Brighton Folk Choir
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“Come follow me…” Hurstpierpoint Wassail 2025
A quick write-up of Saturday’s wassail in Hurstpierpoint, which was without a kernel of a doubt one of the most enjoyable wassails I’ve done. And I’ve done a lot of wassails. This one was organised by our choir leader and nearby-Hassock resident Jo Burke. It was very kind of her to schedule it for a… Read more
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Brighton Folk Choir End Of Term Cabaret 2024
The Rose Hill is a gorgeous pub, community venue, and recording space a two minute walk from my flat. Every Monday, during term time, a bunch of folk and folklore enthusiasts come together to learn original arrangements of traditional songs, taught by Jo Burke, a wonderful singer and brilliant teacher. The end-of-term cabaret is a… Read more
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Wake me up before you play a gig in a Grade II listed gothic ex-church
It’s been a breakneck few days since my dad’s funeral, which went about as well as these events can. The turnout was huge, and the wake was full of stories and cheer. Lots of people from Dad’s overlapping lives (work, family, being a geezer) came up to me to say how much they enjoyed the… Read more
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Indie Brighton
Does anyone use listings any more? The hope is yes, as I’m setting up a weekly one for Brighton via my newsletter. I’m probably showing my age, but I still love reading about what’s coming up at any given location. Facebook events killed off a lot of the listings sites. The ones that remain are… Read more
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Brighton Folk Choir End Of Term Show
Summer is Icumen In, and with it, my folk choir breaks up for the holidays. To celebrate, we had an end-of-term show, with any choir member invited up to sing a song, recite a poem, or dance a belly. I wish we’d do this more often. I love folk choir, and Jo is an amazing… Read more
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This Machine Kills Wasps with Jason Pegg, The Highchurches, Jamie Mykaela, Blank Peng and Rob Duncan
Cor that was a good one. Initial signs were troubling. Ticket sales were a bit sluggish compared to February, with Brighton a bit show’d out after a May of the Fringe and The Great Escape, for fans of the arts and artwashing respectively. But in the end we had a pretty much full room for… Read more
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All the shows I saw at Brighton Fringe 2024
Over on my newsletter I’ve posted links to all the Fringe, Spiegeltent, and Festival shows I went to this year. I’ve probably forgotten a couple, but this is how posterity shall remember it. I had a lovely time, and enjoyed excellent company throughout. Next year, I think I’ll take a few more risks and see… Read more
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Re-Enactment: The Diggers, Mark Thomas, Victoria Melody and the Brighton Folk Choir
“Your freedom to uphold / seeing Cavaliers of old / to kill you if they could / and rights from you withhold /Stand up now Diggers all!” Was it all just a fever dream? A sunny Saturday lunchtime, and my folk choir is singing a 17th century folk ballad in Whitehawk, encouraging gardeners with pitchforks… Read more
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Jack In The Green, Catalyst Club, and Mark Thomas: 3 Brighton Folk Choir gigs in one week
Ours is a seasonal choir, in which we learn old songs with a sense of time and place. Sometimes this can be bittersweet, especially when sing of trees and birds that are now rare or under threat, but it helps reconnect one with the cyclical nature of existence, and the importance of community, ritual, and… Read more
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