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12th Sept - Counter's Creek

Counter's Creek is an acoustic folk band based in London who make original music inspired by the folk music of the British Isles and beyond. Jigs, reels, grooves from Eastern Europe & West Africa, catchy melodies with closely interwoven harmonies allied to a real sense of swing and dance energy. The band play regularly in London for the Nest Collective (including supporting Diabel Cissokho, kora player from Senegal) and have performed at festivals including Sidmouth Folk Festival and BAAFest.

Whistle player Jonathan Taylor has worked in many different musical genres: best known as a jazz pianist who's played with artists such as Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley, Ruby Turner and various British jazz luminaries, he's also co-founder of Tango Siempre, appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and arranged music for Robert Wyatt. Singer Ben Cox studied Jazz at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, has played at major Jazz festivals with The Ben Cox Band, is currently musical director of four choirs in London and is an accomplished whistle/flute/harmonium player. Fiddler Tom Newell is known for his work with Effra who perform regularly at UK folk festivals as well as The Ceilidh Liberation Front, Alex Mendham & His Orchestra and pop acts including Muse, One Direction and Lana Del Rey. He also plays banjo and mandolin (not to mention charango and mouth harp). Guitarist Moss Freed plays with jazz/folk group Flekd, the Spike Orchestra, has recorded for John Zorn’s Tzadik label and has recently completed a PhD at Hull University…Four musicians from different backgrounds, united by a love of acoustic folk music, great tunes and earthy dance grooves. They are joined on their debut album by Andy Tween on drums and percussion who has toured and recorded with folk artist and Mercury Prize winner Seth Lakeman.

The name Counter's Creek refers to one of London's old rivers that used to flow from Kensal Green into the Thames. It has gradually disappeared over the last two centuries, first converted into a canal after which parts of it were filled in. These rivers still exist in some form underneath London’s busy streets and like the new weird and wonderful musical projects in the city, bubble up to the surface every now and then...

19th Sept - Thorp & Morrison

Thorpe and Morrison are an innovative and energetic folk duo based in Birmingham. They formed out of Joe Broughton’s Conservatoire Folk Ensemble in 2019 while studying at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. They have been making a name for themselves on the folk scene in England and have toured to much critical acclaim.

Festival appearances include Towersey Festival, Moseley Folk Festival, Power Folk 9, Gate to Southwell, Beardy Folk Festival and more.
Their most recent album “Live Shenanigans” was nominated by Bright Young Folk in their Reader’s Choice Poll for Album of the Year 2022.

“The energy of their Birmingham made Anglo-Scottish musicianship is palpable. Fiddle and guitar notes float around each other, creating a spellbinding mix of old and modern, both traditional and forward looking” - Bright Young Folk

Harry Thorpe and Sean Morrison are committed folk musicians who have drawn from their diverse musical backgrounds to create music that both respects the traditions it comes from while still exploring the potential for it’s progression. From Suffolk and Scotland respectively, they now combine these traditions.

24th October - Juniper Folk

Based in the West-Midlands, Juniper is a five piece folk band that bring their own style and flair to traditional English, Scottish and Irish tunes.

As a ceilidh band, Juniper has years of experience providing fun and high quality performances in a variety of settings across the UK, including providing the ceilidh for Purbeck Valley Folk Festival in 2019 and hosting an accessible ceilidh in Victoria Square, Birmingham as part of the Commonwealth Festival.

Juniper also writes their own original music, and regularly performs as a live band. Having released an EP 'So Here's the Thing...' in 2019 they also collaborated with 64 musicians from around the world during 2020 to create a ultimate version of their track, 'Emergency Macaroni'

17th October - Bruce Watson (Oz)

Bruce is a major Australian songwriter and performer in the folk tradition. Based in Melbourne, he performs around Australia and internationally at festivals, clubs and other venues.

His performances are joyful and thoroughly engaging, with witty lyrics and energetic presentation, but also the power to move audiences to tears. He is a masterful craftsman of songs, be they evocative and heart wrenching, or side-splittingly funny.

5th Sept - Keith Donnelly

Stand-up comic, fall-down comedian, surreal snigger-songwriter, guitar-hero, performance-artist, [tall] story-teller, philophoser, scriptwriter, [none can] compere, man-of-mystery, inner-childminder, actor, stuntman, life and soul of the [kids] party, raconteur, author, wit, half-wit, secret[sh!]-agent, [Vauxhall] astral-traveller, Geordie-cultural-attache, word-juggler, unexpected clairvoyant, dream-weaver, daydream believer, psycho-linguist, smile sculptor, [compulsive] lying-tamer, Great-British eccentric, [alleged], champion tiddly-winker, sanddancer, friend to the pantomime horse, and... all-round good egg.

Never, ever, offensive - safe to bring your kids, your mother or your great-great-granny too!

Ths is a great start to the new season!!

October 3rd - Enda McCabe

An experienced performer who divides his time between the Conamara gaeltacht in Co. Galway and Banbury in England, Enda sings a mixture of traditional Irish language songs and traditional songs in English, together with some original songs in English. The songs are linked by stories, most, but not all, of which are based on personal experience and we can promise an entertaining performance of the highest standard.

He performs solo in the main, but also works with other singers and musicians from time to time. Amongst those are Tim Edey, Róisín El Safty, Johnny Connolly, Johnny Óg Connolly and a wonderful Japanese flute player Tomoyo Sugai to name but a few. (Enda appeared with Róisín on Bosca Cheoil, a TV program on TG4.). In addition, he leads workshops on Traditional Singing, Song writing and Accompanying Traditional Irish Music.