Tag Archives: Banjo

Christina Alden and Alex Patterson on Friday 5 May

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Christina Alden and Alex Patterson have been playing music since they were children and were both raised in musical households in the Norfolk and Suffolk countryside. They are multi-instrumentalist songwriters and have been working together for seven years. Their music is firmly bedded in the folk tradition of story-telling and their writing often reflects on the relationships between humans and the wild.

Christina and Alex have toured extensively in the UK and Europe, including a 23-date concert hall tour with Show of Hands. They have headlined and played on the main stage at some of the UK’s most prestigious folk festivals. They have written and self-released four albums, composed music for a BBC Radio 4 documentary series and have had over a million streams on Spotify. Their 2021 album ‘Hunter’ was well reviewed and had lots of national airplay: ‘a bright, lively collection of songs that plays so sweetly it evokes the sensation of a summer folk festival’ (The Guardian).

Tickets (£13 non-members, £10 club members) are available for this event by emailing via our contact page. Please note that this event runs from 7.30 to our new finish time of 10.15 pm. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee are available in the kitchen.

Song session showcase with The Marisca Trio on Friday 14 October

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Norwich band The Marisca Trio perform an eclectic range of music. Traditional songs from the North East, Music Hall monologues, Shetland jigs, twin fiddle Polkas, French mazurkas and South American tangos are just some of the directions they may head in on any evening; mainly playing piano and fiddles, but sometimes bringing out a guitar, banjo or musical saw.
The trio are Bob Hanna, piano and vocals, and Suzie Hanna and Lucy Ellis on fiddles. Bob started singing in folk clubs in the late sixties up in Shotley Bridge, and he ran the Sheffield University Folk Club in the early seventies. Suzie and Lucy are sisters and have been playing fiddles together since childhood, making their debut at Studio 4 in the 1960s. They all used to play in the Oily Rag Band in Norwich in the eighties, and Suzie played in an all girl country band Way Out West in the nineties. They reckon Bob is Norwich’s answer to Violet Tulloch, so prepare to tap your feet!
This event starts at 7 pm and is a song session showcase. There will be opportunities for participation in the first half of the evening, so do bring instruments and voices. There is no charge, but there will be a tip jar and raffle to help with expenses. Bring your own drinks, and there will be teas and coffee in the kitchen (50 p). Shirley’s donation box will be on the counter for any contributions that you can spare for the local food bank.

Winter Wilson on Friday 22 July

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Norwich Folk Club welcomes Winter Wilson at 7.30 pm on Friday 22 July. Kip Winter and Dave Wilson bring a sense of intimacy to every venue, blending superb, often hard-hitting original songs, stunning harmonies and musicianship with sometimes hilarious humour and tales of life on the road. Kip (vocals, accordion, guitar, flute) ​”simply has a voice to die for” (​ John Roffey, Maverick Magazine), whilst Dave (vocals, guitar and banjo) is now rightly recognized as being amongst the top tier of British songwriters, with his songs sung in folk clubs across the UK and beyond. Together, their voices are sublime.

Please let us know if you would like tickets (£10 members, £13 non-members) by emailing via the contact page. Bring your own drinks.

The Churchfitters on Friday 3 June

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At 7.30 pm on Friday 3 June we welcome The Churchfitters, a delightfully quirky band that plays a dazzling array of unusual items, from a motorcycle petrol tank to a glass harp, as well as a number of more conventional instruments, including fiddle, banjo, sax and whistle. Singer Rosie Short’s voice has been described as being ‘like Annie Lennox in full flow’ (Fab Nights Productions).

These three flamboyant characters present their uplifting and entertaining show with a unique dynamism and describe their music as ‘Folk Unlimited’. Mike Harding calls it ‘brilliant and beautiful’ while Dave Pegg says they are ‘the most musically inventive group I’ve seen in decades’.

Reserve your tickets (£13 non-members, £10 club members) by emailing via our contact page. Bring your own drinks.

Reg Meuross on Friday 22 November

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Folking.com Soloist of the Year 2019, Reg Meuross is a fabulous singer-songwriter. The breadth and depth of his material is unparalleled in contemporary folk, with songs about forgotten heroes, famous names, folk legends, the climate emergency, tales from the kitchen sink and news from the world stage.  If something needs to be sung about then Reg Meuross has a song for it.

Mark Radcliffe introduced Reg Meuross on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show as a ‘brilliant singer-songwriter and true troubadour with a social conscience’. As well as story songs that bring characters from history to life and comment on life around him, Reg also writes some of the most heart-aching love songs. ‘An insight into the human spirit and empathy with the plight of ordinary people.’ FRoots Magazine.

After the collaboration of his 12 Silk Handkerchiefs project, Reg’s new album RAW sees him return to the solo performance style that audiences across the land are so familiar with. Accompanying himself on his ’44 Martin six-string guitar, a tenor guitar, banjo, dulcimer and harmonica, RAW is the sound of one man and his songs.

Email us via the contact page for tickets £11 (£8 club members). Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Winter Wilson on Friday 7 December

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2018 has been a great year for Winter Wilson. Their tour with folk-rock legends Fairport Convention was an outstanding success and their new album ‘Far Off on the Horizon’ is their best selling to date. Now in their 6th year as full-time musicians, Kip Winter and Dave Wilson bring a sense of intimacy, blending superb, often hard-hitting original songs, stunning harmonies and musicianship with sometimes hilarious tales of life on the road.

Every show is different. Kip (vocals, accordion, guitar, flute) ‘simply has a voice to die for’ (John Roffey, Maverick Magazine), whilst Dave (vocals, guitar and banjo) is now recognised as being amongst the top tier of British songwriters, with his songs covered by some of folk’s ‘greats’. 

Sam Brothers

Support is provided by New Roots finalist 2018, Sam Brothers, a talented 24-year-old singer-songwriter based in the South of England, who has spent the last two years busking and playing in a variety of venues, including music festivals. Sam’s songs are invested with echoes of Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake and Van Zandt and his first album, ‘Farewell to My Old Days‘ was released in 2017.

Tickets £11 (£9 club members) can be reserved by emailing us via the contact page, or you can just turn up on the night. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen, 50p. The evening runs from 8–11 pm.

 

Steve Turner on Friday 19 October

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Steve Turner is known as a pioneer of highly sophisticated English concertina song accompaniments, stretching the boundaries of traditional forms, with one of the best voices in the business. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who also accompanies himself on the cittern, and also plays mandolin and banjo.

In the F/Roots August/September 2014 edition Nancy Kerr in her Rocket Launcher interview, when asked “what was the best gig you ever saw?” answered “the best spot I’ve seen recently was Steve Turner – total intensive musical focus and a vast serious repertoire”. Video: By the Dry Cardrona 

Reserve tickets £11 (£8 members) by emailing via our contact page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

 

Sam Kelly and Jamie Francis on Friday 22 June

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Sam Kelly is a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning Bristol-based singer, song-writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Coming from a family largely made up of Norfolk dairy farmers has left Sam Kelly with an unmatched experience of singing in front of hurtfully disinterested Friesians, and his meandering musical journey has ranged from reaching the final of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent as a teenager, to being selected for the first ever EFDSS Artist Development Scheme.

Sam was nominated in the Best Singer category at the 2015 Spiral Earth Awards and won the BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award in 2016. Sam Kelly and The Lost Boys were nominated for the Best Band category in 2018. Sam will perform at the club with Lost Boys band member and talented banjo player Jamie Francis, whose playing has been described as ‘fantastic’ (Mike Harding) and ‘exemplary’ (Folk Radio). Golden Vanity

Tickets £13 (£10 for club members) can be reserved by emailing via our contact form or to contact{at}norwichfolkclub[dot]net Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffees available in the kitchen.

Showcase with Jaki Alden and Pete Wilks on Friday 25 May

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On Friday 25 May we welcome well known local performers Jaki Alden and Pete Wilks as showcase guests at the song session. Jaki (cello and flute) and Pete (fiddle, banjo, guitar) are accomplished instrumentalists and singers, with an eclectic mix of acoustic songs and tunes, some ancient and some modern. Look forward to an evening of mellow sounds.

Entry is free, with a raffle, and all are welcome to come along to the session, whether to sing, play or listen. Bring songs and tunes, and your own drinks. Teas and coffee are available in the kitchen.

Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith on Friday 12 May

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Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith-6Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith are a highly acclaimed folk duo who play traditional and original music of the British Isles.

Over the last three years they have built a reputation on the UK folk scene for arresting and moving performances. The songs themselves are always given centre stage but they are brought to life with sensitive musical arrangements and stunning vocals. There is an integrity that shines through their performances and a common thread of political struggle, resistance and justice.

Jimmy and Sid have been heavily influenced by the songs and singers of East Anglia, where they both grew up, but their music also reflects the diversity of voices within the folk world. Shallow Brown/Jackie Tar

Tickets £11 (£8 members) will be available on the door. All our events start at 8 pm. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.