Category Archives: Guest

Belshazzar’s Feast on 10 May

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Belshazzar's Feast (photo Alan Cole)

Belshazzar’s Feast (photo Alan Cole)

Special guests on Friday 10 May are folk duo Belshazzar’s Feast, accordionist Paul Hutchinson and singer, oboe and violin player Paul Sartin. Paul Sartin is a member of BBC 2 Award-winning big band Bellowhead and of Faustus. Paul Hutchinson is a member of the progressive folk trio Hoover the Dog.

 

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 12 April

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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 on 15 and 16 March

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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 on 15 February

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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.

 

John Ward and Mario Price on 18 January POSTPONED

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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.

Bill Caddick on 14 December

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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.

Bob Wood on 2 November

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Bob Wood

 

Our guest performer, Bob Wood, hails from the west of Scotland but is based nowadays in London. A warm and engaging solo singer and performer with an easy going sense of humour, he is known also as a highly accomplished finger style guitarist. Exploring a range of open tunings, his playing and song interpretations have been described as displaying a rare sensitivity, lightness of touch and great technique.

Bob’s regular repertoire nowadays retains firm links with the tradition, but includes also a splendid array of more contemporary songs. Expect therefore to hear material ranging from Robert Burns to Pete Morton; from Archie Fisher to Hank Williams; plus a smattering of pipe, harp and other tunes on guitar.

Reserve tickets (£8) by emailing via the link on the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Various teas and coffee available.

Singarounds continue every Friday throughout the year. Free entry. All listeners, singers and musicians welcome. Showcase guests at the singaround on 16 November are the Old Wild Rovers, the resident band at Blakeney Harbour Room. Rousing shanties to warm a November evening!

 

Pilgrims’ Way on 5 October

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Pilgrims’ Way

Pilgrims’ Way are named for the Rudyard Kipling poem, set to music by Peter Bellamy. They are Edwin Beasant (melodeons, guitar, bass) with Lucy Wright (vocals, jews harp, second fiddle) and Tom Kitching (fiddle, mandolin, reluctant vocals).

Their influences individually are many and varied, but they share a deep respect for the tradition and take as their inspiration some of the most influential bands from the 60s/70s revival.Their aim is to present gimmick-free English folk of the finest kind.

Pilgrims’ Way were nominated for the Horizon Award at the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. They were also winners of the FATEA Tradition award 2011 and nominated for the Spiral Earth Awards 2012 for best debut album.

In support is the winner of the Welsh Young Performers’ Award 2012 and a nominee for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2012, Sunjay Brayne. An accomplished guitarist, Sunjay was one of most outstanding New Roots finalists this year.

Reserve tickets (£8) by emailing via the link on the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.

 

 

David Gibb and Elly Lucas on 14 September

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David Gibb and Elly Lucas

Elly Lucas and David Gibb

On Friday 14 September we have a change of plan. Unfortunately Jim Causley is not able to appear at the club due to illness, but we are pleased to welcome, for the first time, David Gibb and Elly Lucas, an exciting young duo hailing from Derbyshire in the Midlands who have have previously toured the UK extensively as part of David Gibb & The Pony Club.

David plays the guitars, melodeon and sings; Elly plays fiddle, viola and also sings. From these minimal resources, the twosome produce distinctive vocal leads, haunting harmonies and a quite dense instrumental sound. Their singing is simple and unadorned ‐ check out Elly’s wistful vocal on ‘Blacksmith’ or David’s lead to ‘Jerusalem Cuckoo’. The pair were chosen as finalists in the prestigious BBC Young Folk Awards 2011 and, on the road, have supported such acts as Cara Dillon, Chris Wood, Coope, Boyes and Simpson, Jez Lowe and Megson.

In early 2011, they released their first EP, entitled ‘Three Children Sliding On The Ice’, garnering praise and national airplay from the likes of the Mike Harding Show (BBC Radio 2): Mike Harding says, ‘I was very impressed’. In the autumn of last year, they spent some time in the recording studio with producer Chris Harding, putting the final touches to their début album ‘Old Chairs To Mend’, which was released on HairpinRecords in March this year.

Singers and musicians will be welcome as usual for floor spots before the main event. Reserve tickets (£6) by emailing us via the ‘About the club page’. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.

Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman on 20 July

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Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman

Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman make a welcome return to Norwich on Friday 20 July. Dave and Anni joined forces in 1985, after many years around the folk club scene, during which time they featured on several albums made by other performers. Anni has a specialist repertoire of songs originating from her native North East, and Dave has been writing songs in traditional vein since 1982, many of which are widely sung and have become part of the general song repertoire of singers all over the world.

‘If you love traditional music delivered with strength, clarity and simplicity, you certainly won’t be disappointed with this duo’ (Cornwall Folk Festival).

Tickets £8 can be reserved by contacting us via the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.

Singarounds continue in the upstairs room at the Christ Church Centre from 8.30 to 11.30 pm every Friday throughout the summer. Everyone welcome, whether to listen, sing or play.