Brigstowe Village Band

Dear BVB 

Following  our ‘mega play’ in the last 2 weeks some messages and info .

1. thanks from Dr Anna Rutherford, Creative  Director:  Bristol Folk Festival ;

Dear Alison & Brigstowe Village Band,

Thank you for being part of Bristol Folk Festival 2025. The humour, high spirits and fun you brought was really special, and we very much enjoyed the music. 

Your performance brought a real warmth to proceedings.

I hope you all had fun at the festival. 

Compliments to whoever dreamt up the costumes!

ii) David Mowatt at St Stephens 

Thanks again for a truly wonderful performamce today. I particularly enjoyed the reading of the serpent player and boy fiddler.

There was £110 collected. 

St Stephens have invited us to play again for them . I suggested harvest time next year ! – dates to be agreed 

… and finally if you have any Brigstowe props, lilies of the valley , skirts etc etc please remember to bring them to the next rehearsal , on June 1st  – when Alison will probably  be introducing a new arrangement – if I let her know in time what we want!

On the subject of which – if there is a west country tune you think we would enjoy playing please let me know  

Well done team 

best wishes 

Liz

Hello BVB

Good rehearsal today – thanks Alison . There are some amendments so everyone check please  

‘Tweaked items’ in running order – particularly 29th May boxes ; and Briggy’ s dance 

Words for larks, as requested for band to join in refrain  

Break a leg! 

Liz

Final running order: Please note – in 29th May should say ‘boxes play the tune on 3rd time’

Words for Larks They Sang Melodious:

Timing for  St Stephens 

11. 30 Dancers arrive  and any extra players hanging around 

12.00 : Band rehearses with Alison 

12.45 Break: rehearsal ends

Hopefully there may also be time for singers to run through and Briggy  and groom  to run through 

In seats 1.05

1.10 start 2.00(ish ) finish 

What to wear  

Look as good as you did at St Georges’ s last Sunday 

Summer dress , 

White trousers / skirts -I have some white skirts for women dancing   – courtesy of Brigstowe props ,thank you Mary ) 

Summer (straw)  hats – Mary has made a number of bonnets 

Seating Plan:

Alison writes I thought Sunday’s performance was excellent, and I was really impressed with everyone’s commitment to being prepared and playing their best! It sounded lovely. I also think the singers performance was the strongest I’ve heard so far – with a great choice of song that went down very well with the audience.

Dear ‘Brigstowers’

Well done on Sunday at St George’s  and thank you   what a great advert for BVB, nice tight  joyful playing and engaging with the audience.

.. now on to St Stephens next Monday .. more to follow . See you at Sunday’s rehearsal  

Best wishes

Liz 

Thanks to the 11 people who played the kitchen rehearsal this evening.  

Note : Keep Enrico steady ; no dance for Mellow Tipsiness .

Bristol Folk Festival  Sunday My 4th  5pm – 5.30 pm 

Please arrive to set up quietly  around 4. 40 so we are ready to play spot on at 5pm  – no one is performing before us. Also be ready to clear the stage dead on 5.30 for performers that follow .   

Those watching   Granny’s attic in the main auditorium will need to leave their performance early.  

Dress : as indicated on the BVB website as Victorian working people- summer clothes. basically yellow / green  against black / white

Black trousers or skirt / white shirt or blouse / black, green or yellow waistcoat (optional), necktie (optional).

Hats – summer straw – decorated with flowers Music stands decorated with flowers if possible. Mary (Brigstowe props.) will provided extra’s .Storage of cases etc stage left under stairs. 

There are 23 of us playing so space will be tight Lyn will put a seating plan on the website.

We aim to give our audience  a warm welcome and to  create an atmosphere of energy and enjoyment, with smiles and communication of enjoyment between band members .We need to let the audience know that we are glad to be there – even before the performance begins . Roaming the audience ( and band )  will be Briggy and his new groom  creating an atmosphere of general daftness

Enjoy  and break a leg 

Cheers 

Liz

Playlist for Bristol Folk Festival:

Provisional seating plan

Notes following  Dance Workshop – please read these even if you   didn’t come to the session .

Sunday 27 April 2025, 2-4.30pm – Dance and Playing for Dance Workshop led by Alison. All welcome, suggested donation of £10 pr band member to help defray expenses

Sunday April 27th :Playing and dancing workshop 2.00-4.30 Please invite your friends

Alison writes : My aim for the workshop is…..

To explore how we can use dance to elevate our performances – adding fun, energy and extra visual interest, as well as showing how, historically, the village band would have played for dancing! I won’t just be teaching some moves – we’ll also be considering how the WAY we dance can make a big difference to the performance. Does it look fun? Or are we just going through the motions? We’ll look at three formations of dances and the music to go with them: a processional for ‘as many as will’, a lively country dance with partners in a set, and a partnered waltz. And finally, we’ll have a think about how and when we can use dance as a tool for audience participation. So there’ll be some playing, dancing, learning, experimentation, and discussion! AND time for tea and biscuits! If anyone else would like to sign up in a playing, dancing or discussing capacity (or ideally all three) please let us know.

We are likley to play/ dance

• Helston – the ‘official’ processional dance, possibly simplified (we’ll try it both ways)
• Bath Carnival or 29th May (could try both, with the same dance moves, and see which we prefer) – circling/galloping/general lively country dancing
• Lovely Mellow Tipsiness – waltz – basic step and a couple of named dances
• Costs : A voluntary donaltion of approx £10 would be welcome

Redcatch Community Gardens, Redcatch Park, Knowle, Bristol. BS4 2RD

Please arrive at 2.20pm ready to play at 3pm.

Final Setlist for Redcatch

Thanks to those who played at Tree Fest , turning out in some rather nasty weather .

After a tentative start, I thought we held together well.  A number of audience members came up to me and said how much they had enjoyed it. 

Acoustically it was challenging, and the number of you told me how difficult you found it to hear other players, I certainly experienced this for myself when singing at the front of the church and then playing the bells at the back.

Steerers will   need to consider these challenges if we choose to play Tree Fest in the future . In addition  a weekend might mean more school children to interact with which will help Briggy 

We received enthusiastic thanks from the organiser  for helping St Mary Redcliffe in   for supporting 61 , a Bristol based charity that supports people with a criminal conviction to lead meaningful crime free lives. 

Rehearsal list up for Sunday week

Hope to see as many of you as possible at Matt’s second rehearsal on Sunday 15th . Please sign up for Redcatch if you have not already done so.

Keep safe over what promises to be a very stormy weekend 

best wishes

Liz 

Redcatch Community Gardens, Redcatch Park, Knowle, Bristol. BS4 2RD

Please arrive at 2.20pm ready to play at 3pm

Final Setlist for Redcatch

Many congratulations and best wishes to Alison – her baby has arrived.

She says:

We had a little boy last Monday! (His name is a work in progress.) Things have been a little busy round here since then but we’re slowly settling into a rhythm and getting used to life without much sleep!

BVB : Friday December 6^th : St Mary Redcliffe : TREE FEST ( 18-20 ) players 

The DRAFT playlist  attached  is  a condensed  version of Alveston .

Note may be a different  ‘counter in’ . 

I will send out a changed list by Thursday but only if there are major changes 

We have 45 mins . If there are ‘welcomes’, that cuts into our time resulting in  cuts 

Lyn will organise seating and post directions on where we meet ,if we get them in time . 

We are hoping to get permission to use St John’s Chapel (at the back / west end of the church ) but there may be a cafe there -otherwise we are in the pews as last time . Please arrive   2.30 ish in time to start playing  at 3pm 

Seating plan

Notes

 I will introduce Briggy/ Chris Mapp at the beginning. He will wander around and ‘ bother’ people, including the band who are very welcome to fend him off . He will carry mistletoe and choc. coins for children in his bag , so if you want to claim a Christmas kiss or you have a child / grandchild in the audience – feel free to leave your desk in the band ,introduce them to Briggy and persuade them to take a coin 

Differences from Alveston – minimal words .For the few words there will be, the audience will welcome max. responsiveness and jollity .

One of the best comments I received  from Alveston was: ‘ you looked as if you were enjoying yourselves !  …..Go for it !

Players : 

Fiddles : Fiddles:  Fritjof : Gill, Pauline, John, Mills, Dai ;Susan D, and Alison W

Flutes, Meg; Clarinet; Maureen

Boxes: Roland; Mary; Harry ? 

Chords: Lyn ; Chris; Tony ( who is our percussion for the day) ;

Brass: Heather Jenne; Liz ; Ken ;Angela  ?

Look forward to seeing you there 

best

Liz

Final final playlist-final for Wednesday

The sharp eyed amang you noticed some final final tweaks.

See you tomoz. enjoy!

Liz

Thanks to those who turned out for a good play last night – some ’tweaks’ as a result 

Please let me know if you are indicated as counting in and this is a surprise !

Below is timing for Alveston – as a guide !

6.00 Hall opens 

6.30 Band members reading*  or whose intsruments take a while to  assemble/ warm up arrive . Singers .

We will assemble in the ‘green room’ 

*this is a chance for readers to pair up with AN other to have a run through . ( Angela and Heather J pair up – the rest are self evident 

6.45 Band members not reading / rehearsing  arrive 

Briggy run through – would be helpful if an unemployed fiddle player steps in and plays for them 

6.50 Singers warm up 

7.00 Tune up and place stands instruments ( where possible)  on stage – return to green room 

7.15 Line up to go on stage,  assemble on ‘stage’for rehearsal / sound check in ‘situ’. We are creating an ‘ale house’ vibe for the audience 

7.29  Begin 

Performance ends  approx . 8.30 

8.40 High quality refreshments 

Best dress please .. remember pre Christmas jolity and smile – talk with the audience at the end .. they will be interested in what we do .. 

We have flyers and programmes to put out on chairs (collect from me), 2 volunteers needed to put them out.

Break a leg 

Liz

Directions to Alveston Methodist Church: