Sussex
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The Twochurches at The Brunswick’s Open Mic in Hove
It’s that weird week between Christmas and new year, and I was itching to get out and perform, after a fairly nondescript Christmas in suburban Luton. I usually have choir practice on a Monday, so I’d never quite made it to The Brunswick pub in Hove for their esteemed open mic, which is of a Read more
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Brighton Folk Choir Pub Crawl Wassail for Brighton Women’s Centre
There are two types of wassail: the one where you sing at apple trees and honey bees, and the door-to-door cheeky begging variety, which is the precursor to modern carol singing. Just like the bar in The Blues Brothers which does both types of music (country and western), I’ve dabbled in assorted wassails over the Read more
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The Highchurches / The Hognutters Mummers at Rottingdean Windmill
Rottingdean Windmill was host to the Wilde Volk exhibition this weekend – a display of masked, often animalistic figures in folklore. So who better to perform at its opening than the Hognutters Mummers, with their traditional “give us money or booze or we will beat you up” play of death and rebirth, and pig costumes Read more
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This Machine Kils Wasps with MJ Hibbett and Chris Thorpe-Tracey / The Highchurches do a gig on a barge in Shoreham
Tickets are now on sale for a special This Machine Kills Wasps in Brighton on Friday 15th August. MJ Hibbett and Chris Thorpe-Treacy have both been massive influences on my life, my music, and my philosophy. Hibbett writes amazing songs and taught me you don’t need anyone’s permission to make music; Chris writes amazing songs Read more
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Walking from Lewes to Rottingdean
On a windy, sunny Sunday afternoon, I got my butt out of my usual, sometimes self-defeating patterns of weekend behaviour and took myself up into the Downs. I’m very lucky to have the South Downs National Park on my doorstep, and I have been rationing bits of it out to myself slowly. My brain forever Read more
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Brighton Folk Choir at Jack In The Green 2025
A wonderful day of glorious nonsense. I “tour managed” this one, to allow Jo to focus on the music. This was a very fancy way of saying I got to repeat things Jo said in a loud, commanding voice, and got to tell people when we were due onstage if such a piece of information Read more
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Brighton Folk Choir at Apple Blossom Day, Stanmer Orchard
Mainly notable, in my mind, for the photos of Ruth’s terrifying puppet, which cursed the villagers and turned the apples to dust. Nevertheless I’m sure a good time was had by all. Read more
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A wander up Chanctonbury Ring
“Chanctonbury is a place where time slows” [1] The last time I made it up to Chanctonbury, the world was different. It was 2019, and I was walking the South Downs Way. I was lost, but not in a geographic sense, as it’s hard to lose one’s bearings when walking a giant ridge of chalk Read more
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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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