Tag Archives: Traditional and contemporary songs

Rachael McShane and the Cartographers on Friday 9 October

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Rachael McShane is a renowned folk singer, cellist, fiddle, and viola player from the North East of England. She gained fame as an original member of the award-winning folk big band Bellowhead, recording five studio albums with them and winning a staggering eight BBC Folk Awards.

Away from Bellowhead, Rachael is the leader of The Cartographers, a band featuring traditional folk and contemporary sounds. The Cartographers have garnered a loyal following thanks to their impressive live performances and critically acclaimed debut album, When All Is Still (Topic Records, 2018). Their latest album Uncharted was released in Spring 2025. “You’re in the presence of something very special … what a voice” (BBC Music).

The evening starts at 7.30 pm. Please reserve tickets by emailing contact[@]norwichfolkclub.net. Prices are £15, and £12 for club members. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen, 50p. There is a car park, but latecomers may need to park on Constitution or St Clements Hill or on their adjoining roads.

Local showcase session with guests Paul Gill, John and Pauline Pearce and Adam Clark on Friday 14 August

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We’re looking forward to welcoming local singers Paul Gill, John and Pauline Pearce, and Adam Clark to contribute extended spots at a Norwich Folk Club song session from 7 pm on Friday 14 August. There will also be spots for other local singers during the evening.

Suffolk-based Paul Gill enjoys the challenge of singing unaccompanied with narrative focus and tonal control ‘so simple-seeming and yet profound’.

Paul’s digital album ‘Rigs of the Time’ focuses on unaccompanied traditional folk songs, especially from Norfolk and Suffolk sources.

 

Originally from Surrey and the Mersey, John and Pauline Pearce are now based in East Anglia. They enjoy writing songs based in real events, telling stories of real people and places. Inspiration for their tunes often comes from British or American traditional music.

 

Musician and singer Adam Clark grew up in a musical family. He has enjoyed performing, recording and writing with various bands in many international genres. These days, as a solo artist, his focus is on folk music that originates closer to home.

Adam is interested in the ways that music, people and place intertwine in music that explores themes of our relationship to the natural world, our land and each other – traditional British and Irish songs and tunes that continue to speak to generation after generation.

The evening begins at 7 pm. Entry is free, but we appreciate cash contributions of £5 towards our costs. It would also be helpful if you could let us know that you are planning to come along, to give an idea of numbers – see our future events page for contact details. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen, 50p.

Pagoda Project on Friday 3 July

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Pagoda Project unites three standout UK artists: accordionist, composer, educator Paul Hutchinson, with clarinettist, bass clarinettist, composer Karen Wimhurst, and fiddle-singer Hannah Cumming. Rooted in tradition yet restlessly inventive, this is a trio specialising in original material, cut through with improvisation and song.

“Paul Hutchinson’s utterly reliable and infinitely thoughtful accordion accompaniments, combined with Hannah Cumming’s most wonderful ‘folky’ voice and the delivery of the percussive drive one yearns to hear from a fiddle-player were a joy. But with the addition of Karen Wimhurst’s divine clarinet/bass clarinet improvised bass lines, one felt all of a sudden that this might be as good as small scale modern English Folk Music performance ever gets …”

Tickets can be reserved in advance by contacting us via the link on our ‘Future Events’ page.

Dan McKinnon on Friday 10 April

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We are very much looking forward to welcoming Canadian singer songwriter Dan McKinnon back to Norwich Folk Club on Friday 10 April. Dan’s rich voice combined with skilful story-telling give his songs an absorbing quality akin to those of Stan Rogers. His repertoire does include some of Stan’s songs, as well as traditional songs and others that will be familiar. There will also be plenty of rousing choruses to join in with!

This is a concert not to be missed, so please let us know if you would like us to save tickets, using the contact details on the ‘Future events’ page. The evening starts at 7.30 pm.

Pete Morton on Friday 9 January

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On Friday 9 January we look forward to welcoming Pete Morton and his ‘Sailor Swift’ show, with 400 years of songs, story-telling and good humour.

A seventeenth-century shipwrecked sailor haunts a harbour tavern, sharing tales and songs: ‘a mesmerising performance, a non-stop cavalcade of vignettes and quips’ (Pete Kenny).

Tickets are still available – for more info and booking details check out our Future events page.

Jackie Oates and Mike Cosgrave on Friday 10 October

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Jackie Oates is a folk singer, song-writer and musician. A central figure in English traditional music, Jackie is regarded as one of the country’s best loved folk performers. Her 8th solo studio album, Gracious Wings, took flight in September 2022, receiving acclaim from the music press both within and beyond the folk genre.

In the 14 years since her iconic coming of age album Hyperboreans, Jackie has continued to build her large and varied following, write her own material, include surprising covers into her albums and breathe new life into the traditional gems she unearths.

Jackie collaborates with a diverse array of artists. She was a member of The Imagined Village with Eliza & Martin Carthy and Billy Bragg among others; the band performed at festivals in 2022 including Beautiful Days. In Norwich, Jackie will be accompanied by Mike Cosgrave (piano, accordion, guitar).

Let us know if you would like tickets (£15 non-members, £12 club members), by emailing via our contact page. Bring your own drinks – teas and coffee available in the kitchen.

Georgia Shackleton Trio on Friday 5 September

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Captivating songwriting and fiery tunes that combine mandolin, fiddle, guitar and banjo with powerful three-part harmonies. The unmistakable sound of The Georgia Shackleton Trio brings to life the stories of their native East Anglia, and beyond.

The trio features Georgia Shackleton (fiddle, vocals), Aaron Bennett (guitar) and Nic Zuppardi (mandolin and banjo}. Collectively the band draw influence from British, American and Scandinavian folk traditions, whilst Georgia’s flair for sourcing largely unsung material from East Anglia keeps the band firmly rooted in their local tradition.

The evening starts at 7.30 pm. Tickets (£15 non-members, £12 club members) can be reserved via the email link on our contact page. Payment is in cash on the door. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffees available in the kitchen, 50p. We also have a donation box for a local food bank, if you would like to bring something along.

The Wilderness Yet on Friday 11 April

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The Wilderness Yet combines the acclaimed talents of folksinger Rosie Hodgson, traditional fiddler Rowan Piggott, and guitarist-flautist Philippe Barnes. They have earned audiences’ esteem as consummate musicians and singers, weaving an eclectic tapestry of traditional and original songs with a cappella three-part harmonies and luscious instrumental arrangements.They have earned as 

From their eponymous debut The Wilderness Yet (2020), to their seasonal celebration Turn The Year Round (2021), to their last studio album, What Holds The World Together (2022), The Wilderness Yet have have consistently created genre-breaking music earning them hundreds of first-class reviews from the global music press, airplay on the BBC & RTÉ, and performances at festivals from Cambridge to Folk by the Oak.

The evening starts at 7.30 pm. Tickets (£15 non-members, £12 club members) can be reserved via the email link on our contact page. Payment is in cash on the door. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffees available in the kitchen, 50p.

The Wilsons on Friday 7 March

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We look forward very much to welcoming The Wilsons back to Norwich Folk Club on Friday 7 March. These brothers bring songs from the Northeast with fantastic harmonies sung at full power. They made an unforgettable journey as part of Sting’s musical ‘The Last Ship’, a tribute to the Tyneside ship-building tradition, which was launched on Broadway in 2013. See The Wilsons singing Big Steamers from 43.10 onwards on this link.

The evening starts at 7.30 pm. Reserve tickets (£15 club members, £18 non-members) by sending an email via our contact form. At the time of writing there are still some tickets available. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen. There is limited space In the car park, so you may need to park in a nearby street.

 

The Brothers Gillespie on Friday 4 October

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Described by Folk Radio UK as ‘weaving an especially compelling magic’, and ‘showing British acoustic music in its best possible light’, the music of Northumbrian duo The Brothers Gillespie is animated by lyrical songwriting, fine fingerstyle guitar playing, multi-instrumental musicianship and ‘the glorious tones of their blood harmony’ (Sam Lee).

’The stars of the show were The Brothers Gillespie … Imagine the guitar work of the early Nic Jones, the close harmony of the Dransfields and the commitment and honesty of Bob Davenport rolled into two brothers and you’ll get some idea.’ (Mike Harding)

Canadian singer Jesse Thom will be in support, and there will also be some floor spots.

The evening starts at 7.30 pm. Tickets (£13 non-members, £10 club members) can be reserved via our contact page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffees available in the kitchen, 50p.