Club Cotherstone marks ten years with sell-out show

“DO you reckon people would come if we put music on in the village hall?”
Colin Robinson decided the answer to the question he posed was “yes” and Club Cotherstone was born.
The first gig, in March 2007, featured Richard John Thompson, Colin’s own band Two Crows and Abby Smith.
A decade later and a tenth anniversary show will be held at Cotherstone Village Hall on Friday, March 10, featuring Paul Mosley and the Red Meat Orchestra playing tracks from last year’s “folk opera” album The Butcher.
It promises to be quite an evening.
“There is going to be 16 of them, including two puppeteers, a glockenspiel and the use of projection,” said Mr Robinson.
“It will be like nothing we have ever had before.”
The show is already a sell-out, with Club Cotherstone fans travelling from far and wide, including a couple coming up for Brighton – the third time they will have made the trip to Teesdale for a gig.
Mr Robinson said securing the headline act had been “a bit of an optimistic ask”. But with Paul Mosley – who has played at Club Cotherstone before with his band Moses – hitting the stage in Leeds the day after, he was happy to fit in a visit to Teesdale as well.
“It is normally such a worry about ticket sales up until the last minute, but this one sold out really quickly because of who he is and because it is the tenth anniversary,” he said.
It was having to travel far and wide for gigs that prompted Mr Robinson and wife Claire to launch Club Cotherstone.
“I have always been into going to gigs and it was always a long trip going to see who I wanted to see.
“After Richard John Thompson had played the first Club Cotherstone gig, he wanted to do another. We wondered if it would be as popular. We did it a couple of months later and it was.”
And since then a steady stream of regular gigs has been staged each year.
“We try to mix it up and put local people on as well. People can never believe how good it is. We hire in a proper PA. We want everything to be as professional as possible.”
Visiting artists are even treated to a home cooked meal between sound check and performance.
Mr Robinson said the ten years of Club Cotherstone had been really good “but a lot of hard work and stress”.
He added: “There have been a few ‘this is the last one’ occasions over the years but we have kept it going.
“When it starts and they start playing you think ‘This is great’.
“The core of people who keep on coming absolutely love it. I would never have believed we would go to ten years.
“It’s about three or four gigs a year, although there were a couple of years when there was just two.
“You need the perfect storm of availability of artist, sound and hall and to avoid times such as Christmas and the summer holidays.”
Mr Robinson said he had received the backing of those involved with the former Mickleton RnB Club, now Mickleton Live.
“They were very supportive when I first started out and they still are. We always make sure we don’t clash.”
So what of the future? Well, Mr Robinson is already making tentative plans for the next Club Cotherstone, having spoken to songwriter Amber Rubarth, one-third of the band Applewood Road.
Club Cotherstone, featuring Paul Mosley and the Red Meat Orchestra, with support from York's Boss Caine is a sell-out. However, a waiting list for any returns is being compiled. For details, contact Mr and Mrs Robinson on 01833 650914.