Tag Archives: Traditional songs

The Trio Threlfall on 13 April

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Sisters Jane and Amanda Threlfall are joined by musician Roger Edwards in fresh and vibrant interpretations of traditional English folk songs: ‘Sometimes delicate, sometimes bold, sometimes beguiling, sometimes refined but always with an ear to the nature of the song’ (English Song and Dance). Their harmonies have been described as ‘faultless’ (Cheltenham Folk Festival). Accompaniment is on bouzouki, fiddle and guitar, augmented by the skillful concertina playing of Roger Edwards.

The trio’s latest album ‘Sweet Nightingale’ was hailed by Mike Harding as being ‘absolutely beautiful. Terrific songs and playing and really tight, unfussy arrangements.’ Tickets £10, book by email via the ‘About the club’ page. Please check availability. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.

Damien Barber and Mike Wilson on 10 February

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Mike and Damien

Damien Barber and Mike Wilson are each well known in other contexts. Damien is the driving force behind the Demon Barbers, whose Time Gentlemen Please recently captured the admiration of a packed Norwich Playhouse crowd, and Mike is part of the Wilson Family, who took part in the Percy-Grainger-themed late-night prom at the Albert Hall last summer.

Together Damien and Mike have a rich shared repertoire of traditional songs plus the work of modern folk writers such as Bellamy, Ewan MacColl and Mike Waterson, delivering their songs in full-throated harmony. The pair were nominated for Best Duo in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2010.

Tickets are currently available (£8 for non-members). Please check availability via the form on the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.

In the meantime, singarounds continue every Friday, and the showcase guests at the singaround on Friday 20 January will be local favourites Skip and Friends. Free entry. Bring refreshments, as well as songs and tunes of your own.

James Findlay on 16 September

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James Findlay

James Findlay

We look forward very much to welcoming James Findlay back – you may remember that James last performed at the club in November 2008, in support to Tim Laycock, after reaching the finals of New Roots earlier in the same year. Just over a year later, he went on to win the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award.

An accomplished guitarist and fiddler, James is influenced by all genres of music, but his love lies in traditional English folk music and particularly in ballads.

Judging the Young Folk Awards, Bellowhead’s Jon Boden exclaimed, ‘what a voice!’ 2011 sees James’ debut album released under the major folk label Fellside.

Please let us know if you would like to reserve tickets (£8 non-members), by email via the ‘About the club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Hot drinks available.

Dónal Maguire on 10 June

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Dónal Maguire

Dónal Maguire has been singing and playing in public on and off for forty years. With an exceptional repertoire of Irish traditional songs and a unique selection of English songs, Dónal is known for his outstanding unaccompanied singing, but also has significant other ‘strings to his bow’, being widely recognised as one of the finest players of Irish dance music on mandolin and tenor banjo. A recent project has centred around Michael Davitt, arguably one of the most celebrated statesmen in nineteenth-century Irish history.

Jessica and Tom

In support on 10 June, we welcome recent finalists at New Roots in St Albans, Jessica and Tom, who have been singing together for four years, performing mainly traditional English songs and ballads. They’ve performed in a variety of events and concerts; at local pubs and cafes and even with an Opera company. Inspired by the singing of Martin Carthy, the Waterson Family and Spiers and Boden, they have a laid-back style, singing in close harmony with the occasional bit of accompanying guitar.

Bring your own refreshments. Hot drinks available. Tickets are £8 (£5 members) and can be reserved by emailing via the ‘About the club’ form.

The Sultans of Squeeze on 13 May

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John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson

John Kirkpatrick and Chris Parkinson first appeared as The Sultans of Squeeze in 2004. Together they present a huge variety of music, performed on every possible combination of their various squeeze-boxes – John on one-row and two-row melodeons, three-row button accordion, and treble and bass anglo concertinas, and Chris on various two-row melodeons, piano accordion, and bass piano accordion. As well as the traditional folk songs and tunes that you might expect to hear from these two, they also tackle military marches, French waltzes, nostalgic popular classics and signature tunes, blues, zydeco, jazz, rock & roll, and some pieces of their own making as well.

Please check that tickets are available by emailing via the link on the ‘About the Club’ page. Bring your own refreshments. Tea and coffee available.