What people have been saying about Margate Songbook: Echoes of England
A few highlights from the last couple of weeks!
Spring walk with my mum and dad Monica Troughton David Troughton in the Cotswolds, beating Davey Mulka at pool, going to see Jonny Hepbir play in Broadstairs, seeing an incredible new band called English Teacher play in Brighton.
Then last night we went to the inspired Margate songbook event at Rosslyn Court where Morag Butler has been researching which songs people love that are about England. My choice of song Lazy Sunday was selected and played live by Josh Flowers, followed by a good old fashioned sing along to Maybe it’s Because I’m a Londoner as well as a whole range of songs which were poignant, romantic, poetic, funny…it was fantastic (soz about my singing in the vids ). Do go to the next on if you can!
And Studio Lenca’s phenomenal exhibition which opened at Carl Freedman Gallery which features an collaboration with Kent Refugee Action Network young refugees alongside his stunning paintings, and delicious El Salvadorian food at the party afterwards where we danced all night after eating pupusa and rice. Please go and see this show, it’s bloody brill.
Phew! A lot to be thankful for here!
- Twinkle Troughton, 13/04/24
The third, and for me, sadly, the last, Margate songbook this evening, this time at Rosslyn court. If you're not familiar with the concept, basically, the people of Margate are being asked to suggest songs which say something about Britain, either for themselves, or perhaps for us all.
One of the things about the project that strikes me, is just how moving each song feels put in context like this. As we took our seats a recording of We'll meet again by Vera Lynn played, and on this most terrifying of days, with the rancid troubles in the Middle east escalating via an attack by Iran upon Isreal, the implicit 'Keep calm and carry on' message was welcome, and strangely comforting.
But it was down to Snottledog Iain Purves to kick the evening off with Ralph McTell's majestically human Streets of London, a difficult task, as musically, it's hardly a stomper. But it's grim depiction of people so far down the food chain "In a world that doesn't care" strikes a chord with everyone, for as the person who chose it observed, rather than get the situation under control, it's been allowed to fester and grow. Shame upon this cabinet of monstrosities that calls itself a government, and well done Iain for pulling it off so successfully.
Josh Flowers had a much easier job by coming next with the Small faces classic Lazy Sunday, or it would have been if he'd been familiar with it! But he learnt it well, scoring an audience singalong hit. Respect!
Then Iain was back, joined by Cheri Allcock, for the one song of the evening I wasn't familiar with, namely Environmental anxiety by Raye, and boy, did they score! Tremendous song, which I will definitely hunt out, and all praise to Cheri and Iain for their great performance.
Next up was Charlie Hannah. The great John Beetham, sadly, being ill, it was left to Charlie to fill in, and, if you're familiar with Charlie's ouevre, you'll know, wonderful songwriter that he is (he really is) he isn't synonymous with Cockney knees ups. But he positively blazed through Maybe it's because I'm a Londener as if he were Chas Hodges rather than Chas Hannah! Following that, and a little closer, musically, to home for Charlie, was the theme to the Detectorists, which he pulled off with aplomb.
Once again in lieu of John Beetham, we had Morag Butler, the glorious queen of Rosslyn court, singing Hares on the mountain, a tradional song many of us know from the singing of Shirley Collins. What was interesting here was that, of course, Morag and Shirley share a similar range, something which had never occurred to me, but where Shirley sings with a southerners hypnotic detachment, Morag brings all her northern passion to the song performing it excellently.
Josh Flowers is back, this time for football anthem, song from Carousel, and Gerry and the pacemakers hit You'll never walk alone, which he performs extremely well, obviously with a lot of vocal support from the crowd, it's that type of song, but that doesn't take away from his charisma.
Then my neighbour ( he lives a door or two away from the bottom of my garden) Geoff Turner gets up to perform an unaccompanied rendition of Bushes and briars, which is a triumph, especially when you consider that he isn't a singer or performer by trade, but his shyness only added a further layer of humanity to it all. Loved it!
The wonderful Ty and Ayesha Watling closed the half with a corking Waterloo sunset, a song I dearly love (as I do the Kinks) but a song I feel has an intangible magic that transcends the lyrics. There's nothing wrong with the lyrics, I want to make that clear, but there's just something in it's musical DNA that seems to make it bigger than it's constituent parts.
After the break, Cheri Allcock and Chris Wimhurst blow our minds with a version of Wuthering heights, a song it seems unimaginable that anyone could cover, but clearly, I was wrong, because they storm it, Chris capturing the arrangement perfectly, and Cheri, incredibly, managing that extraordinary tune. Bravo!
Then we're treated to Thomas Wood, another Snottledog, who gives us an unaccompanied Butter and cheese, which I know from the singing of the great Peter Bellamy, and he absolutely sells it! A marvellous song, very funny, and terrifically delivered.
Chris Wimhurst is back for a song which, apparently, someone chose with brexit in mind, namely Who's sorry now? The old Connie Francis hit. It's completely appropriate and reminds me of all the little 'patriots' that absolutely believe that brexit was the right thing to do (regardless of the misery it's caused so many of their fellow countrymen) yet moan constantly and very loudly about everything!
Ty and Ayesha return for a moving Who wants to live forever, made more moving by its proximity to Who's sorry now? and by the fact that it was chosen because it's about caring about others, which patently, brexit was not!
Apparently, a lot of people, when approached, spoke fondly of school assembly (all except Paul, whom I was sitting with, who shudders to think on it) So the incredible Chris Wimhurst (the most casually talented man in captivity?) was inveigled into giving us a singalonga Morning has broken, which worked for me, as we were still singing that in assembly, and had been forever, when Cat Stevens had the hit with it.
Morag came back for a delicious Accident of birth, a song that points out, to jackasses everywhere, that you aren't 'better' than the poor devils in small boats you despise so much, and the fact that you aren't one of them is just an 'accident of birth'. Cracking stuff!!
The last live performance was a Chris Wimhurst/Thomas Wood collaboration, the Young 'uns classic, A Lovely cup of tea, which tells the true story of a bunch of EDL supporters who head down to their local mosque to 'kick ass', only to think again when the attendant Muslims offer them tea and biscuits!
Then the evening winds up, as ever, with a recording of Gabriel Moreno's tremendous.
We'll write England all over again. A song that speaks for me.
Thank you Morag, Chris, Una and all at Rosslyn court who made this evening so great, and hello, and terrific to see you, to everybody that was there tonight, especially the lady (why am I so rubbish with names?) who was so kind about my FB posts.
Goodnight all, and keep safe! X
- Steven Todd
Thank you so much for including The Detectorists by Johnny Flynn in your Margate songbook. It is such a beautiful song and just evokes the historic countryside of Kent and the Sea, that has taken so many lives.
I have purchased 2 tickets , you kindly said I could come for free but I like to support local music.
It was such a great night at the Wasteland and such a great idea. I hope you can get funding for a further round of songbooks. I think it's a magic combination of live music and a community that gets to chose.
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