JANUARY 14^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

JANUARY 28^TH   EDWINA HAYES, KATIE SPENCER AND EMILY SLADE (Songwriters circle)  Edwina’s beautifully written songs, charming stage presence and voice of an angel have won her a reputation as a true natural talent of gentle folk-americana.  Her cover of the Randy Newman song “Feels Like Home” was featured in the Cameron Diaz film “My Sister's Keeper” and has since had over eight million plays on YouTube. The title track of her album Pour Me a Drink was covered by Nanci Griffith who called her 'the sweetest voice in England' YouTube  Katie was raised in the East Yorkshire flatlands on the fringes of Hull, a landscape of open skies and widening rivers. The people, as with the land, are moulded by tides and stark horizons.  It is this sense of space and movement that flows through Katie’s music. The songwriting, and most notably her guitar playing stems from a time when the steel-strung instrument was truly finding its voice through artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and perhaps most evidently, Michael Chapman.  “Her articulate picking, with suggestions of folk and jazz, frames intelligently written songs and is the backbone to her music.” Guitarist Magazine   YouTube   Emily is one of Britain's foremost female fingerstyle guitarists, taking up the acoustic guitar at the age of nine and making her stage debut that same year. At eighteen, Emily studied English and Education at Cambridge University.  During her final year she launched her record label ‘Rustic Thorn Records’ to release a limited-edition EP called ‘Small Talk’.  Her debut album, ‘Shire Boy’, followed, gaining a BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award nomination for best newcomer. Emily took to the road, promoting the album by travelling internationally, carving out a staggering reputation amongst fellow musicians and support at grassroots level from the audiences at her concerts. The partnership between her intricate guitar playing and enchanting vocals are rarely found in one person, making Emily an enthralling performer. She is a woman quite clearly at ease with her audience. Her winning personality and presence have endeared her to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. YouTube   Members £16, Non-members £18

FEBRUARY 11^TH    SHOW OF HANDS   Their first booking was at Hitchin, only fitting that we should be one of the last.  SOLD OUT!

FEBRUARY 25^TH   MIRANDA SYKES & HANNAH MARTIN  Presenting a new collaboration from two of the UK's finest folk singers, Miranda Sykes and Hannah Martin.  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 means 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. Hannah is best known for her work in the BBC Folk Award winning duo Edgelarks. Playing fiddle, banjo and tenor guitar, Hannah has been described as having “one of the best voices on the planet” (FATEA). She has toured from Japan to South Africa; written for theatre shows including for Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Alibi; played as part of Steve Knightley's Wake The Union band, and Nancy Kerr's Sweet Visitor Band; and is also part of the Gigspanner Big Band. Although both artists have worked for many years within the folk world, neither felt they had dedicated enough time to purely traditional material. Discovering a magical alchemy in singing together, the pair formed a duo.  YouTube  YouTube  Members £16, Non-members £18

MARCH 3^RD  CHURCHFITTERS   Three virtuoso musicians from England and France who strut their stuff on a stage that bristles with instruments, fiddle, flute, banjo, dulcimer, whistle, guitar, ukulele, stand up petrol tank bass and a stack of percussion. Throw in some exquisite harmonies, a slew of startlingly original songs and a few jokes that create instant rapport and you’ve got a high energy show that always leaves audiences cheering! Churchfitters just have to be experienced.  YouTube   Members £16, Non-members £18

MARCH 24^TH  ALY BAIN & PHIL CUNNINGHAM   Aly & Phil are arguably the finest exponents of Scottish traditional music, recognised as such when both were awarded the MBE for serviced to Scottish music. Aly is regarded as Scotland’s supreme traditional style fiddle player, probably the most significant fiddle player in the Celtic tradition.  Phil is a world famous accordion player and composer.  Two extremely humorous gentlemen whose combined skills are totally compelling!   YouTube  Members £18, Non-members £20

APRIL 7^TH   TRACKDOGS   Track Dogs are two Irishmen, an Englishman and an American, (Garrett Wall, Dave Mooney, Howard Brown & Robbie K.Jones), whose artistic name derives from the dark subterranean world of New York’s subway system. Formed in the Autumn of 2006 in Madrid around the eclectic line-up of acoustic guitar, electric bass, trumpet and cajón, over the following 17 years they have added banjo, ukulele and mandolin as well as honing their four part vocal harmonies, now very much an integral part of their “sound”. Well-established in Spain where they are based, they are surprising music lovers everywhere with “Sun-shiny songs thriving on dark themes behind irresistible rhythms.” After a fortuitous invitation to the Costa del Folk Festival in Ibiza they have become a “must have” band for festivals and clubs.  YouTube  YouTube   Members £16, Non-members £18

APRIL 21^ST   CARA DILLON & SAM LAKEMAN   Born in Dungiven in 1975, surrounded and infused with the rich cultural heritage of her native County Derry, Cara has risen to become one of the finest exponents of traditional Irish song anywhere in the world. Possessing a rare and unique voice that has been lauded since winning the All Ireland singing trophy aged only 14, together with her husband and musical partner, Sam Lakeman, she has successfully steered an eclectic musical path defying the typical pigeonholes that hinder most artists in her genre. Celebrated for entwining traditional and contemporary elements, she has earned both commercial success and astonishing critical acclaim.  Recent years have seen her return wholeheartedly to her Irish roots creating fresh interpretations of traditional folk standards with stunning results. Her reach is truly global, with fans to be found all over the world. Her clear, Northern Irish voice has seduced giants such as Disney who, in 2010, asked her to sing the title song to the animated movie “Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue”.  YouTube  Tickets available initially to current members only, as at December 1^st, £18.  (Should any remain on February 1st, non-members £24.)

MAY 5^TH   BANTER    Banter are: Simon Care on melodeon, Nina Zella on keyboards & vocals, Tim Walker on drums, percussion, brass, vocals & dance calling and Mark Jolley on bass, fiddle, guitar & vocals.  Four fine musicians who’s roots are firmly in the traditional English genre, but who enjoy stretching the limits.  Formed in 2015, they realised that a common love for the living traditions of English song and dance music was at their core and began to pursue it’s evolution, bringing in flavours from a wider palette of musical influences.  They have gained a reputation for being powerfully unique in the English traditional music genre. Their popularity grew rapidly, placing them in great demand to perform at many of the UK’s largest festivals.  Although just four people, they create a huge sound and have been described as “the world’s smallest big band.”  YouTube   Members £16, Non-members £18

MAY 19^TH     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. 46 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