Archived Reviews

Our guest this week was Bram Taylor, singer and guitarist. The opening line of his first song was "I don't worry..." which set the mood for the evening ahead: set aside your cares, sit back, prepare to be entertained - and we were! However, we could not sit back for too long as many of Bram's songs required audience participation, joining in choruses of songs which included 'I'll Lay You Down, Love', 'Rock and Roll Kids', 'Next Time Round' and my particular favourite 'Isle of Hope'. Not only did we have to sing, we were even persuaded to do the actions for 'Wisdom Be My Guide'.

In between songs, Bram regaled us with humorous stories about his family, people he has met on his travels and amusing anecdotes. We heard about some of his more unusual hobbies (collecting signs and misprints) and his philosophy on life. Bram displayed his versatility with the concertina, during the singing of 'Going Out Of Town'. Bram has a great voice, both powerful and emotive, which was shown in his choice of song about Israel and Palestine 'The Two Brothers', which reflected a more serious side to his nature.

The support this week came from John Redpath and Gerry Tapscott, followed by Dave Page and John (Hank) Richardson. John and Gerry started the evening off with a lively 'Singing Land' followed by 'Withered and Died' and 'Fields of Gold'. In their second set they showcased their own compositions 'Mayfield Morning' and 'Cold Cappuccino'.

Dave and John's sets included the Brian Bedford song 'You Are There', John Denver's 'Flower That Shattered The Stone' and, a new song for them, 'Wild West Romance'. John had chosen to sing 'Where Are You Tonight, (I Wonder)', which was very apt as there were disappointingly few people at the club this week. Nevertheless, we were all in good spirits - how could we not be after hearing Bram's fantastic operatic aria! -and I, for one, thought the evening was a great success.

Thanks to John, Dave and Mike for the sound.

Jane Cross