Borderlands

What does a county mean to its residents? Here in Frome we are virtually on the border between Somerset and Wiltshire. Not far to the south west is Dorset, a few minutes north the less-than-poetic acronym that is BANES (Bath and North East Somerset). Although we are in Somerset, our DAB radio thinks BBC Wiltshire is our local station. To listen to BBC Somerset we have to go analogue. And we tuned into the Beeb’s local offering this morning -  an outside broadcast from Watchet; a coastal town at the far end of the county from here that has little in common with Frome except the last line of its postal address. It set me thinking about county identity – is there such a thing for most of us? (We’ll leave Yorkshire out of the equation).

Reflections on identity? Nunney Castle (which is in Somerset)

Our immediate neighbours here at Weekender Towers work in BANES, Wiltshire and Somerset. Frome people don’t think twice about shopping in or using the better train service from Warminster and are highly exercised about the recent controversial changes to access at the Longleat Estate (both in Wiltshire).

I was born in Essex and identify more with the town of my birth than the land of TOWIE. Cricket fans may feel attached to their county teams and we all have a financial stake in the administrative body via our council taxes. Maybe if you live in the geographical heart of a county, working and playing within its boundaries, it means much more. Parents with children will think carefully about which local authority runs which schools and that may well colour attitudes to the lines on the map. But generally speaking, if you’re in border country, does it really make any difference to day-to-day living and state of mind? Does anyone on this side of the divide say, “I’m not going to the new Waitrose in Warminster because it’s in Wiltshire”? I doubt it very much.

The Mystery of the Stones

Every time we drive to and from our adopted home, we pass Stonehenge.  Whatever the time of day, week or year, there is a constant stream of pilgrims circling the stones, paying homage. For us it has a particular, if somewhat trivial, meaning - it signifies that we are well over half-way to Frome, and the change in landscape as we climb up from Amesbury lifts the soul. But why do people travel from all over the country (and all over the world) to see a a collection of rocks in a Wiltshire field? Is it simply their age - the fact that they are still here at all? Is it the myths and legends that are attached to the place? Or is it because it's a World Heritage Site and must simply be ticked off from the list of X Hundred Things To Do Before You Die?

A heap of stones in Wiltshire

In the 1990s, you might recall there was a quite a craze for "spiritual" music - Gorecki, Tavener et al. Aided and abetted by some canny marketing, people who wouldn't usually touch contemporary classical music with their neighbour's bargepoles, snapped up works like 'The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs' and 'The Protecting Veil'. The feeling was that traditional religion was not fulfilling the need we have for something beyond this temporal being, and that this music filled the vacuum.

I wonder if a visit to Stonehenge likewise - knowingly or unknowingly - somehow connects people to an other-worldly past, plugging a gap in our predominantly secular 21st Century lives. The same coach parties might go on to Salisbury Cathedral or Bath Abbey. Are they all connected?

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge

PS. Am going to try and get to this - spiritual void or no spiritual void:  http://www.salisburyfestival.co.uk/cms/site/news/the-festival-presents-fire-garden-at-stonehenge-for-the-london-2012-festival.aspx

Happiness is...

First, the bad news. Foods of the World is the latest victim of Frome Empty Shop Syndrome. Following hard on the heels (or maybe that should be some other part of the anatomy) of the recently departed Opal Lingerie, FOTW’s offering of herbs, spices and North African pottery has also failed to stay afloat. As the Saxonvale debate rumbles on, the death of another independent retailer will only add fuel to the anti-big town centre supermarket feeling that is abroad amongst certain sections of the community.

The good news is that those people who still have jobs in retail seem to be quite happy with their lot. Shop workers here – in both the independents and the chains – are a darn sight more friendly than they are in London or Surrey. Why? The work is more or less the same wherever you are: customers come in, buy things (usually), pay (usually) and leave, deliveries are taken, shelves are stocked etc etc. It can only be something to do with the general ambience of this town. Measuring happiness is all the rage these days - my survey is entirely unscientific, but I would say that on the basis of a Friday afternoon shop, the quotient is pretty high around here. Another noticeable difference about the residents of Frome compared to Londoners is that they do not walk the streets with their eyes glued to their smart phones, texting and tweeting their lives away. Frome is far from a technology-free zone - The Garden Café and La Strada, for example, offer wi-fi and you will see customers in there sipping their lattes and using their laptops. But it’s as if tweetmania has passed it by. Is it possible that not being in thrall to your mobile also makes you a happier, more sociable human being?

http://gardencafefrome.co.uk

http://www.cafelastrada.co.uk

The Meaning of Blog?

A colleague and reader of this blog (a blogger, herself: http://findyourdreamjob.wordpress.com) had a pop at me this week about my Bath Literature Festival post (below). It was, she said, too critical, too much of a whinge. Well, she may have had a point (though I will steadfastly continue to report the negative side of things, if negatives there be). But the conversation did make me think about the point of blogs.

Why do they exist?
Vanity publishing? Therapy? A chance to make the personal public? To offer new perspectives? To entertain, to inform? To irritate?

Probably all or a selection of the above in most cases. Certainly the blog-as-complaint can make for tiresome reading, though in my defence I was very upbeat about 'Jilted'! As a one-time reviewer of theatre/film/visual arts, I believe in the positive power of criticism. There's enough back-slapping and "darling, you were marvellous" going on in the arts, without me adding to it here.  No-one's work will ever improve without some constructive comment - positive and negative.

On a more general note, I believe the best blog writing takes the micro and makes it macro - espousing a personal view that has the power to resonate with those of us beyond the writer's immediate world. I also think that the outsider's opinion can be of interest. Not being immersed 100% in Frome life, I hope to provide a fresh view of the town, its people and (especially) its cultural offering. It's easy to take somewhere for granted when you live in it 24/7. And while I'm not arrogant enough to suggest that life-long Fromians should take any notice of the ramblings of an upstart weekender, I do at least hope that a different take on the place might be diverting, if nothing more.

PS This morning I received a part refund for the Nick Coleman ticket - thank you, Bath Festivals!

The Cars That Ate Bath

How marvellous, we thought, when we bought Weekender Towers. Frome is only 13 miles from Bath - in addition to the obvious charms of our adopted town, we could also avail ourselves of the cultural delights of the Georgian City. Some hope. We booked tickets for two events at this weekend's Literature Festival - but only managed to get to one of them.

I am all in favour of keeping historic town centres free from being clogged up by the privately-owned internal combustion engine: Park & Ride is a terrific idea. But not a lot of use when the last bus is at 8.30 - and this in a city that prides itself on its cultural offering (ie. things that tend to happen in the evenings). So, as much as we did not want to add to Bath's pollution and congestion, we had to drive in on Saturday afternoon (last train to Frome wasn't an option either, before you ask...) An hour and a quarter later, after a tour of the city's streets and its car parks, we gave up looking for a space and escaped to Limpley Stoke. From where we rang the Box Office: "Hello, we have tickets for two shows today and can't find anywhere to park. Would you like to offer them as returns?" "Certainly - just bring them into the Box Office, here in the City Centre..."

So we abandoned Nick Coleman's talk (sorry) and strolled along the Kennet & Avon instead. We drove back into town just after 5pm by when, inevitably, there were loads of on-street spaces. A couple of glasses of vino italiano and the conversation of the delightful staff of 'Sotto, Sotto' on North Parade eased the frayed nerves. And then we sallied forth (past Sally Lunn's) to the one event we had managed to salvage. And, fortunately, "Jilted" was terrific - a multi-composer, mini-chamber opera for two unaccompanied singers that mused on what would have happened if Mrs Dickens had met Miss Havisham. It took place in the frankly downright ugly chapel of the Mineral Hospital (bad restoration after the WW2 bombing, maybe?), but fortunately the composition and performances easily upstaged the location. The composers included Jocelyn 'Blow The Wind' Pook, the music was contemporary, challenging, but melodic and the two performers - Melanie Pappenheim and Rebecca Askew - were superb, blending humour and pathos with a big dollop of charm. It's a work in progress and well worth keeping an eye out for.

Shakespeare Unplugged? Unnecessary, more like...

Which is more than could be said for Friday night's offering - a free performance of Ben Crystal's stage adaptation of Shakespeare's narrative poem "Venus and Adonis" by Roughhouse Theatre (at least we didn't have to book...)  It took place in the basement of a pub/restaurant (Gascoyne Place), and while Shakespeare might have recognised the ambience (actors' voices struggling against the racket from Friday night drinkers upstairs  - all very Elizabethan), I doubt he would have been very impressed by the interpretation. While "The Rape of Lucrece" has been successfully adapted for performance, 'Venus' is different kettle of iambic pentameter. So little actually happens - Venus (gorgeous, a goddess) gets the hots for Adonis (gorgeous, a mortal). He is more interested in hunting than in her and  - despite eventually succumbing to Venus' wooing  - ends up being gored to death by a boar (serves him right). For Venus this is the end of the world, existence, the universe, Life, being etc etc. Get over it, girl, it was just a one-night stand. And, anyway, goddesses should be above such things. The jokey first half (was the director sending the whole thing up  - or did he just think it needed an injection of humour?) meant that when the tragedy finally came to pass, nobody really gave a damn. Even a faintly embarrassing sex scene failed to inject much interest - I kept thinking how much longer that creaking chair could stand the strain of the writhing couple. The chorus wasn't bad - at least their verse speaking was up to scratch. But the actress playing Venus merely looked the part and I felt quite sorry for Adonis who spent much of the action looking awkward, while trying to avoid being seduced. Just round the corner from the pub is a branch of Superdrug  - and there was more chemistry in there than between our two lovers. Ben Crystal is an admirable advocate for accessibility to the Bard, but I'm not sure this sort of thing does much to help his cause.

Here's a pic of the Palladian Bridge in Prior Park.
It's got nothing to do with the Festival, but it's beautiful, and it's in Bath...

http://www.bathlitfest.org.uk

The Great Cucumber Mystery

A couple of weeks ago we bought a cucumber on the way home from a walk along Vallis Vale. Within two minutes of leaving the shop it had disappeared and there was a tell-tale hole in the carrier bag. We immediately re-traced our steps, but it was nowhere to be seen. Relating this story the next day to some Fromians, they told us the area where the rogue vegetable went AWOL was once notorious as a red light district. Its name? Badcox.

On the whole, it was folking good...

In my blog of the 8th Jan, I expressed my concerns about the line-up of the inaugural Frome Folk Festival, which is drawing to a close as I write.  I needn't have worried (too much).

The quality of the performances was, given the nature of an event like this, inevitably varied, ranging from the mundane to the startling. Attendances were healthy and  - with the odd notable exception  - the event was pretty much glitch free.

Dyer : Cummings' bassoonist wonders
if there's a breakfast rider in the contract

I can only report on the Saturday as we had to return from whence we come today, but it kicked off at the Cheese & Grain at the unlikely hour of 9.15am with local combo Dyer : Cummings. Belying their tender years, this quartet was completely unfazed by a dozy, morning audience's lackadaisical response and put in a highly commendable and energetic shift.

Then to a dreary room in the Masonic Hall to hear Rivers of England. Playing as a duo, their set hinted at how interesting the material might be, given more ambitious arrangements for a larger line-up.

Back to the C&G and Festival Patron and local resident, Cara Dillon, enthusiastically introduced Winter Mountain, while failing to mention that they are the first signing to her and husband Sam Lakeman's new label. Which might go some way to explain her enthusiasm. Their voices were beautiful, but does the world need a Simon & Garfunkel clone?

Jackie Oates puts on a brave face in the
light of  Weekender's criticism

We once saw Jackie Oates play solo aboard an industrial barge. She was terrific. But her set with her band yesterday was lacking in variety. She's a talented woman, but needs more light and shade in her repertoire.

At the Westway Cinema next, for Belshazzar's Feast (festival organisers please note - the sight lines are terrible). We only caught half an hour, but they were witty, entertaining, highly skilful and delivered far more than their rather wimpy last album, Find The Lady, promised. An act to catch up with at length elsewhere.

We had to leave the Feast to attend a singing workshop. Now, while Mrs Weekender has sung in amateur choirs, my vocalising has been mostly limited to audience participation at gigs. But the thought of 90 minutes in the company of Caroline Radcliffe must have struck a (vocal) chord somewhere. It was terrific. Caroline had us singing Swedish and Gaelic folksong and performing complicated rounds and harmonies. Experienced singers lined up besides novices and the whole thing was conducted in a terrific spirit. Bravo for participation.

But then the low spot of the day. Back to the Westway for Elfynn. They were late going on (no explanation offered) and suffered technical problems throughout. Their stand-in singer made her nerves quite clear and it was easy to see why their brand of folk-rock rose and fell very quickly in the 1970s. I hope their ceilidh this morning was more successful.

The Cheese & Grain puts the flags out

So to the finale - Jamie Smith's Mabon and Spiers & Boden at the C&G  - via a quick diversion to the Masons for half an hour of the inexplicably delayed Daturas. Interesting line-up (the only sighting of the Lesser Spotted Pedal Steel all day) and intriguing, passionate songs. But their sulky presentation did little to endear them to those of us of a certain age.

Jamie Smith's Mabon (not to be confused with 'Mabon' - the reason for that is a long and seemingly acrimonious story of family feuds) were absolutely superb. Where Elfynn sounded dated, this lot married a rock rhythm section to a traditional front line and the result was fresh, powerful and hugely entertaining. Smith is simply one of the best accordion players I have ever seen. But would they upstage the top of the bill? S & B came out with all guns blazing, proving a fiddle, a melodeon and a pair of stamping feet can be as exciting as any roaring rock band. It's been a while since we'd seen them, so was this new energy in response to Mabon's storming set? Or have they simply got more rock 'n' roll as Bellowhead goes from strength to strength? Whatever the reason, they married traditional song and dance to oodles of modern day oomph, and the result was hugely exhilarating.

John Spiers looks to the heavens for inspiration
(or at least the lighting rig at the Cheese & Grain)

So, 8 out of 10 from the judges: a score only slightly tarnished by the lack of activity in the town centre this mornng. A "Morris Market" was promised all weekend, complete with dancers. At midday today there was nothing going on. The music inside the venues may be quality, but it's out on the streets that the real impact of this event will be made with the people of Frome, most of whom will almost certainly not have been converted to the folkie cause.

But will it become a permanent fixture in the cultural calendar? Tickets for Frome Folk Festival 2013 went on sale yesterday.


http://www.fromefolkfestival.co.uk

Bras & Bravos

Randa Bott stares, smiling, out of the front page of the current edition of The List. She's promoting her lingerie shop on The Bridge. But between the magazine going to press and this weekend, the shop has put up the closing down notices. This is unfortunate  - not because I avail myself of Randa's goods (sorry not to be able to reveal that Weekender is a cross-dresser) - but because any one-off retailer in Frome that has to close down is bad news for a town that sells itself on its independent shops. And Opal's demise is a double whammy. Frome is proud of its bridge: along with nearby Bath, it claims to be the only town in Britain with shops along a river crossing. The cafe here has already shut, and Randa's imminent departure leaves a big hole in this historic retail strip.

Better news this weekend from The Black Swan - its 2012 Open Art Exhibition has just opened, and the quality and variety is excellent. We were particularly impressed by Annemarie Blake's wide screen, monochrome (and local) landscape, the manipulated photographs of Joseph Beveridge, Alison Shanks' witty ceramic toaster and the textures of Mark Nesbit's 'Titanic'. The gallery needs support, and it was encouraging to see so many people there this morning. Well worth a visit, for all sorts of reasons.

www.thelistfrome.co.uk

www.opallingerie.co.uk

www.blackswan.org.uk

The People's Hall?

The Cheese & Grain is something of a hot potato in Frome (sorry about the food metaphor...) This town centre community venue seems to be loved and loathed in equal measure. A glorified disco that leaches money hand over fist, says its opponents. An invaluable resource that combines local events with concerts featuring national names, trumpets its supporters.

It's certainly one of the reasons we bought a place in Frome, and you won't be surprised to hear that we are firmly in the pro- lobby. The place is a symbol of the town's commitment to the arts, but that's not all. It's not just a concert hall - farmers' markets, antiques & wedding fairs, craft shows, bingo all serve parts of the community that may not attend a musical performance. The Big Christmas Get-Together for those who could not afford a festive lunch was held there too.

The C&G is back on the agenda again now as the Town Council is proposing to move its offices there, investing in the upper floor, installing solar panels etc.

These are tough times. Local Authority spending is stretched. But every now and then leaps of faith are necessary on the part of our elected representatives. And stumping up the cash for benefits that cannot be measured can be justified.

http://www.cheeseandgrain.co.uk

http://www.frome-tc.gov.uk

Share and share alike...

As Frome considers the concept of a "shared space" in the Market Place, here's an interesting take on the subject from the Capital:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24032482-shared-space-is-the-future-for-londons-roads.do

Music to our ears?

To the Big Garage On The Hill (aka the Wiltshire Music Centre - see blog of 18.12.11) for Québecois trio, Genticorum.

The auditorium looked slightly less stark than at our last visit as the tastefully pastel-coloured acoustic panels had been put up to give the place a more intimate sound. But it still feels more car maintenance than concert hall. The band was good - technically highly proficient with oodles of good humour in their presentation. But only the a capella numbers gave the hairs on the back of my neck any exercise. This was perhaps more to do with the very nature of the French-Canadian music they play which, stripped of the big band arrangements of the likes of La Bottine Souriante or the more eclectic style of La Volée d'Castors, comes across as rather relentlessly repetitive.

It didn't help that for the whole of the first half Yann Falquet's guitar was virtually inaudible. I mentioned this to him in the interval (someone had to) and matters improved somewhat in part 2.That was until Yann whipped out his Jew's Harp (!)  - which we couldn't hear either.

There's not much point in playing a hall which trumpets "the best acoustic outside London", if your sound engineer has Van Gogh's ear for music.

www.genticorum.com

www. wiltshiremusic.org

Wassup? Wassail!

Today, myself, Mrs W and a friend from Surrey attended the Kilmersdon Wassail, held in the village that gave the world "Jack and Jill". This was my bright idea, as I've always had an interest in folk traditions - and the others humoured me. We travelled from Frome with some trepidation, as village events don't always welcome outsiders with open arms (visions of Royston Vasey and the Local Shop for Local People came to mind).  However, we needn't have worried. While it would be inaccurate to say we were clutched to the bosom of Kilmersdon, the people were welcoming enough and certainly did not make visitors feel excluded. A ploughman's lunch (with cider  - of course) in the Village Hall (with music from the Village Band) was followed by the crowning of the 2012 Wassail Queen. As MC Martin Horler (splendid in smock and bowler - and playing a mean pair of spoons) explained: they don't elect the Queen, it's more like the naming of a new Dalai Lama - they just know who it should be...


Cam Valley Morris danced in the car park and and then off we 'processed', past the church, up the hill to the Community Orchard (via a flood from the sewage works), led by the band. The Queen placed a slice of toast in one of the apple trees (to attract Robin Goodfellow) and poured cider around its roots (to remind it of its purpose in life), shotguns were fired (to scare away the evil spirits), the Kilmersdon Wassail Song was sung, spiced mulled cider was drunk by all from Wassail Cups (hygiene regs?), Cam Morris danced and off we went to repeat the process in the grounds of the Old School House. This was followed by tea (in proper cups), apple cake and more dancing.


The whole event was brilliantly managed  - relaxed, yet well organised. No-one was rushed, but the timetable was (more or less) adhered to.  There was great good humour, but the tradition was respected. Martin was a terrific host - not assuming everyone there knew exactly was going on and explaining the various elements with wit and warmth.


A vital midwinter ritual well worth preserving and sustaining -  or a load of superstitious old nonsense reserved for sandal-wearing folkies? (though any sandal wearers would have got rather damp and cold today). On the evidence of this afternoon, the former wholeheartedly gets my vote. Oh, and the spiced cider was superb...


www.camvalleymorris.org.uk


http://homepages.tesco.net/~brennig.jones/kilmersdon.htm

Milky Music

Saturday night we ventured out for our first experience of "legendary" Frome pub, The Griffin.  Known for its music, it is also the 'tap' of the less-than-imaginatively-named Milk Street Brewery (you can guess the address).  At least the name gives them the opportunity to adopt a cute, stylised cow as their logo (but, curiously, they do not seem to produce a milk stout...)

Last night (as I assume on all music nights) one is directed into the bar via the yard, past barrels of Funky Monkey and other slightly irritatingly titled brews. But the proof of the pudding is in the drinking and Gulp was a tasty, refreshing ale (Mrs Weekender also gave the seal of the approval to the Rioja). Appearing was Bemis, an acoustic covers duo/trio (America, Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel etc). It was impossible to see them as the pub is small and the only spare seats were at the back (the lack of stage lighting didn't help). But they sounded fine and were not mere copyists, which is always good news. Many of the locals chatted away as if there was no live performance going on, but we give it 6.5 out of 10 for the quality of the booze and the music. I'm sure we'll go back some time (but definitely try and get a perch near the front where we can both see and hear...)


www.milkstreetbrewery.co.uk

Frome Folk

Frome is hosting its first Folk Festival in February.

When this was announced there was rejoicing at Weekender Towers, as Mrs W and myself are very partial to a bit of 'trad. arr.' However, as the line-up was gradually unveiled our collective heart sank somewhat. Highly talented people like Spiers & Boden, Steve Knightley and Chris Wood are the leading acts - top names on the English Folk Scene, indeed. But not really the sort of performer to get the blood racing in anticipation of them visiting 'our town'. They are hard-working musicians who are on the road a lot, so there are frequent opportunities to see them around and about. There's no 'wow' element in the acts on offer. No surprises. Nothing that makes this festival stand out from myriad others in the UK (except that it's being held in the winter - and while that's rare, it's not unique). I really don't like to criticise, as the idea of  a weekend of traditional music in Frome is to be loudly applauded. But it all feels a bit safe and predictable.

The 'Early Bird' ticket prices are on offer right up until the event, which suggests that sales are not as healthy as they might be. Is this because of the general economic malaise? Or something to do with the programme? I do hope the FFF gets through its first year OK and becomes a regular fixture. But a bit more imagination in the booking policy would not go amiss from now on.
Familiarity breeds contempt - or contentment? We'll find out on the 18th February.

www.fromefolkfestival.co.uk

Field With A View

Just a quick plug for Bruce Munro's 'Field of Light' in the grounds of the Holburne Museum in Bath. It's only on until next weekend (8th) and it is quite, quite magical.

Happy New Year!

http://www.holburne.org/field-of-light-2

Church & Charity

Mrs Weekender and I wouldn't call ourselves religious in the conventional sense, but we do try to attend a Christmas Eve service in a cathedral or abbey every year -  more for the musical content than the spiritual. As this is our first Somerset Christmas, we headed to Wells for evensong last night. And the singing was superb. Bob Chilcott's setting of "In The Bleak Midwinter" was a bit too Cliff Richard for my taste, but it was beautifully sung. And everything else, especially the Bach introit given from the nave before the singers entered the choir, was spot on. I'm always slightly bemused that, at a time of great celebration for the Church, the services on the 24th are always so po-faced. And last night was no different. But, at least, the music was uplifting.

We did our bit today, serving turkey and nut roast at the Cheese and Grain as part of the first Big Christmas Get Together, giving people who were alone or strapped for cash the chance of a free festive dinner and entertainment. Fewer turned up than had been hoped, and rumour had it that some people didn't want to be seen to be "accepting charity". Hopefully word will get round that the event is completely lacking in "do-goodyness", and that next year those who would really benefit from it will not be backward in coming forward. And it wasn't Social Services or one of the charitable organisations who put this on, but the good folk of the town  - led by one Charlie Thomas. How typical of the place. Charity does, indeed, start at Frome.

Christmas Eve, Frome

The Compliments of the Season to all my readers! May you have a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy 2012.

Avon calling Peru

In our on-going investigation of the cultural life of the Somerset/Wiltshire borders, we sallied northwards on Saturday night to Bradford-On-Avon and, for the first time, the Wiltshire Music Centre.

A curious building, attached to a school, with a lop-sided foyer tacked on to an auditorium which, with its breeze-block walls, bare metalwork and grubby ceiling, resembles nothing more than an oversized garage.  Someone at Radio 3 once said it had the best acoustic outside London, and the Centre's marketing plays this up big time. Fair enough, but what the eyes take in also impacts on the concert-going experience - and this place is lacking any visual warmth or welcome.

Fortunately what was on the stage was not bits of giant Morris Minors, but the Paragon Singers of Bath, the Bradford Baroque Band and a handful of soloists. And they gave us a fascinating evening of mostly 17th Century Latin American music:  Christmas in Cuzco. European classical forms met traditional indigenous rhythms - and the results were often infectious, sometimes beautiful and always instantly accessible.

The  evening threw up a few questions too. This was music born out of barbarism (see Spanish Colonialism, Conquistadores etc), yet it was incredibly life-affirming. Paradox? And the lyrics were bizarre in their often direct address to the "blacks" - as far as the Spaniards were concerned, were these the native South Americans or their imported slaves?

The stars of the evening were percussionist Simone Rebello (cousin of jazz pianist Jason) and soprano Kate Semmens. The former, cool and elegant, switching effortlessly between a myriad of instruments. The latter, passionate and relishing this repertoire, looked like she was having to hold back her desire to bop around the platform to the catchy rhythms - clearly not 'the done thing' at a classical concert. Shame.

www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk

www.paragonsingers.co.uk

www.fantasiamusic.co.uk/classwind/bbb.html

Whither the Wireless?

This has been a Frome-free weekend, but as is the norm when we are away from Somerset, we have dipped in and out of Frome FM (via the web) to keep in touch. Frome FM (Trades Descriptions Act!) doesn't actually broadcast on FM... yet. It is an internet community station entirely run by volunteers. But it has recently been awarded an FM licence and is planning to join the grown-up wireless world some time in the Spring. Inevitably, as everyone gives their time and talent freely, the quality of the output is uneven - but if that is a criticism, then the variety of the output is worthy of high praise.

You might think a set-up like this would be full of wannabe DJs "spinning platters" and suffering from a  surfeit of verbalising - far from it. There are music programmes, but they are generally well put together by people who know their stuff. And there is ambitious speech output too. Only the other week the station broadcast, live, Frome's answer to 'Any Questions'.

Some of the shows are a bit shambolic and it begs the question whether they can survive when the FM transmitter is switched on and the station has to up its game. A little bit more slickness would not go amiss, but then part of the charm of an outfit like this is that it doesn't sound like its mainstream neighbours. To strike a balance between parish pump and professional performance is a nettle the organisers of Frome FM will have to grasp as soon as the New Year hangovers have worn off...


http://www.fromefm.co.uk

Catherine's Congestion

A busy weekend, for sure. Friday night saw the private view of the Black Swan's Christmas Show, with works donated to help fund yet another financially-stricken Frome arts institution. The exhibits were of variable quality, but it seems a little churlish to criticise when the artists handed them over gratis. An automaton by Ralph Steadman was, inevitably, the major attraction. But Mrs Weekender and I were much taken with Alison Harper's textile pieces which resembled distressed frocks. Pinned to the wall, it was as if the wearers had just slipped out of them after a most hectic night's revels.

Onto the Oakfield Choir's Christmas concert at Christchurch on Saturday. Eschewing the usual carols and over-familiar seasonal fare, this was an ambitious, yet curious, programme. Entitled "A Frosty Christmas Eve", only two of the items had any Yuletide connections. The singing and playing was sometimes glorious, at other times ragged, but all power to them for avoiding the obvious and tackling such pieces as Saint-Saëns' 'Oratorio de Noël' and 'In Terra Pax' by Finzi.
Stars of the evening were undoubtedly tenor Andrew Dickinson, harpist Daniel de Fry and the sadly unidentifiable leader of the orchestra. Their performances alone were worth the two hours' discomfort, thanks to Christchurch's unforgiving pews. Oh, how we suffered for their art...

And so to Sunday's Artisan Market on Catherine Hill - packed with locals and visitors: a rip-roaring success, you might think. But it was so packed that at times it was impossible to get up or down the Hill. I'm sure traders lost out, because at the narrowest points if you merely stopped to investigate what was on offer you immediately created a tailback. As one stall holder said to us - why not extend it up into Catherine Street where the road is wider? Or are there traffic management issues there? Another plan might be to make the Hill one way for pedestrians during events like this. But, hopefully, plenty of jam and jewellery was sold before the rains came...

http://www.stcatherinesfrome.co.uk

http://www.oakfieldchoir.co.nr

http://www.blackswan.org.uk