LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB PROGRAMME

November December January February
2 November SALLY IRONMONGER & BRIAN CARTER (free - but email to reserve places as space is limited) An evening to celebrate Charlotte Oliver's 70th. birthday with Sally's witty, powerful songs & singing & Brian's scintillating guitar. Doors open at 5:00 for nibbles & tunes. From 8:00 p.m. the evening will run as normal. 9 November BRUCE MOLSKY £15 cash Email to reserve tickets, bring cash on the night Bruce Molsky is one of the finest US Old-Time fiddle & banjo players, bringing excitement, beauty, humour & immense technical skill to the music. He dropped out of college to soak up authentic Appalachian mountain styles at the feet of its legendary pioneers, now long gone. SUNDAY 10TH. November BRUCE MOLSKY US OLD-TIME FIDDLE WORKSHOP 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day The workshop will cover as many regional styles of American Southern Mountain ('Old Time') fiddling as we can get to, with emphasis on phrasing, rhythm, ornamentation & style, & developing skills for learning by ear. Some audio files will be supplied in advance, but no written music. 16 November DOC ROWE & JILL PIDD £12 cash Email to reserve tickets, bring cash on the night Doc is well-known as the British tradition's most enthusiastic, knowledgeable & ingenious archivist, & he's an engaging singer as well. Jill performed in a trio with Mike & Ann Waterson under the name of MichaelAnnJillo. A CD of their recordings was released in 2023 in aid of cancer charities. DOC ROWE 'SEASONS & SONGS' WORKSHOP 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day Doc Rowe is a brilliant collector of the traditional customs & songs of Britain with a phenomenal trove of videos, photos & sound recordings amassed over more than 50 years. During the day he will share fascinating, entertaining gems from his collection. There will be songs to join in with as well as to listen to. 23 November BOB LEWIS £10 cash Bob is a genuine source singer of Sussex songs with a wonderfully wide repertoire, a beautiful voice, & graceful singing style. He always comes up with some surprises. In recent years he has been fitting some of Bob Copper's poems to traditional tunes. 30 November CULVERAKE £11 cash Matt Quinn, Lizzy Hardingham & Seb Stone are three fine, energetic young singers & musicians specialising in traditional songs in vocal harmony. This new collaboration is set to go far.
7 December REMEMBERING DAVE EARL £5 cash Dave Earl, a club resident singer for over thirty years, passed away on 27th. October after a long & painful illness which he bore with great courage & cheerfulness. Bring songs he loved to sing, & memories. We'll consult Dave's family about a suitable charity to receive the proceeds of the evening. 14 December SHEPHERDS ARISE £8 cash Old Sussex carols, dance tunes, readings & a Sussex Mummers Play. Email to reserve places, as space is limited - bring cash on the day. 21 December CHRISTMAS PARTY £6 cash We light the fire & a blaze of candles & serve home-make mince pies. Bring a seasonal party piece or choose a carol from our book for everyone to join in. Ballgowns optional. We always finish with Shepherds Arise sung by fire & candlelight alone. 28 December TO DRIVE THE COLD WINTER AWAY £5 cash Bring songs, tunes & readings for winter. Derek Seed is in the chair.
4 January THE COPPER FAMILY £15 cash Email to reserve tickets, bring cash on the night The Copper Family of Rottingdean in Sussex sing the songs their family has loved and preserved for at least seven generations - songs of farming, sailing, love, drink, war, sport, drama and comedy. They use the vocal harmonies handed down through the generations as well. They are as Sussex as chalk paths, flint walls and Harvey's beer. 11 January WASSAIL BY FIRE & CANDLELIGHT £6 cash We light the log fire and the candles tonight. Bring songs and tunes for winter and wassailing. Bring a long twig from your own apple tree for our indoor wassailing ceremony to share in any blessing it might give. We'll be serving Twelfth Cake, (orange peel, crystallised ginger, honey, spices, rum) and a wassail bowl of hot spiced old ale. SUSSEX ALL-DAY SINGAROUND SATURDAY 18 JANUARY 2025 11:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M Royal Oak, Barcombe, BN8 5BA The day begins as usual with an hour of join-in tunes while people arrive. Singing starts at noon. Ballads and the occasional instrumental party piece are very welcome. There's a break from 6.00 - 7.00 p.m. After the break we'll continue the singaround, and after completing the circuit of the room we'll try to put on anyone who hasn't yet sung. The last hour will be for glorious chorus songs. Food is on sale until 9:00 p.m. Admission with collection of a suggested £1 a head. SUNDAY 19 JANUARY Elephant & Castle, Lewes English tunes session noon - 3:00 p.m. 25 January JIM MURRAY & THE TOO GOOD TO HURRY BAND £10 cash New & old songs & tunes from Tyneside with fiddles, concertinas, melodeon, guitar & nyckelharpa. Jim was a founder member of Hedgehog Pie.
1 February THE CLARAS £10 cash Claire McGlone (harp, voice) & Claire Rakich (voice, guitar) offer traditional songs from the British Isles & beyond, original songs, & the occasional left-field cover. Compelling vocal harmonies, charming accompaniments, stories told in music & song. 8 February NIGEL HORN £8 cash Self-taught guitarist with an intricate, atmospheric style, Nigel plays his own music inspired by the landscape, seasons & surroundings. He is a fine painter & his painter's eye inspires his choice of subject & mood. 8 February HEATHER CARTWRIGHT £5 cash New Roots 2023 finalist Heather is a brilliant young guitarist, singer & songwriter from Scotland, performing traditional & new songs & tunes sometimes spiced with flavours of classical & ragtime. She has a first-class honours degree in traditional music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 22 February UKRAINIAN SINGERS & MUSICIANS £10 cash An evening of traditional & new songs & music from Ukrainians now living in Sussex. Proceeds will go to a charity providing essential humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Our hearts go out to them & we are glad to welcome them.