The folk club committee is pleased to announce that the club re-opened on Wednesday 2nd March.
Membership for 2021 remained valid up to 2nd March and is now due for renewal for 2022.
The decision to re-open is based on our understanding that most people who have had three vaccine doses do not suffer severe illness if they catch Covid.
Mindful that infection rates remain high, we will continue with the mitigation controls we put in place in September last year, namely:
- Everyone attending must be fully vaccinated against Covid (show evidence of having had three covid vaccine doses).
- People should not attend the club if they have any symptoms (no matter how mild) of any acute illness that could be Covid. These include symptoms associated with the common cold, flu, raised temperature and / or digestive upsets.
- Respiratory masks must be worn while moving round the club premises but can be removed once you are seated. Anyone wishing to attend the club who cannot wear masks must contact us at least 48 hours in advance.
- Admission will be by card payment only (cashless).
- Admission will be limited to a maximum of 50 persons to allow greater seat spacing.
We will post updates here so please check the website regularly.
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04 May 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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11 May 2022 |
Entrance £12 |
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John Kirkpatrick |
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John Kirkpatrick has been dancing, singing and playing his way around the English folk scene since he joined Hammersmith Morris men in 1959 at the age of 12. Displaying a rare skill on a variety of squeezeboxes, he has been fully professional since 1970, not only with solo appearances but all kinds of duos, trios, and bands. More recently he replaced John Tams as the lead singer with folk rock band Home Service and now Mr Tams is back in the fold again, the two Johns share singing duties. Since the demise of Brass Monkey, John appears in an occasional duo with Martin Carthy. He is still an unrelentingly enthusiastic Morris dancer and has started one of England’s most influential teams, the Shropshire Bedlams, and still he finds time to play for dancing, currently in a band with all his four sons – Kirkophony. Out in the wide world John has contributed music, song, and dance to a great number of plays in the theatre, and to a lesser extent radio, television, and film. As a virtuoso session player, his squeezeboxes can be heard on hundreds of recordings, and as a creator of new work in all these fields he has established an enviable reputation. But on his own live gigs you’re more likely to see him in his natural habitat pursuing his first love – traditional English tunes and song. |
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18 May 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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25 May 2022 |
Entrance £12 |
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John Watterson |
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John Watterson has performed the songs of Jake Thackray at festivals, concerts, clubs, after dinner venues and, most specially, to members of Jake’s family. Jake’s songs are exquisitely funny, satirical, incisive, irreverent, witty and gloriously un-PC - and sometimes all of these at the same time. Jake was a one-off; his poetry broke the rules yet worked beautifully. He was a true craftsman of the English language and his legacy of scores of songs continues to delight audiences of all ages today. John's appreciation and love with Jake Thackray's music is obvious to his audience. John's performance is a celebration of the man that was Jake Thackray - his work, his genius and his very essence, an essence that the new age of music lovers are in danger of missing out on. John is a talented guitarist and vocalist and has that engaging quality that makes you want to listen to his performance. When you wrap these ingredients up in the songs of Jake Thackray the result is a highly entertaining, heartfelt tribute to one of the finest songwriters of the 20th century. |
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01 June 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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08 June 2022 |
Entrance £10 |
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Michelle Holding and Bonz |
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Writing and music have always been a huge part of Michelle’s life. Both her writing and stage presence have been described as gently humorous, with a tinge of Northern grit. She is a passionate believer in equality, in the power of music, movement and writing for health, and also of finding the beauty in everyday interactions and situations. Michelle confesses publicly to being a Morris dancer and also calls dances for ceilidhs, for which she is establishing quite a following. Musically, Michelle continues to work in her duo with Bonz. The combination of English and American folk songs with close harmonies, with the occasional surprise thrown in, and their relaxed stage presence are key ingredients to their continued success. |
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15 June 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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22 June 2022 |
Entrance £10 |
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Geoff Lakeman |
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Geoff is a leading exponent of the rare Crane Duet concertina. He performs self-written and West Country songs, English, Irish and Scottish folk and 1920's/ 30's jazz on his authentic 1920's instrument. His smooth vocals and concertina accompaniment have won him many fans; since retiring as a Fleet Street Journalist, Geoff has truly spread his wings musically. |
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29 June 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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06 July 2022 |
Entrance £10 |
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Steve Turner |
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Steve Turner is a multi-instrumentalist and pioneer of highly sophisticated English concertina song accompaniments, stretching the boundaries of traditional forms. He has one of the best voices in the business and accompanies himself on the cittern as well as playing mandolin and banjo. Steve played on the Manchester folk scene at the end of the ‘60s, with the Geordie band “Canny Fettle”, touring with them for eight years. In 1979, winning the UK Melody Maker’s national “Stars of the 80s” competition persuaded him to turn professional. For 12 years, he toured solo, at home and abroad, releasing four albums with Fellside Records in that time. After 13 years away from the folk scene, Steve made a welcome return in 2004, performing at folk clubs and festivals and releasing further albums. His latest much-anticipated 8th album “Late Cut”, released in 2019, features Eliza Carthy, Martin Simpson and Sam Carter. |
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13 July 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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20 July 2022 |
Entrance £12 |
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John James |
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Born in Wales, John James learned the rudiments of music on the piano, changing to guitar at the age of twelve. His teenage years were spent in pop and R&B bands; further study led to an interest in jazz, blues and folk guitar styles. From the beat groups of the 1960's through the vibrant acoustic music scene there followed a life on the road, entertaining in art centres and folk festivals and clubs, with tv, radio, recordings and touring in bands and solo all over the UK, in Europe and the USA. Paths have crossed and experiences shared with so many musicians over the years. |
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27 July 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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AUGUST BREAK – returning 14th September
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14 September 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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21 September 2022 |
Entrance £12 |
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Brian Willoughby & Cathryn Craig |
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Cathryn Craig and Brian Willoughby will have you tapping your feet, joining in choruses, enjoying their stories and being in awe of Cathryn’s great singing and Brian’s inventive guitar playing. ‘’A wonderful weave of songs and stories wrapped in subtle colours of musical genius and delivered with an effortless stagecraft drawn from long roads travelled…’’ Colum Sands, Musician and Broadcaster. |
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28 September 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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05 October 2022 |
Entrance £10 |
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Bob Wood |
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Bob hails originally from the west coast of Scotland but has long been based in London. An engaging solo singer and performer with an easy-going sense of humour, he’s known as an accomplished finger-style guitarist. Exploring a range of open tunings, his playing and song interpretations have been described as displaying rare sensitivity, lightness of touch and great technique. A seasoned and experienced performer, Bob has appeared at countless clubs and festivals throughout the UK; he has played on the albums of a variety of other artists and has featured on many radio programmes. He has also hosted and organised a number of guitar workshops, focusing on alternative guitar tunings and song accompaniment. |
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12 October 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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19 October 2022 |
Entrance £10 |
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Winter Wilson |
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When Mike Harding dubbed Winter Wilson one of the hardest working duos on the circuit, he'd clearly done his homework. In 2019, aside from touring around the UK, Winter Wilson toured in Australia, Spain, Belgium and Canada. They also released ‘Live & Unconventional’ their long-awaited live album, recorded on tour and at Cropredy Festival with folk rock icons Fairport Convention. Reviews have been exceptional. |
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26 October 2022 |
Entrance £5 |
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Singers’ Night |
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Our singers’ nights are open to anyone wishing to perform one or two acoustic items for the enjoyment of all. Each floor spot should take no more than 10 minutes. Our regular singers' nights are often well attended. Although the MC tries to accommodate all performers, this cannot be guaranteed on busy nights. If you are keen to perform, please arrive in good time and let the door person know. For the time being, we regret that we won’t be including the Tunes spot in our Singers’ nights. |
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