The house was packed (to be strictly correct, the converted barn was packed) and as it was the local folk club gig, we we’re treated to some of the locals singing and playing guitar (Paul Ross), Chris Mason (with concertina, historical information and Glasgow 2003 Dert t-shirt) and friend of Martin’s, Michael Emmins.

Introduced as, “he just sings traditional tunes, the GREAT Martin Carthy” he started with a song he said he learnt when he was 17 (so that’d be 1958). He said as he’s got older, more of the songs that he does are of the ‘in your dreams, sunshine’ ilk. This one was a tale of a Jolly Jack Tar which was followed by the ever popular, ‘John Barleycorn’. The first set also included a guitar instrumental ‘Laudnum Bunches’, which he quipped, was “straight from the Cotswold drug culture.”

Just as I was thinking how much the folk scene loved the history of it all, Martin told us the story of a song that had three verses that everyone knew until someone in Norfolk found a fourth, who then forgot the tune, only to put it to another one which he didn’t like, so he played it to yet another. You get the idea.

He ended the first set with a very disturbing song about the folly of trying to keep secrets — and they blame gangster rap for the rise in anti-social behaviour!

I had a quick chance to say hello and asked Martin whether he’d ever played with Phil Beer of (Show Of Hands) and he said he hadn’t and went on to point out that he had played with a couple of good fiddle players in the past; Dave Swarbrick and daughter Eliza (who had a busy year last year appearing at Buxton and the Wynchwood Festival).

The second half started with ‘Ant And The Grasshopper’ (which had a well received reprise) and included ‘Creeping Jane’ (which is on an album called Unto Brigg Fair by Joseph Taylor, which he highly recommended, should you see it). Followed by ‘Famous Flower of Serving Men’, a song about the success of strike action (Billy Bragg will be enjoying that one at Folk Britannia), an accapella ‘Ode To’ Hamlet’ and he ended with ‘King Henry’.

He kept the crowd enthralled to the end with an encore he said was “euro-folk at its best”, the theme tune from the film ‘The Third Man’ (on CD3 of the Carthy Chronicles - see links below).

Links:
Martin Carthy - wikipedia : Awarded MBE in 1998
Waterson:Carthy - Martin & Eliza - Daughters of Albion at The Barbican www.watersoncarthy.com
The Carthy Chronicles
Unto Brigg Fair : Joseph Taylor and other traditional Lincolnshire singers recorded in 1908 by Percy Grainger
Ringwood Brewery - www.ringwoodbrewery.co.uk : Hectic recommends the mustard also.
Folk night at The Elm Tree, Hightown, Ringwood - Tuesdays 8.15-11.00pm tel: 01425 472516
Live At Last! Recorded live at The Winter Gardens, Bournemouth on 7 March 1978
Bournemouth Online - Winter Gardens
Glasgow 2003 Dert
Lancaster Maritime Festival - Easter 2006 www.shanty.co.uk