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Queer as folk: Pub welcomes all in for singaround special
Tuesday nights are typically a quiet one, but on the second of each month a pub in Redfield is filled to bursting with song – and July was no exception.
The cosy pub was packed to the rafters for the monthly folk singaround that’s proved so popular it has seen singers queuing out the door and down the street.
The session welcomed in the queer community for a Pride special, making for a rousing session that easily overwhelmed the competition of the spirited Spanish football fans on the other side of the bar.
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Anna Cornish – watched on by Rose Hall – opened Tuesday’s session with a song well known by the collective. She started the session with Nick Hart and Lizi Morse just over a year ago
The George & Dragon on Church Road has hosted the singaround session, in which people sing unaccompanied or share songs for group singing, for just over a year.
The idea of a Pride special was conceived by Rose Hall, an enthusiast on a mission to “bring folk stuff into queer spaces and queer stuff into folk spaces.”
At the beginning of the session, to a rapt audience that included regulars and those inspired to join for the first time for this special edition, Hall explained why they work to broaden out folk music’s appeal.
“People have been queer forever,” they said. “The stories are all there [in the canon], so maybe we could acknowledge them by bringing them here.
Lizi Morse created the artwork for the session, which aims to be as inclusive as possible and welcomes songs from all parts of the world, traditions and times
“This session is really inclusive already but today we wanted to make it really specific – to tell stories that aren’t told so often and hear different voices.”
Hall, who is part of the drag king morris dancing side Molly No Mates, suggested priority could be given for singers from minority groups or those less commonly heard in folk music. It has traditionally been a male-dominated space, but is evolving to become more inclusive.
“Maybe if you have a voice that’s heard more often – politically rather than actually – you could think about holding back a little tonight,” they said.
A pair of new singers sang the cheeky shanty ‘Twiddles’ by Janie Meneely, which brought the house down with its line ‘I remember Nancy, she was young and she was gay’
The event was a roaring success that heard singers from all communities and levels of experience – from first-timers to stalwarts Anna Cornish and Nick Hart, the acclaimed local folk singers who originally set up and now host the session with Lizi Morse of acapella duo Bowker and Morse.
Hall was inspired to organise a queer-focused singing session by a residential weekend at Halsway Manor in Taunton with Queer Folk UK, a group that works to highlight LGBTQIA+ history and narratives buried in the archives, and amplify contemporary queer artists.
The experience inspired Hall to work to make more queer folk stories and singers visible in Bristol. “People are not that willing to acknowledge hidden or overt queer stories – or singers, or musicians,” they explained.
Hall was pleased with how the night turned out.
“The atmosphere was incredible. Something felt really cohesive and people were beautifully supportive of each other,” they said.
“Being a group, centred around queerness, gave an extra layer of safety to be ourselves and this came through in the feelings people were left with. I had many excited messages of gratitude and thanks for the space we created.
“I’m really proud of the night and of our queer and folk community. Hopefully what we created will continue to ripple through into the sessions to come.”
Hall’s drag king morris side subverts tradition. Molly dancing was traditionally an all-male pastime but with one of the dancers dressed as a woman, so “it has queerness in its DNA” said Hall. Molly No Mates have ‘kept the cross dressing but dropped the misogyny’ – photo: Jack Witek
Lizi Morse, a self-defined ‘kitchen table singer’, was instrumental in making the singaround the success it is today. She felt the Pride session was a real moment in the session’s history.
“What was special was observing that many of our straight regulars really listened, held back and gave space for new voices to be heard. It felt important,” she said.
“It was such a lovely event – really, really special.”
The next queer folk weekender is July18-20, 2025. Find out more at halswaymanor.org.uk/event/queer-folk-weekend-2025
All photos except where stated: Ursula Billington
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