LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB PROGRAMME

August September October and Beyond Home
   
Cotillion Top
AUGUST 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 OPEN NIGHTS £5 cash
On the 22nd and 29th we will be in the basement room of the Brewers Arms, 91 High Street, Lewes BN7 1XN. Access is down a staircase at the far end of the back bar.
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Bring songs & tunes. Good nights to try performing for the first time to friendly listeners in an informal setting. Instrumental & vocal groups welcome.
   
Cotillion Top
5 SEP LYNNE HERAUD & PAT TURNER £12 cash
This Saturday, we are in the Westgate Chapel, High St., Lewes
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Old & new songs, pure, beautiful vocal harmonies, spiced with ingenious smut.
12 SEP BRIAN PETERS £12 cash
This, we are in the Cliffe Hall, behind St Thomas's Church, Cliffe High St [TBC]
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Email to reserve tickets, bring the right money in cash on the night
Brian Peters is 'one of the country's finest melodeon players' (EDS) & an internationally-known instrumentalist & singer. He specialises in Northern English dance music & accompanying traditional song, but has also experimented with blues, Tex-Mex & much else. He is an excellent Anglo concertina & guitar player.
13 SEP BRIAN PETERS BALLAD FORUM
In the Cliffe Hall, behind St Thomas's Church, Cliffe High St [TBC]
Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day
10:45 – 16:15 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22)
Brian Peters has been singing some of the greatest Child Ballads for many years, but established his reputation as one of their leading researchers & performers with the ballad CD 'Songs of Trial & Triumph'.
In this forum Brian will bring his expertise in locating, refurbishing, arranging & singing the greatest ballads, & also his knowledge of the ballads that you bring yourselves, including comparative versions & fascinating source recordings from the tradition.You are invited to bring along at least one traditional ballad of your choice to sing & talk about. To avoid clashes with other contributors, please state your preferred ballad in advance. If your choice has already been taken, we will let you know so that you can choose another.
19 SEP SOUND TRADITION £12 cash
This Saturday, we are in the Cliffe Hall, behind St Thomas's Church, Cliffe High St [TBC]
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Traditional & new songs in rich, resonant & sensitive four-part vocal harmony.
26 SEP KENT SONGS COLLECTIVE: ELECTRIFYING FORCE £12 cash
This Saturday, we are in the Lewes Arms, 1 Mount Place, Lewes, BN7 1YH [TBC]
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Bob Kenward, John & Di Cullen, Sue Watson, Sue Evans, Laurie Jeal present an engaging show about the harnessing of electricity, with guitars, concertinas, hammered dulcimer & vocal harmony.
   
Cotillion Top
3 OCT HARVEST SUPPER £5 cash
This Saturday, we are in the Lewes Arms, 1 Mount Place, Lewes, BN7 1YH [TBC]
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Bring songs, tunes & reading for harvest & autumn.
10 OCT Jerry O'Reilly & Rosie Davis £12 cash
Check the website, your emails & Facebook for the venue.
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Glorious traditional Irish song with a spot of dancing from Rosie,
11 OCT Jerry O'Reilly IRISH SONG WORKSHOP
Check the website, your emails & Facebook for the venue.
Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day
10:45 – 16:15 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22)
Jerry is a commanding, spellbinding singer steeped in Irish traditions. He has a deep & wide knowledge of the songs beginning with singers in many generations of his own family. He, along with some others, runs the foremost traditional singing club in Ireland, An Goilin, and is an expert Irish set dancer & teacher.
The workshop will cover vocal decoration, song selection, Irish broadsides & Irish language songs which have been translated into English. Teaching will be by ear and will include listening to recordings of some of the singers that have inspired Jerry over the years.
17 OCT GEORGE SANSOME & MATT QUINN £12 cash
Check the website, your emails & Facebook for the venue.
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
A spellbinding collaboration between two leading young traditional singers, George Sansome (Granny's Attic) & Matt Quinn (Culverake) sing traditional songs from the British Isles unaccompanied & with mandolin and guitar. Their well-blended voices & close harmonies create a warm, enthralling sound and their English folk instrumental styles complement each other perfectly.
24 OCT COHEN BRAITHWAITE-KILCOYNE £15 cash
Check the website, your emails & Facebook for the venue.
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Cohen is a young, brilliant & inventive melodeon & anglo concertina player & a glorious singer with a deep understanding of traditional music & a powerful, compelling style of his own. He's in great demand at folk music festivals & clubs as a solo performer & with the trio Granny's Attic.Cohen loves to share knowledge & ideas & is a fine teacher.
11 OCT COHEN BRAITHWAITE-KILCOYNEy MELODEON WORKSHOP
Check the website, your emails & Facebook for the venue.
Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day
10:45 – 16:15 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22)
The workshop will focus on English melodeon playing for experienced players. Cohen will begin by sharing useful melodeon exercises and techniques, before delving into the rich repertoire of English traditional tunes, exploring how advanced melodeon techniques can be used to develop these tunes.
Some music will be sent out in advance.
31 OCT SEB STONE £10 cash
This Saturday, we are in the Lewes Arms, 1 Mount Place, Lewes, BN7 1YH [TBC]
We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m.
Seb Stone is an arresting traditional singer & uilleann piper from the Peak District with an unusual & fascinating collection of songs. In 2022 he won both the Future of Folk Award & the Shantyman of the Year Award at Bromyard Folk Festival. He sings with the trio Culverake & is much in demand at festivals.
   
Cotillion Top
LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB MUSIC WORKSHOPS 2026 (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.
12 Sept Brian Peters Ballad forum
10 Oct Jerry O'Reilly & Rosie Davis Irish song
24 Oct Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne English Melodeon
14 Nov Tim Edey Melodeon