Jean Finney reports on a very busy and successful Tuesday night @ The Ring'o'Bells Folk Club ...

"It was an invasion. The regular folkies eyed the large group of newcomers on the other side of the room like a scene from West Side Story, each flexing their acoustic muscles for the fray. No prisoners, winner take all. The chatting began, enter the Presenter of BBC Radio Merseyside's Folk programme, Geoff Speed.

Nick Smith opened with a breathtaking rendition of two pop standards, followed by Andy with two self penned numbers. Ian parried with a couple of nifty tunes on the banjo, and our Music Hall Diva, Terry got the room singing along with his Irish offerings. Resident Jean Finney offered a gory, nautical little piece called "Dead Mans Stitch".

Darren Poyzer opened his guest spot with "Rewarded for Violence", then called Jamie Parkes to join him on violin. In a folk club we are used to fiddles, but such pure liquid tones had the knees going weak. Far from being daunted by the total silence of an attentive audience during his performance, Darren rose to new heights with his unique songs - 'Sunday Morning Footballer', 'Beautiful Addiction', ' Someone For Me', 'Brand New Rock & Roll' and 'Cuckoo'. He was left in no doubt by the audience appreciation.

Darren's songs are sensitively written, with memorable words and melodies. When performed with his guitar and Jamie's violin, the effect is dynamic. Add to this his cheeky (but shy?) personality, his live performance wins over an audience and cannot fail to please.

Peter, organiser and resident of the St.Helens Folk Club (Mondays at the Green Dragon) opened the second half with two rousing chorus songs, swiftly followed by Jamie who wowed us once more by playing guitar and singing -beautifully. Richard Gray (tall, handsome, black, should be called Othello, are you getting the picture?) sang two stunning folk style songs, deceptively self penned. (He had Geoff Speed on the edge of his seat - "such a room full of talent" he was heard to mutter). Then with his arm up his back, and guitar, plec and capo forced into his other hand, Greg Oldfield sang a rousing lament about Widnes. The final floor spot was a couple of songs by one of the folk club residents, Jean Crompton, who brought a smile to our face with her crystal clear voice and a naughty music hall piece about a magic camera.

Darren had promised to finish the night with "Have a Nice Day" by special request, and the forceful demand for an encore brought Jamie and his fiddle back to join him in 'From The Beaches of Ibiza to the Shores of Vietnam' - a song written in the wake of September 1lth. I have heard many songs dedicated to that event, but his was by far the best. We had a room without a microphone or stage, stuffed with talent on Tuesday 29th January, which injected all of those present with a pride in being a part of that scene.

There were many of the folk club regulars who sadly did not get the chance to be heard, namely John, Val, Jan, Stan and George, and hopefully some of those who had not been to the Ring'o' Bells before will come back any Tuesday, with a friend, to hear what we have to offer.

All in all a brilliant and memorable night filled with winners, with sincere thanks to everyone who came to perform or just to listen. Long live acoustic music!"

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The Ring'o'Bells Folk Club is situated on Pitt Lane, Widnes and runs every Tuesday Night.