LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB PROGRAMME

January February March April and Beyond
3 JAN COPPER FAMILY £15 cash 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 The genuine article: Sussex traditional songs in harmony from a family who have been singing them for at least ten generations. 10 JAN WASSAIL £6 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. 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. 17 JAN SUSSEX ALL-DAY SINGAROUND, ROYAL OAK, BARCOMBE BN8 5BA 11.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m First, an hour of join-in tunes while people arrive. Singing starts at noon; ballads and the occasional instrumental party piece will be very welcome. This very popular annual event was started decades ago by Jerry Jordan.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 8:45 p.m. Admission with collection of a suggested £1 a head. 24 JAN SIMON STALLARD £8 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Simon sings unaccompanied in English & Scots Gaelic in a beautiful, authentic style. He also plays Scottish traditional tunes on the flute. 31 JAN MILLY MURPHY CD LAUNCH £5 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Milly is one of our residents. She's a lovely singer of traditional songs & writes her own in traditional style, plays clarinet, dances with The Knots of May & sings with Sussex Harmony. Milly also writes & arranges tunes to West Gallery carols.
7 FEB EWAN WARDROP £10 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Singer of traditional & new songs, step-dancer, guitarist, member of The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, jig-doll operator & very accomplished actor, Ewan is a great entertainer. His one-man show Sweet Thames, Flow Softly, about London folk clubs in the 60s & 70s, has toured many festivals. 14 FEB VALENTINE'S NIGHT £5 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Bring songs, tunes & stories on the theme. A good night to try performing for the first time to a friendly audience. 21 FEB THE MEDLARS £10 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Essex trio Alie Barnes (voice) Emma Hardy (fiddle) & Tom hardy (guitar, voice) bring songs & tunes from the East Anglian tradition. 28 FEB BILL CRAWFORD £10 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Bill sings traditional songs from Devon with great charm & authenticity. He's a popular MC at many folk festivals & was a member of the mighty Claque.
7 MAR MOSSY CHRISTIAN & MEGAN WISDOM £12 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Megan (East Anglia) & Mossy (Lincolnshire) are young performers who sing & play traditional & newer music, blending freshness & vigour with a deep understanding of their roots. Mossy plays fiddle, Anglo concertina & one-row melodeon. Megan plays table harmonium. Mossy recently directed a brilliant & thoughtful production of Peter Bellamy's The Transports at Whitby Folk Week in which he & Megan sang lead roles, with top performers including John Kirkpatrick, Brian Peters and The Wilsons. MOSSY CHRISTIAN & MEGAN WISDOM VOCAL HARMONY WORKSHOP 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day Teaching will be by ear. More details soon 14 MAR PETE COE £12 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Pete is 'one of the most important folk artists in Britain' (Mojo Magazine) a singer, musician & dancer steeped in British traditional music & holds the EFDSS gold badge. He played with the hugely influential New Victory Band, Bandoggs & Red Shift & founded Ryburn 3 Step. Recent projects include The Road to Peterloo. He's also a mighty singer & songwriter. Pete plays melodeon, banjo, bouzouki, guitar & Appalachian dulcimer. PETE COE DANCE MUSIC FROM THE DALES WORKSHOP (any instrument) 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day The workshop will cover tunes from Dales musicians, choosing the right tunes for the dance, & ways of presenting tunes rather than just knocking them out. Some music will be sent out in advance. 21 MAR CHARLIE & ROWAN PIGGOTT £15 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Charlie was one of the founding members of De Danann (banjo) & now plays melodeon in the old style. Rowan (fiddle, voice) Rowan performs & writes with award-winning folk trio, The Wilderness Yet, & oldtime duo, Old Spot. 28 MAR STEVE TURNER £12 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Steve is a pioneer of highly sophisticated English concertina song accompaniments, with dazzling technique & musical insight, & a fine singer. He also plays cittern, mandolin & banjo. Steve sings traditional songs & some newer ones mainly from Britain & the USA. His most recent CD, 'Late Cut' features the splendid musicians Eliza Cathy, Martin Simpson & Sam Carter.
4 APR SONGS & TUNES FOR EASTER & SPRING £6 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Bring songs, tunes & readings to fit the theme. A good night to try singing or playing to listeners for the first time. Instrumental & vocal groups welcome. We serve home-made traditional Easter biscuits. 11 APR BEN PALEY £12 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Ben is a natural & scintillating musician who has been playing the fiddle music of the USA, Sweden & Ireland since he was six. He has toured widely with his father Tom Paley, The Long Hill Ramblers, Tab Hunter, The New Deal String Band & Sarah Grey & Kieron Means. He has recorded with Damon Albarn, Michael Nyman, McDermott’s Two Hours, Mandragora & The Levellers. His book Swedish Fiddle Music, An Anthology is the standard work on the subject in English. BEN PALEY FIDDLE WORKSHOP 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day Ben writes: 'During the workshop we’ll aim to enjoy learning & playing some interesting tunes from the USA, Sweden & Ireland - & maybe elsewhere! While we're at it, perhaps we’ll think about technique, style, regional & national differences, how to play nicely with others ... & the state of the world in general...' br> Some music will be available in advance. 18 APR MARTYN WYNDAM-READ & IRIS BISHOP £15 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Traditional & new songs from the British Isles & Australia with much beauty & humour, accompanied by Martyn’s guitar & Iris’s glorious duet concertina & accordion. 25 APR ROGER DIGBY & LIZ GIDDINGS £10 cash We will start at 7:30 p.m. & finish at 10:30 p.m. Roger is a master of the Anglo concertina & has been a huge influence on the understanding of English traditional dance music. He formed the band Flowers & Frolics & played for many years with Bob Davenport. Liz is a fine fiddler with a deep understanding of English traditional playing. ROGER DIGBY & LIZ GIDDINGS: ENGLISH DANCE MUSIC WORKSHOP (any instrument) 10:45 - 16:45 £45 cash (2 under-25 year olds £22) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day More details to come.
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.
30 May Tom McConville Fiddle 6 June Jimmy Hutchison Scottish song 18 July Jez Lowe Songwriting 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