Tag Archives: New Roots finalist

Lilian Grace and Robbie Sherratt on Friday 9 April

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We look forward to welcoming Lilian Grace and Robbie Sherratt, two New Roots Finalists from 2020, to our online song session on Friday 9 April. These young performers show every sign of becoming stars of the British folk scene.

Lilian Grace is a young musician who specialises in unaccompanied traditional English folk song. Her songs are full of haunting rich harmonies, on occasion augmented by her minimalist use of concertina. Lilian graduated from Leeds Conservatoire in 2020, having studied under such well respected musicians as Nancy Kerr, Jim Moray and Bryony Griffith.

Photo by Mikko Malmivaara

Robbie Sherratt is a singer and fiddle player from the Staffordshire Moorlands. His debut album ‘Provenance’ draws from traditional music and melodies in and around his home county. Currently, Robbie’s studying for a Master’s degree in Folk music at Sibelius Academy, Finland where he’s honing his fiddling, teaching, and composing. He performs regularly in concerts and dance events in Finland, England and Estonia with duo Eva Väljaots & Robbie Sherratt and the Helsinki Ceilidh Band.

You can join the Zoom meeting from 7.30 pm for an 8 pm start and we finish at 11 pm. Email us via the form on our contact page to get the link, and let us know if you would like to perform yourself. We will try to fit in as many other performers as possible.

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.

 

 

Grace Notes on 29 October

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Grace Notes

Maggie Boyle, Helen Hockenhull and Lynda Hardcastle

Lynda Hardcastle, Maggie Boyle and Helen Hockenhull first came together as Grace Notes in 1992. The trio perform acapella and accompanied arrangements of traditional and contemporary songs in three part harmony.

Each member of the group has a well established reputation on the folk scene and, individually, they have a long history of live performance and recording sessions with Nic Jones, The Chieftans, Mountain Ash Band, John Tams, Bert Jansch, New Victory Band, and Muckram Wakes, to name but a few.

The trio was founded on their mutual love of singing, particularly harmony singing, which over the past seventeen years, both on and off stage, has been the hallmark of their music. The fact that they are close friends provides a unique rapport evident not just in their singing, but in the sense of togetherness they convey to the audience.

Finalists at New Roots 2010, Moore, Moss and Rutter are in the support spot.  They play traditional, contemporary and self-composed tunes, influenced by numerous styles and traditions. Tom Moore plays fiddle, Archie Churchill-Moss, melodeon and Jack Rutter plays guitar and sings.

Tickets £8 (non-members), to book, contact us through the email link on the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.

Spinndrift and Jaywalkers on 10 September

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Spinndrift

Norwich Folk Club is pleased to welcome two groups as guests on Friday 10 September.

Spinndrift are a young folk ensemble formed when all the members met at Newcastle on the university’s Folk and Traditional Music Degree.

Finalists at the New Roots Competition at St Albans in both 2009 and 2010, they take their material mostly from the British Isles, but they also enjoy playing songs and tunes from Europe.

Spinndrift are Isla Hughes on vocals, flute and whistle, Jennie Page on fiddle and oboe, Seth Tinsley on guitar and vocals, Fynn Titford-Mock on cello and vocals and NIck Wiseman-Ellis on melodeon and fiddle.

Jaywalkers

Jaywalkers, a young duo who were also finalists at New Roots this year, having previously reached the final at BBC Young Folk Award 2008/9, will be in support on 10 September.

The full blooded power and soulful quality of Jay Bradberry’s voice and Michael Giverin’s virtuoso mandolin playing are particular features of their music.

Tickets can be reserved by emailing via the box on the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.

Singarounds every Friday, and on Friday 17 September Norwich Folk Club will hold a CEILIDH with live music. Everyone welcome. Tickets on the door. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.

Martyn Wyndham-Read and Iris Bishop on 11 June

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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.

Martyn is the instigator of the much acclaimed Folk Links Project, a celebration of English Traditional Songs and their Australian and North American variants and has worked with the cream of singers specialising in traditional songs from their own countries. He is accompanied by Iris Bishop, regarded by many as one of the finest players of the Duet concertina. Where Ravens Feed

In support will be Marianne Neary a young singer-songwriter who was one of the finalists in the 2010 New Roots competition. Check availability of tickets by email through the link on ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments.

Showcase guests at the singaround on Friday 28 May will be Faith and Taka Masendu. Free entry. Bring your own refreshments.

Trí on 23 October at the Manor Rooms

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Trí

Trí

Young folk band Trí have had a fantastic first year, playing the Godiva Festival in Coventry, Folk in the Park at Biddulph, Alcester, Warwick, Bideford and Fylde Folk Festivals, and will be at Bedworth in November. With a background in Irish music and a string of Fleadh medals to their names, they are accomplished musicians. Ciarán Algar and Neal Pointon are impressive fiddle players and Niamh Boadle‘s vocals and guitarwork are beyond her years. She recently won the Fred Jordan Memorial unaccompanied singing competition at Bromyard Festival and has just been chosen as one of the six finalists  in the Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2010. All this, and step-dancing too!

Godiva Festival June 2009, Dave Swarbrick and Pete Willow: ‘They are absolutely wonderful and you can quote me on that. They are taking the Festivals by storm; You have just seen the future of folk music.’

St Albans New Roots Finals April 2009, James Fagan, Nancy Kerr, Andy Stafford and Lynn Heraud: ‘We … have run out of superlatives for this group. The musicianship was absolutely superb. Niamh has a beautiful voice with great quality. The song arrangements were subtle; … good variety throughout the set and the dancing added a lovely extra dimension …  easy on stage and obviously enjoying playing the music …. We were absolutely stunned … !’

This event will be in the Manor Rooms, just up the Street from the White Horse Inn. Collect your drink from the pub on your way! Tea and coffee also available. Tickets £5 (£3 members). Please email to book (see ‘About the club’ page).

On Friday 16 October there will be a singaround at the White Horse – everyone is welcome, whether to listen, play or sing.

FOOTNOTE: James Findlay, another New Roots finalist who played at the club in November last year, has also reached the Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2010 final.


Spinndrift on 5 June

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Spinndrift

Spinndrift

On Friday 5 June at 8.30 pm Norwich Folk Club welcomes up-and-coming young folk band Spinndrift. Spinndrift are an exciting 5-piece band formed on the Folk and Traditional Music degree at Newcastle University, and have been playing together for three years now. Finalists in this year’s New Roots competition, they perform songs and tunes from Britain and Europe as well as their own material, on a range of instruments, including melodeon, fiddles, oboe, flute and whistles, cello, mandolin and tenor guitar. Two band members, Nick Wiseman-Ellis and Nic Zuppardi are well known to Norwich folk regulars. Support will be from a talented young Cambridge band, also finalists at New Roots this year, Grace and Bryony Lemon and Alex Patterson. This is going to be a busy night, so please check ticket availability.

Friday 21 November at the Manor Rooms

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Tim Laycock

Tim Laycock, singer, concertina player and actor, is the Folk Club guest on Friday 21 November. at the Manor Rooms, just up the Street from the White Horse Inn. Tim has appeared with the Albion Band and is a specialist in the songs, traditions and dialect of the West Country. Support on this evening is provided by the young fiddler and singer James Findlay, who was a finalist in New Roots 2008.

James Findlay