Lewes Local Group Report - Monday September 16th 2024

 Lewes Local Group Report – Monday September 16^th 2024
A waxing gibbous moon was visible in the evening sky as we gathered at the Lewes Arms for our September session. This was the fourth time at our new venue, into which we have settled happily. Some eight apologies for absence had been received for various reasons including Covid. However, with suitable throat lubricants in hand, eight singers – five gentlemen and three ladies - assembled in the upstairs room of this more than two hundred years old pub. 

We were most pleased to welcome a new member from Crowborough who decided to join after seeing SDFS performing at Stanmer Park in Brighton earlier this year. We very much look forward to welcoming him back next month. 

Prior to the evening Tina had sent out a list of 40 songs that we will concentrate on in the next three months. They are colder season songs, together with some general songs which are on rotation throughout the year. 

During the first half we sang “Littlehampton Collier Lads”, “Oak Tree Song”, “Loyal Lover”, “Ha’nacker Mill” “Oak, Ash & Thorn”, “Come Stranger, Come Friend” and a new song to us, “Rambling Comber”. 

Parish notices during the mid-session break were mainly a ‘heads up’ from Tina for forthcoming events over the next few months including the 8th November lunchtime concert at Brighton Unitarian Church, 12th January Wassail at Stanmer Park and the SDFS AGM on 3rd October, with encouragement to attend and/or stand for the committee. There was also a brief review of the performance at Lewes Priory on 14th September, and Tina will provide feedback to the organisers. The room at the Lewes Arms will not be available for our December session, but two singers offered to host us at their home in Saltdean, subject to family commitments [this has now been confirmed]. 

Then back to the singing with “Jolly Woodcutter” (another song new to most of us, collected by Lucy Broadwood of Rusper), “Poor Froze-Out Gardeners”, “All Among the Barley”, “Hard Times of Old England”, “Love And the Ball”, “Lark In the Morning” and finally “Parting Song”. 

The moon was riding brighter and higher in the sky when the session ended at 10pm, and we each wended our way home. In the lyrics of folk singer and songwriter Reg Meuross the word ‘moon’ seems to feature quite often. However, this is perhaps not the case for the SDFS where, instead, the emotive words ‘ale’ and ‘beer’ seem to pop up fairly regularly! 

[Note from Tina: Funny you should say that, David. We session leaders had noted the lack of moon songs in our repertoire a while back, and I think I have found one from local singer-songwriter the late Maria Cunningham which I will be suggesting as a song to try very shortly…watch this space…]

David C