The annual Playford Ball at East Cowes Town Hall takes place on Saturday 4th at 2pm. Many of the participants wear spectacular period costume, so it is well worth going along just to watch! Luckily, barn dance experience will get you through most of the dances, so do join in.
Shtum
The amazing Salt House are performing at Quay Arts Centre, Newport. Not to be missed Details & tickets Then, just a week later, on Saturday 18th, the popular Boo Hewerdine & Heidi Talbot can be heard at the same venue. Details & tickets The very next day, Sunday 19th, Quay Folk Club hosts popular locals Shtum and Slainte Va, along with a little Bob Dylan.
This year’s Medina Tattoo at the Medina Theatre (where else), sees return visits by The Crew and Wight Hot Pipes.
NOTE: THIS PAGE JUST HIGHLIGHTS A COUPLE OF MEMORABLE EVENTS. TO SEE FULL LISTS OF WHAT’S ON, RETURN TO MENU & CLICK ON EVENTS (OR ON CLUBS/SESSIONS/FOLK NIGHTS FOR REGULAR EVENTS).
Don’t miss the one-off events listed on the folkonwight Events page this October, plus the many clubs, folk nights and playalong sessions, of course.
OctoberHighlights
Friday 6th sees another Foodbank fundraiser at Quay Arts Centre, Newport. This annual event is always a heart warming evening. This year, enjoy performances by 2ndTA , The Rug Band and more. Sadly, there is a clash, as Wildwood Jack return once again to Ventnor Arts Club on that self same evening with their popular contemporary folk with guitar. See link on Events page.
Devon folk singer Jim Causley has been booked by Goddard’s Brewery for their Firkin Folk Afternoon in aid of Mountbatten on Sunday 22nd. Should be an excellent afternoon as The Watch are also performing.
NOTE: THIS PAGE IS JUST A FEW HIGHLIGHTS. TO SEE FULL LISTS OF WHAT’S ON, RETURN TO MENU & CLICK ON EVENTS (OR ON CLUBS/SESSIONS/FOLK NIGHTS FOR REGULAR EVENTS).
Cowes Week
Good to see the Dance Preachers are appearing twice this year, at Northwood House and at the Yacht Haven . No doubt buskers will be out and about too.
Charity Events
The Quirky Teapot is holding a Vintage Charity Day on Saturday 12th August. Sea Gels Shanty Band are performing. The Teapot is promising music all day, so other folk performers may be present, too, but no details are available at the time of writing.
Play Music on the Porch Day is on Saturday 26th August at Porchfield Cricket Club, from 13.00. Guests ArtnRick and Scarecrow duo will perform , plus there will be a folk session for all instruments, voices and standards. The Altzheimers Society will benefit from this.
Ventnor Fringe The ‘folk arts’ were particularly well represented at the Fringe this year by the Island Storytellers, Holly, Monty and Sue and also visitor Xanthe Gresham- Knight. Brilliant Xanthe stepped in at the last minute.
NOTE: THIS PAGE IS JUST HIGHLIGHTS. TO SEE FULL LISTS OF WHAT’S ON, RETURN TO MENU & CLICK ON EVENTS (OR ON CLUBS/SESSIONS/FOLK NIGHTS FOR REGULAR EVENTS).
Wonderful Wolverton
Wolverton Folk and Blues Festival have announced their donations to charity for this year. The event in May raised just over 12,000, an amazing result! Southampton Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Trust received £9500 and £2400 went to the Brighstone School Association. What a fantastic haul, well done to all concerned.
Another great event
Quay Folk Club held another terrific special guest night in June. A packed house were treated to an evening of wonderful songs from Miranda Sykes, with 2nd Time Around supporting most ably. The atmosphere was electric (and sweltering). Miranda’s stall ran out of CDs, so only the lucky first comers will be able to carry on enjoying her music !
Ventnor Fringe
Folk music, storytelling and morris dancing are all represented at this year’s Ventnor Fringe. Visitors from Bristol, Usti Baba (pictured), look to be a big draw, especially with their unusual ticket pricing! Elizabeth and Jameson are well known at Ventnor Arts Club and always popular. Retiring Ventnor vicar and Dylan enthusiast Hugh Wright and songwriter Patience Wells present an evening of spiritual songs. The local storytellers are performing and so is visitor Daniel Morden. Finally, Bloodstone Border Morris will entertain the crowds on the Esplanade. Full details of all these events are on Events in the menu.
The Isle of Wight has a new festival, the Somewhen Storytelling Festival. This is taking at at Havenstreet Steam Railway. There will be stories for children and adults, including also Barn dance Saturday, Music from Art & Rick and 2nd Time Around. Weekend tickets £30, Day tickets £20, barn dance only £10 from http://somewhen.org.uk or on the day.
Quay Folk Club at Quay Arts Centre, Newport, has a special guest night on Sunday 25th. The guest is Miranda Sykes, with support from Shtum. This is not a night to miss! Music starts at 7pm as usual, in the upstairs theatre.
There is a concert with Mick Sands and his band at the Mountbatten Centre, Newport, this Thursday, 1st June.
Yarmouth Sea Song and Shanty Festival 2023
Visiting bands – Spinnaker Shanty, Solent Shanty Buoys, Drywood, Short Drag Roger (at their spot in the Wheatsheaf garden)
Some of our very own – The Rug Band, Lesley Tregear, Shtum, The Watch
On May Day morning, the Men of Wight dance at the Longstones to welcome the magical dawn. It is well worth getting up at silly o’clock and tramping along by torchlight to be part of the gathering up on the hilltop in the atmospheric half-light. When dances have been danced and songs have been sung, there is a haze of scented bluebells to enchant the walk back down.
Bob’sBasement Band goes International!
On Friday May 5th and Monday 15th, Bob’s Basement Band are offering a set of Polish tunes at the Painters Arms, Cowes, followed by an Irish playalong session.
Wolverton rocks
Wolverton Folk and Blues Fair is on Saturday 13th May this year. What a wonderful event this is! Tickets, only £10 in advance, are available now from Waterstones, Briddlesford Farm Shop, Brighstone Village Shop and Orchard Bros., Freshwater Bay.
One More Day, me hearties
The Yarmouth Sea Songs and Shanties Festival runs from Friday 26th to Monday 29th this year, giving us an extra day of amazing music. And it is still donations only!
Aggiefest is in full swing, enjoy! Well done to Maureen Forster and team for all their hard work.
A Star is Reborn
Glenn Koppany has at last been able to revive his successful folk night at the Star Ale and Coffee House in Ryde. This charming little venue will now play host to a Folk and Music session on the second Sunday each month, from noon. Well worth delaying your Sunday lunch for!
Get your dancing shoes on
It must be Spring, there are two barn dances in April! The first is on Saturday 8th at Bluebells, Briddlesford, and the second on Friday 21st in Ryde. Full details are on the Events page.
Music all the way
Last year’s Irish and Traditional music weekend was so successful that they plan to do it all again this year!
Dave Harris
It was very sad to learn of the death of Dave Harris, recently. Dave and his wife, Caroline, performed at folk clubs as The Bilge Rats. The couple lived on a houseboat for a number of years until the structure eventually succumbed to old age. Later on, the couple lived in Somerset.
Shtum ( pictured above) ably represented folk at Quay Arts with their unique, easy listening blend of folk at the fundraising concert to help those in need in Ukraine. Their tunes are played on fiddle, mandolin, cittern, double base, guitar and sets include some well-chosen John Hacker vocals as well. Many of Shtum’s tunes and songs are self-penned.
DEC Earthquake Appeal Concert
Folk musicians contribute to many charity concerts each year. The next one to look forward to is in aid of the DEC Earthquake Appeal on Saturday 11th March at the Waverley, Carisbrooke, in the afternoon. Shtum are also included in the line-up for this one, at 1.30, together with Coppersmith (see below), who kick off proceedings at 12.30 and Feck! who close the show with a spot starting at 4.40. Well done to the organisers for neatly avoiding a clash with the evening concert at Quay Arts described below.
Amazing Quay Arts
Quay Arts is continuing to bring a selection of superb performers over the Solent. Saturday 11th sees a visit from Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth, two of the most inspiring instrumentalists in traditional music, bringing you an unforgettable evening of tunes and songs. https://www.quayarts.org/event/will-pound-jenn-butterworth
Just a week later, Will Page, of the band Noble Jacks, rolls in with his Americana-powered fiddle and songs. Great music to blow your head off! https://www.quayarts.org/event/will-page/
Aggie, Aggie, Aggie, Oy,oy,oy
Don’t miss the rich voice of Jim Causley (pictured above) when he kicks off Aggiefest on Thursday 30th March with an afternoon of song and poetry at Ryde Library. Booking is essential on 823825 as a delicious afternoon tea is included! Aggiefest continues on the following two days, see Events page for more details and updates.
Watch out, St Patrick’s About!
At the time of writing, folkonwight Events page lists FIVE St Patrick’s Night folk music events!
Each year, Ruth Wyman organises a concert to collect funds for the Salvation Army appeal for the homeless. This year’s ‘Christmas Reflections’ concert is on Friday 2nd December at The Salvation Army hall in Pyle Street, Newport, at 7pm. Among the performers are The Watch, see above, Sheshells, Maureen Shaw and Ruth herself
On Sunday 4th, the Oyster Girls are once again dancing to raise money for the charity Shelter. They will be performing in Cowes from 2pm.
The Sail Pattern folk rock band, pictured below, visit Porchfield Cricket Club on Sunday 4th. Their concert is raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society. Phone 07969 735728 to find out if there are any tickets left.
On Boxing Day, the courtyard at The Dairyman’s Daughter will once again be filled with the jingling of morris bells. The annual mummers’ play will be performed by Mr Baker’s Dozen.
If you missed last month…
Quay Folk Club held their very first ‘Special Guest Night’ in November with Drywood Duo, pictured below, supported by Second Time Around. The evening was very successful, so the plan now is to bring guests over from the mainland approximately twice a year. December’s offering on Sunday 18th will be Christmas themed, featuring a performance by Mr Baker’s Dozen of ‘The Christmas Boys’ mummers play. The club organisers, aka. the Quay Cabal, have their own spot, followed by a festive medley led by The Watch and Sheshells.
The long- awaited reopening of the weekly Tuesday singaround at the Dairyman’s Daughter in Arreton took place in November. The format remains the same as that before the pandemic, a mixture of song with a good scattering of playalong tunes. At the packed first meeting there were tributes to Den, who used to run the evening. A small group of volunteers will take turns to direct meetings in future. It is a big responsibility – deciding which way around the circle of performers to go.
November always brings songs about World Wars 1 and 2. Other wars are remembered, of course, but WW1 and 2 are particularly commemorated. Actually, the war-related songfest starts in October each year, or sometimes even September, and continues throughout November. There is certainly no shortage of material, old and new, some of it superb and much appreciated around the folk clubs.
If you should notice a folk singer sporting a knitted poppy, chances are it was knitted by Kate Seward, who raises money for the Royal British Legion every year by selling knitted poppies at folk clubs on the Island. If you see someone knitting at a folk night, chances are, it’s Kate. Kate and her husband Barry wrote a very funny song entitled ‘ Just let me finish me row’! No prizes for guessing what the song is about.
First Friday Figgy Gigs
West Wight has been lacking a regular folk night for some years, so it is good to see a new opportunity arising. The intriguingly-named Naked Figleaf Collective have announced a series of events on the first Friday of each month. These are likely to be a mix of music, not necessarily folk, and poetry. Two folk acts, Steve Love and Sheshells, have been chosen for the first ‘Gig’ on 4th November at CHOYD, Yarmouth. Doors open at 7pm, entry by donation.
Drywood Folk Duo
Coming up in November
There are several interesting visiting folk acts this month. Ventnor Arts Club welcomes Lizzy Hardingham on Friday 4th. Quay Folk Club have booked The Drywood Folk Duo from Northhampton after they were so well- received at the Yarmouth festival this year. Quay Arts Centre has two exciting acts – Granny’s Attic on Thursday 10th and Baskery on Friday 18th. Shalfleet Shanty Singers and The Watch are performing at another Andy Jackson Concert on Saturday 19th, 7pm at Shalfleet Village Hall. Finally, if you love dancing, don’t miss the annual Playford Ball, an afternoon event this year, on Saturday 5th. Details and links are on the Events page, as usual.
NOTE: THIS PAGE IS JUST HIGHLIGHTS. TO SEE FULL LISTS OF WHAT’S ON, RETURN TO
folkonwight 