Damien Barber on Friday 1 March

This year Damien Barber is celebrating 30 years as a professional folk musician. Raised in Norfolk and heavily influenced by such earlier Norfolk singers as Walter Pardon and Peter Bellamy, Damien is a stylish and distinctive singer, either a capella or accompanied on guitar or concertina. Though he has lived in West Yorkshire for over 20 years, he retains a strong East Anglian identity.

 

 

 

 

 

Best known in recent years for his critically acclaimed stage shows ‘The Demon Barbers XL’ and ‘The Lock In’, Damien is now returning to the traditional songs of East Anglia that ignited his passion in folk music. This will be his first solo performance for 18 years!

Tickets £11 (£8 club members). SOLD OUT. Email via our contact page for returns and we will let you know if you have been successful. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer on Friday 15 February

Singers and multi-instrumentalists Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer effortlessly blend traditional material with contemporary sounds. Their performances showcase new interpretations of old songs alongside original self-penned tunes and new contemporary songs that are entirely at home in the tradition. Winter 2016 saw Vicki & Jonny as the front cover of the Living Tradition Magazine with a centre spread interview.

Be entranced by the haunting nyckelharpa, amazed at the cow horn (one of the world’s earliest communication devices) and meet some of the bagpipes that didn’t come from Scotland.

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

Alden Patterson and Dashwood on Friday 18 January

Our guests on Friday 18 January will be Norwich-based folk group Alden Patterson and Dashwood, a trio who weave rich vocal harmonies, fiddle, dobro and guitar around beautifully written original songs and melodies.

The group’s music takes influence from folk traditions from both sides of the Atlantic, with uplifting instrumentals and self-penned songs depicting tales of young travellers, sleepy seas and their affection for home. ‘It’s lovely stuff’ – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show.

The list is open to reserve tickets, £8 (£11 non-members). Email us via the form on the contact page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

The showcase guest on Friday 1 February will be the popular local performer, Kevin Green. Free event, with a raffle.

Winter Wilson on Friday 7 December

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.

 

Ninebarrow on Friday 16 November

Ninebarrow are a multi-award-winning folk duo who are impressing audiences across the country with their innovative and captivating take on the folk tradition. Described by Mark Radcliffe as sounding ‘like two halves of one voice’ and by Kate Rusby as ‘absolutely amazing’, Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere combine breath-taking vocal harmonies and melodies, delivering original songs that are inspired and rooted in the landscape and history of the British Isles. As well as crafting unique and engaging original material, Ninebarrow also take a wide-range of traditional folk songs and rework them in their own distinctive way, accompanied by tenor and octave mandolas, ukulele, two reed organs and piano.

In 2017, the duo were nominated at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in the ’Horizon’ category for ‘Best Emerging Artist’. One of the highest accolades in their genre, it was made even more exceptional because it was only a few months prior to this that Jon and Jay relinquished their jobs as a teacher and GP in favour of a full-time music career. Farewell Shanty

Tickets £11 (members £8) can be reserved via the email box on our contact page. Pay on the door. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen (50p).

Steve Turner on Friday 19 October

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.

 

Ewan McLennan on Friday 21 September

Ewan McLennan has come to be known as a guitarist at the very forefront of his generation; a troubadour, balladeer and storyteller cut in the old style; a singer that can move audiences with his passion and pathos; and a songwriter for whom social justice is still a burning issue.

From a BBC Horizon Award to his performances on the acclaimed Transatlantic Sessions, recent years have been marked by numerous awards and accolades for his music.

Ewan’s most recent project entitled Breaking the Spell of Loneliness – a collaboration with renowned author and journalist George Monbiot – seeks to use music and word to open up the issue of loneliness. Their UK tour and concept album have received wide acclaim and been featured widely, including live appearances on BBC Two’s Newsnight, BBC Radio 4’s Front Row and BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. New video, just released: Shelter from the Storm

Tickets £11 (members £8) can be reserved by emailing contact@norwichfolkclub.net. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Pete Morton on Friday 20 July

Pete Morton is one of the finest original songwriters on the folk scene. Perhaps best known for one of his earliest songs ‘Another Train’, Pete is constantly producing new material, sharing his unique view of our place in a changing world.

Pete’s most recent CD, ‘The Game of Life’, is a compilation of his most popular tracks, performed with the band Full House, and includes both up-tempo and serious songs, including ‘Seven Billion Eccentrics’, ‘The Shepherd’s Song’, and ‘The Luckiest Man’, as well as ‘Disobedience’ and ‘Shores of Italy’, written in 2003 but still sadly topical.

Tickets £11 (£8 members) can be reserved by emailing contact[at]norwichfolkclub[dot]net. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

 

Sam Kelly and Jamie Francis on Friday 22 June

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.

John Conolly on Friday 8 June

Lincolnshire singer-songwriter John Conolly is a long-established member of the folk community. John originally found his way into folk music through the skiffle route, but is best known for what many think is a traditional song, ‘Fiddler’s Green’, performed here with Dave Fletcher and Bill Whaley. John’s other well known songs include “Punch and Judy Man“.

“If there were ever a Campaign for Real Folk-Singers, John Conolly would be the sort of act it would promote – his well-crafted songs sit well with his easy-going charm and sense of humour, making him a firm favourite with both audiences and fellow-musicians.” (Topic Folk Club, Bradford)

Tickets ( £7 members, £10 non-members) can be reserved by emailing: contact [at] norwichfolkclub [dot] net. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.