Practical Stuff

WHO? WHERE? WHAT?
We are an open mic club meeting every Tuesday at the British Oak pub in Old Dover Road, Blackheath. We are more of an acoustic than a pure folk club. Recent sessions have included virtually every musical genre.

TECH BIT
We have a 300 watt Yamaha PA system with 2 mics and 4 other inputs. If more inputs are needed a Behringer mixer can be made available with prior notice. The space is relatively limited and a four-piece band is probably the optimum.

WANT TO PLAY?
We operate a first come-first served system. There are 10 minutes/2 song slots. It is best to arrive by 8pm to avoid disappointment and ask for Lynne. We only have one rule we ask performers to respect: our excellent host, Peter, prefers people not to publicise gigs in other pubs, which seems fair enough to us.

WHERE ARE WE?
The British Oak, 109 Old Dover Rd, London SE3 8SU

Wednesday 15 October 2008

Tuesday October 14th 2008

At last a new post! Work, the enemy of the musical classes! So, what's new amongst the oakfolk? Since my last post western 'civilisation' has wobbled to the edge of the abyss but the British Oak remains a reminder of the good things in life (Freudian slip; I typed 'thongs' initially!)
Lynne, Theresa and I continue to be amazed by the talent that walks through the doors on Tuesdays. It's been great listening to regulars like Ben, Neil and Matt and Jerry go from strength to strength. And as for Kate, well, what can I say? She's become increasingly confident and really puts her songs over powerfully with feeling. Colin has given us another poignant new song and the two Simons are perennial crowd pleasers.
I must confess to a favourite; Caroline gave us an exquisite interpretation of 'There Were Roses' a fortnight ago, her minimalist autoharp chords creating a haunting backing to a really moving song. It ws great to have yet more diversity when her friend Claire played some lovely keyboards. Welcome also to Dan.
This Tuesday afforded us yet another unexpected treat in the shape of Fiddlesticks, a dynamic guitar/fiddle/vocal duo. The ringing applause said it all and I'm sure that we we see them again in an extended spot. Thanks also to Folkmob regular John for trotting out his band (didn't quite catch the name)
We had unexpected guests recently when the Gremlins put in an appearance. The PA certainly didn't take to them but, fortunately, it seems to have been a one-off appearance. Apologies to those artistes affected by unusually muddy sound.
Who am I
 
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