Bell and Pump Folk Club audience notice
-
-
Waterworks Road, Edgbaston. Located at St Phillips Old Boys Club. Known for its Friday night Folk Club that ran from 1973 to the early 1990s. It hosted local, national and international folk acts. Amongst them, Jake Thackery, Richard Digance, Canadian folk rockers Spirit Of The West and many local names on the folk scene.
These were usually supported by local trio Mad Jocks & Englishmen with their zany humour (see their website). Saturday nights hosted Jazz, which included well known musicians.
The performers were in an upstairs room which was fairly big and had a small stage. The audience could buy snacks as well as beer. There were also audience notices, like the one shown, which asks the audience to be quiet during performances (perhaps something that should be given out these days too?). However, the audience usually joined in with the singing of choruses.
The notice reads:
NOTICE TO MEMBERS AND GUESTS
We welcome you to the Bell & Pump and hope that you will have many enjoyable evenings at the club. We do our best to try to ensure this, but we need your help on one particular point, and this is in showing consideration for the artistes by not talking during their performances.
