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.

Peta Webb and Ken Hall on Friday 6 May

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PKMAINImage002On Friday 6 May we welcome the very accomplished unaccompanied singers, Peta Webb and Ken Hall. Peta’s & Ken’s singing is rooted in the oral tradition, their style absorbed over the years by listening to and singing alongside traditional singers in England and Ireland. In 2015 they celebrated twenty-five years at their Musical Traditions Club, London, providing a platform for unaccompanied traditional singers.

Long admired as solo singers, their coming together to explore duet singing sparked off a new creativity. They have a rich, distinctive sound, based on Irish and British traditions of unison singing and the harmonising of  American brother duets. The diversity of their material, from England, Ireland and America, celebrates the essential links between these cultures.

Reserve tickets £10 (£7 club members) by emailing via our contact page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen. Also do let us know if you would like to do a floor spot.

Dovetail Trio on Friday 8 April

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TheDovetailTrio_Promo2015Presenting England’s traditional songs with a bold and fresh approach, The Dovetail Trio explores familiar narratives with infectious energy and a passion for musical heritage. This exciting new group comprises the considerable vocal and musical talents of Jamie Roberts, Rosie Hood and Matt Quinn.

Barnsley’s Jamie Roberts is renowned for his narrative singing and driving guitar rhythms. In 2007 he joined folk quartet Kerfuffle with Hannah James and Sam Sweeney, and in 2013 was a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominee with duo Gilmore & Roberts (our guests in Norwich in 2010).

Rosie Hood‘s pure voice, linked with her keen eye on the history of the songs, particularly those of her native Wiltshire, brought her to our attention at New Roots in 2011. As support act, Rosie ably stepped in to rescue a night for us after the guest’s no-show due to illness. Since then she has performed at a number of the country’s leading festivals and folk clubs, and opened for the Cecil Sharp Project. During 2015, Rosie was a BBC Performing Arts Fellow with EFDSS.

Multi-instrumentalist Matt Quinn has been playing the melodeon, mandolin and fiddle, and singing his way around the English folk scene for the last seven years in various bands including Dogan & the Boombox Karavan, The Mighty Quinns and the Eliza Carthy Ceilidh Band.

This event will start at 8 pm. Tickets can be reserved by emailing via the contact page on this site, £10 (£7 club members). Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffees available in the kitchen.

The Askew Sisters on Friday 18 March

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2014-duo-01On Friday 18 March the club is very pleased to welcome back Emily and Hazel Askew – winners of Best Traditional Album in the Spiral Earth Awards 2015. The sisters play rhythmic foot-stomping tunes on fiddle and melodeon, and deliver powerful interpretations of songs and ballads, revealing an infectious enjoyment and love of English folk music.

‘The breezy robustness of their musicianship is demonstrated in the joyous way the two parts switch around, colluding and colliding during the course of a tune set, adeptly maintaining listener interest while keeping feet tapping … infectious pumping energy characterises their performance’, fRoots magazine.

Tickets £10 (£7 club members) can be reserved by emailing via our contact page. Bring your own drinks. Coffee and tea available in the kitchen. Please note the start time will be 8 pm and end time 11 pm, as with all future club events and regular song sessions.

 

The Changing Room on Friday 26 February

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TCR-GROUP-DERRY-WALLSA rare opportunity to catch up with The Changing Room on tour. The phenomenally busy Sam Kelly and Tanya Brittain will be joined on stage by Jamie Francis (Stark), Evan Carson (The Willows) and harpist Morrigan Palmer-Brown.
In the short time that they’ve been recording together The Changing Room have built up a significant catalogue of music, and clocked-up some impressive airtime on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 3. Their debut album was included in The Telegraph list of ‘Best Folk Albums of 2015’.
With rootsy, Celtic-infused, original folk, heavily influenced by the industrial heritage of Cornwall, this Looe-based band are ambassadors for collaboration. Their songs feature rousing choruses and catchy hooks. Accordion, guitar, bodhran, harp and banjo plus award-winning vocals deliver a winning combination, and unique sound.
Tickets £10 (£7 members) are now SOLD OUT, but you can be put on the list for returns by emailing us via the contact page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen. This event will start at 8.30 pm.
The Norwich Folk Club Annual General Meeting will take place from 8 pm on Friday 12 February, to be followed at about 9 pm by a song session open to all.
On Friday 19 February  the song session will run from 8 pm till 11 pm (not 8.30–11.30).

Akabella showcase on Friday 5 February

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Akabella at Strangers HallThe showcase guests at the song session on Friday 5 February will be Norwich-based harmony group Akabella. The group was started by Susan Bell, has been running for a couple of years in its present form with eight members and has performed at many local venues. 

Akabella aim for variety and like to sing songs in three- or four-part harmony, with arrangements by Susan and others in the group. Their material is eclectic, drawn from the British folk tradition as well as Eastern Europe, Spain, Sweden and Africa – not to mention the occasional pop classic.  

Akabella will perform two sets during the song session. Other singers and musicians are also very welcome. There is no charge, but there will be a raffle to help with expenses. Bring your own drinks – tea and coffee available in the kitchen.

The Wilsons on Friday 22 January

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Outside the Sage Prom RehearsalsOn Friday 22 January, we welcome superstar harmony quintet The Wilsons, lately collaborators with Sting on ‘The Last Ship’ project. If you like gloriously powerful vocal harmony, then look no further. Tom, Chris, Steve, Ken and Mike sing traditional and traditionally oriented songs with understanding, joy and good humour. They shared a close friendship with Peter Bellamy and cite him as a major influence. He commented: ‘The Northern Wilsonia – a vocal orchestra’.

Tickets £13 (£10 club members) are SOLD OUT. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.