Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer

On Friday 7 June we look forward to another enjoyable evening, with fantastic guests. Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer have developed a strong reputation for a delivering great performances time and time again. Once known mainly for their instrumental skills with Scottish smallpipes, accordion and Swedish nyckelharpa, they are now being accepted as impressive song arrangers and writers.

Vicki & Jonny effortlessly blend traditional material with contemporary interpretations, whilst equally creating original self-penned tunes and songs that are entirely at home in the tradition. Out of this combination they have developed a sound that is both familiar and fresh. Strong believers in letting the music tradition live and breathe through sensitive interpretation, Vicki and Jonny allow the melody to sing without any constraints.

Broken Boat

Belshazzar’s Feast (photo Alan Cole)

Belshazzar’s Feast start with traditional folk music, add a touch of classical and jazz, throw in a bit of pop and music hall, and top it off wry humour for a unique live experience.  They received a coveted nomination for the Best Duo Award at the 2010 BBC Folk Awards. ‘One of folk’s great odd couples – The Feast’ (The Independent on Sunday).

Their latest album, titled ‘Find The Lady’ and produced by Jim Moray, was released by One Little Indian Records in November 2010. ‘It is a bona fide English classic’ (R2, formerly Rock ‘n’ Reel).

TICKETS SOLD OUT. Bring your own drinks. Fine ales can be purchased at the nearby pubs and there is also an off-licence across the road. Teas and coffee are available in the kitchen.

Folk song sessions continue every Friday between guest nights, with a themed evening of ‘Love Songs’ led by June Thaine on Friday 19 April. Free entry. All welcome, whether to listen, sing or play.

The Norwich Folk Club’s Annual General Meeting will be held from 8 pm on Friday 26 April, followed by a folk song session from about 9 pm.

Gren Bartley

On Friday 12 April we look forward to welcoming Gren Bartley, a talented young guitarist and a prolific and exceptional songwriter who we first noticed as one of the New Roots finalists several years ago. Since then Gren’s career has blossomed and he is constantly touring and forever writing.

Gren’s new album ‘Winter Fires’ (out in spring 2013) is set to build further upon the success of 2012’s critically acclaimed ‘Songs To Scythe Back The Overgrown’. “A quiet triumph, no less” ( fRoots).

Showcasing his phenomenal guitar playing and poetry-driven lyrics, Gren is truly the future of folk songwriting, using his influences from folk and blues traditions to bring something unique to this modern day troubadour. He is an artist not to be missed. “One to really look out for …” (BBC Radio 2).

Tickets can be reserved by contacting us via the ‘About the club’ page (£7 club members, £10 non-members). Bring your own drinks. Fine ales and off licence nearby. Teas and coffee also available.

Folk song sessions continue every Friday between guest nights, with a themed evening of ‘Chorus Songs’ led by Glynn West on Friday 29 March. Free entry. All welcome, whether to listen, sing or play.

Craig; Morgan; Robson

Craig; Morgan; Robson bring a new dimension to the art of a-capella singing. Rich in repertoire and musical experience, Moira Craig, Sarah Morgan and Carolyn Robson have been singing together since the autumn of 2003, weaving beguiling harmonies around material from the British tradition and beyond with “an effortless range and variety unheard in folk music for many years” (Folk London). 

Timeless songs of love and longing rub shoulders with compelling contemporary songs, and passionate, dramatic ballads take their place alongside a lilting Shetland melody or a stirring hymn from the Ozark mountains. The occasional solo song only adds to the variety of their overall performance. Here is a trio in which three distinctively different voices melt into one another to create a sound which is all their own. “True tradition bearers” (Living Tradition).

Bring your own refreshments. Teas and coffee available. Tickets £10 (£7 club members). Reserve your seat by emailing via the ‘About the club’ page.

Craig; Morgan; Robson will be hosting a harmony workshop at the Christ Church Centre, Magdalen Road NR3 4LA from 2-4.30 pm on Saturday 16 March. They will teach some songs from their repertoire, and share valuable tips on singing technique. Great fun! All welcome – no experience necessary! Tickets £10. Registration from 1.30 pm.

Martyn Wyndham-Read and Iris Bishop

Martyn Wyndham-Read has been involved with folk music for over forty years. As a teenager in the 1960s he set off to work on a sheep station in Australia and became part of the folk song revival there, later returning to England with a wealth of traditional songs and stories.

In the early 1970s Martyn started the ‘Maypoles to Mistletoe’ concerts which portray the seasons of the year through song, music, dance and verse and illustration. Martyn is also the instigator of the well known Song Links Project. He is accompanied by Iris Bishop, regarded by many as one of the finest players of the Duet concertina. Shining Down on Sennen

Tickets are £10 and can be reserved by emailing the club using the contact box on the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments – teas and coffee available.

June Thaine, David Robertson and Kevin Green

Special showcase guests at the singaround on Friday 1 February are popular local trio, June Thaine, David Robertson and Kevin Green, otherwise known as Poacher. We look forward to hearing a variety of traditional and more recent songs, sung in close harmony.

Other singers and players are also welcome to take part in the singaround. Entry free. Please bring your own liquid refreshments – teas and coffee available.

John Ward and Mario Price

Unfortunately the forecast blizzards have caused this gig to be POSTPONED to the autumn. The club will not meet this Friday.

Talented East Anglian-based singer-songwriter and guitarist John Ward also plays several other instruments, most notably the bodhran, on which he delivers trademark showstopping solos. John has toured extensively across England and overseas, and plays regularly with his musical partner, the outstanding violinist, Mario Price. Together, this popular duo always present an energetic and entertaining set.

John and Mario will be performing a highly eclectic mix of John’s original compositions, traditional songs and popular standards, punctuated by Mario’s beautiful and high-energy instrumentals.

Bring your own refreshments – teas and coffee are available. Reserve tickets (£9 or £6 for club members) by emailing via the contact box on the ‘About the club’ page.

Norwich Folk Club’s Annual General Meeting will take place at 8 pm on Friday 8 February, to be followed at approximately 9 pm by a singaround. All club members are invited to attend the meeting and the singaround is open to everyone, as usual.

On Monday 31 December we are holding our New Year’s Eve Party, with lots of songs and tunes. (Unfortunately the band is indisposed and not able to play for dancing this year.) Free entry. Bring songs, tunes, and party pieces, as well as your own drinks and some food to share. Prizes also welcomed for the grand Christmas raffle. Come along and join the festivities!

Bill Caddick

As a special Christmas treat, we look forward to welcoming singer-songwriter Bill Caddick who, among many career highlights, worked with the Albion Band during the production of Larkrise to Candleford and The Passion, and was also a founder member of legendary folk-rock band The Home Service, as well as being the creator of such firm favourites as ‘Unicorns’ and ‘Cloud Factory’.

Bill’s songs have been recorded by the likes of June Tabor, Chris Foster, Alex Campbell, The Yetties, Christy Moore, Peter Rowan, John Kirkpatrick, Artisan, Coope, Boyes and Simpson and many others throughout the world.

We are also very pleased to welcome back the accomplished acoustic singer of traditional songs, Kirsty Bromley, as a support performer.

Kirsty Bromley

We first met Kirsty in the guise of babysitter to the stars, when Nancy Kerr and James Fagan were last in Norwich. Since then her singing career has blossomed and, among other exciting achievements, Kirsty was a finalist at the New Roots competition at St Albans in April this year.

Bring your own refreshments. Teas and coffee available. Reserve tickets (£9) by contacting us through the email link on the ‘About the club’ page.