Christchurch Folk Music Club

Dave Hart & James Bowen

Club concert – 21 May, by Tony Kiesanowski
With the evening billed as an English double feature, James “Bar” Bowen began by introducing us to his view of some of the world’s characters he has come across in his travels. Reminiscent of the in yer face, no nonsense style of Billy Bragg, and displaying a touch of punk in both appearance and delivery, he soon pulled us into the varied lives of the actors in his songs. His skills in observing the human condition were well showcased.

In particular, he showed that his song writing skills had not lain idle during his stay in this country, with a moving rendition of “She is a Loving Mother”, taken from his experience of offering a lift to a late night traveller. His simple but effective playing style serves him well in forcefully delivering those songs with a social bite. However he also showed some deft touches on his more reflective numbers. He rounded out his performance with introductions which gave us a doorway into his thoughts and set the scene. His version of “Laughing Lenny” Cohen’s “Halleluiah” showed that he knew the canny performer’s trick of getting the audience to sing along in the encore. A fine appetizer.

The second half then saw Dave Hart, club stalwart, band lynchpin, and altogether solid and sound man, take the stage for our edification and amusement. Bantam less and Slim less, Dave proceeded to showcase his wide and varied repertoire, ranging from the rigours of the Australian outback to the delights of colo-rectal surgery. It was a surprise, but a welcome one, to be told just how fortunate we were in having Dave on stage playing for us, given that one of his forebears had been the favoured selection on an Indian menu. As always, Dave’s poetry renditions will move the mildest mannered audience to hooting and guffawing. This duly occurred with his rendition of “Bonaparte’s Retreat from Wigan”, complete with enthusiastic audience participation (at least for those wearing vests!).

A bantam then fluttered on stage in the persona of Sue Galvin.

Together, Dave and Sue performed a lovely traditional rendition of “Man of Constant Sorrow”, with Dave continuing to showcase his versatility by accompanying himself on autoharp. Dave really knows how to capture the idiosyncrasies of the English working class, and the highlight of the set for me was his version of Jeremy Taylor’s “Job’s Worth”, backed by Sue’s driving guitar work, and second fluttering bantam Jane Hart’s lusty trombone accompaniment.

For our fortunate benefit, Dave possesses all the qualities which make him a fine raconteur, singer and musician. His performance was literally delightful. Come back soon Skipper, you’re welcome any time.

Back Porch Music

Reviewed By Larry Milnes I noticed in a review in the previous Hear Ye that the reviewer closed with the postscript "If you love music don’t flog it off the net" and while I agree with this, a positive by-product of this digital technology is...

read more

An open letter from Dunedin

Okay Canterbury... Now you've done it. This was supposed to be raid, for heaven's sake! This was war. But when we crossed the border between Otago and Canterbury what met us? Nothing! Where were the barricades? There weren’t any. We stopped off...

read more

Compadres – James Keelahan & Oscar Lopez

At Al's Bar, 31/1/09 Reviewed by Gill Coe From the very first bars, you knew you were in for something special. The big Canadian with his beautiful baritone voice, paired with the sexy, bejewelled, Chilean with flying fingers and a delightful...

read more

Johnny Possum’s Goodtime Hootin’ Band

Sunday 6th May - Reviewed by Geoff Anders Johnny Possums Good Time Hootin' Band. What a name. Someone obviously has a sense of humour. Finding a good name for a new band isn't always easy so is sometimes rushed and regretted. This one works...

read more

Hera – at the Club – 17/9/06

Reviewed by Phillip Marshall Hera graced the stage with a quiet confidence and surety in her performance. Her extensive touring and recording was evident in the strong delivery of her songs. Hera’s Taylor 314CE cutaway guitar sounded bright and...

read more

Graham Wardrop and Rosa Shiels

10th June 2007, by Geoff Skinner For those who ventured out to attend this concert on one of the coldest nights of the year, they were more than well rewarded by Rosa and Graham ready to entertain, and obviously loving this reunion of musical...

read more

Emeralds And Greenstone

Concert In The Great Hall - 30 April, by Hamish Wilson. The ambitious project was the last in the "Jazz For Lunch" series , part of the Montana Jazz Festival 2006. The concept of this concert was to combine Maori and Celtic musical styles and...

read more

Enda Kenny – Here and There (CD)

Review by Dave Hart This man has long been held in the highest regard as one of the finest singer-songwriters of our time. Enda’s songs give a very real view of where he stands and how he sees the world and the events in it. The songs in this...

read more

Delgirl

Delgirl Review, Christchurch Folk Club, 12 October, 2008 The all-female Dunedin trio, Delgirl, played the Christchurch Folk Club on 12 October 2008 . This was the 29th performance of 29 on their two month New Zealand-wide tour. However, the...

read more