We are thrilled to reveal our brilliant programme for Autumn 2021. Obviously, all four of these concerts are subject to restrictions and guidelines, and may well be subject to social-distancing etc, but we're crossing our fingers that we'll be able to bring you this latest lineup of some of the country's top folk, roots and acoustic artists.
Kicking off the programme on Friday 17th September will be THE MAGPIES. It has only been a short space of time since this three-piece burst onto the UK folk scene, but they have already made a huge impression with their fresh brand of transatlantic neo-folk and have been "making waves wherever they play" (Phil Beer, Show of Hands). Three accomplished musicians in their own right, the band is a combination far greater than the sum of its parts. Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Award winning guitarist, banjo-player and singer Bella Gaffney, clawhammer banjo player and singer Kate Griffin and acclaimed fiddle-player and tunesmith Holly Brandon draw on their wide-ranging influences to create a unique blend of transatlantic folk. Opening the show will be Bristol-based Dutch singer-songwriter MAAIKE SIEGERIST.
Friday 15th October sees the return of a DFC favourite as we welcome SAM CARTER for a gig originally scheduled for last year. In the eleven years since winning Best Newcomer at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Sam has earned a reputation for vivid, narrative-driven songwriting and captivating live performances. Having made a spell-binding appearance on Later... with Jools Holland in 2012, Sam has gone on to tour the world, sharing stages with some of the finest guitarists and songwriters, including Nic Jones, Martin Simpson, Richard Thompson, and Chris Wood. Now, finally, Sam embarks on a national tour to support the release of his thrilling new album Home Waters. Recorded in a converted church in rural Northumberland, Home Waters captures the full force of Sam's heartfelt songwriting. Featuring the specially-assembled Home Waters String Quartet, the album’s rich emotional landscapes are exquisitely illustrated by producer Ian Stephenson’s cinematic string arrangements. Images of overwhelming floods, rising tides, and conflict-stricken seas sit alongside tales of love and loss, alluding to the search for a sense of belonging and stability in unfamiliar territory. Supporting Sam will be rising West Country star FLO PARKER BOMBOSCH.
THE CARRIVICK SISTERS are our guests on Friday 19th November as they treat us to a preview of their new album, due for release early next year. The sisters are one of the UK's top bluegrass and folk acts; twins Laura and Charlotte perform their original songs and instrumentals along with a few carefully chosen covers on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, and clawhammer banjo. Their busy touring schedule is rapidly building them a reputation for engaging and entertaining live performances with tight sibling vocal harmonies and multi-instrumental virtuosity. Having grown up in South Devon, an area rich in folklore and legends, much of their original material is inspired by their local surroundings and history. Exciting duo THE LAST INKLINGS will open the evening's entertainment.
The Downend Folk Club Christmas Concert has become a highlight in the local music calendar after a series of spectacular events, and this year should be no different as we welcome supergroup A WINTER UNION on Friday 17th December. From five leading lights of the British Roots scene, expect soaring vocals and exquisite musicianship as the band delight with a repertoire of folk songs from across the yuletide traditions. Glorious wassails, fresh arrangements of traditional carols both well-loved and little-known, and original songs heralding the joys of the season. Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts (BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominees Gilmore & Roberts, Emily Askew Band) and Jade Rhiannon (The Willows) are excited to roll out their stunning festive show. These songs are stirred together with such beautiful five-part harmonies, accompanied by dobro, fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer, guitars a-plenty and a shruti box thrown in for good measure. The brilliant LIZZY HARDINGHAM will start us off in festive style.
All four concerts will take place at CHRIST CHURCH DOWNEND to allow us to have the biggest audience possible... we're currently putting 60 tickets on sale for each event (42 downstairs and 18 on the balcony) but obviously we'll make more tickets available if that becomes possible. We're sticking with £15 per ticket for the moment as we need to ensure that each concert is viable and that the long-term future of the club is secure. We will also be reopening the bar and restarting the raffle.
It took LUKE JACKSON quite a long time, and a lot of sweat and determination, to get here.
Standing in front of a socially-distanced, sold out audience at CHRIST CHURCH DOWNEND last weekend, he exudes confidence, stage-presence and genuine talent. And that voice. What a voice. He’s come a long way since we first met him over five years ago, back in March 2014 when he first played a headline show at Downend Folk Club. Already an engaging and impressive performer at that young age, Luke has taken in every step of the journey that has brought him to be the performer that now stands before us. Every gig that his dad drove him to, every note he played and every word he sang, have been part of the journey that have brought him to this point.
It took Luke Jackson quite a long time, and a lot of sweat and determination, to get here.
Because, although Luke set off for Bristol nice and early, the journey wasn’t kind to him. First, his car broke down and he had to wait for the RAC on the side of the motorway for an hour. Then, he got caught in the traffic caused by and M4 lorry-fire, in the sweltering heat, in a car without air-conditioning. And, to top it all off, he went to the wrong venue and had an extra five minutes to contend with when he thought he’d made it.
But both those journeys were utterly, completely worth it, as far as the gathered music lovers were concerned.
Kicking off with Nothing But Time and following it up with Home before even speaking a word to the audience, they’re grabbed from the start. Luke’s blues-y, roots-y style and clever song-writing drawing them in immediately.
Highlights include Honeycomb, which really showcases that voice, Eliza Holt and Richard Thompson’s Vincent Black Lightening, which Luke admits he thought he wouldn’t be able to master. Master it he has, though, and as his fingers flash along his fretboard, we know we’re in the presence of a consummate performer.
A tribute to John Prine, Angel From Montgomery, brings satisfied oohs and ahs from the audience, and, frankly, no-one wants the evening to end; least of all, one suspects, Luke himself. His encore, appropriately entitled The Road, brings the audience to rapturous applause.
"It was worth every miserable minute in that bloody car," he beams. “If you’ve had half as much fun as I’ve had, I still reckon that makes for a pretty alright night.” Well, Luke, it was considerably more than half as good, and considerably more than alright. It was special. Thanks for taking the journey. And for taking the journey.
Words: Bea Furlong
Photo: Barry Savell
NEXT AT DOWNEND FOLK CLUB: LUKE JACKSON IN CONCERT
We continue our concert series this month as we welcome back a firm favourite in LUKE JACKSON. The concert will be held at CHRIST CHURCH DOWNEND, on the third Friday of the month (16th July) and it’s already sold out, given the COVID-secure capacity of 60 at the church. But if you're too late, you haven't missed out altogether... scroll down!
Luke is an un-pigeonholeable (is that a word?) singer-songwriter who has travelled a fair few thousand miles around the British Isles, initially with his dad Paul into pubs and bars, well run house concerts and more recently into folk & blues clubs, venues and festivals. Luke’s songwriting draws on his experiences, family life, poignant stories he’s been told and fortunately, they’e all written in English as in his own words, he’s dreadful at languages.
An accomplished performer who impresses from the outset and takes his audience on a shared journey with a full bus down the bye-ways of love, hope, sorrow, and melancholy via the service stations of folk, roots, blues, Americana and soul. Luke regularly tours Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and all points of the UK as well as showcasing at the International Folk Alliance conference in Kansas, a residential songwriting train journey from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Montreal, Ontario in Canada.
Tickets for the event, which takes place at Christ Church Downend on Friday 16th July 2021, are available from downendfolkclub.co.uk. They are priced at £15 each and must be purchased in advance. At this stage, capacity is strictly limited to 60. There will be no bar or raffle, but ticket-holders are invited to bring their own refreshments.
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NEXT AT DOWNEND FOLK CLUB ONLINE: AN HOUR OR SO WITH LUKE JACKSON
CANCELLED - SORRY
*** Sadly, due to Luke's travel problems on Friday evening, we will not be able to bring you the planned "hour or so" online session this Sunday evening. We're really sorry. ***
As part of our online plan moving forward, Chairman Ant Miles will also be sitting down for a bag of chips with Luke when he visits for the concert, as we continue with our hugely successful "an hour or so" online series, which ran throughout all three lockdowns... but in a slightly different way. Audience questions are invited but they must be submitted in advance. The best will be selected and put to Luke.
The resulting chat and tunes will then be streamed on Sunday 18th July 2021, at 8.00pm on the simultaneously on the our FACEBOOK page and YOUTUBE channel. Do make sure that you've liked/followed/suscribed! The show will be available to view for a week afterwards so don't worry if you can't make it on the night. As always, this “an hour or so” event will be free to attend, but there will be an online tip-jar, which you can contribute to below. It's still a tough time for musicians, so if you can't make the actual in-venue concert, please give generously if you can.
For further information, please visit the our website, find us on Facebook or Twitter or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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