FAQ

WHAT IS A SINGAROUND?

 

A Singaround – well, ours, anyway – consists of people – or sometimes small groups of people – taking it in turns to sing a song. Don’t stop reading there! You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to! We welcome listeners too!!

 

Our Singarounds are very informal and participative – no mics (It isn’t an open mic night) , no stage,  no audience, we sing for ourselves. And we don’t sit in a circle! You can sit wherever you like, and sing from wherever you want, standing up or sitting down. 

 

Our Seasonal Singaround, held every year in December, has a different format as we intersperse individual songs with unison singing of carols and other seasonal songs.

 

WHAT CAN I EXPECT THE EVENING TO BE LIKE?

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That  depends entirely  on who turns up on any particular evening ! We  don’t vet anyone, or what they are going to sing, so sometimes   you may not personally enjoy some of the singers or the songs.

 

We feel this is a small price to pay for having an inclusive Singaround where we hope that everybody feels welcome.

 

WHAT CAN I SING?

 

You can sing whatever you like, but as we’re a folk club many people do sing folk or folk-influenced songs. It's great If your song has a chorus or people can join in with it, but If you would rather people didn’t join in when it’s “your” turn, please say so before you start! We won’t be offended ….we know it’s annoying when people join in with a different version of your song!

 

Songs from any country or culture are welcome! We’ve had songs in French, German, Welsh, Hebrew, Norwegian, Gaelic, Hungarian, Japanese and many other languages.

 

We have also had everything from hard-core traditional folk and  beautiful self-penned songs to Status Quo (sorry, afraid that was Nyge and Sue aka the Goose doing a rather poor version of Down The Dustpipe)  so feel free to let loose .....

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 ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS AT ALL ON WHAT I CAN SING?

 

We  ask that you don’t sing very long songs, unless you are Mike Waterson singing Tam Lin, which we can say with absolute certainty that you won’t be.

 

SHOULD I INTRODUCE MY SONG?

 

We also ask that you don’t spend more than a very short time on introducing your song. If there are a lot of people wanting to sing, a lot of talking means that other people may not get a second song during the evening, plus we want to hear singing, not talking!
 

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN IT'S MY TURN TO SING?

 

You put your name on the list on the table when you arrive. If you can’t find the list, please ask somebody. If they don’t know, please ask somebody else 🙂

 

The order of the names is the order of singing. We  will call your name when it’s your turn.

 

If you want to sing later in the evening, please wait and put your name on the list later. It confuses everybody if you leave a big blank space on the list with your name at the bottom of the space!

 

We give people one song each until we reach the end of the list, then we start again, so if you are early you are more likely to get more than one song. (though we may not start another round if we feel that there is not time for everybody to sing, as we have to finish by 10.30pm.
 

CAN I SING WITH SOMEONE ELSE, OR WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE?

 

Yes, of course! If there is more than one person singing or playing together, it counts as one song per group. The individual  people in the group can also each  sing a solo song if they want, but they must also  put their names on the list separately in that case.

 

CAN I USE AN INSTRUMENT?

 

You are welcome to accompany yourself on an instrument, but this is a Singaround, so not the place for solely instrumental tunes. Nor is it a session!

 

If you’re looking for a session, there are a number of sessions running regularly which are reasonably local (to us). If a Google doesn’t find them, please ask us and we will try to point you in the right direction.

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If you are using an instrument and that instrument is in a case, it is very helpful if you could make sure it is a) out of its case and b) tuned if necessary before your name is called 🙂
 

CAN I USE WORDS (WRITTEN, THAT IS!)?

 

Yes of course! On paper or on your phone! Though it’s always impressive when people don’t have to refer to words...

 

WHEN DOES THE SINGAROUND START AND FINISH? IS THERE A BREAK?

 

The door opens at 7pm and the singing starts at 7.15pm. 

 

The exact finish time will depend on how many people there are who want to sing.

 

We have to finish singing by 10.30pm at the latest, which is when the bar closes on Sundays. 

 

If there are a lot of singers, this may mean that not everybody gets a second song. The earlier you arrive, and the sooner you put your name down to sing, the more chance you have of getting a song in the second half.

 

We always finish with a  song which everybody can join in with, led by the Goose.

 

We have a short break in the middle, usually (unless there are crowds of singers) after we have been through all the singers once. But of course you are welcome to come and go to the bar as you please during the course of the Singaround!

 

I'M WORRIED EVERYBODY ELSE WILL BE BETTER THAN ME

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Yeh, you and most of us! Really, don’t worry. Some people who come have been singing for years and are very experienced. Others have never sung in public before. Others have but are still terrified every time. Some people hide it better than others.... It’s like anything, it gets easier the more you do it. You’ve got to start somewhere....

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I'D REALLY LIKE TO SING AT A GOOSE CONCERT, IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE

 

Several of our Singaround participants have gone on to support our headliner/s at a concert, But please don’t be offended if we don’t ask you - we can’t book everybody! 

 

Also, we try to book support acts  who complement particular headliners.

 

I DON'T WANT TO SING AT ALL!

 

If you want to come and just listen, of course that’s absolutely fine too – we don’t want to make anybody feel uncomfortable, or feel that they have to sing. You don’t! Though we hope if you’re a bit shy that at some stage you’ll give it a go! And of course we hope that you’ll join in the choruses (though you don’t have to, obviously!).

 

WHAT DOES IT COST TO COMET TO THE SINGAROUND?

 

It is £5 on the door for both singers and listeners.  At present we take CASH or BACS only, sorry.

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WILL THERE BE FOOD AVAILABLE AT THE SINGAROUND?

 

The Ivy House usually serves meals at lunchtime on a Sunday, but it does not serve food on Sunday nights. Last orders for food are at 6pm on  Sundays. Please phone the pub on  020 7277  8233 in advance to check the situation if you would like to eat there.

 

Please do not bring your own food into the Singaround!

 

I HAVE A DISABILITY. WHAT ACCESS IS THERE?

 

There is one low step into the front bar of The Ivy House, and after that the whole of the pub is  on level ground.

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The ballroom is on the ground floor, and there is a  loo with a rail in the ballroom but it may not be suitable for every disability . If you need space for a wheelchair, please contact us in advance and we can reserve one for you.

 

 If you have a disability and have further queries about access or other issues, please contact The Ivy House directly.