DARLINGTON Folk Club has a special double bill of leading local acts tonight at its regular Copper Beech venue. Teesside singer and guitarist Ray Thom kicks off proceedings and then bluegrass troop Willow Creek will be setting feet tapping in fine style.

Meanwhile, knowing the trials and tribulations of keeping a band on the road, I’m overawed by the current trend for artists to put together huge ensembles, get them rehearsed and moved around from venue to venue, and pay them a wage to boot. Ever since the demise of the mammoth Bellowhead, there have been attempts to fill the gap they left behind. Talented singer, instrumentalist and arranger Jim Moray is the latest to take the plunge, and he and his nine-piece band will be descending on The Witham in Barnard Castle tomorrow night. Certainly promises to be a night not to miss. You can always expect the unexpected with Jim.

On Sunday, South Shields folk club is moving out of its usual Customs House surroundings, for one week only, and heading back to its roots at The Marsden Inn, which for us old-timers, stirs memories of fantastic, packed nights of music and mayhem, more than 40 years ago. Special guests this week will be Ken Wilson and Jim MacFarland, regulars at The Duke of Wellington in Wolviston. On Tuesday, Cramlington’s Clef and Cask will be welcoming The Celia Bryce Band, with their brand of country-folk led by one of my favourite singers in the region, combined with great instrumental backing.

Finally, on Wednesday, I’ll be with The Pitmen Poets at Billingham Forum Theatre, as part of our current country-wide tour, which last weekend took us to Scarborough Spa Theatre, and the same stage where Benny Graham and I both saw Max Jaffa strut his stuff in our formative years.