya McCourt (AKA Various Guises) sport deft guitar and shoulder-strung cello, but, especially, stunning harmonies sung with voices whose timbres' sweetly complement each other.
Influenced, also, by writers from just after the middle of the last century, their mixture of English folk, bluegrass/Appalachian and pop-tinged songs is high-modernist in its array of styles, but it's their instrumental blend, their on-stage insouciance, and, especially, the deftness and richness of the harmonies that will stay with you.
The club host, Simon Hopper (me), as ever, did his best to perform up to the standard of the guests and ask interesting questions of them about their art and craft for the further elucidation of the audience.
Join us next month for Jeremy Tuplin and Rob Corcoran. March 10th.
Tuesday, 19 January 2016
11th February 2016 (SCE #6)
The Details
Date: Thursday, 11th February, 2016
Venue: 176 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ
Time: 8.30pm
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Whitechapel Tube & London Overground, various buses
The Performers
 |
| Various Guises |
Various Guises are the London-based expandable duo of Maya McCourt & Blanche Ellis on cello and guitar often joined by banjoist Dana Immanuel. Formed late one night around a bonfire in Brockley the girls have been stomping and swaying all over town ever since. Playing original music influenced by old New Orleans, Appalachia and English and European traditional tunes, the girls' close-knit harmonies weave a sense of timeless folk.
 |
| Ady Johnson |
Ady Johnson released his new EP Thank You For The Good Things on May 18th '15. The title track is an ode to his late grandfather under whom he received his antique restoration apprenticeship. Recorded with Mercury nominated producer Gerry Diver, the EP brings together the soulful delivery of Ady's live performances and has been selected for Tom Robinson's 6music show.
|
| Mine Host: Simon Hopper |
Simon Hopper is the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this blog.
Three bar-stools, three mics and three singer-guitarists
It was our first evening in The Urban Bar. It was January-cold and winter-harsh outside on the mean streets of Whitechapel, but inside Song Club East concert#5 it was warm, welcoming and songwriter-sensitive.
It comes in threes at Song Club East: singers, guitars, songwriters and now in our new home, three barstools and mics. Very songwriters-circle, very conversational.
Our guests were stalwart adherents to the singer-songwriter code with story songs, tales of broken hearts and sympathetic left-of-centre-humane socio-political prognostications.
In the week that David Bowie left us bereft, Our Man in the Field, played for us the day before the birth of his child (8.4lbs, apparently). The circle keeps turning.
Alex (OMitF) name-checked Vin Garbutt as an influence and his dry, direct delivery was reminiscent of the north-east folk-legend and fellow Teessider. He sang L'Etranger, to applause from the French contingent in the audience. His caustic Background Hum tells of inhumane attitudes to those escaping war and famine propagated by the right-wing media. Low-key but warm, his stage presence compliments his songs. We were charmed by his visit.
For the second time in as many concerts we were sought out by a transatlantic fan of song-writing (and welcome to him). His visit was well-timed as it coincided with the appearance of a transatlantic artist in the shape of Robert Chaney. He played songs written by an old girlfriend, by Irving Berlin and by himself. He and our US visitor reminisced about songwriters they knew from home and Robert showed why Americana tale-telling-in-song is such a popular genre here with intriguing songs such as The Ballad of Edward and Lisa and The Cyclist.
Your host (me) contributed with material from his back catalogue, encompassing the creation of everything and how to say a final goodbye with joy.
We loved having our guests along. We loved having the audience there, too.
Join us next month for Various Guises and Adrian Johnson. February 11th.
It comes in threes at Song Club East: singers, guitars, songwriters and now in our new home, three barstools and mics. Very songwriters-circle, very conversational.
Our guests were stalwart adherents to the singer-songwriter code with story songs, tales of broken hearts and sympathetic left-of-centre-humane socio-political prognostications.
In the week that David Bowie left us bereft, Our Man in the Field, played for us the day before the birth of his child (8.4lbs, apparently). The circle keeps turning.
Alex (OMitF) name-checked Vin Garbutt as an influence and his dry, direct delivery was reminiscent of the north-east folk-legend and fellow Teessider. He sang L'Etranger, to applause from the French contingent in the audience. His caustic Background Hum tells of inhumane attitudes to those escaping war and famine propagated by the right-wing media. Low-key but warm, his stage presence compliments his songs. We were charmed by his visit.
For the second time in as many concerts we were sought out by a transatlantic fan of song-writing (and welcome to him). His visit was well-timed as it coincided with the appearance of a transatlantic artist in the shape of Robert Chaney. He played songs written by an old girlfriend, by Irving Berlin and by himself. He and our US visitor reminisced about songwriters they knew from home and Robert showed why Americana tale-telling-in-song is such a popular genre here with intriguing songs such as The Ballad of Edward and Lisa and The Cyclist.
Your host (me) contributed with material from his back catalogue, encompassing the creation of everything and how to say a final goodbye with joy.
We loved having our guests along. We loved having the audience there, too.
Join us next month for Various Guises and Adrian Johnson. February 11th.
Sunday, 3 January 2016
14th January 2016 (SCE #5)
The Details
Date: Thursday, 14th January, 2016
Venue: 176 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ
Time: 8.30pm
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Whitechapel Tube & London Overground, various buses
The Performers
Our Man in the Field writes musical snapshots from the lives he's observed or the life he's lead. Influences include the open spaces of the North East Coast and the raw energy overflowing into London's sky line, and all the people in between.
Robert Chaney is an American performing artist, heir to the songwriting traditions of Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams and Judee Sill. Come to hear songs from his 2015 ten-track debut, Cracked Picture Frames.
Simon Hopper is the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this blog.
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
SCE changes: new venue; new day; new start-time
As of 2016, we're moving on and up.
New Venue
Our new home is The Urban Bar (formerly The London Hospital Tavern) on Whitechapel Road. It's in a great location, directly opposite Whitechapel Tube and rail station and well-served by buses.
The staff are friendly and music-orientated and have been very positive and supportive about our re-location. We're looking forward to working with them.
It has a dedicated music room complete with stage and lighting and will be a lovely venue for our event. There's great food and booze, there, too!
New day
We will be meeting on the second Thursday of the month - first gig on 14th January (watch this space.)
New start-time
The concert will start at 8.30 pm and will have mid-gig break, finishing around 10.45 pm.
Join us; you'll be welcome and you'll love it.
Thursday, 10 December 2015
'Unmissable'
In Adam Beattie and Jack Harris, Song Club East was host last night to two exceptional song-writing and guitar-playing talents. If you weren't there, you passed on a special song-based musical treat interlaced with intelligent and informed discussion on the art and craft of the songwriter.
We had extinct birds, a 100-year-old man, 'stealth misery', songs that should have been sung in Welsh, some that were misunderstood, some that were comprehended and much banter.
Jack was moved to song-writing by the delta blues of Mississippi John Hurt, whereas Adam remembers Tom Waits' influence. Both have strong ideas about how songs should be written and both back them up with material of the very highest quality.
The Same Boat, a Beattie song, proposes that we see things from the point of view of a refugee. His piece The Man Who Loves Too Much considers the social position of a man with too great a capacity for affection.
In Vanished Birds and The Oldest Man Jack demonstrates his breadth of song-writing vision and a profound interest in this world and the lives we lead.
The host (me) also waded in with material from his back catalogue, always pulled hither and thither in his choice of song by the powerful material produced by two first-rate writer-performers on the top of their games.
NOTE: NEW VENUE - THE URBAN BAR, WHITECHAPEL ROAD
Please note that from January we will be in a new venue;
We had extinct birds, a 100-year-old man, 'stealth misery', songs that should have been sung in Welsh, some that were misunderstood, some that were comprehended and much banter.
Jack was moved to song-writing by the delta blues of Mississippi John Hurt, whereas Adam remembers Tom Waits' influence. Both have strong ideas about how songs should be written and both back them up with material of the very highest quality.
The Same Boat, a Beattie song, proposes that we see things from the point of view of a refugee. His piece The Man Who Loves Too Much considers the social position of a man with too great a capacity for affection.
In Vanished Birds and The Oldest Man Jack demonstrates his breadth of song-writing vision and a profound interest in this world and the lives we lead.
The host (me) also waded in with material from his back catalogue, always pulled hither and thither in his choice of song by the powerful material produced by two first-rate writer-performers on the top of their games.
NOTE: NEW VENUE - THE URBAN BAR, WHITECHAPEL ROAD
Please note that from January we will be in a new venue;
Next concert: Thursday, 14th January, 2016
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Whitechapel Tube/London Overground
Buses, 254, 25, 205 and others
Buses, 254, 25, 205 and others
Saturday, 28 November 2015
9th December 2015 (SCE #4)
The Details
Date: Wednesday, 9th December, 2015
Venue: St Margaret's House, Bethnal Green E2 9PL
Time: 7.30pm
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Bethnal Green Tube, 254, 388 and others
The Performers
Adam Beattie has been active since 2003 and has recorded three studio albums. He is about to release his fourth. Career highlights include supporting Bert Jansch and Jolie Holland, as well as touring in Germany, Ukraine, France, Italy and Cyprus. His distinctive voice ties together an eclectic mix of 'folk stews and dirty blues'. He performs varied, emotional shows including philosophical musings of the modern life of a Scotsman living in London. His popular song 'A Song of One Hundred Years' is a ballad written for his grandfather who lived to that age.
Jack Harris was a South by South-West showcasing artist at 17. He was also the youngest, as well as the only non-American person ever to win the New Folk song-writing award at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Texas. Previous winners included Gillian Welch, Steve Earle and Devon Sproule. Those days are gone, along with most of Jack’s youth and vigour, but he’s still pleased to find himself in such company. And he still writes literate, compassionate songs, about subjects as disparate as Caribbean drinking festivals, the colour of a potato flower and the lives of great poets like Elizabeth Bishop. His live show is a riveting mix of song-craft and theatrical story-telling, delivered with warm voice, dry humour and nimble, string-picking fingers. Come on out. You'll see.
Simon Hopper is the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this blog.
Monday, 16 November 2015
Compelling stories, angst and lovely London folk songs
Harry Harris and Theo Bard are testament to the vibrancy of the London singer-songwriter scene. Troubadors both, they inject their own knowledge of the history of their craft into the songs they write. They perform and tell tales of life in the capital city, whales in rivers, love and what it means to live in this particular here and now.
To see life from another's point of view and communicate that to an audience through song is a special talent and Harry Harris does this. Families at war, a little boy's most memorable day and a footballer's greatest hour are all grist to his mill. And it's lovely stuff.
Theo Bard busks the street markets of east London and writes about his life in the capital. He sang songs from his new CD, You Give, and demonstrated his own take on bluesy, urban folk-style guitar playing.
Together with the host of Song Club East, Simon Hopper (that's me), Harry and Theo discussed the pros and cons of writing in the first person, seeing through a stranger's eyes and the difficulties of the bearing of the soul in verse. Bert Jansch got a mention as an influence as did Ron Sexsmith and Warren Zevon. Folk songs were mentioned as was pop, blues and Appalachian mountain music. No narrow church, this.
SCE #3 was another lovely evening. Three singers, three guitars, three different ways of connecting with the great ongoing flow that is the history of singer-songwriting.
Come and join us on December 9th for SCE #4 with Adam Beattie and Harry's brother Jack.
To see life from another's point of view and communicate that to an audience through song is a special talent and Harry Harris does this. Families at war, a little boy's most memorable day and a footballer's greatest hour are all grist to his mill. And it's lovely stuff.
Theo Bard busks the street markets of east London and writes about his life in the capital. He sang songs from his new CD, You Give, and demonstrated his own take on bluesy, urban folk-style guitar playing.
Together with the host of Song Club East, Simon Hopper (that's me), Harry and Theo discussed the pros and cons of writing in the first person, seeing through a stranger's eyes and the difficulties of the bearing of the soul in verse. Bert Jansch got a mention as an influence as did Ron Sexsmith and Warren Zevon. Folk songs were mentioned as was pop, blues and Appalachian mountain music. No narrow church, this.
Come and join us on December 9th for SCE #4 with Adam Beattie and Harry's brother Jack.
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
11th November 2016 (SCE #3)
The Details
Date: Wednesday, 11th November, 2015
Venue: St Margaret's House, Bethnal Green E2 9PL
Time: 7.30pm
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Bethnal Green Tube, 254, 388 and others
The Performers
Theo
Bard is
a man on a mission. Whether rocking late-night shows with his band,
spellbinding listening audiences with his beautiful, heartfelt songs
and storytelling to match, or singing his unique urban folk songs as
a vagabond one-man-band busker, Theo always brings a music and a vibe
that feels just right.
Harry Harris has been writing songs for 10 years, influenced as much by English and American folk music as by indie-rock bands like Eels, Counting Crows, and The Hold Steady. Signed to Wild Sound Recordings, his latest album, Songs About Other People, is listed as one of the Telegraph's best folk albums of 2015, and is exactly what it says it is - 10 story songs about other people, some real, some made-up, some somewhere in between
Simon Hopper is the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this blog.
Monday, 19 October 2015
The bar's been raised...
It was a night of lovely contrasts, beautiful songs and outstanding playing. Our guests Michael Garrett and Louis Brennan were both magnificent last Wednesday at our second SCE concert.
Michael's voice is light and mellifluous; Louis' can make Tom Waits sound sweet. Michael draws us in with intriguing stories of historical characters and their devious deeds; Louis dares to tell the truth of his own heavyweight life experiences and challenges us not to look away. Both are consummate songwriters. Michael crafts his songs of others very finely, betraying a precise skill. Louis has an ear for a heart-skipping, 'did-he-really-sing-that?' line which demands a different kind of attention. They're both great artists and we were treated royally by their performances of the songs they've written.
We also found out a little about the what, why, when, how, where and who of their writing as they patiently responded to the host's (my) prompting. We learned that Louis likes to create in the prone position, that he listens to Leonard Cohen and that alcohol may play some part in the process. Michael is a fan of country music and loves writing as much as performing.
The host (me) played, too; a mixture of new and old, stories of London and California and sad songs with happy tunes (or 'Stealth Misery' as they're now known).
Our second evening was a top-quality affair. The bar's been set high.
Now for SCE#3: November 11th, 7.30 featuring Theo Bard - complete with recently released EP - a second guest TBC and yours truly.
If it's as good as SCE#2, it's going to be great.
 |
| Michael Garrett |
Michael's voice is light and mellifluous; Louis' can make Tom Waits sound sweet. Michael draws us in with intriguing stories of historical characters and their devious deeds; Louis dares to tell the truth of his own heavyweight life experiences and challenges us not to look away. Both are consummate songwriters. Michael crafts his songs of others very finely, betraying a precise skill. Louis has an ear for a heart-skipping, 'did-he-really-sing-that?' line which demands a different kind of attention. They're both great artists and we were treated royally by their performances of the songs they've written.
 |
| Louis Brennan |
We also found out a little about the what, why, when, how, where and who of their writing as they patiently responded to the host's (my) prompting. We learned that Louis likes to create in the prone position, that he listens to Leonard Cohen and that alcohol may play some part in the process. Michael is a fan of country music and loves writing as much as performing.
The host (me) played, too; a mixture of new and old, stories of London and California and sad songs with happy tunes (or 'Stealth Misery' as they're now known).
Our second evening was a top-quality affair. The bar's been set high.
Now for SCE#3: November 11th, 7.30 featuring Theo Bard - complete with recently released EP - a second guest TBC and yours truly.
If it's as good as SCE#2, it's going to be great.
Sunday, 4 October 2015
14th October 2015 (SCE #2)
The Details
Date: Wednesday, 14th October, 2015
Venue: St Margaret's House, Bethnal Green E2 9PL
Time: 7.30pm
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Bethnal Green Tube, 254, 388 and others
The Performers
Louis Brennan is a Singer Songwriter from Dublin, Ireland based in London. His songs deal with anxiety on public transport, dissatisfaction in the workplace and the minutiae of modern despair. He enjoys a cool drink on a warm evening as much as any man and his dulcet tones and mellifluous plucking have graced the stages of many notable watering holes. A long player record of his sad ballads has been mooted for 2016.
Michael Garrett is new to the folk circuit, pairing soft, powerful
melodies with a distinctly narrative songwriting style. With influences
from traditional Irish folk, and occasional hints at Americana, Michael
is quickly gaining popularity in London's growing folk music scene.
Simon Hopper is your host.
Thursday, 10 September 2015
It was all about the songs
Congratulations, and celebrations - as someone once sang - to all who attended and performed at the inaugural Song Club East concert last night. It was a warm, intimate occasion, fitting for the playing and appreciating of original songs about people and the things they do. Three artists occupied the stage together for the evening, taking turns to sing and sometimes accompanying each other.
Black*Scarr sang their songs of life, strife and all its vicissitudes, and told us insightful tales of how they write together and why being a songwriter means 'you're not ordinary'.
Gabriel Moreno brought his poetic soul to the evening, singing and accompanying himself on Spanish guitar, explaining his choice of chord progressions and presenting to us a rarely sung song about his father.
Your host, Simon Hopper, spoke of how Bob Dylan uses rhyme to underpin the power of his songs ('Once upon a time / You dressed so fine / Threw the bums a dime / In your prime') and how he steals Dylan's ideas to incorporate them into his own songwriting and sung a song about Bethnal Green and its inhabitants.
The audience arrived curious and left having been royally entertained by artists who care about their stories and educated, just a little, about what songwriters think about and the tricks of the trade they employ to communicate more effectively through their songs.
It's the first of a series of monthly concerts - every second Wednesday. The next is on 14th October.
Your host as always will be Simon Hopper, the guests are:
Michael Garrett @mikegarrettfolk
Louis Joseph Brennan @loubrennanmusic
Join us!
Friday, 4 September 2015
The stage is set...
... only the audience is missing.
Songwriting masterclass with Gabriel Moreno, Black*Scarr and Simon Hopper (see older posts).
It's gonna be cool, it's gonna be songwriterly, it's gonna be a great evening of songs and song-craft.
You coming?
Date: Wednesday, 9th September, 2015
Venue: St Margaret's House, Bethnal Green E2 9PL
Time: 8.00pm
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Bethnal Green Tube, 254, 388 and others
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
9th September 2015 (SCE #1)
The Performers
Black*Scarr are Johnny Black and Emma Scarr, an East London duo formed by two singer songwriters with different styles and influences, but whose co-writing has collided to produce a collection of songs that move audiences to laughter and tears. Honest and gritty, this urban folk/country duo produce songs full of stories and themes that are modern but classic-sounding and timeless, personal and everyday, still universal.
Gabriel Moreno. A published poet and singer songwriter from Gibraltar. His songs fuse Mediterranean rhythms with Indie/folk arpeggios performed with a classical guitar. Based on his literary publications, Gabriel versifies lyrics of love, loss and desire, which are transmitted in sheer emotional nakedness. Gabriel runs The Lantern Society.
Simon Hopper is the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this blog.
Date: Wednesday, 9th September, 2015
Venue: St Margaret's House, Bethnal Green E2 9PL
Time: 8.00pm
Entry: £5.00
Travel: Bethnal Green Tube, 254, 388 and others
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Everyone needs a banner
 |
| Banner #1 |
Things are progressing satisfyingly here at SCE HQ. The banners have arrived. We always think that a stage needs a presence - don't you agree?
First gig Wednesday 9th September, 8.00pm.
See you!
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