Bath Acoustic Club

Bath Acoustic Club The Bath Acoustic Club has been running in Bath for 19 years and was founded by Mary English.

After a successful 5 years under Hilary Pavey and Chico Holton, Jim Sherry and Jan Newton now run the club.

11/06/2026

What can I say? Our July feature slot will be occupied by an act ideal for what will, (OK, MIGHT!), be a lovely warm summer's evening ... the lovely, warm Terry Helyar! (I was going to say "a lovely HOT summer's evening, but I thought he might get the wrong idea!)
Anyway, seriously, we all know Terry, he of the smooth, chocolate voice and cool guitar playing, and it will be great to see and hear him doing an extended set. He's a nifty songwriter, too, and of course he will no doubt bring along his trusty melodion. It will be a relaxing, fun night!

There will of course be floor spots, as usual, so if you want to play, please arrive and sign in by 7.45 latest. If the list fills up quickly, as it usually does, and if everyone is in place, we can start a bit early, and gain a bit more time to fit everybody in.
On this subject, we are considering formally starting earlier, at 7.30pm, with an official end time of 10.30pm. Opinions, please!

Again, as usual, no guitar cases etc., to be left on the landing, and still £1 admission!! See you on Tuesday, 7th July!

03/06/2026

Despite being banished to the basement, the June edition of the Bath Acoustic Club managed to dazzle, albeit in a psychedelic haze of colour. I think that the St James’s Wine Vaults received a better offer for the upstairs Gallery, but I have been assured that we will be back in the daylight in July.

We celebrated the return of Trevor Valentine, who had made the lengthy journey across the Severn Bridge to be with us again, and led us in a number of crowd-pleasing songs, beginning with The Leaving of Liverpool and ending with The Wild Rover. In between, he impressed us with a number of songs from his recently composed musical, including Kite and Anchor, Father and Son and, my favourite, Fireflies. He also included Clare to Here and the (award-winning) Sailor’s Dream in his set, just to remind us how much we had missed him. Please come back soon, Trevor!

We had begun the evening with the late Stan Rogers’ Forty-five Years, regarded as one of the very best love songs, before the ever-enjoyable Fred Sanders gave us the autobiographical Neal Avenue and his version of the Beatles’ I Saw Her Standing There, ornamented with his own elaborate prelude. Then the wonderful Andy Popplestone gave us the powerful Victor Jara, followed by Dylan’s One Too Many Mornings.

A slight rearrangement of the furniture heralded the arrival of the massed (well two) dulcimers of HP Sauce (Paul and Hilary). They played Wayfairing Stranger and Angelina Baker. I love the sound of a dulcimer, and the sound of these two is more than twice as enjoyable. Also enjoyable was Garth’s performance of Nic Lowe’ Indian Queens and Creed Bratton’s All the Faces.

Then Kate and Richard gave us Tha’ Looks a Proper Swell and The Jacobite Lass, both sung and played delightfully. Another delight was Catherine, who gave us my favourite of her own songs, Meet Me at the Meadow, followed by her most recent composition, Two Thousand Heartbeats, although I can’t quite imagine rolling in the flowers at Great Chalfield, but Heigh Ho! Then Anna, clearly in holiday mood, gave us her own Sardinia, followed by At the Shoreline.

After Trevor’s set, the second half witnessed an invasion by The Peekies (Chris and Christina) from Stroud, who gave us their own sombre A Cold Wind Blows, followed by She Ran Away. Despite the serious inspiration of abusive relationships, we focussed on the strength of the female spirit and enjoyed their performance enormously. We definitely need more Peekies in Bath!

The irrepressible “Silver” Sam then sang his delightful hymn to Anna (see above), whom he first met at the Minchinhampton Folk Club (I think I should charge for advertising) You are my Heart’s Delight/My Minchinhampton Maid, followed by his masterful rap on Statistics. That man is amazing! Bryony, who just gets better and better, sang us (quite beautifully I thought) My Greenwood Laddie and Like his Mother Used to Do.

In contrasting style, Phil Robinson gave us the Carter Family’s My Dixie Darling, followed by Johnny Cash’s Big River, before Nigel gave us two rather remarkable numbers, The Abattoir, followed by his own CO2, which I thought were excellent, although perhaps an acquired taste!

Finally, the one and only John G. gave us That Look in Your Eye, followed by God Bless the Child, which he does like no other. A wonderful note on which to end my review.

11/05/2026

I have great pleasure in announcing that our feature slot for June will be occupied by Trevor Valentine. We haven't seen Trevor in a while, and will be delighted to welcome him back! He is a gifted songwriter, entertaining performer - and multilingual as well!! Over the past 2 or 3 years, he has visited us accompanied by guests from USA, which has been fun but, speaking personally, I'm looking forward to hearing him solo!

As regulars will know, we have had a full list for floor spots for months now, so be warned! You are advised to sign in by 7.45 latest to give us the best chance of fitting everyone in. Music theoretically starts at 8.00, but if the list is full and everyone is settled, we can kick off a bit earlier, to give us a few more minutes.

No guitar cases etc to be left on the landing, please. Admission continues to be £1 for the time being.

*sings* June is busting out all over ... (lovely girl, June!)
See you on the 2nd!

06/05/2026

This week’s session of the Bath Acoustic Club provided another superb musical feast, with many outstanding performances. We were led by Strange but True, the duo which consists of Rob Winder (vocals and songwriting) and Mick Mangan (guitar, vocals and songwriting), and they are very good indeed.

They began with Sixteen Tons, then Rob’s sombre Waiting for a Train, followed by Mick’s Changeover Day (incidentally the title of their new EP/CD), which refers to the ingress and outflow of holidaymakers in the summer in Cornwall. Next came the Nightingale, Make me an Angel and the inevitable Midnight Special. Later Rob and Mick returned to close the evening with When We Sing Together. It was noticeable how much the audience enjoyed joining in. I have heard Strange but True several times before, but they seem to get better and better. Last night they were truly impressive.

The evening had begun with Allan Taylor’s bleak but somehow beautiful Roll on the Day, before Catherine gave us her latest song In the Eye of the Beholder, the second half of which is apparently still in production. She followed this with Del Shannon’s Runaway, with bells on her toes. I cannot really do justice to this, but we all loved it!

Paul Crocker appeared solo for a change, although he did play his baritone dulcimer for his second tune, Ode to Joy, by some German composer. This followed the traditional Irish air, The Banks of the Lee. Kevin Hart started with Leonard Cohen’s Who by Fire, followed by his own song, Down to the River. Matt Bragg was another who sang contrasting pieces. First was G K Chesterton’s The Rolling English Road, set to music by Maddy Pryor, followed by The Who’s Substitute.

Rosie Upton gave us Henry Clements’ Needle and Thread, followed by Carriden, both from her excellent new CD. Garth gave us The Cure’s In Between Days, followed by Bob Dylan’s It’s All Over Now Baby Blue. Then the wonderful Jon Asprey favoured us with a rare visit to sing two of his best songs, Farther Down the Road, followed by Back to the City. Just wonderful.

After the break, the ever-excellent Fred gave us two of his own songs, It’s Been Easy and Please Don’t Send Me Away. His guitar work seems to get more intricate each time I hear him play. Simon Taylor, appearing solo, gave us Bob Lind’s Oh How the Nights Do Fly, followed by his transcription of Steely Dan’s Bad Sneakers. I gather there is more Steely Dan in the pipeline, to which I certainly look forward. He really was splendid.

Then, when next Anna sang “I’m So Happy”, you really knew she was. She followed her song I’m Home, with Orange Blossom Nights, recalling Spain, with Sam flaunting his Spanish guitar skills alongside. Then Sam himself sang They’re in Love, followed by My Fare Home, inspired by a busking Irishman at the Cheltenham Races. Sam seems to find inspiration everywhere, and manages to craft it into some amazing songs.

Next, Andy Ranshaw gave us a beautiful instrumental, South Wind, which we have previously heard on the dulcimer, followed by another good crowd-pleaser, Whiskey in the Jar, to appropriate audience accompaniment. Simon Meeds gave us Mike Starkey and Dave Marshall’s Southern Star, followed by Tom Mossman’s Lasso the Moon, with some pretty nifty guitar playing to go with it. Finally, Nigel gave us one of Mick Ryan’s hymn arrangements.

Apart from the overall excellence, the evening impressed on me the eagerness of all the audience to sing along whenever practicable. We really all do enjoy making music!

15/04/2026

Well, here we are, nearly halfway through the year already, (I've just had a birthday, and why should I be the only one bitter at the quick passage of time!), and I am announcing our guest artistes for May! we are all well-acquainted with Rob Winder, who has been a stalwart regular at the club for years, and I'm sure Mick Mangan has visited us before as well, playing solo. Anyway, now they play as a team , the mighty Strange But True - and very good it is too! Last time they were with us, I was so moved by one song that they did, I just sat there with full, stunned attention then went off and researched the history. Fantastic.

Because we have some cash in hand atm, thanks to high attendance enabling us to cover the cost of the room, we are reducing the admission charge to £1 for a bit, which is a STONKING bargain!
As we have been over-subscribed with keen performers for the last few months now, please try and sign in by 7.45 latest. Last month, we had to reduce everyone who played in the second half to one song, which was the only way to fit everyone in!

Other than that, no guitar cases left on the landings, please, and see you in May!

10/04/2026

A full house at the Bath Acoustic Club on Tuesday enjoyed another great performance from an over-full performers’ list. Sadly, despite starting early, this meant that many performances were limited to one song each.

We were led by the truly excellent singing and playing of Kate and Richard Harris, who have long been among our favourite floor singers. Kate had put together a beautifully chosen list of songs, which she sang in her delightful Scottish accent, accompanied by the impeccable guitar (and accordion) playing of Richard. They began with Follow the Heron by Karine Polwart, before taking us to Violet Jacobs’ Baltic Street in Montrose. Suzanne (not the Leonard Cohen version) followed, then Penny for the Ploughboys by Colin Cater (with a polka to follow, but sadly no Morris Dancers), Mick Ryan’s Love is Life, before an unexpected Help, from the Beatles. At the end of the evening, Kate and Richard left us with Our Town, and me with some very fond memories.

We had started the evening in a Scottish vein, with the Gaelic love song Sine Bhan (Fair Jean) and some excellent chorus singing by the assembled Sassenachs! Who knew that so many understood Gaelic? The massed dulcimers of HP Sauce (Hilary Davies and Paul Crocker) then enchanted us with The Unquiet Grave/Star of the County Down, and Hyfrydol, which was composed by Rowland Hugh Prichard, though well known by churchgoers as a hymn tune. Garth gave us Yesterday’s Wine, by Earl Okin, followed by Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues.

Matt Brag gave us two of his own songs, Up To You, followed by his take on Hamlet. Amazing! Rosie Upton, fresh from recording her new CD (Threads and Yarns), sang us two songs from it, The Bloody Gardener and the late, great Mike Scott’s Men Bu**er Off. Terrific! Terry Helyar gave us Our China’s Been Broken and The Parting Glass, which is always worth a hearing. Honoured visitor Simon Meeds gave us Tracy Chapman’s Last Night, followed by On Shining Wings. Lovely.

Bryony gave us the suitably seasonal Easter Tree, followed by her own take on Linden Lea. Sue Skinner, whom we haven’t seen for far too long, popped in to sing, appropriately, On a Wing and a Prayer, and her own version of The Selkie Seal.

Rob Winder, paying us a visit prior to his appearance as part of Strange But True’s feature spot next month, sang an outstanding set consisting of Bonnie Susie Cleland (which is a serious discouragement for Scots lassies who wish to marry Englishmen!) and that splendid shanty, The Bulgine Run, which I haven’t heard sung for many years. Rob and Mick Mangan as Strange But True have recorded an EP of songs which will be available at their gig with us next month, profits to charity.

Kevin Hart started off the second half of the evening with a couple of his own songs, No Money and Back in Bed. Anna let down her hair, being careful not to get caught in the undertow, before enjoying a Hot August Night. Catherine, celebrating 25 years at her salon in Bath (she must have started as a child), gave us the Congregation of the Damned, followed by the topical Space Oddity.

Matt Cook gave us The Devil that you Need. “Silver” Sam then sang us his own wonderful The Noisiest Crisps. Simon Taylor and Mike Fossett, making I believe their first visit to us, gave us a song about separation, Seven League Boots. It was good to hear Mike’s fiddle. Two Oak Sons, mellow Americana as ever, gave us Louisiana, before the wonderful Andy Popplestone reminded us that The Times They Are A-Changing. Finally, Nigel informed us of the real reason for the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii. It apparently involved aliens and a child’s nappy. I was going to add “you couldn’t make it up”, but Nigel did!

Another wonderful evening, and yes, Jan, I did turn to mush!

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St James's Wine Vaults, St James's Square
Bath
BA12TW

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