LOW TICKET AVAILABILITY - BALCONY SEATS ONLY REMAINING

 
To have an artist of CARA DILLON's stature perform in this corner of South Gloucestershire goes to show how well-thought of our monthly concerts become in the last eleven years, and it’s no surprise that this concert is already down to balcony seats, with the main allocation downstairs having sold out in record time.
 
 
Cara is an extraordinary, multiple award-winning Irish folk singer, and she'll be joined on-stage by acclaimed musician and producer Sam Lakeman. Throughout an enviable career which has seen them explore opportunities to tread many different paths – from releasing folk crossover albums on indie label Rough Trade; recording on Disney soundtracks to collaborations with orchestras and even leading dance DJs – Cara has continuously chosen to firmly plant herself within the landscape of her Irish cultural heritage and that’s something to celebrate. 
 
Their enduring partnership has ensured they have remained at the very pinnacle of the folk genre for well over two decades and this performance will feature a selection of acoustic songs from previous releases and may also include material from her highly anticipated 2024 release, Coming Home, her first in over six years. Within it Cara effortlessly blurs the lines between spoken word and song to stunning effect, exploring profoundly personal memories, her native Co. Derry and the people, places and customs she holds closest to her heart; revealing a newly found freedom to express herself within the tiniest of details and life’s larger mysteries. Join Cara and Sam for an intimate evening full of exceptional music and the genuine warmth they bring to the stage.
 
Supporting Cara & Sam will be HERON ISLAND, a duo that sparked into existence on a narrow boat trip on the River Avon in the summer of 2023 to write, record and gig songs which drew on their shared experiences of childhood in the south Devon countryside and their love for honest music built around the guitar.
 
 
Tickets for the concert, which takes place at CHRIST CHURCH DOWNEND on Friday 20 June 2025, are available online HERE and from MELANIE'S KITCHEN (cash only). As you can see, we've already sold out of the downstairs allocation, so there are only balcony seats available, but there's a great view and many people think they're the best seats in the house! This one's a little more expensive at £20 in advance or £22 on the door, but it will be worth every penny and then some. Doors open at 7.00pm and the music starts around 7.45pm. This event is also included in the Summer Season Ticket.
 
There will be a bar, stocking cider, soft drinks, wine, hot drinks and real ale from locally-based HOP UNION BREWERY. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own glass/mug/tankard, as well as reusable bottles for water, as part of the drive to be more environmentally aware; there is a 50p discount for those that do. There will also be sweet treats available at the bar courtesy of Radstock-based The Great Cake Company, as well as a prize draw, which helps to fund the support artists for each concert.
 
For further information, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or find us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, BLUESKY or YOUTUBE.

We are thrilled to reveal our programme for Autumn/Winter 2025. As usual, we’ve struck the balance between well-known names and brilliant emerging talent, we’re sure you’ll agree.

The programme kicks off on Friday 19 September, when SARAH McQUAID will be our headline guest. Sarah’s lush, chocolatey voice combines with her engaging personality and brilliant musicianship on acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards and (occasionally) drum to create a truly immersive experience. Opening the evening will be long-time friend of DF&R, MIKE WEAVER, a singer-songwriter originally from Cheltenham, but now living in Worcestershire. He is a writer and illustrator by day and an acoustic performer by night, presenting his own melodic songs which draw upon both contemporary and traditional influences.

We’ve been wanting to feature THE SHACKLETON TRIO for quite some time, and the stars have finally aligned as they headline our concert on Friday 17 October. The trio features Georgia Shackleton (fiddle, vocals), Aaren Bennett (guitar) and Nic Zuppardi (mandolin and banjo). Collectively the band draw influence from British, American and Scandinavian folk traditions, whilst Georgia’s flair for sourcing largely unsung material from East Anglia keeps the band firmly rooted in their local tradition. In support will be THE ASHEN KEYS, a multi instrumental, multi voiced celebration of heartfelt storytelling from Kent. Their sound tells of influences from folk, blues, pop, classical and even early music. Expect to be taken on a journey through dark folk tales, bittersweet love stories and reveries on nature, all with exquisite vocal harmonies and unique instrumentation.

Back in March of 2022, we were due to welcome KNIGHT & SPIERS, but that pesky covid intervened. We’re delighted to say we’ve finally managed to find a date to reschedule, and they’ll be with us on Friday 21 November. 'Folk a-listers’, ‘folk royalty’ and ‘folk icons' are terms frequently applied to both Peter and John, but what it means in reality is that they bring the best of traditional music to any stage they play. The exquisite explorations of the liminal space that exists between traditional and classical music is what makes the music so compelling and beguiling, ultimately rendering genres irrelevant. Getting us underway will be FLY YETI FLY, an alt-folk duo whose enchanting harmonies, warm instrumentation and heartfelt storytelling weave songs about connection and community. Blending folk, roots and Americana influences, their music is both uplifting and deeply moving. This concert will be live-streamed in partnership with LIVE TO YOUR LIVING ROOM.

Our December concert is always a highlight of the musical year, and this one should be no exception as we welcome a duo who stole the show at our 10th Anniversary Celebration last Summer. BRYONY GRIFFITH & ALICE JONES return with their sensational seasonal tour Wesselbobs on Friday 19 December. Following the success of their 2023 album of the same name, they present a unique collection of winter songs and tunes sourced from their beloved native county. Together they have unearthed a treasure trove of traditional gems, featuring uniquely local versions of more classic seasonal songs and showcasing the traditions, tales and winter rituals of the richly diverse musical culture in which they are immersed. As is now traditional, DF&R favourites HEARTWOOD CHORUS will open the evening. Leader Neil Johnson creates masterful arrangements of traditional songs and new interpretations of future classics from the contemporary folk scene. What started as a community project has evolved into a quality folk act in its own right. This is not a choir that sings folk music… this is a bonafide folk choir, and one that's been called the “finest in the UK”. This concert is another that will be live-streamed in partnership with LIVE TO YOUR LIVING ROOM.

All four concerts will take place at CHRIST CHURCH DOWNEND as usual, and seating is unreserved. Tickets are £14 in advance (£16 on the door) and are available online HERE, and from MELANIE’S KITCHEN in Downend. Please note that Melanie's Kitchen can only take cash payments. There is also the option to buy a season ticket for all four concerts for £50, which saves a few pounds as well as booking fees. All tickets are non-refundable. There will be a full bar at all concerts, as well as a prize draw, all proceeds of which go towards booking our support artists. Doors open at 7.00pm for a 7.45pm start. 

We're really excited about this season, and we hope you will be too. Keep supporting live music, it’s never been more important! For further information, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or find us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, BLUESKY, YOUTUBE or TIKTOK.

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The best thing about the folk world right now is its diversity. Not only are there a dizzying array of musical styles - in Bristol in the last fortnight you could have seen an awesome folk choir, EDM folk bangers, trad tunes, brilliant contemporary singers, harp serenades, kora wizards, political revolutionaries and at least one guitar genius - but it's so welcoming to everyone, regardless of gender, creed, orientation or neurology.
 
HOLLY CLARKE fits right in. 
 
This is the second time Clarke has visited Downend but the first time that she's bought a band with her. And what a band it is; Amy Thatcher (The Shee, Kathryn Tickell) on accordion, John Pope on double bass and Anna Hughes (Salt House) on fiddle, are all superb and, very subtly, add layers to Clarke's forthright and honest take on trad folk singing.
 
 
Her set leans heavily on the tradition, but when you have a voice like Clarke's every old story springs back to life. There are as many versions of John Barleycorn as there are folk singers but this one is great - it has depth and heart. A plucked violin lends an edge of menace but Thatcher's accordion sweeps the whole thing along until, ultimately, it becomes a celebration. 
 
Bonny Woodhall is slow and contemplative -entirely fitting for a song about the horrors of war, with Hughes’ fiddle casting mist across the battlefield. Thatcher's spectral synth washes sit just under Clarke's voice which is equal parts heartbreak and defiance. The pace suits her, allowing her to wring every last drop of emotion from the song. The Bonny Girl has a similar intensity and, with a change of pronouns here and there, becomes a "big lesbian break-up song". Much of the best, and most interesting, folk music around just now comes from the Queer Folk world and Clarke puts herself right at the heart of it.
 
 
She does so again with Wild, Feral and Fierce where she leaves us in no doubt as to her Trans-allyship, her support for those with autism, the queer community and, indeed, anyone who goes through difficult transitions only to find acceptance on the other side. It is one of a handful of her own songs this evening but it has serious power, serious heft. 
 
The truly remarkable thing about Holly Clarke is her voice and it is when she sings unaccompanied that she becomes incredibly special. Strawberry Town, a murder ballad that she learned from Nancy Kerr, is spine-tingling while a version of The Watersons’ Prickle Holly Bush inspires an audience of foot-stomping. She fills the church with almost no effort at all, as though there’s a vital force simply sitting inside of her, waiting to be unleashed. 
 
 
If Holly Clarke displays strength, then her support act casts a different type of spell altogether. LÖRE & LAMENT are a duo based in Cornwall, drawing on Celtic traditions. They float through Christ Church, ghostlike, like sea mist. Holly Anne Coles is a modern-day Enya, ethereal and magical. Mitch Cartwright's guitar chopping through the fairytale forests that seem to spring up on Coles’ command. Well Below the Valley and The Unquiet Grave could drift in the air around Tintagel while their own songs, particularly Solastalgia, are suffused with simple sorcery.
 
There are plenty of things from the tradition on offer this evening but there's a sense of moving forward too, a sense of the progressive. There's the warmest of welcomes to all comers, a celebration of folk music in all of its forms. 
Words: Gavin McNamara
Photos: Barry Savell
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  1. NEXT AT DOWNEND FOLK & ROOTS: HOLLY CLARKE + LÖRE & LAMENT #LIVETOYOURLIVINGROOM
  2. REVIEW: "THERE'S AN UNDENIABLE SENSE THAT YOU'RE IN THE PRESENCE OF A SERIOUS SONGWRITER"
  3. NEXT AT DOWNEND FOLK & ROOTS: HANNAH SCOTT + CORUJA JONES
  4. REVIEW: "A PAGE-TURNING THING, FILLED WITH WONDER"