THE TANNAHILL WEAVERS Wednesday May 14th : £7.00
A real coup for the Willows, as we prepare to welcome one of Scotland’s very finest folk bands of the past 30 years! “The Tannies”, as they are known, are acclaimed all throughout Europe and the world for their awe-inspiring performances of Scottish folk music, with a powerhouse of sound that will take your breath away! Although their skills as instrumentalists are noteworthy, perhaps the most powerful and exciting element of their act are their amazing vocals, with jaw-dropping five-part vocal harmonies that can sweep an audience along and carry them on a musical journey they won’t forget. Driving, exciting, passionate, engaging, awe-inspiring, moving and powerful, the Tannahill Weavers are a critically acclaimed tour de force who leave every audience stunned and spellbound - don’t miss this rare opportunity to see this incredible band in the intimacy of a folk club setting!
N.B.: We are selling ADVANCE TICKETS for this gig - please contact us for more details!
J.D. WALKER Wednesday May 28th : £4.00
Back because you demanded it, we once again welcome this truly outstanding singer, guitarist and all-round entertainer to our stage! J.D. is an enchanting professional musician who’s played in folk clubs on-and-off throughout his life - his easy, relaxed style, coupled with a wide and eclectic repertoire of songs from his long and successful career, have made him a firm favourite for many. Scottish by birth, J.D. performs folksongs from right across the board, both traditional and contemporary - Burns meets Buddy Holly and all points in-between!
SUNTRAP Wednesday June 11th : £5.00
It’s taken some doing, but at last, this fantastic band are back at the Willows! One of our most requested re-bookings, this fabulous four-piece have spent the last few years building up a reputation as one of the hottest acts on the folk scene - audiences are frequently dazzled by their brilliant musicianship on a variety of different instruments, including guitar, accordion, harmonica, whistles and fiddles, creating a rich, full and exciting sound, and coupled with luscious vocal harmonies so beautiful as to take your breath away! Suntrap perform an exciting and eclectic array of music, showcasing their own material and some of the best of the traditional and contemporary folk repertoire. When not headlining, their CV also includes support slots to some of the folk world's biggest stars, including Kate Rusby, Kathryn Tickell, Waterson:Carthy, The Albion Band and Vin Garbutt, and the band have also opened at Cambridge Folk Festival. The band recently underwent a personnel change, and now have a new fiddle player, Debbie Chalmers. A vibrant and exciting live act, Suntrap are folk megastars in the making!
BARRON BRADY Wednesday June 25th : £4.00
Rising stars of the UK folk and acoustic scene, this fantastic duo comprise the amazing guitar work of Simon Barron with the fantastic whistle and harmonium playing of Rosalind Brady - however, perhaps the most prominent instruments to feature in their act are their voices, blending together perfectly in seamless harmony. A duo full of seemingly boundless effervescent energy, Simon and Rosalind communicate the best of the traditional and contemporary folk traditions with a zeal and zest that simply radiates from within them, sweeping audiences along with them wherever they’ve played. With an ever-growing array of plaudits being heaped upon both their albums (the second of which, titled “Strange Harvest”, is due for imminent release) and their live performances, including glowing comments from veteran DJ’s Mike Harding and Bob Harris, it’s not difficult to see why these two are now regularly being touted as the folk world’s “next big thing”. Don’t miss your chance to see them at the Willows!
KATE BURKE & RUTH HAZLETON Wednesday July 9th : £5.00
Widely regarded as one of the international folk community’s most sparkling duos, Australians Kate & Ruth bring with them a wealth of musical experience that defies their youth - ever since the two started playing together in 1998 they have received plaudits for their interpretations of traditional folk from the UK, America, Ireland and their native Australia, as well as their own gorgeous re-workings of more contemporary songs such as Bob Dylan’s “Boots of Spanish Leather”. Both in the UK and in Australia they have toured with acts as diverse as Martin Carthy and Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, with the reception they have received prompting this much-requested UK tour in their own right, Musically, both Kate and Ruth are gifted multi-instrumentalists, with guitar, bouzouki, clawhammer banjo, fiddle, accordion and concertina all featuring in their act at some point, and together the duo craft beautiful vocal harmonies that positively soar with grace and beauty. A rare UK appearance from a truly outstanding duo!
EILEEN McGANN with DAVID K Wednesday July 23rd : £5.00
Described as “one of the folk scene’s most breathtaking voices”, whenever Eileen McGann steps onto the stage she brings with her three things - her incredible, clear, breathtaking voice, a wealth of musical experience, and a fantastic collection of traditional and contemporary songs, taken from all over the world. Irish-Canadian by birth, Eileen’s repertoire includes traditional songs from both of these countries as well as England and Scotland, and she also regularly tackles songs by more contemporary writers, including a number of beautiful self-penned songs. Hauntingly emotive, her gorgeous voice is able to expertly communicate the emotion of every song she sings, and all of her live performances are infused with vibrancy, laughter, stories and songs that can truly capture the heart. Instrumentally, Eileen herself has a captivating guitar style, with many of her shows (including her appearance at the Willows) augmented by the brilliance of multi-instrumentalist David K. Anyone who loves good music is encouraged to attend this performance by an enchanting Canadian nightingale!
THE BLUE COCONUT ORCHESTRA Wednesday August 6th : £4.00
One of the South Coast's most versatile and entertaining bands! This fine trio, featuring guitarist Steve Ball, mandolin player Ian Robinson and bassist Warren Ball, are a veritable powerhouse of musical skill, setting standards of excellence for acoustic music in Sussex, and have given many outstanding performances at the Willows over the years! Traditional and contemporary folk, blues, jazz, country, bluegrass, some old favourites and more - you hum it, they'll play it! The band have worked with many of the folk scene's notables over the years, including Richard Thompson, Maddy Prior, Tom Paxton and Ralph McTell. Alongside their work as a trio, the band also form two-thirds of country/rock band Laughing Gravy, an act well known to music lovers across the South, and both Ian and Warren have also started performing with 6:15, another band already building up a great name for themselves. The Blue Coconuts deserve to be heard by anybody who loves good music - don't miss them!
STEVE TILSTON Wednesday August 20th : £5.00
Steve Tilston is unquestionably one of the folk world’s foremost singer-songwriters, and is possessed of a soaring and powerful, yet tender and melodic, singing voice, a strident, full-sounding, complex and skillful guitar style, and of course a wealth of fine songs! “The Slip Jigs & Reels”, “The Naked Highwayman” and “Here’s to Tom Paine” have all originated from Steve’s pen and gone on to become instant contemporary classics on the folk scene. Steve’s songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Fairport Convention, Dolores Keane, Bob Fox and many others, and Steve himself has also appeared in several line-ups, perhaps most notably in a critically-acclaimed duo with Maggie Boyle, in the band Ship of Fools alongside John Renbourn and famously as a member of folk supergroup WAZ!, who showcased a large number of Steve’s songs, many of which still form part of his repertoire today. Steve’s most recent CD is “Of Many Hands”, an album of all traditional songs featuring instrumental contributions from such luminaries as Chris Parkinson, Nancy Kerr, James Fagan, and several others, and in the past year Steve has also seen released a special 5-CD retrospective of his illustrious career. A great evening in store from a fabulous artist!
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