Tag Archives: Kent Gathering

Performers

Some sound and video clips from the Kent Gathering

Pam Buckley stepping at the Kent Gathering

With the permission of the sound recordist and the performers involved, we’d like to put up some sound samples over the next few months.

As it should be, the focus at the Gathering was on Kent, but we were very pleased when people came from other areas to be at the event. The first samples we have to put up are a real treat starring the prize-winning step-dancer Pam Buckley, who very kindly came down from Norfolk with her talented family to show us how it’s done!

Within living memory Kent was well known for step dancing, and we were delighted to be able to feature it at the Kent Gathering.

Listen to this MP3 track of Pam dancing to a waltz played by one of the Gathering organisers, Gavin Atkin and introduced by another, Paul Cowdell.

This cllip shows a short video of Pam dancing to Tim Brooks’ playing at the afternoon concert.

Stepping is alive and well in East Anglia, thanks to the stepping families, and local music supporters and researchers who have kept it going – see the link to the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust on the left-hand side of this website.

Some great news is that stepping has a real future in East Anglia, with many youngsters taking it up. This is Shannon Gaskin, a very young member of Pam’s family who is keeping stepping very much alive. Here’s Shannon stepping to Gavin’s playing.

Finally, it’s important that we don’t forget the singers who appeared at the Gathering. Yvette Gaskin, also down from Norfolk, volunteered to sing and quietly announced that she had lived in Ireland for a while and had picked up the music. Then she took a breath and sang superbly! We very much hope to hear much more of her not too long away.

Performers

Kent Gathering – a souvenir and an appeal!

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Kent gathering of Traditional Music Programme

Kent Gathering of Traditional Music programme

Now the Kent Gathering has taken place, we thought it would be nice to make the programme of the day available in pdf form, so here it is. Wasn’t it just a great day?

We’d also very much like to put up a gallery of photos (carefully chosen, of course!). The committee were just a little too busy to take many themselves, so if anyone has some they would like to share, please contact us via the comments link below.

How to get there, Performers, Uncategorized, Where and when

A day to go – how to find The Kent Gathering

Frittenden village sign

– FRIDAY EVENING SESSION at The Bull public house, Linton from 9pm or so. We have permission to play and sing if the mood takes us, and the pub sells food if you’re able to get there early enough. The phone number is 01622-743612 if you wish to book. It’s about 15 minutes south of Maidstone on the A229 and can be found here.

– SATURDAY MORNING STEP DANCING WORKSHOP at 10.30am at the Memorial Hall, Frittenden (£2 adults, £1 under-17s who are welcome with parents). Get directions here.

– SATURDAY LUNCHTIME SESSION at the Bell & Jorrocks pub, Frittenden from mid-day.

– SATURDAY AFTERNOON CONCERT at the Memorial Hall, Frittenden from 3.30pm.

– SATURDAY EVENING DANCE at the Memorial Hall, Frittenden from 8pm.

How to get there, Uncategorized, Where and when

As we build up to the big day – the key events

Kent Gathering of Traditional Music, Frittenden 29th March 2008 Kent’s Millen Family of traditional singers sing for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Andy Turner sings at the Kent Gathering

Den Giddens sings at the Kent Gathering of Traditional Music Kerry Fletcher, Billy West and Tim Brooks

As we build up to the big day on the 29th March, please note the key events will be:

– An informal evening get-together the evening before (on the 28th, that is), at The Bull public house, Linton from 9pm or so. We have permission to play and sing if the mood takes us, and the pub sells food if you’re able to get there early enough. The phone number is 01622-743612 if you wish to book. It’s about 15 minutes south of Maidstone on the A229 and can be found here.

– A step dancing workshop at 10.30am at the Memorial Hall, Frittenden (£2 adults, £1 under-17s who are welcome with parents)

– A FREE session of singing and playing in the Bell & Jorrocks pub in Frittenden, starting at mid-day

– A concert in the Memorial Hall from 3.30pm (£4 adults, £2 under-17s)

– A barn dance (or ceilidh if that’s the word you prefer) at the Memorial Hall in the evening from 8pm (£6 adults, £4 under-17s) (supported by Awards for All – see below)

Please note that tickets are generally available on the day, but locals can buy advance tickets at the village shop. Let us know if you’re coming a long way and want to reserve a ticket.

If you’re coming to the session, please let us know if you want to eat – it will help the landlord and landlady if we can warn them of the numbers to expect to want lunch. This applies particularly if you are a vegetarian! Call us on 01622 832871 or 01622 832461, or email gmatkin@gmail.com.

Our thanks go to Howard Lilley for loaning us a set of signboards – there are now posters on all the roads into the village!

Download a handbill: Kent Gathering Handbill.

Download a Kent Gathering ceilidh or barn dance poster.

Where is Frittenden? Click here for the information!

Sefan scheme Awards for All logo

Sefan scheme Awards for All logo

Performers

Nigel Hobbins at the Kent Gathering of Traditional Music

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Nigel Hobbins sings his songs he learned from his grandfather, who was a well known singer around Challock (pronounced ‘Chollock’), after moving into the village in the late 1890s.

Grandad worked for many years for the local council, and was responsible for the stretch of road between Challock and Boughton Aluph, but he also worked part time as a gardener and cobbler. However, it’s his singing for which he seems to have been best remembered, and Nigel himself has many clear memories of his grandfather singing at family occasions. Clearly, the young boy must have been impressed, as he made the effort to learn his grandfather’s songs.

Nigel himself is a carver in wood and musician. He studied fine art at Canterbury and helped to establish the Whitstable Artists & Musicians Collective.

Click here for more on Nigel Hobbins.

Performers

The Millen Family of traditional singers travel to the USA

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Kent’s Millen Family of traditional singers sing for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The Millen Family singing at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, where they represented Kent’s contribution to the life of Virginia

Earlier this year, Kent Gathering’s top-of-the-bill Millen Family of traditional singers were invited to represent Kent at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an international exposition of living cultural heritage held each year on the National Mall of the United States in Washington DC.

Apart from their singing, we gather one of the most entertaining moments of their shows was their attempt to explain the differences between West Country and Kentish ciders, which I gather involved some very funny and improbable ‘true tales’ about local characters around the village of Bethersden.

I’m told that some of these were toned down for the stage, but perhaps they can be persuaded to tell us the truth on the 29th March 2008! And some of the people of Frittenden know something about cider too…