Dragon Folk Club

09/12/2025

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had no theme, but several emerged. Simon tried to keep us smiling through the foul weather to come, while others reflected the season to some degree. We heard some new songs, some old songs, some borrowed songs, but in the absence of our friend Bob, not so many blue songs.

This Friday's session (12th December) will also have no official theme, but we have already had three or more Christmas songs as well as others pointing towards the season, so if your mind drifts that way we're not going to stop you. 19th December will be our official Christmas themed evening, and then we will have a break on 26th ready to hit the ground running for the New Year on 2nd January.

You will find us this and almost every Friday from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

Come and try us, we'll all have fun.

Brandon Hill, Bristol (Photo: Simon Meeds) Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had no theme, but several emerged. Simon tried to keep us sm...

02/12/2025

Our faithful MC Colin was otherwise engaged during last week's Dragon Folk Club session so Simon took up the pen, ledger and metaphorical gavel.

Theme accuracy was not 100% given that Paul and Denny, who had been absent the previous week, both started by harking back to Remembrance before honouring Denny's native county on Lancashire Day and eventually joining us in Scotland.

Roger on the other hand took the opportunity that our themes are always optional and sang a wide variety of styles, but of course since St Andrew is the patron saint among other things of singers, nothing was truly off-topic this time anyway.

I'm not aware that there's an official theme at this Friday's session, but you can always bring your own or treat it as a calm before the storm of Christmas and Bah Humbug! that will start soon enough.

You will find us this and almost every Friday from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

Come and try us, you might enjoy it.

(Photo: Simon Meeds) Our faithful MC Colin was otherwise engaged during last week's Dragon Folk Club session so Simon took up the pen, ledge...

25/11/2025

Last Friday's Dragon Folk Club session had our delayed Remembrance theme; delayed due to a conflicting room booking the week before. Was it because of the gap in service that we were short of singers? Never mind, we had fun singing a total of 36 songs during the evening.

This Friday (28th November) your scribe will your MC for a change so your presence and performance (optional) would be especially encouraged. I propose a theme (optional as always) of St Andrew's Day. As you know St Andrew is patron saint of Scotland. If that isn't scope enough, you may like to know that he is also patron of:

Barbados, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Cyprus, Constantinople, Romania, Patras, Burgundy, San Andrés (Tenerife), Diocese of Parañaque, Candaba, Masinloc, Telhado, Sarzana, Pienza, Amalfi, Luqa (Malta), Fontana, Gozo (Malta), Manila and Prussia; the Diocese of Victoria and Canada; fishermen, fishmongers, rope-makers, textile workers, singers, miners, pregnant women, butchers, farm workers, the Russian Navy, the US Army Rangers; protection against sore throats, convulsions, fever and whooping cough.

Get your thinking caps on and we'll see you there.

You will find us this and almost every Friday from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

Come and try us, you might enjoy it.

Avro Lancaster "Just Jane" at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre (Photo: Simon Meeds) Last Friday's Dragon Folk Club session had our ...

15/11/2025

Exciting Announcement
Severn Whalers will be at The Pump House, Bristol
on Thursday 11th December.
Come and join us for a fun night of Sea Shanties & Songs of the Sea.

fans

12/11/2025

Last week's slightly belated bonfire night session at the Dragon Folk Club saw the usual mix of Guy Fawkes, bonfires, and campfire songs as well as general winter themes and some serendipitous performances mixed in. more importantly it brought an impressive turn-out of singers including three first timers: Ander, Rebecca and Johan who all sang excellently.

***Important Notice*******************

There will be no Dragon Folk Club session this Friday (14th November 2025) so we will delay our Remembrance themed evening (war, anti-war, remembrance, etc.) until the following Friday (21st November). In the meantime some of use may visit Folk at Frampton Cotterell this Friday.

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You will find almost every Friday (but not on 14th) from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

Come and join us next week (21st November)!

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

Come and try us, you might enjoy it.

Last week's slightly belated bonfire night session at the Dragon Folk Club saw the usual mix of Guy Fawkes, bonfires, and campfire songs as ...

09/11/2025

**Important Notice**

There will be no Dragon Folk Club session this Friday (14th November). Our Remembrance themed session will instead take place on Friday 21st November.

In the meantime some of us may take the opportunity to go to the Folk at Frampton Cotterell session on 14th.

https://www.facebook.com/folkatframptoncotterell

We are a small folk music club - all acoustic styles welcome. Sing around and occasional guest spots. 2nd Friday 8-11pm - Crossbow House Community Centre, Frampton Cotterell BS36 2DA. £2 entry.
Large car park. Bar.

04/11/2025

It was Halloween (quite literally on the 31st) last week at the Dragon Folk Club and everyone joined in on the theme for at least part of the evening, which was great.

This week's theme, optional as usual, is for Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night if you prefer. Consider songs, poems, monologues and stories on themes such as Guy Fawkes, fire, fireworks and campfire songs along with anything else appropriate that you can think of.

You will find us this Friday as we are almost every Friday from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

We're getting to the time of year when our warm and friendly venue isn't quite so physically warm. We hope the heating will be much-improved shortly, but in the meantime there's no harm in wrapping up. It's easier to strip off a layer or two than to add more layers you haven't brought with you.

See you this week, 7th November, for (metaphorical) fireworks!

(Photo: Simon Meeds) It was Halloween (quite literally on the 31st) last week at the Dragon Folk Club and everyone joined in on the theme f...

28/10/2025

Thanks to serious traffic disruption we didn't attain our full strength until well after half way through the evening, nevertheless a total of forty two songs were sung. Second-timer Heather ran out of songs she had prepared but valiantly sang with the help of words found on her mobile phone for the rest of the evening without missing a beat.

Don't forget that this Friday (31st October) is our Halloween-themed session. As always, themes are optional, but it's nice to come up with something appropriate, however tenuously. Watch out for more upcoming themes.

You will find us this Friday as we are almost every Friday from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

We're getting to the time of year when our warm and friendly venue isn't quite so physically warm. We hope the heating will be much-improved shortly, but in the meantime there's no harm in wrapping up. It's easier to strip off a layer or two than to add more layers you haven't brought with you.

Come and try us, it should be fun.

(Photo: Simon Meeds) Thanks to serious traffic disruption we didn't attain our full strength until well after half way through the evening, ...

21/10/2025

We may have been a small group at last week's Dragon Folk Club session, but we sang up a storm. There was no official theme, but we touched on the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Hastings which were both near their anniversaries, had a variety of songs directly or indirectly from Singing Together, and several also from the singing of The Spinners. Other minor themes also arose.

There will be no theme this week (24th October), but get ready for the Halloween theme the following Friday (31st October). Remember our themes are always optional, but it's fun if you can join in.

You will find us this Friday as we are almost every Friday from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

We're getting to the time of year when our warm and friendly venue isn't quite so physically warm. We hope the heating will be much-improved shortly, but in the meantime there's no harm in wrapping up warm. It's easy to strip off a layer or two, but if you need extra layers it can be a challenge.

Come and try us, you won't regret it.

HMS Victory (Photo: Simon Meeds) We may have been a small group at last week's Dragon Folk Club session, but we sang up a storm. There was n...

14/10/2025

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was themed for harvest and we did pretty well with lots of more or less on topic songs.

Remember that our themes are always optional, so while following the theme is encouraged, don't worry if you can't at all or if you can't keep it up all evening. As usual, any type of performance is welcome as long as you keep it acoustic.

We are heading into one of our theme-laden seasons, so here are some dates for your diary:
- 31 October - Halloween (traditions, ghosts, witches, horror...)
- 7 November - Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes, bonfires, fireworks...)
- 14 November - Remembrance (Remembrance, war, anti-war...)

With only very rare exceptions, with or without a theme, we are to be found every Friday night from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

Come and try us, we don't bite.

(Photo: Simon Meeds) Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was themed for harvest and we did pretty well with lots of more or less on topic s...

09/10/2025

After a week off we are back this Friday (10th October). You will find us as usual from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

This week there is a theme of Harvest. While the theme is optional (follow it or not), any songs, stories, poems, monologues, or any other type of performance you can come up with that follows the theme, however tenuously, will be appreciated. Anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

At the Dragon you will always find FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics and a reasonably priced bar!

See you there!

Welcome to the official blog of the Dragon Folk Club, which meets for a singers night every Friday at The Bridge Inn, Shortwood, Bristol. Everyone is welcome whether you sing, play or just listen.