Everyman Folk Fly Again

The Everyman Folk Club, which moved to the Fly In The Loaf after the Everyman Theatre closed for major rebuilding, has flown again, this time to OSQA’s Arena Bar, which is on the corner of Oldham Street and Roscoe Street, Liverpool 1, close to the Dispensary and the Roscoe Head pubs.

This seems a rather strange venue, consisting as it does of function rooms more suitable for wedding, retirement and birthday parties, rather than folk nights. Needless to day, there isn't any real ale there, so it's unlikely I'd want to visit.  Or if I did, I'd be drawn to the two excellent pubs nearby.

Why did they move from the Fly, which does have a good range of real ales? I don't know, but I can guess that they probably weren't spending much. Some people go to folk nights nowadays and buy only one drink, perhaps a soda water or a J20, and make that last all night. I've seen some people not buy anything at all, which is a bit naughty when you consider that the organisers usually pay nothing for the use of the room, and the bar might reasonably expect some return. It wouldn't surprise me if the pub had decided that the bar sales weren't worth the investment in electricity, heating and staff time cleaning the room afterwards.

However, that's enough speculation: this has always been a popular folk night, presented by Hughie Jones of the Spinners and attracting many from the Liverpool folk scene; if, like an increasing number of folkies nowadays, real ale isn't important to you, give it a go. It's on every Wednesday from 8.30 p.m.