Wizz Jones on Friday 10 March

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tearooms140The guest on Friday 10 March will be folk and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Wizz Jones. Admired by many well known folk musicians, including Ralph McTell and Martin Carthy, and top guitarists, such as Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, Wizz Jones has been touring since the 1960s. His best known song, ‘When I leave Berlin’, has been performed by Bruce Springsteen and Wizz himself has been described as ‘one of the finest guitarists you are ever likely to see’ (review of performance at the Green Note, Mark Harrison).

Tickets £11 (£8 club members) can be reserved by emailing on our contact form. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

John Kirkpatrick on Friday 3 February

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JK110-hi-resThe special guest on Friday 3 February will be singer and squeezebox king John Kirkpatrick. John is one of the most prolific figures on the English folk scene, performing solo, in duos, acoustic groups and electric bands, and has established an enviable reputation as an instrumental virtuoso and session musician, as well as a leading interpreter of English folk music. He has been a member of the Albion Country Band, Magic Lantern, The Richard Thompson Band, Umps and Dumps, Steeleye Span, Brass Monkey, Trans-Europe Diatonique, and Band of Hope, as well as numerous ceilidh bands.

As songwriter, composer, choreographer and musical director, John has contributed to over sixty plays in the theatre and on radio. And as featured artiste, band member, or session player, his music can be heard on over 200 different commercial recordings.

Tickets £11 (£8 club members) can be reserved by emailing on our contact form. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Showcase guests Tin River at the song session on Friday 27 January

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Tin River comp_02The showcase guests at the song session on Friday 27 January will be Norfolk trio Tin River: Skip Shipley (melodeons and vocals), Mim Barnes (whistles and vocals) and Marya Parker (guitar and vocals). Tin River specialise in instrumentals, three-part harmonies and accompanied songs from various traditions and with diverse treatments. The trio has built a solid reputation in the East, having appeared at every FolkEast Festival, as well as folk clubs, fairs and pub music venues.

This is a free event. Bring songs, tunes and your own drinks.

Moore Moss Rutter on Friday 13 January

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mmrOn Friday 13 January we welcome the first guests of 2017, Moore Moss Rutter. A series of remarkable gigs has heightened the sense of anticipation around the reunion of Jack Rutter (Seth Lakeman Band), Tom Moore (False Lights) and Archie Churchill-Moss (Beyond the Marches) in the trio that won them the 2011 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. The intervening years have seen them play with some of the biggest and best acts in English folk music, and now they reconvene to release the follow-up to their much acclaimed debut album.

Widely regarded as three of the best players of traditional folk amongst a precociously gifted generation, their music features ancient traditional material from Britain as well as newly composed tunes and songs, and focuses on their own movements from the countryside to large cities, and the contrasts that come into play.

Tickets £11 (club members £8) can be reserved via the form on our contact page. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

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.