Keeping the Members Together: A History of Music in WMC

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Keeping the Members Together: A History of Music in Working Men's Clubs with Isabel Thomas

Is there anything special about the world of music in working men's clubs? Two quotes ninety years apart – 'the shows must be kept going, even if they do not pay their way, and so keep the members together' and 'music […] we have to have it to keep the club running' – prompt us to explore the enduring place of music in club life.

This talk asks what makes music in working men's clubs distinctive, from roots in 1840s Chartism to current pockets of continuity and revival. Along the way, references are made to well-known stars such as Vera Lynn and Tom Jones, and familiar media depictions such as Peter Kay's house band 'Les Alanos' and Vic Reeves' club singer impression. Looking beyond nostalgia and stereotypes, Isabel Thomas explores how the club membership format has shaped music-making in Britain for at least a century and a half, and asks what lessons can be learned from its past in order to shape its future.

About the speaker
Isabel Thomas is a postgraduate researcher at Newcastle University, funded by the NUAcT project The Invention of Pop Music: Mainstream Music, Class and Culture, 1520-2020. She uses oral history, archives, media analysis and ethnography to research the music history of working men's clubs and institutes.