FOCSLE Music  1963 – 2023
real live music in Southampton, UK for the past 60 years

In‑person events at The Guide Dog, Bevois Valley, second & fourth Tuesdays
and at The Wellington Arms, Freemantle, first & third Wednesdays

(When first Weds. falls on 1st of the month, these meets happen on second & fourth Weds. to avoid consecutive Tues. & Weds. events)


Page updated July 3rd '23.

ANNE LISTER (composer of Icarus)
Tues. 11th July  8pm
Click/tap for Anne’s website, also here for a selection of playable tracks


Venue:  The Guide Dog  38 Earls Road  Bevois Valley  Southampton  SO14 6SF
Singaround preluding the gig
Pass-the-Hat for the Guest:  rec. amount £8.50pp   Raffle in break, with alcohol and confectionery prizes
In‑person FOCSLE Music meets
on SECOND & FOURTH & TUESDAYS at The Guide Dog, Bevois Valley,
and on FIRST & THIRD WEDNESDAYS at The Wellington Arms, Freemantle.
No FIFTH-Tues. events for the rest of 2023.  In months with five Weds., Aug. & Nov., one Weds. will be a Zoom-Room ‘hybrid’.
Entry typically by Pass-the-Hat;  raffle in break, with alcohol and confectionery prizes

Guests coming up:  Aug. NERIDA CUDDY (Oz);  Sept. MICK RYAN;  Oct. BRUCE WATSON (Oz);  ‘GEORGE’ DALE (aka MBS George)
Details further down;  add your comments on our Facebook page.
See a date-order calendar of all events, live and virtual, here.

Other music events on Tuesdays at The Dog mean FOCSLE Music can’t run weekly there, and all Weds. are now their Curry Nights [recommended, but too busy for us to have use of The Doghouse].  At The Welly, Tuesday availability is just too erratic, so we must accept Wednesdays there.
We rely on your, and others’, good sense in taking some COVID-19 precautions, and on your not attending if you have symptoms.
You’ve a right to know why this mess of haphazard dates:  see the problem here.
Virtual FOCSLE Music
Every WEDNESDAY, 8pm UK time
Details 
further down;  our Facebook header [NO m’ship / account / log‑in needed:  FBk won’t even track your click] acts as backup update-space, just in case we can’t access this server.
See all events, virtual and live, here, date-by-date.
FOCSLE Music ‘LIVE’   Entry by donation.   Raffle in break, with alcohol and confectionery prizes
Next Event:  SINGAROUND   Weds. 5th July  8pm
Note that this first-Weds. Singaround will NOT be at The Wellington Arms, but at
The Guide Dog   38 Earls Road  Bevois Valley  Southampton  SO14 6SF
     Recommended Singaround donation:  £2 pp in the tin, please (or just buy extra raffle tx!)

Next Guest, after Anne Lister:  NERIDA CUDDY (Australian singer-songwriter/guitarist)
Tues. 22nd August  8pm
Venue:  The Guide Dog
   38 Earls Road  Bevois Valley  Southampton  SO14 6SF
     Rec. Pass-the-Hat donation for the Guest:  £8.50 pp

…and after that:  MICK RYAN (Crows;  various folk operas)
Tues. 26th September  8pm
Venue:  The Guide Dog
   38 Earls Road  Bevois Valley  Southampton  SO14 6SF
     Rec. Pass-the-Hat donation for the Guest:  £10 pp

BRUCE WATSON on Tues. 10th October;  GEORGE DALE on Tues. 24th

Between them, Singarounds on alternating Wednesdays at The Welly and Tuesdays at The Dog.
Virtual FOCSLE Music             e‑mail for access-codes
Join us and our international music friends (incl. some professionals)
WEDNESDAYs  8pm (UK)   = 3pm Eastern / NY   = 12noon Pacific / LA
Click/tap for other details, incl. our start-time wherever YOU are in the world
Answers to some FAQs:  we run Singaround-style = whoever shows up performs a turn, while the rest listen in, muted
Musically, any genre welcome, ideally unplugged      Audience as welcome as performers
Themes mostly arise on the fly, esp. among the more verbally playful of our number
Pre‑arranged Themed Sings on the fourth Weds. each month:  your compliance entirely optional
  See upcoming themes here
Despite the maritime-sounding name* [Southampton is a port city, geddit??], it’s not just a “Shanty Sing”:  they’re a serendipitous part of the mix
Turn up, and leave – and/or come back, even – as suits your schedule
Nice things put on the record:

   I love these   …most enjoyable.  The Focsle crew is a delightful bunch, including some breathtakingly good performers      (Austin, Texas)

…love the atmosphere of FOCSLE [Music] as well as the range of styles…
…enhanced further…  …by having a theme — it really brought out the best in people
…a very enjoyable evening…  …especially when quite a few other
[online] sessions are getting a bit tired.
   Well done for playing such a big part in keeping so many people sane through these strange times
      (Staffs., UK)

   Thanks for all the warmth you put into your hosting.  Felt welcomed and included…  …muchly enjoyed this      (St Paul, Minnesota)

   Congratulations on a very successful event      (Lincs., UK)

   Thanks for giving me the opportunity to meet, hear, and sing to/with a very talented group of singers.      (S. London, UK)

   You have an amazing geographical spread on your Focsle Zoom meetings…  …the four corners of the North American continent from…
   …California and Arizona in the south to Oregon and Alaska in the north west and Toronto in the east, plus an attendee from Sydney, Australia…  impressive!
   The art of compering is much underrated…  …You do it very well.  It helps that you know so many of the performers.
   
Zoom folk clubs have been the silver lining to the pandemic.  However, what you have at the Focsle is exceptional and truly international.      (Hythe, Kent, UK)

   Thanks for the much-needed musical fix today.  And…  …for the creative theme ideas.      (Eugene, Oregon)

…truly enjoyable, meeting so many different people with so many different songs.      (Derby, UK)

   Fantastic — great session     …amazing!     Lovely…     …entertaining…     …a range of talented performers     …fine folks
   It’s been great       Excellent…  …again     …wonderful sessions every week       …thank you for doing this
      (from around US & UK)

   I rate your 2 sessions as the tops!  [= FOCSLE Music and a US-based virtual ‘cousin’]      (Coventry, UK)
* 60 years ago, when The Fo’c’sle Folk Club launched, it was typical for port-based ventures to point up their maritime city connections, hence the pun.  It’s pronounced “folks’ll” [not “fox’ll”];  also, “forecastle” – from which the term fo’c’s’le derives – is the upper deck in the bow of a sailing ship where the crew were quartered, and would relax to play tunes and sing
Contact Paul for all queries about VIRTUAL events
Back to top of Online section…
Link for Attenders in person, wondering when guest-nights will be returning

Performers, Acts, their Agents, or anyone seeking to play at FOCSLE Music

Please sign up to FOCSLE Music’s regular Zoomaround list, for info about virtual events,
or this one, for in-person Sings and periodic guests.