Bands and Artists Intro Poems by Adrian Spendlow
Sarah
Lawton.
Hey little girl in a big jazz band
This is a prediction
Take all that Leeds-sing and
Irish from your mother
Move forward into a future
21st century futire
Through strange tipi villages
Being a singing flautist
Going living in a cave
Get from Glast to Wandering
World music with Paul to enthral
East Asia, Europe (as a place of choice),
Home Granada
Sing, record, write
Marriage and death (always popular)
Fiddle on Flamenco
Little girl in a big jazz band
Become what John Peel loved to play
Let the world embrace a heartfelt voice
Let this amazing journey
Go moving ever ever one
Sarah Lawton.
The
Silsden Singers.
Hush
Something’s happening
Something universal
And enduring
Is happening here
One soul shares with another soul
Another sharer joins with the other
Building and healing
Uniting and life giving
Communicating, messaging
The oneness of voice bringing peace
Harmony happening timelessly
From forever to tomorrow
Joined in the know
Here are the words of all worlds
All knowing to show
Let all history’s spirit bring us
The Silsden Singers.
Sleeping
Dogz.
Wild with Willy Barret
Making it happen - Like that
Listen - Shout - Like that!
Nothing ever like this - ever,
Anywhere
Moorish - This is moreish
Celtic - aren’t we
Cajun - step this way
English - Listen
Walk inside their hearts
You are
About to enter into
The spirit of
The deeply rhythmic beauty
of this vision
I tell no lie
Sleeping Dogz.
The
T&B Specialists.
Hello good evening and welcome funsters
We are here to find the strongest link – in
Name That specialist Quiz of the century
TB or not TB Ha ha
These are the jokes folks
Well lets move on
To our celebrity guests
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky,
what do you think of the T&B Specialists?
“Huh?”
Er Over to Hutch
“Hic!”
Thank you
Thank goodness for our live video link to
James Brown
“Yeh essentially we have two bands here
Zany irony that I don’t understand
And tight funk smooth vocals that I really dig”
Right
On with the quiz
Who medleys
Jesus Christ Superstar with Purple Haze?
Who won battle of the bands as
Rambo Sleepover and the Bedroom Nialists?
Which band’s vocals are as smooth and as greasy as deep fried chicken?
(With sexiness and urgency apparently)
Who are the tightest full on
funk monsters and slinky groove kitten?
Whose gonna make you want to
get up and throw some moves?
The winning answer ladies and gentlemen……
Come on chaps and chapesses
all together now
Its
The T&B Specialists!
Tanglefoot.
Danger
Don’t do this
Please leave
Following this
Public Safety Announcement
This act
Carries a health warning
And
A heart warning
This is serious
Keep listening
(Before leaving)
To these [!] press reports
“Thunderously” – “rabidly” –
“captivating”–“hordes”
“Full-throttle” - “furious” -
“passion”,
“Passionate” – “powerful” –
“dashing”,
“In the middle of you”!
“They’ll blow you away”!
“Abandon”!
“While you still can”
(That took some heavy editing)
“Head-shaking
hair-tossing wild men”
As purported in press releases
They tell tales
Tales of folk-lore
And the personal histories
Of people who are real
Well here
Are the experiences
Of such people
One woman ran out in tears
I know, I was there
It was Otley
(Where I lost the poetry)
She ran out,
Before they could do a
rousing cheerful one
To bring us back round!
Now
For the heart warning
Another woman
Lost her credit card
They - found it
I had to announce it
‘Will Sophie Posit,
Please go outside
To meet Tanglefoot”
She fainted
And lots of - other women
Really resented
‘Humph!’
Missing out
On their hair-tossing attention
Remember staying here
Listening
Could cause these things
To be happening
To you
One listener
Had a brain haemorrhage
I know - it was me,
So carried away
Shouting them on
I bust a blood vessel
It was me ‘ead guv
‘Ah,
I see,
You must have been to see,
(cheer – full of fear)
Tanglefoot.
Tashbain.
There was this day
A gathered group of souls
Seaward they,
Adjoined to hear
They did not know
Unaware
The depth they are to share
Story takes us
Through our deepest dreams
The wilder, weirder themes
To that we could not see
And now we know
Will ever be
So gather
Harmonise
Within
Our universality
This is our soundscape
Takes us deeper
Veer along the Klezmer
Talmud, Midrash, Tarah
Earthly, Hearty
Telling
A telling legacy
That seamlessly
Intrigues, releases. Frees
Entertains; us terrifyingly
And as hearts dance
And hopes announce:
‘You’ll never be the same again’
So we embrace
Tashbain.
Terra
Folk.
This is a Terra warning
Audience be wary
This’ll twist everything on their heads
Be blown away – scalped
Thrashing your eyes
You’re gonna be Terra whooping
Blasted outa the water
And that’s just by their fashion sense!
Dress codes and hair warnings aside
This lot of the lively and the lovely
Are gonna whip you
Into frenzy
It’s contagious
You’ll be shaken for ages
Hugged up in their jumper of love
Electrified
These Stereo-Folk-Live live in this moment
Three your mind
N’Taka - nother look
You are hooked
And travelling wild with,
What all the world has been watching,
Right here
With their totally unlimited scope
Terra Folk.
The
Pack.
Will you come somewhere with me? Anywhere – Anytime
From Hexham through Hope Valley
In to the instant of forever’s envision of what we now see
Listen: Whistle play drifting way over the heather as young shepherd is
herding. And
Endeavour returning, Captain-mourning, aboard ship and playing, in rigging
singing
Coalminer’s wedding, harvest time, christening, influx of navying,
colloquial and invading.
Armies are marching, fishermen returning, seasons we are celebrating
The poor’s lot we are protesting, the ceilidh, the railway, the deep
mine and the shearing
The moment of village life, the terror of sea’s strife, the happening
moment of dance, chance, lament
Lets get together, be nuclear, a family, we are there – in that minute.
Live it, be in it
These young souls are timeless and cry, “Bring it all back!”
Leap into the present, the future, the past
With the nowness of
The Pack!
Tim
Hain and Th’Worx.
I was walking down a Whitby Street
With cold feet watched the river flow
The sea-spume
and the seagulls screech
Alright OK You win I thought
Oh no
Woman trouble
Money worries
Cry from the heart
The drum beat deep misunderstood, I’ll
Never break another heart
Cliffside signals play the blues
The sea called to me sinicly
“Come warm your feet on me”
Oh I love her with a feeling
But
What is the use
Ah All the thrill is gone
I walk on
See the sea See the sea see
Another side of you
Step free
‘I need you love so bad’
Before I fall
I hear it all
Strident in me
Tim’s blues has come to call
Pavilion Hall I turn to face
Amazing Grace!
In the hip - The spine - The me
Oh I feel glad
I need your blues so bad
Bring it on home
Bring it on home to me
Twenty years younger
I’m going to Jamaica
Fly away home blues - fly away home
There’s another side of you
True to the blues I dance again
Your beauty’s all it takes
I thank you - thank you
Dear Tim Hain
Thank you
For
T’Works.
Tim
Van Eyken.
I have slept in a fisherman’s cottage,
I have walzed through palaces,
I have drank in swamp-shacks,
I have laughed in sod-lodges and I have danced,
in my heart I have danced through moor and meadow and it all happened here
at The Black Swan,
thanks to the beautiful,
captivating,
enticing melodic experience which is Tim Van Eyken.
Tony Wilson.
Great voice
Great music
Great fella
Great songs
When this guy’s on
You can’t go wrong
And you are gonna listen
Hear every word
Voice bending,
Story riveting,
Songs abound
Hush nar
He’ll have you,
Hanging on every word
Wit n the wisdom
Come shining through
If half the places
He’s been
Half the things
He’s seen
Are true
He’ll captivate you
Whether you’re
Kings or Fools
Listen
All day and all night
He can cook up a
‘Christmas Cake’,
Using only a mandolin,
That is out of sight
Adder banjo
Adder guitar
Adder stone
And you’ve an act
One hell of an act
And then some
Hear each picture spoken
With
Tony Wilson.
Tung.
Poetry?!
Poetry?!
“Who is this guy?”
“And what’s he on!?”
“Mad hippy old poets
Can’t write an intro
For this one!”
How can weaving sublime words
Supply ample rendition? –
NoCompetition
How can beautiful stanza’s quiet
Announce our Stepping Into A Riot?
Poesy skills Exhausted
You Won’t Believe My Tripe
Try P lease
These melding words of praise
Are for an act
That will leave you amazed
But
Poetry could never say
Beats are beefy – Riffs are fat
This is an act that kicks ass
Blows you away
No – No matter
How smooth – solid – slick – spot on
This phenomenon
This poet’s kant
Could never –
Make The Rant
No No matter
How the words are pretty
Poetry could never shout
Rock City
For such a
high energy – high volume – heavy
Poetry is the wrong choice
This poet
would never raise his voice
So quietly, quietly,
poetically welcome
For now their show has begun
Serenely, delicately
Raise a welcome
For
Tung.
Vin
Garbutt.
Never over 30 years!?
That pixie grin
Has been around here
(Here and everywhere)
“Hello Adrian”
“Hyer Malcolm”
“Cors I will Jane”
Nice innit
Met you once,
Years back,
Remembers your name
He was my first folk act
Seeing him
Won me over
Folk
He epitomises the genre
I had half a mind
To write an intro
That had nothing to do with
What had to follow
Well - that’s how
Most of Vin’s
Introductions go
I thought of his
passionate fervour
After reading a theory
Suggesting a songwriter
Only wrote when in anger
Writing in temper
I looked to this fine act
Who is motivated
By emotions
Far far deeper
Loving humanity
Reaching our heart
Deep is the feeling
A richness to impart
‘Our friend’ has humility
Doesn’t want praising
For having star quality
But its owed to his audience
To talk of his brilliance
Brilliant in knowing us
Excellent in understanding
Using great talent
To contact humanity
All over this planet
And - if he cares deep
And - sees - us
Struggles to reach us
To change how we reach out
From amid life’s aftermath
If he sees so deep.
So into
The essence of humanity
No wonder he also -
Wants to make us laugh.
Virginia
McNaughton.
Be unafraid
As we swoop and hush our way
Through the essence of Chardonnay
Appealing we wistfully fly
Comforted by reality
Like rain on the windowpane
Pattering past our missed chances
Our faceless hurts
Deep veined bleakness
Goodbye to all that
Honey and wine time
Imbibe us – Saturate us
From the heart down
Pulleying us
Levering us
Engineering us
Look at her there – poised
We – who haven’t heard her,
The faceless, anonymous,
Are Essentially Prey
It’s been worth the wait
Delicately, timeless
This is classic and clear
Considered
With unfussy production
(Be unafraid”)
Virginia McNaughton.
Viva
Flamenco.
Roller coater of emotions
Devotion to perfection
That has a ‘dramatic’ effect on
The senses
Feelings enhanced
By the dance
As we listen
To this fusion
Of all art
And artistry
The sounds
And the sight
And the sighs
And the jaleos
Here we go
Enjoy the flamenco
We are not here
We are in a juerga
Just you - and a
Few friends here
Down in the south of Espania
It’s late
Around midnight
There is nothing around but
The voice
The guitar
The body of the dancer
Moving on the moonlight
As this outfit takes flight
To all corners
Stadiums, media, theatres
And now here
We ‘jaleo’
Here we go
Viva Flamenco.
Voice
Of The Water.
Hush
The waves whisper
Hear
As the sea breathes
Of a
Reflective eclectic repertoire
These kids
Bin mixin in the kitchen
Ever since
Tam thought – “Lets……”
In two weeks
That was it
2 years 2 albums
And every Monday
Everyone comes –
hums – thrums -
Chants
I’m breathing in hot pants
(Open every winder)
In case they do – Fever!
We’ll go funny all over
Even if you’re
Stone Cold Sober
Parliament Street
blessed them
As the festival of angels
Even if the sound crew
Were
packing up around them
“Chipko!”
Or should I say hug
Hugging trees
Singing
Huddling
Have you seen them?
Close your eyes
Find a note
And just go for it
Something this beautiful
Can’t happen by accident
There is
brainstorming providence
So wide
So eclectic
Oh electric!
Open up
To their pure vocal pictures
Like playing l piano
Under African skies
The gold dust women
And the same old salt
Has anybody seen
The mythical musical muse? [!]
This lot caught her!
Voice Of The Water.
WAKE.
Snore Snort Mmmmmm
Nicky Katy Alice
(I’m dreaming They are here at my place)
Mmmmm Alice Katy Nicky
Mmmmm This is wicked
Mmmmm Nicky Alice Katy
I drive you crazy
I MUST be dreaming
Speechless
I’m a basket case
These girls are from Mars
This is a dream I must enjoy
Or I’ll be my own worst enemy
I must be dreaming
Whats that!
A shaking
From a really good..
Loud
Upbeat
Different dream
This is wicked
Drumming
Thrumming
Getting louder
Louder - Louder
Louder the better
Nothing’s this good
This is great
I’m dreaming
No mistake
What! - Where! – Who! – “Oy!”
WAKE!
Weaving
with Willow.
International musician Willow from the group Shapeshifter has played with
many great names including Roy Castle and has toured extensively throughout
the world. Willow (Piano/keyboards) is now in harmony with the poetry vocals
of Adrian Spendlow. From smokey blues to spiritual vibes you will be uplifted
and entranced.
The
Witches of Elswick.
I’ve come to complain!
This is a proper folk club
We’ll have none o this dressin up nonsense
We dress right in here
And no shenanigans
None o this new fangled stuff
I’ve seen about you lot on the internet ?
Theatricals – n like
None of it
This is a proper folk club
Where everybody joins in
Partittipissipation
Like now
The audience look from one another
In a confused way [!]
Then it dawns [!]
Adrian’s gone back to the old days of being an action poet
And we all get to join in – with all of the actions
We like proper folk
Don’t we! The audience nod agreeingly
See they’re all going along with me
Tight-lipped – nose in the air
We Huh! Disapprovingly (Huh)
We’re proper folkies [yep]
With our swaggering shoulders
And our off to the side jaw
And our EYE [!]
What we want is charming young ladies
What do we want! (Charming young ladies)
Singing beautiful songs – Ooooooooo
And swaying their – Ho ho ho’s
Swaying their what’s? Ho ho ho’s
Leave the breaking of wind to us fellers
Let me here yer fellers [!]
But hang on!
What’s going on?
The audience are knocked back [!]
And sway all kind o mesmerised
Ey up!
Sommat witchy’s goin on
No doubt
All sort of hipnotised we say
“This next act is terrific”
“We all want to buy them a pint” [!]
They’re terrific they’re what?
“Terrific!” Louder
“They terrific!”
Its….. All together now…….
The Witches of Elswick.
Not an intro poem
as such - more of a ‘meld’. I held an ‘Amnesty’ candle
whilst reading this and then they went straight into a song they had prepared
specially. It were lovely.
The Women At No. 13.
I am the flickering speck – of hope
I am the gathering warmth –
of human kindness
I am the red-hot touch – of urgent need
I am the gentle light – of understanding
I am the way forward – hold me carefully
I am the burn of passion –
always consider me
I scar forever – treat me safely
I light your way – be enlightened
I am true and positive – believe in me
I seek to light the sky – see beyond me
I am the glimmering spirit – bathe in me
I am the gathered souls – still love me
I am the heart of all that passed before
I am their wish – blown away easily
I am the breath you breathe
I am the life you live
I am the candle
I am the moment
I am the future
Let me burn within you
Changing
Burning
Bringing what should be.
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