LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB PROGRAMME

December January February March April and Beyond
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. 15 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.
1 MARCH THE SCAN TESTER FAN CLUB £10 cash https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Scan-Tester-Fan-Club/61565442321696/?_rdr Will Duke (anglo concertina, voice) Liz Evans (fiddle) Jonathan Burrows (melodeons) & Peter Rogan (bassoon, melodeons) play dance tunes & songs from the repertoire of Sussex source musician Scan Tester & others. Will plays Scan's own concertina. 8 MARCH NARTHEN £15 cash https://narthen.info/ Email to reserve tickets, bring cash on the night Narthen are Jo Freya, Fi Fraser, Sarah Matthews & Doug Eunson. They play soprano sax, clarinet, whistles, fiddles, hammer dulcimer, & diatonic accordion & they sing in glorious, soaring four-part harmony. NARTHEN VOCAL HARMONY WORKSHOP 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day The workshop is for all voices. Music will be provided but music reading is not essential. Come & sing your hearts out in beautiful, thrilling arrangements. 15 MARCH DRYWOOD £10 cash https://www.facebook.com/DryWoodUK/ Phil Underwood (Cajun accordion, fiddle, voice, melodeon, guitar) & Denise Dryburgh (vocals, guitar) sing lively, heartfelt original & traditional songs. They operate a pair of traditional canal boats & their songs celebrate the heritage of the English canals & the English traditional music, spiced with a generous pinch of Americana, Blues & Cajun. 22 MARCH VICKI SWAN & JONNY DYER £12 cash http://www.swan-dyer.co.uk/ Email to reserve tickets, bring cash on the night Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer inspired & enchanting performers They both sing. Vicki plays Scottish Smallpipes, nyckelharpa, flute, Border pipes & double bass; Jonny plays guitar, accordion & low whistle. They play British traditional & Swedish music & their own songs & tunes. Both have huge technical knowledge and skills. SWEDISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC FOR ANY INSTRUMENT WORKSHOP 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day Vicki is a leading nyckelharpa player with a huge knowledge of the beautiful, varied & rich Swedish musical tradition.The workshop is for all instruments in melodeon-friendly keys. Some music will be sent out in advance. SUNDAY 23rd. March MR. HENRY PURCELL: A SECRET FOLKIE - WORKSHOP FOR ANY INSTRUMENT 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day Vicki & Jonny explore the surprising range of tunes which Purcell added to & borrowed from popular music, on the border between tradition & classical styles. Many of his tunes appear in Playford’s Dancing Master. Other less familiar ones have escaped into the wild as well. This workshop will fascinate Early Music enthusiasts. Some music will be sent out in advance. 29 MARCH NATASHA NORODIEN & TERRY LEES £10 cash Traditional & newer songs & tunes with Natasha's beautiful voice, flute, & Terry's dazzling guitar.
5 APRIL KATHLEEN O'SULLIVAN & JACQUELYN HYNES £P10 cash Kathleen offers Irish traditional singing at its finest, with flute from Jacquelyn Hynes (Associate Professor, Leeds Conservatoire). Jacquelyn has played alongside and supported many of Ireland's leading artists including Martin Hayes, Michael McGoldrick, Mary Coughlan & Lunasa & toured with Liam Ó Maonlaí. 12 APRIL A SAILOR AMONG TAILORS £8 cash A young folk trio based in Leeds: Rowan Scourfield (guitar, bass, percussion) Perseus Morgan (harmonica, piano) & Jonathan Pearson (mandolin & Northumbrian pipes). They play traditional folk tunes from the 16th Century to the present day & are all students at Leeds Conservatoire. They were finalists in New Roots 2024 & played at Sidmouth Folk Festival the same year. 19 APRIL EASTER SONGS & TUNES £5 cash Bring songs & tunes for the season. We serve home-made Easter biscuits. 26 APRIL TBA
LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB MUSIC WORKSHOPS 2024 (more to come) The workshops mostly last a full Saturday or Sunday & the tutor performs at the Elephant & Castle, White Hill, Lewes BN7 2DJ, on the Saturday evening. Email for places, pay cash on the day.
29 June Pete Coe - Dance Tunes from the Dales 20 Sept - John Kirkpatrick - Something instrumental 21 Sept - John Kirkpatrick - Something vocal 27 Sept Rob Harbron - Concertinas 27 Sept Andy Cutting - Melodeon 27 Sept Sam Sweeney - English Fiddle 11 Oct Rowan Piggott - Swedish fiddle 11 Oct Philippe Barnes - Irish flute 15 Nov Jess & Richard Arrowsmith - Vocal harmony 13 Dec Jackie Oates - English fiddle 13 Dec John Spiers - Melodeon