The Tonic (Ollie, Malcolm, Julie and Gav) are playing the first of an exciting new series of dances with live bands for 2019 at Hothfield Village Hall (Park Drive, Hothfield, Ashford TN26 1EQ) from 8pm on Saturday 12th Jan. Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the night if not sold out – so it may be best to get tickets from the Contrafusion website. http://contrafusion.co.uk/Saturday.html

Later dances in the season will feature the bands Foot Down (March 8th) Contraband (May 11), Rjigged (Jul 20th), Hot Rats (Sept 7th) and Token Women (Nov 2nd).

Tunes and sessions

We’ve had a smashing time with the carolling, and made huge, wonderful sounds at the Stile Bridge and the West End Tavern.

But now it’s time to learn some more new tunes before the dance at the end of March. The first workshop for 2019 is on the 15th January and if you’d like to get started two of the tunes are now on the tunes workshops page.

There will be a Castle Inn, Brenchley session night on the 27th January with the entertaining Dan Quinn, who will doubtless turn in some engaging traditional and old songs and tunes, and maybe the odd recitation…

And we’re back at the Gun & Spitroast, Horsmonden for the regular first Sunday of the month tunes session, from 8pm on the 6th January (tomorrow).

Gavin (gmatkin@gmail.com)