Moody Food Ceili Band, Penkhull, Staffordshire

Celebrating Lesley's 60th in Penkhull, Staffordshire. A wonderful night with songs from the shows, dancing from The Black Dog Molly, classic pop songs from The Penkhull Ukulele Band and a ceilidh with The Moody Food Ceili Band and Sylvia Fisher.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

• Happy Birthday Lesley
• Sylvia's Easy Circle Dance
• Simple Longways Set
• Gordon's Roundabout
• Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
• Postman's Knock
• Farmer's Jig
• The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
• Old Swan Gallop
• Carousel
• Knitter's Jig
• Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
• Stoke Golding Country Dance
• Circassian Circle
• The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

Checkley Community Centre

Photos of Gina's birthday bash with The Moody Food Ceili Band and Sylvia Fisher at Checkley Community Centre. Gina tells us that she's ignored advice since 1974 and that although she loved the cake she expects a real bottle of gin for her 50th!

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

• The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
• Dorchester Caper
• Circle Hornpipe
• Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
• Goatham Square Eight
• The Gravel Walks / Cowley's Reels
• Old Swan Gallop
• Happy Birthday Gina
• The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
• The Snowball
• Circle Mixer
• Molly's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
• Stoke Golding Country Dance
• Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
• Polka Off
• Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
• Circassian Circle
• Southern Flavor

 

 

Meir Heath Village Hall

 

Cheadle Guild Hall

A hot night in Cheadle for Marion's birthday dance with The Moody Food Ceili Band. A very strange thing happened at 10.30 though – all the men disappeared! (I think it was football related).

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

• The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
• The Snowball
• Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
• Barndance
• Goatham Square Eight
• Happy Birthday Marion
• The Seige of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
• Circle Waltz
• Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
• Southern Flavor
• Oxo Reel
• Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
• The Gay Gordons
• Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
• Clopton Bridge
• Circassian Circle

 

Mount Pleasant Village Hall

Happy Birthday Gillian, Lola and Jason!

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

• The Sligo Maids / The Promenade
• Simple Longways Set
• The Snowball
• Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
• Goatham Square Eight
• Christmas Eve / The Lads of Laois
• Circle Hornpipe
• Oxo Reel
• Happy Birthday Gillian
• Happy Birthday Lola
• Happy Birthday Jason
• The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
• Pattercake Polka
• Stoke Golding Country Dance
• Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
• The Flying Scot
• The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
• Clopton Bridge
• Ashokan Farewell
• Circassian Circle
• Southern Flavor

Gillian's cake.

Lola's cake

 

Red House Farm

Happy Birthday Jonny!

Back to Red House Farm with The Moody Food Ceili Band and Sylvia Fisher for a proper barn dance in a proper barn.

• Heel and Toe Polka
• Lake Arthur Stomp / Empty Bottle Stomp
• The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
• Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
• Fly Away / Turkey in the Straw / Seneca Square Dance
• Circassian Circle
• Flying Down the Trail (Woo Hoo)
• Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
• Simple Longways Set
• Pattercake Polka
• Happy Birthday Jonny
• Glasgow Gallop
• Strip the Willow
• The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
• Goatham Square Eight
• The Snowball
• Geoff's Tune
• Circassian Circle
• Cock o' the North

 

Rode Heath Village Hall

 

Happy Birthday Sarah from all in the Moody Food Ceili Band.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food dance card:

Turkey in the Straw / Seneca Square Dance / Fly Away
Flying Down the Trail
Goatham Square Eight
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Buffalo Reel
Clopton Ridge
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels
The Old Swan Gallop
Happy Birthday Sarah
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Orcadian Strip the Willow
Circle Waltz
The Siege of Ennis
Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
Waterloo Dance
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Polka Off
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

Always bright and beautiful!

 

Worfield Village Hall

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Our first wigs and waistcoats party – we all felt a little under dressed!

Sylvia's dances for your, Moody Food Dance Card:

The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
Circle Dance
A Simple Longways Set
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Goatland Square Eight
Circle Hornpipe
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reel
The Snowball
Happy Birthday Lucy
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Swedish Masquerade or Mr Darcey's Revenge
Dorchester Caper
Orcadian Strip the Willow
Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
Circle Waltz
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Polka Off
Shebag and Shemor / Give me your Hand
Circassia Circle
Cock o' the North

Gnosall, Liz and Ann

A double birthday celebration dance for Liz and Ann.

Collin was our third guest caller this summer and is so good-natured that he even agreed to video one of the dances whilst he was calling. Who says men can't multi-task

Collin's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Scatter Promenade
The Snowball
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Thadie U Ganda
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Boston Tea Party
The Virginia Reel
Cumberland Square Eight
The Foula Reel
Circassian Circle

Fairboroughs Farm

Happy Birthday Alex!

Here's a top tip if you're looking for a venue to hold your birthday party – find a local festival, such as Welly Fest 2013, and sneak into the marquee the night before and have a ceilidh with The Moody Food Ceili Band. Everyone's a winner.

Jason's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
Jason's Big Mixer
Glasgow Gallop
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Salutation Square Dance
Happy Birthday Alex
Caerphilly March
Cumberland Square Eight
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Old Swan Gallop
Circassian Circle
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers

The night before Welly Fest 2013.

The Madeley Centre

Happy Birthday Tony!

We borrowed Jason and his very snazzy waistcoat from Alf Alfa and the Wild Oats to do a spot of calling as Sylvia was off celebrating her birthday (Happy Birthday Sylvia!). Jason demonstrated his scatological side in his choice of dances but at least I finally learnt what a quadrille is – it's a posh name for a square set. Nice to see some proper waltzing during Shebag an Shemor.

Jason's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Jason's Big Set
Flying Scot
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Salutation Square Dance
Blaydon Races
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Caerphilly March
Cumberland Square Eight
Shebag and Shemor / Give me your Hand
Bottoms Up
Spanish Waltz Quadrille
Stoke Golding
Old Swan Gallop
Circassian Circle

A cake for a rambler.

Jason surrenders.

Holy Trinity Hall, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Happy Birthday Joan!

Great to see lots of friends we haven't seen for ages and it was typical of Joan to ask everyone to donate to the charity Lupus UK instead of giving her gifts.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Snowball
Postman's Knock
The Gravel Walk / Crowley's Reel
The Old Swan Gallop
Happy Birthday Joan
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Goatland Square Eight
Clopton Bridge
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Oxo Reel
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Circassian Circle
Southern Flavor

Cake and beer - bliss!

Tittensor Village Hall

Congratulations Mike and we hope that the surprise party wasn't too much of a surprise.

It seems always to be sunny for Anthea and Mike. It was a glorious summer's day when we played for their wedding three years ago and so it was today (maybe a little too warm for energetic dancing).

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
A Simple Longways Set
Goatland Square Eight
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Snowball
The Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
Circle Hornpipe
Oxo Reel
The Promenade (Yay!)
Circassian Circle

Ahh.

 

Mount Pleasant Village Hall, Mow Cop

Happy Birthday Steve! An afternoon ceili so that the children could join in and an opportunity for us to play Heel and Toe Polka which the little ones love. It felt a bit odd playing in sunlight – somethings only seem right done at night time!  In case you're wondering what the cake is depicting, Steve likes to compete in triathlons – which is one way to burn off those birthday cake calories.

After 30 years of gigs Sue and Milly insisted on a holiday (together!). So we inducted Mat into the mysteries diddly-dee guitar strumming, but such is the awesomeness of Sue's fiddle playing that we had to hire the two Martins on fiddle and flute to fill the Sue shaped hole in the Moody Food sound. Martin no. 2 is the real thing and an All Ireland flute champion. Fortunately he took pity on us all and played at a pace that we could all join in.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock 'o the North / 100 Pipers
The Flying Scot
Sonny's Mazurka / Spanish Cloak
Circassian Circle
Clopton Bridge
Shebag an Shemor / Give Me Your Hand
Glasgow Gallop
Happy Birthday Steve
Patsy Geary's / Coleman's Cross
Return to Fingle / The Kerfunken / The Butterfly
Goatland Square Eight
Heel and Toe Polka
The Lark in the Morning / Langstern's Pony
Cumberland square Eight
Circassian Circle

Iron man!

Newcastle Congregational Church Hall

It was all yellow – an Easter birthday dance for Vikki although Bill, Jen and Liz somehow all managed to get a free birthday party as well! Fortunately we all managed to get to the gig in spite of the snow although we missed a trick by not playing the tune Easter Snow.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

The Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
The Flying Scot
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Snowball
Happy Birthday Vikki
Happy Birthday Bill and Jen
Happy Birthday Vikki (again)
Happy Birthday Liz
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl/s Chair
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Goatland Square Eight
Circle Waltz
Oxo Reel
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels
Polka Off
Shebag an Shemor / Give Me Your Hand
Circassian Circle

Vikki's Birthday Cake.

Masonic Hall, Kidsgrove

I forgot to bring the camera, again, so no photos of Patricia's 70th birthday dance with Moody Food which was a very lively affair considering she asked for gentle dances. Patricia also asked her guests to donate money to Headway North Staffordshire a charity which provides support for people with head injuries, which is a great way to celebrate your birthday. Headway also have a Facebook page (if you're into that sort of thing), which has a little more information about the charity.

Highlight of the night? Sue's trick with a £5 note.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Behind the Haystack / Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife
Glasgow Gallop
The Snowball
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Goatland Square Eight
The Humours of Scariff / Some Say the Devil is Dead
St Bernard's Waltz
Happy Birthday Patricia
Happy Birthday Angela
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Clopton Bridge
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels
Midnight on the Water / Waltz Vienna
Oxo Reel
Polka Off
Shebag an Shemor / Give me your Hand
Circassian Circle
Auld Lang Syne

Eccleshall Community Centre

Happy Birthday Lorna and Nindy!

Back in town at Eccleshall's OK Corral for a double birthday celebration. It was a close shave weather wise but fortunately the heavy snow the night before had melted enough to get the waggons on the trail. Nice to see that John Wayne turned up for the showdown.

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
Glasgow Gallop
Buffalo Stew (Oxo Reel)
The Wigwam
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
Happy Birthday Lorna and Nindy
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair
Circle Waltz
Orcadian Strip the Willow
The Siege of Ennis
The Gravel Walk / Crowley's Reel
Polka Off
The Willow Tree
Circassian Circle
Southern Flavor

The Wheatsheaf, Onnerley

Happy Birthday Alex! In case you're wondering, Alex has a yellow balloon tied to his neck for easy identification – it's a doctor thing.

We borrowed Candida again, so more songs and tunes than dances in our usual Moody Food set.

The Lark in the Morning / Langstom's Pony (jigs)
Old John's Jig / The Hag in the Churn / The Monk's Jig (jigs)
Do You Love and Apple (song)
Raglan Road (song)
The Snowball (dance)
The Gravel Walks / Crowley's Reels (reels)
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie (waltz and bluegrass fiddle tune)
Dirty Old Town (song)
Whiskey in the Jar (song)
Molloy's Favourite / Cooley's Reel, The Foxhunter (reels) 
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair (reels) 
The Belle of Belfast City (song)
Sally Maclennane (song)  
Geoff's Tune (reggae hornpipe)
Polka Off (dance) 
Fairytale of New York (song)
Circassian Circle (dance) 
Southern Flavor (bluegrass fiddle tune) 

Bignall End Cricket Club

Happy Birthday JJ!

We borrowed Candida from Plucked! to sing a few songs amongst our usual Moody Food set of jigs and reels.

The Lark in the Morning / Langstom's Pony (jigs)
The Belle of Belfast City (song)
Do You Love and Apple (song)
The Flying Reindeer (dance)
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie (waltz and bluegrass fiddle tune)
Dirty Old Town (song)
Whiskey in the Jar (song)
Molloy's Favourite / Cooley's Reel, The Foxhunter (reels)
Happy Birthday JJ
The Siege of Delhi / The Earl's Chair (reels) 
A Simple Longways Set (dance)
Raglan Road (song)
Sally Maclennane (song)  
Polka Off (dance) 
Fairytale of New York (song)
Circassian Circle (dance) 
Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers (jigs)

St Peter's Church Hall, Elworth

Happy Birthday Cathryn from Moody Food.

Photobucket seems to be throwing a bit of a wobbly at the moment (at least for me) so I'm experimenting with Picasa for the slide show – not sure I like it as much as Photobucket, but hey ho.

Lots of folkies at the party including the guys from Steamhead – it's always a bit intimidating playing when another band is in the hall but they were dancing to the very end which must be a good sign.

We also got to meet the journalist and radio presenter Simon Jones who I last met when StringFing played a live session in April for his Sunday Folk and Roots show on Moorlands Radio. Many years ago he reviewed in Folk Roots a Heymaker gig at the Wheatsheaf in Stoke back in the days when it was still a live music venue

Sylvia's dances for your Moody Food Dance Card:

Cock o' the North / 100 Pipers
The Snowball
Goatland Square Eight
Discouraging Waltz / Ragtime Annie
The Siege of Ennis
Molloy's Favourite / The Foxhunter / Cooley's Reels
Polka Off
Circle Waltz
Strip the Willow
Clopton Bridge
Old Swan Gallop
Circassian Circle

The lucky birthday girl had two cakes – one for eating and one for, er, signing!

A cake for eating.

A cake for autographs!