26 January: Sarah McQuaid + support from Dove’s Vagaries

Born in Madrid (to a Spanish father and an American mother), raised in Chicago and holding dual Irish and American citizenship, Sarah McQuaid has made England her home since 2007.

Sarah was taught piano and guitar at an early age by her folksinging mother, and remembers being inspired by meeting her distant cousin, well-known singer/songwriter/storyteller Gamble Rogers, at her grandmother’s house in Indiana. From the age of twelve she was embarking on tours of the US and Canada with the Chicago Children’s Choir, and at eighteen she went to France for a year to study philosophy at the University of Strasbourg.

Sarah’s early albums featured Irish traditional tunes and Appalachian folk songs, along with her own songs and she soon expanded her repertoire to cover older (medieval) and newer (John Martyn) influences and has continued to explore new instruments and styles.

In April 2017, Sarah was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ards International Guitar Festival in Newtownards, Northern Ireland in recognition of her innovative use of the DADGAD tuning and her authorship of The Irish DADGAD… Continue reading. →

2 February: Singaround: Informal, unplugged song circle

Another of our popular singaround evenings.

Expect anything from sea shanties to psychedelia, with a mix of original songs, traditional songs and covers of well known and less known songs.
Some performers will take requests on the night.

If you fancy a go at singing in public, then this is the place to start.

If you just want to sit back and listen, that’s also fine. In fact listening, and paying attention to the words and music, is what an evening of folk is all about.

We welcome anyone with a song or a tune to play. Or a poem or a story tell. Expect a warm welcome and a supportive ring of singers and audience.

Non-performers are welcome to come and there is no need to pre-book.

… Continue reading. →

9 February: Elizabeth & Jameson + support from Dave Mason

Hannah Elizabeth and Griff Jameson create an acoustic folk-roots sound that encompasses both their individual musical backgrounds. Hannah’s influences are firmly planted in traditional folk-roots, while Griff has formed his musical reputation within folk pop/rock genres. Together, Elizabeth & Jameson offer the best of both backgrounds; this is classic songwriting at its best – a stripped back harmony-driven sound with acoustic guitar, violin and exquisite vocals.

​As well as securing high-profile support slots on the UK folk-roots circuit, the duo have built up a strong following after spending the last few years touring folk and acoustic clubs and venues across the UK. Their debut studio album, Northern Shores & Stories, was officially released in 2020 and has been receiving critical acclaim across the acoustic folk-roots community.

Recent festival highlights include Cambridge Folk Festival and the Great British Folk Festival. Elizabeth & Jameson were awarded the NMG Award for best Acoustic, Folk & Roots Act of 2019, and were proud to open four shows for Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra as part of their 2019 Autumn/Winter tour. The duo’s newest EP, Dead Ends &… Continue reading. →