Author Archives: bridget

December events

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On Friday 9 December we welcome our favourite supergroup the Zimmers as showcase guests at our song session.  We are fortunate enough to see Peter Coleman and John Mathews at the club most Fridays, and this week they will be joined by fellow long-time performers Mauny Wood, Colin Tait and Roger Gamble. A rare treat indeed! Other singers and musicians will also be welcome to join this song session, so please remember to bring instruments and songs. Free entry, with a raffle.

On Friday 16 December the song session will be in the cosy upstairs lounge. All listeners and performers very welcome. Bring your own drinks.

Our Christmas gathering will be on Friday 23 December, with seasonal and unseasonal songs and tunes, and a grand raffle (extra prizes much appreciated). Bring songs and tunes, bottles and, if you wish, some food to share. Teas and coffee will be available as usual. Christmas jumpers are optional!

6-of-the-bandNo session on Friday 30 December, as we’re meeting on Saturday 31 December from 8 pm till somewhat after midnight to celebrate Old Year’s NIght. As usual, there will be a mix of songs and tunes from the assembled multitude, with a couple of sets of ceilidh dances led by Stookey Blue. Don’t forget to bring instruments, songs and your own drinks, plus, perhaps, some food to share or a prize for the grand raffle. If you would like to reserve tickets: £3 (£5 non-members), please email us via the form on our contact page.

 

Jim Moray on Friday 25 November

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jim-morayFor 15 years Jim Moray has been at the forefront of a new movement in English traditional music. His debut album Sweet England changed the sound of folk song and won a brace of awards for its innovative melding of orchestration and electronica. Subsequent albums embraced everything from grime to Johnny Marr-esque guitar pop, but at their heart was always Jim’s unmistakeable soulful and yearning voice; singing old songs in a new way.

Moray’s sixth album Upcetera heralds a new chapter and has received the best reviews of his career, including five stars from Mojo, fRoots and R2 magazines: ‘Jim Moray’s masterpiece … very much an album of our times‘, Mojo. He has also found the time to contribute three new songs to BBC Dr Who spin-off show Class, and launched his own Low Culture Podcast. This solo performance will be acoustic. Fair Margaret and Sweet William

Reserve tickets £11 (£8 members) by emailing us via the box on the ‘Contact us’ page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

 

 

 

Lady Maisery on Friday 4 November

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lady-maisery2Lady Maisery, who were nominated for the ‘Horizon’ BBC Folk Award 2012 and for ‘Best Debut’ at the Spiral Awards 2012, comprise Hannah James (Kerfuffle, duo with Sam Sweeney), Hazel Askew (The Askew Sisters, The Artisans) and Rowan Rheingans (Fidola). The trio explore vocal harmony through fresh interpretations of songs and ballads, and each member is also an accomplished instrumentalist, together creating a rich tapestry of fiddle, banjo, harp, concertina, accordion and foot percussion.

Lady Maisery are also one of the foremost English proponents of traditional mouth music, or ‘diddling’, a form of singing without words. Over the last five years, the trio have released two critically acclaimed albums (five stars in the Financial Times, Album of the Week in The Independent), made many appearances on national radio and toured widely, performing sell-out shows across the UK and Europe. Lady Maisery’s third album is to be released in autumn 2016.

Tickets £12 (£9 club members). A very few tickets are still available, so please use the email form to contact us if you would like to come along. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

 

Song session showcase with Shorelark on Friday 21 October

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shorelark-2016-001-landscapeAt the song session on Friday 21 October we look forward to a special showcase by Shorelark, a new young folk duo who were finalists at New Roots this year. Shorelark comprise singer-songwriter and guitarist Georgia Morgan Turner and recorder-player and English folk multi-instrumentalist Finn Collinson. Their meticulous arrangements make great use of unusual instrumentation, inspired by the duo’s wide influences, which range from Brazilian music to Baroque recorder works.

With a combined age of just 32, Georgia and Finn are experienced beyond their years and between them have enjoyed solo performances at the Barbican Hall (Georgia) and Cadogan Hall, London (Finn). They have also appeared at FolkEast Festival, Cecil Sharp House and Aldeburgh Festival.

Georgia and Finn will perform two sets within the song session, which is free. All singers, musicians and listeners are welcome to come along. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Andy Irvine on Friday 30 September

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Photo by Brian Hartigan

Andy Irvine is one of the great Irish singers, with a voice that gets to the very soul of Ireland. He has been hailed as ‘a tradition in himself’. Musician, singer, and songwriter, Andy has maintained his highly individual performing skills throughout his 45-year career. From Sweeney’s Men in the mid 60s, to the enormous success of Planxty in the 70s and then from Patrick Street to Andy Irvine & Dónal Lunny’s Mozaik, Andy has been a world music pioneer and an icon for traditional music and musicians.

‘As a soloist, Andy fills the role of the archetypal troubadour with a show and a travelling lifestyle that reflect his lifelong influence’, Woody Guthrie.

To quote the Irish Times, ‘Often copied, never equalled’, his repertoire consists of Irish traditional songs, dexterous Balkan dances and a compelling cannon of his own self-penned songs.

This event is now SOLD OUT.

Song sessions every Friday between guest nights. Free entry. All welcome, whether to sing, play or listen.

Songman from WarHorse, Bob Fox, on Friday 9 September

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Bob Fox SongmanTwice nominated as Best Folk Singer in the BBC Folk Awards, Bob Fox has long been a favourite on the live circuit. Bob played the role of SONGMAN in The National Theatre’s multi-award-winning West End production of WarHorse 2011–13 and subsequently in the highly acclaimed and record-breaking UK, Ireland and South Africa touring version which ended in February 2015. Since then Bob has returned to the concert platform and now presents an ‘Evening with the War Horse Songman’ show.

Join Bob as he performs the songs from WarHorse in their full versions, linked by snippets of the story, with additional material from the BBC Radio Ballad of The Great War and favourites from his own personal repertoire.

Tickets £13 (£10 members) can be reserved via the contact form on this site. Please bring your own drinks – teas and coffee are available in the kitchen. Doors open at 7.30 pm.

Song session showcase with The Lion’s Share on Friday 29 July

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IMG_6278On Friday 29 July we look forward to welcoming New Roots finalists 2016 The Lion’s Share as showcase guests within the song session. This London-based folk duo grew out of the UCLU Folk and World Music Society and is made up of Tom Blackburn, a Nic Jones-esque guitarist, who has had the pleasure of supporting such acts as Martin Carthy, and Jimmy Grayburn, a frailing and finger-picking banjo player.  Together, with driving vocals and tight harmonies, they sing stories of love, betrayal and homelessness, respecting the tradition while adding their own personal touch. The Lion’s Share will perform two sets within the session.

All listeners, singers and musicians are also welcome to join the song session, which starts at 8 pm. There is no charge. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Mick Ryan and Paul Downes on Friday 8 July

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Mick Ryan and Paul DownesOn Friday 8 July we welcome Mick Ryan and Paul Downes. Mick Ryan is well known on the folk scene as a fine singer of traditional and original songs. He was described by Folk Roots as ‘definitely the most underrated singer in the country’. Having written both comic and serious material for the very popular band Crows in the 1980s, he has since written for radio and developed a series of highly successful folk musicals: ‘A Tollpuddle Man’ (with Graham Moore); ‘A Day’s Work’; ‘The Voyage’; ‘Tanks for the Memory’ and, recently, ‘The Navvy’s Wife’; ’The Pauper’s Path’ and the centennial revival of ‘A Day’s Work’.

Mick is joined by the consummately skilled and expressive Paul Downes, who has a sensitive, yet fun approach to live performances which puts him among the most respected artists on the British acoustic music scene today. He has been introduced (to his embarrassment) as one of the greatest acoustic guitarist in the world, but considers himself a singer of songs rather than a guitar technician. Paul has a rich musical background that has progressed through working with Phil Beer, The Arizona Smoke Revue, Pete Seeger, The Joyce Gang and Maggie Boyle.

Tickets available by reservation via our contact form, £10 (£7 members). Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Ange Hardy on Friday 24 June

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Ange HardyNominated at the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and celebrated by The Telegraph as ‘one of Britain’s top folk musicians’, Ange Hardy has grabbed the attention of the traditional folk music world by writing new material and embracing modern technologies whilst maintaining a traditional feel.

Alongside a staggering list of other accolades, Ange was awarded FATEA Magazine’s ‘Female Vocalist of the Year’ in 2013, ‘Album of the Year’ in 2014 and ‘The Tradition Award’ in 2015.

As a solo artist, Ange performs with a 27-string Salvi Harp, three different guitars, a variety of low whistles, a bodhrán drum, a tambourine and an Indian shruti box. Her innovative and subtle use of live looping to build layers of vocal harmonies makes Ange Hardy one of the most diverse solo-artists you’re likely to encounter.

Tickets are £11 (£8 members) and can be reserved by emailing via our contact page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Showcase with Sophie Crawford on Friday 20 May

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Sophie2On Friday 20 May the showcase guest at the song session will be New Roots finalist 2016, Sophie Crawford. Accordionist and singer Sophie performs a blend of traditional and original music grounded in the English folk tradition. She spent a year playing the Song Woman in the West End production of War Horse (2015) and writes and performs music for the touring theatre company Troupe. Having collaborated and recorded with a number of musicians, this is her first solo summer. She launches her EP in summer 2016.

Sophie, who was one of our favourite performers at New Roots this year, will perform a couple of sets during the song session. Other singers and musicians are welcome to join the session, as are listeners! There is no charge for song sessions, but there will be a raffle. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee will be available in the kitchen.