Local showcase session with guests Paul Gill, John and Pauline Pearce and Adam Clark on Friday 14 August

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We’re looking forward to welcoming local singers Paul Gill, John and Pauline Pearce, and Adam Clark to contribute extended spots at a Norwich Folk Club song session from 7 pm on Friday 14 August. There will also be spots for other local singers during the evening.

Suffolk-based Paul Gill enjoys the challenge of singing unaccompanied with narrative focus and tonal control ‘so simple-seeming and yet profound’.

Paul’s digital album ‘Rigs of the Time’ focuses on unaccompanied traditional folk songs, especially from Norfolk and Suffolk sources.

 

Originally from Surrey and the Mersey, John and Pauline Pearce are now based in East Anglia. They enjoy writing songs based in real events, telling stories of real people and places. Inspiration for their tunes often comes from British or American traditional music.

 

Musician and singer Adam Clark grew up in a musical family. He has enjoyed performing, recording and writing with various bands in many international genres. These days, as a solo artist, his focus is on folk music that originates closer to home.

Adam is interested in the ways that music, people and place intertwine in music that explores themes of our relationship to the natural world, our land and each other – traditional British and Irish songs and tunes that continue to speak to generation after generation.

The evening begins at 7 pm. Entry is free, but we appreciate cash contributions of £5 towards our costs. It would also be helpful if you could let us know that you are planning to come along, to give an idea of numbers – see our future events page for contact details. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen, 50p.

Pagoda Project on Friday 3 July

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Pagoda Project unites three standout UK artists: accordionist, composer, educator Paul Hutchinson, with clarinettist, bass clarinettist, composer Karen Wimhurst, and fiddle-singer Hannah Cumming. Rooted in tradition yet restlessly inventive, this is a trio specialising in original material, cut through with improvisation and song.

“Paul Hutchinson’s utterly reliable and infinitely thoughtful accordion accompaniments, combined with Hannah Cumming’s most wonderful ‘folky’ voice and the delivery of the percussive drive one yearns to hear from a fiddle-player were a joy. But with the addition of Karen Wimhurst’s divine clarinet/bass clarinet improvised bass lines, one felt all of a sudden that this might be as good as small scale modern English Folk Music performance ever gets …”

Tickets can be reserved in advance by contacting us via the link on our ‘Future Events’ page.

Tania Opland and Mike Freeman on Friday 5 June

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Tania Opland and Mike Freeman have been touring the world together for over 25 years with a unique and eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary material from many cultures – songs in several languages, and acoustic music presented with wit and style and played on more instruments than any sane duo would travel with.

Featuring hammered dulcimer, guitar, mandolin, recorders, cittern, violin, Native American flute, ocarina, hurdy-gurdy, an assortment of percussion and whatever else they might have picked up on their travels, their shows are guaranteed to provide an evening of great music and entertainment for all, especially those seeking something a little off the beaten track.

Mike’s irreverent sense of humour and Tania’s stunning vocals provide the springboard for a rollercoaster ride across several continents and back again.

The evening starts at 7.30 pm. For more info and booking instructions, see our Future Events page.

Pete Coe on Friday 8 May

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Pete Coe has been a professional musician since 1971, playing at festivals, concerts, clubs, dances and schools throughout Britain, Europe, Asia, New Zealand and the USA . During the ‘70s he toured and recorded with Chris Coe, was a member of the legendary New Victory Band and, with Nic Jones, Tony Rose and again, Chris Coe, he was a member of Bandoggs. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s he toured and recorded with Red Shift, but since 1985 he’s mainly worked as a soloist and earned an enviable reputation.
Pete’s strong, distinctive voice is enhanced by his instrumental versatility, the ringing strings of his bouzouki, the sweet chords of his mountain dulcimer, the plaintive frailing banjo and the pulsing reeds of his melodeon. He’s also a country dance caller, creator and band musician. He sings, plays and step dances, sometimes all at once!
Please let us know if you would like us to save tickets, using the contact details on the ‘Future events’ page. The evening starts at 7.30 pm.

Dan McKinnon on Friday 10 April

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We are very much looking forward to welcoming Canadian singer songwriter Dan McKinnon back to Norwich Folk Club on Friday 10 April. Dan’s rich voice combined with skilful story-telling give his songs an absorbing quality akin to those of Stan Rogers. His repertoire does include some of Stan’s songs, as well as traditional songs and others that will be familiar. There will also be plenty of rousing choruses to join in with!

This is a concert not to be missed, so please let us know if you would like us to save tickets, using the contact details on the ‘Future events’ page. The evening starts at 7.30 pm.

Dick Miles on Friday 6 March

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The special guest on Friday 6 March is singer and renowned concertina-player Dick Miles, who has been singing and playing traditional music since he was a teenager.

Dick lived for many years in Suffolk and some of his favourite songs are based on the traditional tales of East Anglia. Now living in the South-West of Ireland, Dick finds himself incorporating the local traditional music style into his own.

During the last 30 years Dick has been singing at maritime festivals, folk festivals and clubs all over the British and Irish islands. He has also written two concertina tutors, one of which is on song accompaniment.

Th evening starts at 7.30 pm. Reserve your tickets by letting us know via the address on our ‘Future events‘ page.

Arthur Coates and Kerran Cotterell on Friday 6 February

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Arthur Coates & Kerran Cotterell are a two-man trad tornado tearing through the folk world with foot percussion,
fiddle, guitar, vocals, and groove to spare. Mixing Scottish and English roots with modern flair, they deliver
foot-stomping tunes, rich harmonies, and cheek and charm.

Whether in a village hall or a festival field, their shows radiate connection and joy. Winners of the Robinson Emerging Artist Showcase at Canada’s Goderich Celtic
Roots Festival, they’re fast becoming one of the scene’s most talked-about acts. Their upcoming album Controlled Burn turns tradition sideways – storytelling with soul, and grooves that smoulder, spark, and occasionally catch fire.

Reserve your tickets by checking the contact info on our ‘Future events‘ page.

Pete Morton on Friday 9 January

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On Friday 9 January we look forward to welcoming Pete Morton and his ‘Sailor Swift’ show, with 400 years of songs, story-telling and good humour.

A seventeenth-century shipwrecked sailor haunts a harbour tavern, sharing tales and songs: ‘a mesmerising performance, a non-stop cavalcade of vignettes and quips’ (Pete Kenny).

Tickets are still available – for more info and booking details check out our Future events page.

Richard Smith on Friday 7 November

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On Friday 7 November we look forward to welcoming back top English guitarist Richard Smith. Part of the Transatlantic Trio and based in the US for many years, Smith was born in Beckenham. He picked up the guitar when he was five years old, after watching his father playing an Atkins and Travis version of “Down South Blues” and begged his father, a longtime Atkins admirer, to introduce him to the fingerpicking style. Smith soon became a child prodigy on the guitar. As a kid he could play the entire discographies of Django Reinhardt and Chet Atkins. At the age of 11 he shared the stage with his idol, when Atkins invited Smith to play with him at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London.

Tickets are still available – for more info and booking details check out our Future events page.

Jackie Oates and Mike Cosgrave on Friday 10 October

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Jackie Oates is a folk singer, song-writer and musician. A central figure in English traditional music, Jackie is regarded as one of the country’s best loved folk performers. Her 8th solo studio album, Gracious Wings, took flight in September 2022, receiving acclaim from the music press both within and beyond the folk genre.

In the 14 years since her iconic coming of age album Hyperboreans, Jackie has continued to build her large and varied following, write her own material, include surprising covers into her albums and breathe new life into the traditional gems she unearths.

Jackie collaborates with a diverse array of artists. She was a member of The Imagined Village with Eliza & Martin Carthy and Billy Bragg among others; the band performed at festivals in 2022 including Beautiful Days. In Norwich, Jackie will be accompanied by Mike Cosgrave (piano, accordion, guitar).

Let us know if you would like tickets (£15 non-members, £12 club members), by emailing via our contact page. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.