More wot I have seen…

Brass Monkey at the Electric Theatre in Guildford

We recently went to a live ‘gig’ at the Electric Theatre in Guildford, a lovely little venue built in what used to be an electricity power station. We saw a flyer for Brass Monkey at the local folk group and decided to give them a go as we recognised the names of a couple of the band members (Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick). The small venue had an intimate feel, though the seats we had at the back suffered from poor ventilation and it became quite hot and stuffy during the performance. The band played traditional folk songs but with a twist of having the less traditional brass instruments playing a major part. Probably not exactly our taste but interesting in their own right they were certainly very accomplished musicians and it was an enjoyable evening.


‘Brass Monkey – the five-piece band that started in 1980, sputtered to a halt in 1987, and burst back onto the scene with renewed vigour in 1997 – looked all set to build on the buzz of a re-energised come-back with regular new albums and annual tours. They had a unique sound, nobody else remotely resembled them, every live appearance was a wonderful success, and every new recording was greeted with joyous appreciation’



Shep Woolley at the Dorking Folk Club

This was an entertaining gig in the old folk tradition of comedy and music combining to give the audience a good time.


‘To some Shep is a folk singer who tells funny stories, to others he's a stand-up comedian who writes great songs and parodies. He can sing a protest song or belt out Long Tall Sally - he is definitely a great all-round performer who is the perfect guest for All Fool’s day!’