Christchurch Folk Music Club
Fat Boy & Slim Review
Sunday 1st March, 2009
By Marjorie Mitchell
God Bless the Queen! Victoria that is. Dave Hart (Fat Boy) and John Jones (Slim) right royally entertained us at the Folk Club last night.
Vaudeville is what Fat Boy and Slim excel at – like you have not seen for many a year. On a very small stage, they changed costumes in a trice and in so doing, they changed into any manner of characters. We were in turn, serenaded , scared, mocked and shocked – while being fed on outlandish tales of pretend mayhem from characters intended to thrill or chill sending shivers down the spine. It was very well done, mainly because the words came across so clearly – albeit a tad Cockney. The sense of energetic ridiculous drama, was highlighted by Jane Hart, playing her trombone for The Fella What Plays the Trombone.
Enjoying the Victorian humour, the audience participated by either hissing, groaning or screaming – all the while chortling in their seats at the surprising madness of it all. Singing was not compulsory but we all joined in with items such as: I’m Shy Mary Ellen, A Mother’s Lament. Sweeney Todd and You Can’t Take That Thing On the Train and many others – all easy to sing along with.
It was an evening of thrilling melodrama. My advice to Dave and John is that those unplanned errors on stage bring unintended laughs and those are simply loved by the audience. You don’t need to try too hard, as the enjoyment comes from watching your antics– turned into art, via a keyboard and mandolin plus two eccentric personalities.
So please keep up the tradition – tunes, songs and poems were all in the best British taste. Along with us, Queen Victoria would be very amused.
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...
Darrell Scott: CD- “Live in NC”
Reviewed by Christine Smith Darrell Scott: Vocals, guitar(electric/acoustic), songwriter Danny Thompson: 'Victoria' (Acoustic Double Bass) Kenny Malone: Percussion If you're looking for a CD which will leave you gob-smacked, then this is the...
Cam Ye Oér By Bus?
By Vic McDonald, New Edinburgh Folk Club They came frae the north, the bogs and the moors attacking the heartland as oft times before They came armed with guitars, accordions and more and one had an organ and played it full sore It became with...
Babelfish
Feb 12, By Jan Driscoll One very hot night in more ways than one, having missed Babelfish the last time they appeared at the Club, I was looking forward to a good evenings entertainment and I was not to be disappointed. For those, like myself...
Andrea Zonn – Love Goes On
If you are anything like me, the name Andrea Zonn means absolutely nothing to you, but, rest assured, when you hear this little gem it will spend hours in your player of choice. She's a Nashville gal. Her mother and father are musicians and she...
Iain Mitchell
Review: Iain Mitchell, 5th July By Dave Hart What a breath of genuine Scots air, in more ways than one. A voice like a Scottish gale indeed. I’ve known this wee lad for some decades now and his ability to regale with song and yarns is...
‘Pulling the Ton’: The Muddy Mama Blues Band
22 March 2015 At 9:30pm the satiated audience rose to its feet as the encore of St Louis Blues faded away. The somewhat staid interior walls of the Irish Society Hall had rocked all evening to, at times, a 10-piece band intent on remaining...
Gats, Gats and More GATS!
Guitarist Tony Hale had been working on an idea to bring together some of our best local finger- pickers for a guitar-laden concert. It came to fruition recently as 'Fingerpicking Delights' and was warmly received by a full house at the...
Ryan Neville and the Midnight Blues Show Band
Born in Christchurch New Zealand, Ryan Neville has been entertaining for 25 years. Having a huge appetite for Blues and its Colourful legacy, Ryan has with guitar in hand, song in his back pocket been taking the world by storm.. Having an...