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Thanks for sharing this. Another obscure (to me) British cultural reference by the band XTC now becomes clear. Such traditions can be fragile things. The casua

Thanks for sharing this. Another obscure (to me) British cultural reference by the band XTC now becomes clear. Such traditions can be fragile things. The casual nature of the performance ("They only meet to rehearse about twenty minutes before leaving the church hall every Boxing day") is both a blessing and a curse - easy to learn and share with new participants, but also easy to skip which is what apparently happened in the 1880s.

gnufx 8y ago
A more recent Indy record, by Young Knives, has Whittlesea Straw Bear on the cover, and there must be other folk custom references in rock genres, especially Green Man, I guess. You don't need much rehearsal for a single script after a few years, except for the topical ad-libs, and you traditionally consult the correct words written on the props -- not to be taken too seriously! Most English (and maybe other) folk customs had died out by the end of the 19th century. Then even the early revival groups were wiped out in the First World War, particularly as they tended to join up together. That's been poignant in recent centennials.