ALL shows at the Black Swan Folk Club, Peasholme Green, York, are postponed until the end of August in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most prominent among them is the Roland Walls Weekend from June 5 to 7. Formerly known as the City of York Folk Weekend, it has been re-named this year after the driving force behind both the folk club and the weekend, who died last June.
This postponement policy also applies to the club’s concerts at the National Centre for Early Music and The Crescent.
In the club’s latest newsletter, organiser Chris Euesden says: “We’re going to review things at the end of May to see where we stand. This includes the Roland Walls Weekend, which was to have taken place in June.
“If you’ve already bought tickets for any of our events that have had to be postponed, you can get a refund from the internet ticket provider or you can hang on to your tickets, as they will be valid for the new date.
“This applies to all events except The Paperboys at The Crescent on April 5, which is cancelled. If you have already bought tickets, you’ll be able to get a refund from seetickets.com. Go to their support section for further details.”
One Black Swan concert during the folk furlow is yet to be postponed: Chris Cleverley, presented by Broken Record on June 25. At the time of writing, it is “still hoped” that this night of songs on the theme of deteriorating anxious minds, damaging gender constructs and mystical tales of the occult will go ahead. Watch this space; ticket information is yet to be announced.
Reflecting on the present state of no-play, Chris says: “Well, we’ve never issued a newsletter quite like this one before. As the current situation has changed from day to day, so has the newsletter.
“With the [Government] announcement of the closure of pubs and other music venues and the uncertainty surrounding the amount of time this is going to go on for, it seems like a good point to let you all know what’s in place at the moment.
“It’s highly likely there will be more changes, but we’ll do our best to keep you all informed on our website, blackswanfolkclub.org.uk, via Facebook, Twitter and with additional newsletters.”
Wheels are in motion already, however, for re-arranging postponed concerts.
Maz O’Connor, a Lake District singer-songwriter of Irish roots, now living in East London, is transferring her March 26 Black Swan gig to The Basement, City Screen, on September 9 with tickets on sale at wegottickets.com/event/497157.
O’Connor, who studied literature at Cambridge University, has been commissioned to write songs for the British Parliament and the Royal Shakespeare Company and is devising a piece of music theatre.
The Eliza Carthy Restitute Live/Through That Sound concert at The Crescent on April 10 is re-scheduled for January 24 2021, with tickets on sale at seetickets.com.
Carthy, the Robin Hood’s Bay singer, songwriter, fiddler and self-styled “modern English musician”, released Restitute as her first “solo” album of traditional music last May, recorded at her North Yorkshire home on the coast.
Joining Carthy at The Crescent will be the Restitute band of Ben Seal, Ben Somers, Willy Molleson and David Delarre, complemented by a support slot and special guest appearance from Saul Rose.
As well as the Restitute material, Carthy and co will perform selections from Through That Sound (My Secret Was Made Known), her upcoming April 1 album of original songs recorded with Fife producer, arranger and band member Ben Seal.
Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman’s 25th anniversary concert on April 22 at the National Centre for Early Music has a new date of November 17 (box office, ncem.co.uk).
The husband-and-wife duo will mark this milestone by revisiting and reinterpret songs spanning their career, from the early days of folk supergroup Equation to 2018’s album, Personae, plus a nod or two to their extracurricular musical adventures.
The club is in the process of re-scheduling Grace Petrie’s May 18 show at The Crescent. Drever, McCusker, Woomble, alias three of Scotland’s busiest musicians, Kris Drever, John McCusker and Roddy Woomble, are booked for The Crescent on August 24 (box office ents24.com), so keep an eye open for what may change or not.
Looking ahead, Black Swan gigs are in the diary for Anthony John Clarke on September 10; Christine Collister and Michael Fix, September 18; Maria Dunn, September 24; Sam Kelly & Jamie Francis, October 8; Lucy Farrell, October 15; Sam Carter, October 22; Charlie Dore & Julian Litmann, November 19, and Martin Carthy, Eliza’s father, on December 3.
Across the wider folk scene in York, hurdy-gurdy musician, wildlife biologist, broadcaster, song and story writer and York Hedgehog Rescue founder Toni Bunnell’s Tracking The Changes show on March 29 at The Basement, City Screen, has been postponed.
Music sessions are suspended at:
The Maltings, Tanner’s Moat, on Tuesdays;
The Golden Ball, Bishophill, on Sunday evenings;
The Three Legged Mare, High Petergate, on Friday evenings;
Havin’ the Craic at The Fox, Holgate, first Wednesday of each month;
French & Breton, Eagle & Child, High Petergate, second Wednesdays.