Return of fundraising concert full of local traditional music for the Morpeth Gathering

It has been announced that the fundraising event of local traditional music, song and humour will take place on Friday, February 10 from 7.30pm in the Morpeth Town Hall Ballroom.

Headliner Alistair Anderson, on concertina and smallpipes, is a mainstay of almost all the annual concerts since they began – he appeared at the Gathering’s last event just before the Covid lockdowns.

A resident of Whittingham, Alistair has taken Northumberland’s music and his own inspiring compositions throughout the world, performing solo and in collaboration with other leading musicians across many genres.

Also much in demand at folk festivals and events is JIB, the Tyneside singing trio specialising in songs of the sea and from the North East mining community.

The members of JIB are Jim Mageean – an expert much in demand by the national media during the pandemic online craze for shanties – and Ingrid and Barrie Temple, who were seen last year on BBC television singing for Michael Portillo on the Blyth Tall Ship.

Barrie has written many well-received songs, which themselves are now passing into the tradition.

From Coquetdale, composer and poet James Tait makes his first appearance with some of his own tunes and songs, including a special song about Morpeth commissioned by the current Mayor (Coun Alison Byard) some years ago when she previously took on the role.

James also plans to perform some of the dialect pieces by youngsters that have resulted from his work in schools promoting the local language.

Another musician making her debut at the February concert, though no stranger to performing, will be Sophie Fraser – Morpeth’s rising star on the Northumbrian smallpipes.

Still at school, Sophie has been winning piping competitions from a young age and the Gathering organisers are delighted to present her to the concert audience.

The town is further represented by dialect poet Eileen Beers, whose amusing, nostalgic – and sometimes tragic – tales of local life in verse are packed full of distinctive Morpeth words and expressions known as the Morpeth Cant.

Completing the bill are the Border Directors, the Morpeth-based band featuring brother and sister John Bibby and Kim Bibby-Wilson along with fiddler Bennett Hogg and Border piper Matt Seattle.

As well as dance band sets and airs, there will be items from John and Kim’s lockdown CD The Glinter Stone getting a first live outing.

The whole event will be kept in order by MC Ron Forster, known to many as singer, actor and the Gathering’s Lord Greystoke.

As for the Gathering itself, which this year takes place from April 14 to 16, the organisers are working on pulling together as much as possible of the events programme that the pandemic interrupted, so that the annual festival of music, dialect, craft, dance and heritage can make a welcome return on the weekend after Easter.

Details will be available soon at www.northumbriana.org.uk

Meanwhile, as tickets for the important fundraising concert have always sold quickly, the public is urged to buy them as soon as possible over the counter at Morpeth Chantry Tourist Information Centre or by contacting the Gathering via email – [email protected] – or telephone (01670 513308).

Adult tickets are £12 and for school-age children the cost is only £6.