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Saturday 15th February 2025 at 8 p.m.

Sherburn Bartley Sanders

Following a chance meeting at Whitby Folk Festival in 1993, Chris Sherburn (Concertina) and Denny Bartley (Vocals and Guitar) have been bringing their unique sound to audiences across Europe and America, creating one of folk music’s most enduring partnerships. Their obvious rapport made them one of the busiest acts on the folk scene, both as a duo and with their well-loved band, Last Night’s Fun. Their soul-stirring songs, exhilarating tunes and quick-witted banter ensures that no two concerts are ever the same.

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In 2016, Chris and Denny joined forces with Emily Sanders (fiddle/viola and vocals) and have since become a well-established trio, for the first time blending vocal harmonies, and strings to underpin Chris and Denny’s unique sound, as well as providing a female vocal for some songs, and bringing a repertoire of English folk songs to complement the bands more Celtic roots.

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Emily was a founder member of the acclaimed trio Isambarde. She has also toured with Merrymouth (Simon Fowler, Lead Singer of Ocean Colour Scene) and regularly appears with Pete Morton and Chris Parkinson.

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Thursday 13th March 2025 at 7.30 p.m.

John Kirkpatrick
(in conjunction with Arts Alive)

As a singer, dancer and instrumentalist, John Kirkpatrick has been one of the most prominent figures on the English Folk Scene for many years. He has performed and recorded extensively both as a soloist and as a member of duos, groups and bands, presenting a repertoire of music, songs and dances firmly rooted in traditional English practice. He is also regarded as a particularly fine exponent of the button accordion, the anglo concertina and the melodeon, and is frequently called upon as a mainstream session musician in fields of music quite outside the folk idiom.

On radio, he has hosted several programmes himself and been a frequent contributor to others, particularly in the specialist folk music slots, but also in the broader arts programmes such as Kaleidoscope, Night Waves and Reading Music.

Where is Whitchurch Leisure Centre? Click here

Friday 16th May 2025 at 8 p.m.

Gnoss’ signature sound is a rich tapestry of acoustic layers; outstanding musicianship, deep traditional roots and contemporary compositional flair combine to create songs and tunes brimming with character.

Triple Scots Trad Music Awards nominees, the band have built an invested following through their forward-thinking take on traditional music and the unique warmth of their live shows. This has been proven through three consecutive sell-out appearances at Glasgow’s world-famous Celtic Connections festival.

Gnoss combines the talents of:

Aidan Moodie (Guitar/Vocals),  Graham Rorie (Fiddle/Mandolin/Electric Tenor Guitar), Connor Sinclair (Flute/Whistles/Vocals),Craig Baxter (Bodhran/Percussion

Ainsley is one of the UK’s most distinctive and versatile singers, known for her remarkable voice, storytelling, and emotive style. Hailing from the West Coast of Scotland, Ainsley has built a career celebrated for its authenticity, merging traditional Scottish folk with a modern touch.

Sam Kelly is a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning singer, song-writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Sam's debut EP - entitled Your Way Home was released in March 2013, which swiftly created a buzz of interest in the folk scene for Sam's music. He followed this up with the release of the widely acclaimed Spokes  EP.

Toby Shaer is an up and coming folk musician from Leigh on Sea, Essex. He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who has worked and shared stages with some of the finest musicians in the folk/country music scenes.

Where is Whitchurch Leisure Centre? Click here

The Haar introduces the formidable singing talent of All-Ireland Scór na nÓg winner Molly Donnery combined with three of the most exciting instrumentalists on the folk and traditional music circuit: Cormac Byrne (BBC Folk Award/Show of Hands/Seth Lakeman), Adam Summerhayes, and Murray Grainger (both of the FATEA award-winning Ciderhouse Rebellion).

This is music that is not afraid to transcend borders, whilst recognisably born of the traditional music that all members have grown up with. The Haar pushes the boundaries to create a unique and compelling sound.

The origins of the band go back to a chance meeting between Adam, Cormac and Molly at a session at the Craiceann Bodhrán Festival. This resulted in an improvised performance recorded by the shipwreck of the Plassey on the west coast of Ireland. It was to become typical of the unique live reactive composition that characterises their music. With the addition of master accordionist Grainger, they entered the studio at the end of 2019 to record their first album.

Their self-titled debut, released in June 2020, is a collection of traditional Irish songs tackling love, poverty and oppression. It was heralded as a splendid balance of swirling instrumental magic and beautifully sung narratives by Folk Radio UK and garnered attention from Mike Harding who described it as absolutely amazing.

Sunday November 23rd 2025 at 7.30 p.m.

Ranagri is an award winning indie folk band with a unique blend of instruments that includes guitar, flutes, whistles,harp, piano, hammered dulcimer, bouzouki, bodhrán, orchestral percussion and voices. 'They create a sound that is both mesmerising and unforgettable' KLOF MAG.

Ranagri have recorded five studio albums to date, with their latest release, Tradition II receiving critical acclaim upon its release in July 2022. Folk Radio UK placed the album in their top 10 albums of 2022, cementing the band's status as one of the most exciting and innovative folk bands in the UK today.
Ranagri has established themselves as a standout act, drawing in crowds from around the world with their captivating live performances and exceptional musicianship. They have performed at some of the most prestigious venues & festivals across the UK and Europe, including Cambridge Folk Festival, Bloom festival (Dublin), Montelago  festival (Italy),Towersey Festival, a headline slot at Costa Festival Ibiza 2023, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Union Chapel, SHREWSBURY folk festival in 2024, Kings Place London along with regular tours of Scotland and Europe.

Where is Whitchurch Leisure Centre? Click here