We've always stuck steadfastly to our pattern of one concert per month. We think it's the right amount (and we wouldn't have the energy to do more than that on a regular basis). However...
ROAD NOT TAKEN, the Downend-based four-piece that originally formed as a bit of fun to play a support slot at the club in September 2014, have gone on to become quite a big deal, and are now making waves in the wider UK folk scene. Featuring DFC chairman Ant Miles on guitar, alongside some more familiar faces, Road Not Taken are releasing their first full-length album, Fragment, on 30th August, and embarking on their first full UK tour in support of the release. We welcome them "home" for the final date of that tour, on Sunday 15th September.
Having honed their craft over a number of years of performing live, their debut album Fragment brings together eight songs, inspired by the tradition and which best represent their sound. It's is a collection of six inventive and atmospheric arrangements of traditional folk songs and tunes, two originals and a creative arrangement of a popular classic. Singer Anita Dobson’s clear and striking vocal soars over hypnotically beautiful melodies from Claire Hamlen on violin and viola, underpinned by Ant Miles’ understated finger style guitar and Joe Hamlen's creative use of harmonium, banjo and bass guitar. Their music has been described as "songs which feel as though they have been draped in glittering cobwebs, which is a very fine thing indeed", and "folk music with all the feels of the romantic era composers".
On the album title, Ant says, "A fragment is a piece that can stand alone, but also form part of a greater whole, a bigger picture, which we feel reflects our approach to arranging songs from the traditional folk canon; our interpretations are just one aspect of the many variations which exist of these familiar songs."
As one reviewer once said, "Downend Folk Club don't have a 'house band', but if they did, Road Not Taken are it", so we couldn't really have them hold their Bristol album launch concert anywhere else, could we? So, just this once... we're slotting in an extra gig! Road Not Taken's album launch will be held at our Frenchay Village Hall HQ on Sunday 15th September... the final night of the quartet's long tour. There will not be a support act, so it won't finish too late... we realise Sunday is a "school night"! All the usual DFC bits and pieces will be there though... the bar, featuring real ale brewed down the road at GREAT WESTERN BREWING CO., the NAUGHTY BROWNIES, the silent raffle... you know the score! Doors open at 7.30pm for an 8.00pm start, and tickets are an absolute bargain... £8 in advance, or just £5 in advance for members! You can get them online HERE (members should login to the Members Only section of the website), and also from MELANIE'S KITCHEN in Downend. Tickets will be £10 on the door, so please do buy in advance.
“You’re not messing about, are you?” says the smiling young man from the stage, as he peers into the audience. “You’re going to give it some on this singing-along lark!”
Some people make it easy to sing along, and Downend Folk Club’s July guest JACK RUTTER is certainly one of them. Much of his set is taken from the traditional canon, and Jack has chosen a good few that have easily rememberable choruses… but it’s much more than that. From the moment he steps onto the stage, he immediately puts you at your ease. He’s amiable, chatty, self-effacing and relaxed. He occasionally bumbles in his northern accent, which is most endearing.
He’s something of a rarity, is Jack Rutter. He’s a folk musician, but he does something that’s become less and less common: he smiles on his album covers and in his promotional photos. And he carries that smile with him onto the stage, too… he clearly loves what he’s doing, and isn’t afraid to show it. He’ll smile at the lyrics in a song, but he’ll also smile as he nails a tricky looking riff on the guitar or bouzouki (and nail it he does, every time).
So when he asks the healthy audience to sing along, they are seemingly powerless to resist, and join in with great gusto on various numbers, including The Dalesman’s Litany (which rounds of the first half perfectly as the audience belt out “From Hull and Halifax and Hell, good Lord deliver me”) and Hey, John Barleycorn… a popular choice among folk singers lately, although Jack’s version is certainly amongst the best.
But to attribute the success of Jack Rutter entirely to his warm, infectious personality would be to do him a tremendous disservice, because he’s an immensely talented musician, and shows us frequently why he’s been so in-demand of late, playing with folk luminaries such as Seth Lakeman and Jackie Oates. Whether guitar or bouzouki, Jack is one of those players who looks totally at ease with his instrument… almost as though it’s an extension of his own body. Tricky riffs, like the one in I Was Once A Young Ploughboy (the lead single from Jack’s new album Gold Of Scar & Shale, out in October) fall from the instrument with seemingly little effort. Of course, that’s not the case… that ease comes from years and years of practice, and a good dose of natural ability too. And Jack can sing, too, as the second, unaccompanied song Down By The Derwent Side, proves beyond any doubt.
Before all Jack’s northern loveliness, there’s something from closer to home to get the evening underway. ELLIE GOWERS hails from Warwickshire but up until quite recently she’s been based in Bristol. But, no matter where she’s from and where she’s living, she is one to watch. With a crystal clear voice (the opener Robin has the audience spell-bound from the start) and a guitar style that sits somewhere between John Martyn and Joni Mitchell, Ellie delivers a six-song set that has the audience desperate to hear more. She’ll be back at Downend Folk Club, of that I’m certain.
So the club now has a well-earned month off before returning in September… but the Summer season left our hearts warm with the sound of singing. Long may it continue.
Words & Photo: Bea Furlong
We round off our Summer programme this month with a visit from one of the best young folk singers currently treading the UK circuit.
Still in his mid-20s, JACK RUTTER is a highly respected singer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist making music within the British folk tradition. The release of his debut solo album Hills, which is a collection of eleven traditional folk songs, and recorded completely solo and live in the studio with no overdubs, has been received with across the board acclaim and recognition. Critics are praising his traditional style of singing (“beautifully sincere, timeless and beguiling” - Songlines), and playing (“guitar, bouzouki or concertina accompaniments are beautifully constructed and played; never getting in the way of the song, but supporting and building it” - The Living Tradition Magazine) that have come together to create ‘Hills’, an album which “takes him to a whole new level, quite simply outstanding”.
Jack, who has played at the club before as part of Moore Moss Rutter and has also played with folk luminaries like Seth Lakeman and Jackie Oates, grew up in the Holme Valley area of West Yorkshire, a place steeped in a wealth of traditional song and since graduating from Newcastle University with a BSc degree in Countryside Management in 2014, he’s gone on to forge a hugely successful career playing music professionally in various guises across Britain and Europe. In this new solo outing, the BBC award winning musician delivers folk songs with a rich, unassuming Yorkshire charm and an easy going stage presence that gives a live performance which is “wonderful, pure and simple. The audience just falls head over heels for this man, and rightly so.” (English Folk Expo).
He recently announced a second album, Gold of Scar & Shale, which is due for release in October. Jack will be performing songs from the new album, and there may even be a chance to get your hands on an exclusive pre-release copy... you never know!
Opening the evening’s entertainment will be ELLIE GOWERS, a singer-songwriter originally from Warwickshire but currently based in Bristol. At only 22, Ellie yields powerfully quaint songs with thought-provoking mature themes. Embedding heavy lyrical inspiration from the early greats like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave, Ellie has produced her own folk-driven contemporary style. Traces of Katie Melua, John Martyn and Laura Marling creep into her melodies.
Being a self-taught guitarist and lyricist, Ellie adopted a soothing disposition towards the composition of the guitar around her voice, letting the accompaniment of the guitar express the sentiment of the song as much as the lyrics do. Over the years, Ellie has encountered a range of singing styles including musical theatre and choir and her voice has developed into a mellisonant swirl of warm, dulcet tones and a secure sense of her own voice..
Tickets for the event, which takes place at Frenchay Village Hall on Friday 19th July 2019, are available from MELANIE'S KITCHEN or online HERE. They are priced at £12 each in advance (£10 for members), or £14 on the door. There will be a full bar, stocking cider, soft drinks, wine, hot drinks and locally-brewed real ale from Hambrook-based GREAT WESTERN BREWING CO., and also locally-made NAUGHTY BROWNIES. There will be a raffle with prizes including CDs, gift boxes of beer and sweet treats. You are encouraged to bring your own glass/mug/tankard/bucket, as well as reusable bottles for water, as part of our to be more environmentally aware.
Most of our events sell out, so please do buy your tickets in advance. For further information, please visit the club’s us on FACEBOOK, TWITTER or INSTAGRAM, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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