DETAILED PROGRAMME

2026

JANUARY 11^th    PHIL BEER & JOHNNY COPPIN   Phil will be best known for his partnership with Steve Knightley in Show of Hands and his own folk/rock band. He expertly demonstrates his virtuoso skills on slide, 6-string and tenor guitar, cello-mandolin, fiddle, mandolin and South American cuattro, not to mention contributing rich vocals to a range of traditional, roots and Americana material.  Johnny is a singer/songwriter, composer and poetry anthologist. formerly with the folk-rock band Decameron. His clear voice together with his ability to write fine songs make his music essentially English in character while having universal appeal.  Johnny choses topics about his adopted home county of Gloucester for many of his songs. YouTube (Members £18, Non-members £20)

JANUARY 25^th    JOE TOPPING and SAM CARTER (Double header)  Joe is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Liverpool whose literate songwriting and accomplished guitar playing regularly moves listeners to tears.  His charismatic stage presence and engaging stories have entertained audiences all over the country, across Europe and in the USA. Joe has also performed live sessions on BBC Radio 2, ITV television, The National Film Awards and a showcase at SXSW in Texas. YouTube  Midlands-born singer, songwriter and guitarist Sam has earned a reputation for vivid, narrative-driven songwriting and captivating live performances. He is a highly-regarded instrumentalist, renowned by many as “the finest English-style fingerpicking guitarist of his generation”. Over the past fifteen years, Sam has made appearances on national TV, won a BBC Folk Award, and has toured the world.  YouTube  (Members £16, Non-members £18)

FEBRUARY 8^TH   JEZ LOWE  Jez Lowe has long been one of the UK’s busiest folk performers, playing for audiences the world over, either solo, (with guitar, cittern and harmonica accompaniment), or with his band The Bad Pennies. As part of The Pitmen Poets (with Bob Fox, Benny Graham and Billy Mitchell), Jez has helped to rekindle the fire in the tradition of mining songs and culture of his native region in a series of sell out theatre performances around the UK. Over the last couple of decades, the great and good of the folk world have included Jez’s songs in their repertoires, with Richard Thompson calling him, “The best singer songwriter to come out of the UK for a long time”.  Jez has also been at the core of the continuing BBC Radio Ballads, most recently with Bob Fox and Julie Matthews. YouTube  YouTube  (Members £16, Non-members £18)

FEBRUARY 22^ND   SAM KELLY & JAMIE FRANCIS   With multi awards to their names, they are two of the most respected and innovative musicians on the current scene. This duo is also the main writing partnership behind the superb folk band Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys. Expect inventive interpretations of traditional songs and tunes and toe-tapping original compositions, interspersed with humorous anecdotes and stories of their misadventures. Sam is a sought-after session musician, playing with the likes of Kate Rusby, Phil Beer, Seth Lakeman, John McCusker and Katherine Priddy.  Jamie is equally in demand to add his innovative banjo playing to other’s music productions, as you can imagine from the second YouTube clip! YouTube  YouTube  (Members £16, Non-members £18)

MARCH 8TH    MARTIN SIMPSON  The remarkable intimate solo performances Martin gives go from strength to strength – every gig is a masterclass. He travels the length and breadth of the UK and beyond, giving rapt audiences passion, sorrow, love, beauty, tragedy and majesty through his playing. 49 years after he recorded his first album, Golden Vanity, in 1976, Martin is known as a guitarist of formidable talent. Equally at home playing English traditional folk, American folk and blues and his own compositions, he is consistently named as one of the very finest fingerstyle guitar players in the world. YouTube   (Members £16, Non-members £18)

MARCH 22ND   DAOIRI FARRELL   Daoiri was crowned All Ireland Champion Singer in 2013. After winning two of the BBC Folk Awards in 2017, he became one of Folk’s hottest properties.  Daoirí (pronounced ‘Derry’) was introduced to the music at a very early age by his parents who loved artists such as Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Frank Harte, Planxty and The Bothy Band. Daoirí took up music himself at the relatively late age of 16 and only started to perform live at 23, but he has come a long way since then, a fine bouzouki player and deliverer of Irish songs in the way they were written, with the purest of voices. YouTube YouTube   (Members £18, Non-members £20)

APRIL 12TH   GRANNY’S ATTIC   With exceptional musicianship and boundless energy, Granny’s Attic just go from strength to strength. Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (melodeon, anglo concertina, vocals), George Sansome (guitar, vocals) and Lewis Wood (violin, vocals) have honed their skills touring the UK and Europe since 2009. Much loved by audiences up and down the country, the trio have been heralded for their lively performances and skilled delivery of traditional material, playing with verve, energy and their own inimitable style. Though grounded in tradition, they are keen to push new boundaries by exploring fresh approaches and writing their own compositions. In October 2021, they released their latest album, The Brickfields, an instrumental collection that sees them reach new heights both as performers and composers. Described by Folk Radio as “one of the most exciting and accomplished English folk acts on the scene right now”, this outstanding trio can hold audiences in the palm of their hand. YouTube  (Members £16, Non-members £18)

APRIL 26th   NANCY KERR & JAMES FAGAN – Husband and wife duo, Nancy and James, are one of the most revered acts in British Folk music. Playing together since 1995 2025 saw them enjoy a year’s 30th Anniversary concert tour. They twice won "Best Duo" at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (2003, 2011) with Nancy being voted “Folk singer of the year” in 2015. Both highly regarded singers, and teachers, they are also acknowledged as masterful players of their respective primary instruments of fiddle and bouzouki.  Their music ranges from driving instrumentals to Nancy’s beautifully crafted songs.  YouTube YouTube   (Members £16, Non-members £18)  

MAY 10TH    MIRANDA SYKES and JIM CAUSLEY (Double header)    Miranda, the acclaimed singer and bass player with Show of Hands, is one of UK folk's most respected musicians. A career spanning 20+ years has seen her play with many of the finest performers in the folk and roots world. Her great musicality and sensitivity mean she is an in-demand session player; while her crystalline voice has established her as a leading interpreter of song, whether performing solo or in a larger line up. YouTube   Six times BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominee Jim is a singer/musician who is passionate about traditional song and particularly that of his native West Country. He studied Jazz & Popular Music at Exeter College and Traditional Music at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. It was during this time that he began gaining a reputation as a talented singer on the wider UK folk scene. YouTube  (Member £16, Non-member £18)

MAY 17th   TANNAHILL WEAVERS   Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland, and named for the town's historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the Tannahill Weavers have made an international name for their special brand of Celtic music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms.  As one of the world's premier traditional Celtic bands, their diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, original ballads and lullabies, and humorous tales of life in Scotland. As they approach their 58th anniversary it is hard to believe that guitarist Roy Gullane and Phil Smillie on whistles and flutes have been there from the start, now joined by piper Iain MacGillivray and fiddle player Alistair McCulloch.  YouTube  (Member £16, Non-member £18)