Cambridge Folk Club

6 February: The Queensberry Rules
The Queensberry Rules are Gary Wilcox (vocals and percussion), Phil Hulse (vocals, guitar, bouzouki and harmonica) and Duncan Wilcox (vocals, double bass, mandolin and fiddle). Their wide repertoire includes songs based on stories and legends from their home town of Stoke-on-Trent and traditional numbers. “..a band destined for great things..” Mike Harding
www.thequeensberryrules.com

Support: Gez Smith and the Pinkertons
Their music blends a modern take on folk with original storytelling songs. A recent gig was reviewed as "maverick songwriter mayhem."

Entry £9 (door), £8 (advance), £7 (members)

13 February: Zoox
Zoox (Linda Game, Jo May and Becky Menday) are a superb trio serving up a cocktail of new melodies and traditional tunes with a delicate balance of strings, wind, percussion and voices. Be prepared for a fabulous array of instruments from contrabassoon to congas. Exciting arrangements, great musicianship and infectious energy typify the performances of Zoox in a show which is guaranteed to entertain and enchant.
www.zoox.co.uk

Support: Helen Penfold
Helen, an acoustic singer-songwriter from Bedfordshire, has a chilled out, intimate/atmospheric style and soft velvet toned vocals. Crossing the lines of contemporary and folk.
www.myspace.com/helenpenfold

Entry £8 (door), £7 (advance), £6 (members)

13 March: Breabach
Scottish firebrands Breabach are one of the most talked about bands on the folk scene. Their innovative celtic style, blending double bagpipes, flute, fiddle, song and Scottish stepdance, brings to the stage, flare, excitement and diversity rarely seen from such a young group. Their enviable musicianship is coupled with a delightful ability to connect with their audience and has gained Breabach international recognition as one of Scotland’s leading new acts.
www.breabach.com

Support: Rosie Eade
Rosie plays a mix of carefully chosen traditional songs and thoughtful, life inspired songs of her own, all arranged around her love of folk, folk-rock and her old nylon strung guitar. Rosie has  played folk clubs and festivals all over the country including the very first Spanfest, July '07, and headlining Ely Folk Festival with folk-rock band Hedgepig, July '07.
www.rosieeade.co.uk

20 March: Kiss the Mistress CD Launch
In the past year Kiss The Mistress have established themselves as a new force on the folk scene. The unique and exciting trio combine voice and 'cello, chromatic button accordion and bodhran to create a dynamic rhythmic interplay rarely found outside of a guitar driven band. To celebrate their first season they are releasing their keenly awaited debut CD 'About Time' in which they explore different tempos and rhythms, revisit some old songs and share some new material. They take the listener on a dynamic journey from Scotland to Brittany via Suffolk, where many of the tunes on the CD were written. "Just wonderful" BBC Radio Shropshire Folk on Sunday.

http://www.kissthemistress.co.uk

Support: The Hurd
The Hurd blend of Medieval and contemporary sounds in an exciting repertoire of dance tunes and more.

Entry £7 (door), £6 (advance), £5 (members)

27 March: Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo
Emily is accompanied by female trio The Red Clay Halo – Anna Jenkins (violin), Jo Silverston (cello) and Gill Sandell (accordion and flute). 'Nostalgia', the opening track of their latest album, 'Despite The Snow'  featuring Emily's  voice “that grabs you and won't let you go”, was used as the title and end credits music for Wallander, BBC1's major new drama adaptation starring the revered British actor Kenneth Branagh.
“sharply observed original songs” Uncut  
www.myspace.com/emilybarker

Support: The Woodlarks
Tanya and Bronya first struck a common chord when they heard each other perform at the Magpie's Nest Folk Club. Together they are exploring the wealth of early British and American folk music. Their finger-picking guitar styles and penchant for harmony are well matched.
www.myspace.com/thewoodlarks

Friday 17 April: Mawkin:Causley

The band known as Mawkin have already built up a strong following of their own. Now with highly acclaimed BBC folk Award nominee and ex-Devil's Interval star Jim Causley in their ranks they have been causing much commotion within the folk scene. Mawkin:Causley were nominated for Best Group of 2009 at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and their latest CD, "Cold Ruin", has enjoyed rave reviews:
“Un-cluttered, no-holds-barred excellence” - Roots World
www.mawkin.co.uk

Support: Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts

Katriona Gilmore (Tiny Tin Lady / Rosie Doonan & the Snap Dragons) and Jamie Roberts (Kerfuffle) have been performing together on the folk scene since 2006, while studying together at Leeds College of Music. Their self-penned material ranges from blazing instrumentals to songs which have been described as ‘heart-wrenching’, spanning all manner of subjects, to contemporary arrangements of traditional songs.

www.gilmoreroberts.co.uk

Friday 8 May: Bella Hardy

Having spent ten years playing some of folk's biggest stages with festival regulars The Pack and Ola, Bella launched her debut solo album Night Visiting in Autumn 2007 to overwhelming critical support. She has now established herself as one of the finest young folk acts around, singing unaccompanied ballads, or entwining her hypnotic voice with her own fiddle accompaniment to breathtaking effect. Bella is from Edale in Derbyshire's Dark Peak.
www.bellahardy.com

Support: Kiss The Mistress

Kiss The Mistress combine voice and 'cello, chromatic button accordion and bodhran to create a dynamic rhythmic interplay rarely found outside of a guitar driven band. In their debut CD 'About Time', they explore different tempos and rhythms, revisit some old songs and share some new material. They take the listener on a dynamic journey from Scotland to Brittany via Suffolk, where many of the tunes on the CD were written.
www.kissthemistress.co.uk

Entry: £9(door), £8(advance),  £7(members)

Friday 15 May: Nancy Kerr and James Fagan

Nancy's earthy and exquisite fiddle and viola playing dances with the striking rhythmic texture of James's flat-backed bouzouki, while their rich singing both as soloists and in harmony evokes the stories of the songs they choose and write. They approach their music with energy and infectious smiles. Rapid musical communication with one another and the audience makes their performance spectacular and unforgettable.

www.kerrfagan.com

Support: Emma Black

Emma Black learnt her craft as a busker in Amsterdam and Berlin. The album Where Dark Horses Roam is her first move to concretise over fifteen years of playing and writing. She has been described in the press as melding country, blues, pop, jazz and folk genres and has been invited to perform on radio in both the UK and the Netherlands.
www.emmablack.com

Entry: £9(door), £8advance),  £7(members).

Sunday 7 June at 7.45:
Boo Hewerdine and Kim Richey; support Redhouse Radio.
The Cambridge Folk Club is proud to support this Charity Concert in aid of EACH, East Anglian Children’s Hospices, with headline acts Boo Hewerdine and Kim Richey.
This will be the third year that Boo Hewerdine, one of this country’s most respected singer/songwriters, has taken part in this annual concert to raise money for the East Anglia Children’s Hospices based in Milton. He will be joined by Nashville singer/songwriter Kim Richey. Boo formed the cult Cambridge band The Bible before going on to make a successful career for himself as solo artist and songwriter. His most famous collaboration is with former Fairground Attraction singer Eddi Reader, for whom he wrote Patience of Angels. Boo will appear with Eddi at this year’s Cambridge Folk Festival.

www.boohewerdine.net

Kim Richey has been Grammy-nominated for writing hit songs for the likes of The Dixie Chicks, Trisha Yearwood and Suzie Bogus, amongst others. She has refined her own distinctive version of Americana to draw together strands of rock, country and folk, with a versatile and stylish voice and songs that draw the listener into tales of loss, heartbreak and redemption.
www.kimrichey.com
www.myspace.com/kimrichey

Support will come from local 8-piece roots/soul band Redhouse Radio (see Friday 19 June).
www.myspace.com/redhouse6

Friday 12 June: The Askew Sisters
Emily (fiddle) and Hazel (melodeon, vocals) perform English traditional music in a dynamic and exciting style which places them at the forefront of the English music revival. Since releasing their debut album All in a Garden Green in Autumn 2007, they’ve been establishing themselves on the festival scene; their repertoire demonstrates a depth of understanding that not only comes from growing up surrounded by music and musicians, but from researching material from George Gardiner's collections in Hampshire and the Vaughan Williams Library at Cecil Sharp House.
"The breezy robustness of their musicianship is demonstrated in the joyous way the two parts switch around, colluding and colliding during the course of a tune set, adeptly maintaining listener interest while keeping feet tapping....infectious pumping energy characterises their performance."  - Roots magazine.
"Simply fantastic traditional music - look out, England - the sisters of stomp are heading your way!" - James Fagan and Nancy Kerr

www.askewsisters.co.uk

Support: Hannah Scott
Hannah is a singer/songwriter/pianist from Suffolk who has been performing across London and East Anglia since the release of her debut album, Till Angels Fall, in summer 2007, and is a regular guest on Sue Marchant’s BBC Radio Cambridgeshire show. In October 2008 she teamed up with singer and guitarist John Carden; their EP Falling into Spring, released in March 2009, combines their vocal and instrumental talents.
"A mature head on young shoulders." Sue Marchant.

www.hannahscott.co.uk
www.myspace.com/hannahscottuk
Entry £8(door), £7(advance), £6(members). 

Friday 26 June: Tanglefoot
For everything there is a season, and 2009 will be the last for Tanglefoot, whose mix of sweeping Canadiana and rampaging enthusiasm has been part of the music scene for more than twenty-five years. Known for their exquisite vocal polish and relentless energy, this five-piece band is also recognised for its substantial instrumental agility as well as its noteworthy song writing. The present line-up, featured on their most recent album, Dance Like Flames consists of Steve Richie (guitar), Al Parrish (bass), Terry Young (mandolin, guitar, tenor and 5-string banjo, harmonica and whistle), Rob Ritchie (piano) and Sandra Swannell (violin/viola).
“Canada’s most accomplished musical mythologisers.” - Robert Reid, The Kitchener-Waterloo Record

www.tanglefootmusic.com

Support: The Doghouse Roses
Iona Macdonald (vocals) and Paul Tasker (guitar, vocals) play folk, blues and original songs that lie in the spaces between the Pentangle and Fairport Convention, with a nod to Gillian Welch on the way.

www.myspace.com/ukdoghouseroses

Entry £12(door), £11(advance), £10(members).

Friday 10 July: The Simon Hopper Band
Simon (vocals, acoustic guitar), whose latest release is The Less Blessed, is a singer/songwriter of some individuality, whose repertoire ranges from protest songs to more typical tales of love and loss, often with a stinging twist to the tale. Whatever their content, all his songs seek a deeper context in a quest for understanding.

www.simonhopper.co.uk

Support: Brian Jeffels and Lin Griffin
Erstwhile rock-guitarist Brian discovered the acoustic scene, turned balladeer and singer-songwriter, and is currently working on his debut album ‘For Whom the Willow Weeps’. He performs solo and as one half of the Creosote Brothers with Alan Jenkins. Tonight he will be joined by accordionist Lin Griffin.

Entry: £9(door), £8(advance), £7(members)

Friday 17 July: Sunday Driver
The six members of Sunday Driver are Chandrika Nath (vocals), Kat Arney (harp, clarinets, spoons, piano, cajon), Richard Bullen (bass), James Clayton (sitar, guitar), Simon Richardson (guitar) and Matthew Sarkar (table, djembe).  The distinctively exotic sound of their debut album In the City of Dreadful Night, launched in 2008 at Cambridge’s Junction, brings together Indian music and English folk. Inspired by Victorian London and Calcutta in the time of Kipling, the self-penned tracks on the album range from hypnotic to bittersweet. From the opening thrum of Gayatri Mantra, a repurposed Sanskrit prayer, to the haunting piano strains of the closing track, Naked Bodies, this album showcases original song-writing and creative arrangements.
‘The result is a remarkable album that comes across as a street festival distilled into music in a genuinely innovative way.’ - Fatea.

www.sundaydriver.co.uk

Support: Penni Mclaren Walker with Brian Causton
Penni (guitar, cittern) and Brian (mandolin, mandocello, cittern) take the audience on a journey that encompasses a relaxed, friendly atmosphere with songs, tunes and their own brand of musical adventure. Their style is very much in the 'new tradition' with superb energy and musical dynamic.

www.penni-mclaren-walker.co.uk

Entry: £9(door), £8(advance), £7(members)

Friday 24 July: Open Stage with Hot Lips and Chilli Fingers
The magic combination of outstanding musicians Steve Lockwood (harmonica) and Chris Newman (guitar) will take you on a roller-coaster ride through the traditional music of the last eighty years, featuring an eclectic mix of original and cover songs, encompassing blues, roots and jazz. With his apparently endless infectious energy, Steve is not only one of the most versatile harmonica players around, he is simply one of the very best; he has played with harmonica legend Larry Adler and recorded with The Royal Philharmonic and the City of Prague Orchestra. He is excellently supported by the tremendous guitar playing of Chris Newman, whose musical CV includes membership of the John Slaughter Blues Band.

www.myspace.com/hotlipschillifingers

Entry: £4(door), £2(members), £1(performers).

Friday 11 September: Tony Cox

Born in Zimbabwe and residing in the U.K. multiple award-winning acoustic guitarist Tony Cox has become a veritable icon of the instrument in his own country. He began to compose his own music early and immediately charged it with the African imagery that is very much a part of this unique guitar player’s world perspective. For a number of years now the guitarist has been working his particular six-string magic further a-field. As of late, he has undertaken regular forays into Europe and North America and has seen a loyal fan-base begin to develop in the UK, Germany and Canada.
www.myspace.com/tonycoxmusic

Support: Oka Vanga

Oka Vanga are a high octane guitar duo that combine the influences of instrumental Folk music, percussive Flamenco rhythms, acoustic freestyle, Afro-beat and powerful metal bass to create music that is both rhythmically powerful and melodically rich. These are their songs.... riffs and the grooves and melodic threads borne from foot-stoppin across many continents, gigging in various bands, jammin with friends, jammin on trains, on hot beaches, on cold nights, making music, singing, dancing... It's not acoustic hip-jiggery... just two guitar players making good music.
www.myspace.com/okavanga09

Friday 18 September: Landermason

Fiona Lander and Paul Mason collectively known as 'Landermason' have been writing, recording and performing together since 2000. Multi instrumentalist Fiona (vocals, piano, whistles, saxes, clarinet and recorder) and Paul (guitars and vocals) have developed a unique sound which displays their undoubted talents. They combine both traditional and contemporary folk with jazz and other styles in their beautiful and striking arrangements. ‘folk provides the theme but jazz determines the style’
www.landermason.com

Support: Sarah and Clive
Sarah and Clive have forged an original style rooted in the traditional music of England, Ireland, Scotland and Scandinavia. Their combination of fiddle and guitar creates a refreshing approach to familiar and unfamiliar tunes that have wide appeal. Be prepared for a stirring evening.

Entry: £9(door), £8(advance), £7(members).

Friday 16 October: Heidi Talbot with John McCusker and Boo Hewerdine
This night is not to be missed – we have not only Heidi Talbot, but John McCusker and Boo Hewerdine too, for what promises to be an outstanding evening, featuring much material from Heidi’s second solo album In Love and Light (2008).
Nominated for an Irish Music Award as best female vocalist, Heidi came to prominence as the lead singer of American group Cherish the Ladies, and since leaving them in 2007, has concentrated on her solo career. The album In Love and Light is remarkable for its range of material, from numbers by the Inkspots and Tom Waits to traditional Scottish ballads, and for its host of well known guest artists Boo Hewerdine, John McCusker, Mike McGoldrick, Kris Drever and Eddi Reader, adding to the rich tapestry into which Heidi weaves her expressive voice.
‘This is how the folk and roots scene will continue to prosper. Heidi gives us heartfelt music, unblinkered and unaware of boundaries’ Spiral Earth.

www.heiditalbot.com

Former Battlefield Band member John McCusker, also nominated for an Irish music award, will be accompanying Heidi on fiddle this evening.
‘A thoughtful, exciting composer with a real flair for strong emotive melody, and a really great player of every instrument he decides to tackle!’ Phil Cunningham.
www.johnmccusker.demon.co.uk

Local song writing genius Boo Hewerdine, who will be accompanying Heidi on guitar this evening, has pursued a solo career since 1988. In the ‘90s he started to write material for other artists, including Eddi Reader, Clive Gregson and Christine Collister; he performs some of these songs on his latest album, Harmonograph.
www.boohewerdine.net

Support: Paul Goodwin
Singer-songwriter Goodwin, whose CD Scarred was released earlier this year, makes a welcome return to the Folk Club. Despite his reputation for gloomy introspection, the stories behind his songs are drawn from everyday experience.
‘Goodwin's songs inhabit a quiet, still, reflective space, in which sensitivities are given a chance to breathe’  Rychard Carrington, Moving Tone.
www.paulgoodwin.com

Entry £12(door), £11(advance), £10(members).

One of our favourite acts, Uiscedwr are a true fireball of creativity; passionate, irrepressible, vital, imaginative, sincere, sorrowful, joyous and supremely skilled, Anna Esslemont (fiddle) Cormac Byrne (bodhran/percussion) and special guest Nick Waldock (bass guitar) celebrate their return to the scene with the rip-roaring third album Fish Cat Door. This is folk in its widest possible sense - their explosive stage show and mesmerising assortment of influences will astound anyone still labouring under long-antiquated clichés and misapprehensions about folk’s relevance to the modern world. Exhaustingly energetic and thrillingly open-minded, they draw on classical, rock, world, jazz and any other musical force to assume their proud position at the vanguard of young artists.
www.uiscedwr.com

Support: Kiss the Mistress
Kiss The Mistress are trio Ginny Davis (vocals, 'cello and violin), John Ramirez (chromatic button accordion and melodeon) and Roy Jones (bodhran and cajon); they launched their debut CD About Time, a collection of tightly arranged traditional and self-penned tunes and songs, at the Club last March. As they cite Usicedwr as an important influence on their full, energetic sound, we’re very pleased they’ll be our support this evening.
‘There's exceptional skill combined with extreme inventiveness. This album bursts with drive and gusto’ FolkWords.
www.kissthemistress.co.uk
www.myspace.com/kissthemistressuk

13 November: Dave Swarbrick and Kevin Dempsey

Enjoy the fascinating and joyful musical chemistry of these two giants of the English scene. Their musical partnership, cemented in the groundbreaking Whippersnapper days of the 1980s, extended to Whippersnapper’s 2008 and 2009 tours, and their collaboration in Swarb’s Lazarus. Together, legendary fiddler Swarb and innovative guitarist Dempsey are now exploring hitherto long forgotten and early English traditional tunes and songs both traditional and baroque, injecting new life and verve into this intricate and largely unknown music with their own unique flavours and visions.
www.kevindempsey.co.uk
www.folkicons.co.uk/swarb.htm

.

Support: Phil Drane
Enjoy the refreshing and reflective material of this accomplished singer, guitarist and songwriter whose guitar style is reminiscent of Bob Fox and Nick Jones.
www.myspace.com/phildrane

Entry: £12(door), £11(advance), £10(members)

Monday 16 November: Ralph McTell
Special Concert at Emmanuel United Reformed Church
Described by Billy Connolly as ‘Britain’s best singer/songwriter’, Ralph McTell is one of our most consummate entertainers. He has won the Ivor Novello Award and a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award for his songwriting.
Ralph will take you on a ninety-minute journey along the musical path he has followed for over four decades. His astute observation and wry take on life shine through his songs and anecdotes. His rich baritone voice and guitar virtuosity promise a very special evening.
‘A big man with a big heart and a big, big talent’ Willy Russell.
‘McTell hits the spot by telling your personal story: yours and everyone’s’ The Guardian.

www.ralphmctell.co.uk

Entry: £19(door), £18(advance), £17(members).

27 November: Guest Night with The Marina Florance Band
This easy-listening five piece folk band (comprising Mick Kennedy, Ray Taylor, Chris Bullen and Suzie Frize-Williams) uses guitars, mandolin, blues harp, percussion, bass and occasional brass or flute to support Marina’s distinctive voice; their fresh, tight arrangements  have an addictive result. We’re thrilled that their latest live album, recorded at High Barn in August 2009, will also feature a track recorded at our Club earlier in the year.

‘Her voice is like chocolate’ Sue Marchant.

www.marinaflorance.com  www.myspace.com/marinaflorance

Support: Pat Crilly
Pat’s lyrical songs reflect his observations on and experiences of working worldwide in the offshore oil industry. His strong, warm voice and guitar style will be complemented by the skilful whistle and sax work of Greg Camburn.
http://www.myspace.com/patcrilly

Entry: £8(door), £7(advance), £6(members).

11 December: Belshazzar's Feast

Belshazzar's Feast are Paul Hutchinson (accordion) and Paul Sartin (oboe, violin and vocals). “Paul Hutchinson and Paul Sartin play like no-one else you've ever heard. Their music is breathtaking and wickedly inventive and the between-tunes interchange as intelligent and hilarious as the music. But don't let me give you the impression they're a lightweight comedy act: they finish the set with a haunting piece of oboe and accordion magic which has the audience spellbound.” – Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2

Belshazzar's Feast have been nominated for a BBC Folk Award 2010 in the Best Duo category!

Support: The Ouse Brothers

Well known on the Cambridge scene are The Ouse Brothers, Rick Sanders & Jim Gosney (guitars and vocals), who enjoy playing those Cambridge delta blues with powerful originality and soulfulness.

www.belshazzarsfeast.co.uk

Entry: £12(door), £11(advance), £10(members).