Fifty years of folk music to be marked

The Moroney Family, comprising (from left) Bernadette Moroney, Siobhan Dillon, and Mike Moroney, pictured performing at the Dunedin Folk Club, will be part of the Showcase Concert. PHOTO: STAR FILES

The Dunedin Folk Club will celebrate 50 years of music with a Golden Anniversary Festival over Anzac weekend.

Founded in 1975, as a place where people interested in folk music in all its forms could share their skills and love of music, the club maintains an active programme of weekly club nights, concerts and festivals.

Dunedin Folk Club special events co-ordinator Bernadette Moroney said the club was planning a busy programme of events for members to mark the 50th anniversary on April 25 and 26.

These would include talks and discussions, open mic and bar performance sessions, a celebration dinner, bush poetry, a 1960s and 1970s folk revival session, and a longrunning multi-performer concert.

The public are welcome to join in the fun by attending a ticketed Showcase Concert on Saturday, April 25 (Anzac Day), from 7.30pm at Dunedin Folk Club, based at Opoho Bowling Club, 80 Lovelock Ave.

Dunedin Folk Club stalwarts Lindsey Shields and John Meddings will perform during the Showcase Concert, as the club celebrates its 50th anniversary over Anzac weekend. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

The Showcase Concert will feature a selection of the Dunedin Folk Club’s stalwart performers and ensembles, playing a range of styles from traditional Celtic music to bluegrass and Americana. The performers will include Catgut and Steel, Sean Manning, Lindsey Shields and John Meddings, Neil Copeland, Vic McDonald, John Egenes, Moroney and Valley Bluegrass.

Mrs Moroney said choosing the acts for the Showcase Concert had been a difficult task, as one evening was not enough time to highlight all of the many styles of music explored by folk club members.

‘‘So, we selected eight acts, which will give the audience a taste of what we do.’’

Mrs Moroney said the extraordinary variety of styles within folk music was one of the reasons the Dunedin Folk Club had thrived for 50 years.

Originally arising from the University Folk Club, which combined with the 12 Fret Folk Club to form the New Edinburgh Folk Club, the organisation later changed its name to Dunedin Folk Club.

‘‘We have had our ups and downs over the years, and so have folk clubs across New Zealand, but the establishment of the [Aotearoa NZ] Folk Alliance several years ago has strengthened networks throughout the county again,’’ she said.

Long-standing Dunedin Folk Club favourites Catgut and Steel, comprising Mike Moroney and Anna Bowen, will be among the featured guests at the 50th anniversary Showcase Concert on Anzac Day. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

‘‘From October to May, we have a constant stream of musicians from New Zealand and overseas travelling through the country — so we are able to host their performances in Dunedin, which is great.’’

The annual Whare Flat Folk Festival, held near Dunedin over New Year, also attracted top-notch musicians and was an important event on the national folk calendar.

The Golden Anniversary Festival over Anzac weekend would be a good opportunity for present and past members to come together and remember the history of Dunedin Folk Club and the people who had been instrumental in its success over the years.

‘‘We have people coming from all around the country for the celebrations, and we will have the chance to hear the stories about the foundation and history of the club,’’ Mrs Moroney said.

‘‘It’s going to be a great weekend of celebration.’’

Tickets for the Dunedin Folk Club 50th anniversary Showcase Concert are available online via humanitix. Numbers are limited, bookings essential.

[Events] would include talks and discussions, open mic and bar performance sessions, a celebration dinner, bush poetry, a 1960s and 1970s folk revival session, and a long-running multi-performer concert.