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The Venues
The Sessions in Willington alternate between the two pubs that are opposite each other in the centre of the village.
The Rising Sun
1 The Green, Willington, Derbyshire DE65 Tel: 01283 702116
In the centre of the Village and opposite The Green Man (see below). Hazel, daughter Laura and staff Emma and Dave plus Millie the dog welcome you with fine ales and traditional pub meals. All day breakfast from 9am during summer. Sky Sports. Internet access. Open all day to 11pm Sun-Thurs, to Midnight Fri, Sat, food served to 9pm.We have a lovely inviting Session Room, far from the madding crowd, where we can sit and share beautiful music, beautiful people and a darn good night out.
We meet fortnightly (ish) in the upstairs room at The Rising Sun (see Session Diary for dates). We meet at 8pm.
IT'S FREE.
We will be passing round the hat for donations but it's up to you. Give what you want and only if you want.
If/when we have showcase evenings at The Rising Sun there will be an entrance fee. Please support your local artistes and come along for a great night out.
The Green Man 1 Canal Bridge, Willington, Derbyshire, DE65 6DQ
Introduce yourself to Pat & Jane who are welcoming & supportive hosts.
The Green Man is a beautiful old white painted building with some tables outside at the front in the summer. There are plenty of car parking spaces at the back and in the free parking at the Marina, only a short walk away. There is a beamed bar and lounge and "The Green Man" is known in the village for it's fine beer and food.
We have a lovely inviting Session Room, far from the madding crowd, where we can sit and share beautiful music, beautiful people and a darn good night out.
We meet fortnightly in the upstairs room at The Green Man (see Session Diary for dates). We meet at 8pm.
IT'S FREE.
We will be passing round the hat for donations but it's up to you. Give what you want and only if you want.
Sharpe's Pottery Museum
23 West Street,
Swadlincote,
Derbyshire DE11 9DG
Tel 01283 222600
Burton upon Trent (3½ miles) Ashby de la Zouch (4¼ miles) Melbourne (6¾ miles) Coalville (8¾ miles) Twycross (9¼ miles) Tamworth (11miles) Derby (11 miles) Market Bosworth (12¼ miles) Kegworth (12½ miles) Lichfield (12¾ miles) Loughborough (15 miles)
In the centre of the Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, on the corner of West Street and Alexandra Road, is Sharpe's Pottery.
Founded on the present site in 1821 it is a very rare survival of an early 19th century pottery, with its old red brick industrial buildings and original kiln hovel. The pottery is now a heritage centre and a museum and local arts complex with car-parking, modern amenities, café, gallery space etc.
In the Kiln at night
The Real-Music Club will have exclusive use of the building for the night but the Real-Action will be...
Inside The Kiln
At the centre of the pottery is the old brick Bottle Kiln (a large bell shaped room) and this is where the concert will take place. The room seats 50 with further spaces on the balcony.
Capacity is 72 so get your tickets early.
The Kiln is an experience in itself and the acoustics are amazing.
Bar & refreshments will be provided by Sharpe's Pottery volunteers on concert nights.
There are numerous free car parks close by.
The Kiln is a NO SMOKING Venue and has facilities for people with disabilities. It is suitable for people of all ages.
Disabled access to all parts of the building and there is disabled parking on site.
Past Venues
It's all getting exciting again ...
Last season was the club's most successful in 12 years with more people than ever coming to find out what Real-Music is all about and more performers than ever sharing their talents with us. A truly remarkable turnaround in 12 months from the point where the club's future was being questioned and we were searching for a new home.
And with this success comes …
A Return to The Rising Sun
WAIT, DON’T DESPAIR
It seems that we are not the only ones to rise phoenix-like from the ashes.
The Rising Sun has been transformed.
·The old landlady has left (HURRAH!) and has been replaced by Hazel, a really sweet nut who doesn’t own a schoolgirl outfit and knows how to run a pub. She is really enthusiastic about the club and wants to support us as much as she can
· The riff-raff & animals have been evicted and caged and replaced by normal human beings (HURRAH! HURRAH!)
· The whole place has been refurbished and is unrecognisable. It is now a pleasant place to be and the function room has been decorated, repaired, carpeted and no longer feels like a dodgy cab office at the back of a kebab house. It is brighter, more airy, feels bigger, and is more attractive and more comfortable (HURRAH HURRAH! HURRAH!)
· The Jukebox has gone (HURRAH! HURRAH! HURRAH! HURRAH!)
· The Beer is now beautiful (well it was when I was there) and as far as I know the landlady has permanently disconnected the pipe that went straight from the gents to the pump marked Pedigree (HURRAH! HURRAH! HURRAH! HURRAH! HURRAH!)
Does this mean we will be leaving the Green Man?
NO. We will be having our open session nights there every fortnight as at present. It’s a lovely intimate room “at The Man” and we feel at home there. It is a great venue for the truly acoustic experience.
So why go to “The Sun”?
The room at the Rising Sun has several advantages over The Green Man. It’s larger, with a capacity of 60 rather than 30. It has a stage and is suitable for small acoustic concerts. The walk from function room to bar is undercover. We have the possibility to have a private bar although this will not be open for Sessions because of the cost involved. Drinks can be bought from the main bar or lounge.
What about “The Kiln”?
The Kiln will continue as our “Showpiece” Concert Venue and dates have been booked for 2007 as follows:
SATURDAY 3rd Mar, 14th Apr, 12th May, 9th Jun, 7th Jul, 15th Sep, 13th Oct, 10th Nov, 22nd Dec
We met fortnightly in the lounge at The Boot Inn, 12 Boot Hill
(off the High Street at the Willington end by "The Cross")
Repton, Derbyshire DE65 6FT
The Boot Inn Repton
from 14th October 2005 to 2nd March 2006.
The Boot Inn dates back to 1649 and is cosy and comfortable and well decked out with an extensive collection of porcelain boots, old plates and saucers, polished tables, fresh flowers on the bar, and well kept beers.
The Boot Sessions were to give us a chance to widen our audience and we had plans for concerts in the future. Unfortunately the promised pub restructuring to provide a stage never happened.
So as we waved goodbye to a second home we remembered some great sessions.
Thank you for the memories.
Our first venue - The Rising Sun, Willington
GOODBYE TO THE RISING SUN
Thank you for letting us use your function room over the past 12 months (Sept 2004- Sept 2005) But it's time to move on ...
(But see above)