The Write Stuff
Every Wednesday, Clancy’s Canning Bridge runs a Songwriter’s Night which gives both experienced writers and newbloods the chance to showcase their tunes. BOB GORDON chats with Clancy’s spokesman, Tom Fisher, a songwriter himself, about the long-running weekly gig.
The songwriter’s night has been going on at Clancy’s Canning Bridge for some three years now. Who, of the participants, has bloomed in that time?
Well we have had a lot of local superstars like your Tim Nelsons, Luke Dux, Ruby Boots, Simon Kelly, etc, but it’s good to see a few lesser-knowns really win the locals over and build a good following when they pop in.
We also get a lot of touring acts looking to pick up a mid-week show and have had acts from the UK, Canada and plenty of Melbourne and Sydney traffic too, which is cool.
What’s the mix like between experienced purveyors and newcomers?
We have two acts most nights and will try and match a well-known act with a promising up-and-comer quite often. It’s not an open mic night of sorts, it’s a bit more organised but we’re always happy to support a newcomer if we feel they have the goods.
What have you seen as being the benefits of songwriters taking their works to a dedicated night like this?
I think it’s great to see someone who say fronts a band but will play a completely different set or try out new material in that stripped back mode. For instance, this week Mitch (McDonald) from The Love Junkies solo acoustic will be much different vibe than a Love Junkies show, as you would imagine. Something like this would be very interesting for the punters and fans.
We also feel this side of the river since the Raffles band room closed its doors years back there has not been much support for original stuff past the Freo borders up Canning Highway. So we like to think we are doing a good thing for the area. It’s also totally free, at no cost to the punters.
What advice would you have for songwriters who may be keen to get involved but might be a bit unsure about doing so?
They can track down my email from the clancysfishpub.com.au website and then I will fire a Matthew Pavlich style handball to my assistant Josh who is taking care of the bookings at this stage. We will try to accommodate as best we can as the night has become so popular.`
