In May last year, Downend Folk Club featured a fast-rising duo as their support act… and they were so popular that the regulars DEMANDED to hear more!

So, back by popular demand, the club’s headline guests this month will be JIMMY ALDRIDGE AND SID GOLDSMITH.

Jimmy and Sid play traditional and original folksong of the British Isles. They tell stories of hardship, joy, struggle and celebration held together with driving banjo and guitar arrangements and close vocal harmonies.

They have both been heavily influenced by the songs and singers of East Anglia, where they both grew up, but their music also reflects the diversity of voices within the folk and acoustic world. They weave traditional English folksong with Irish, Scottish and American tunes, and their own compositions draw on many different styles.

“A cracking album, full of really terrific songs” – Mike Harding

The songs on their new album have been picked up from sessions, singarounds, gigs, recordings and learned from friends. The stories are varied but there is a common thread of political struggle and resistance, and the decline of the industries that were the backbone of England for many generations.

Opening the evening will be KITTY MACFARLANE, a 22-year old Somerset-based singer and songwriter. Her lyrics combine honest snapshots of everyday humanity with the bigger questions that have connected minds and voices for centuries, driven by her own fingerpicked guitar.

Kitty’s debut EP, ‘Tide and Time’, was released in March to critical acclaim… so it really is two great acts for the price of one!

The concert will be held at Frenchay Village Hall on Friday 20th May. Doors open at 7.30pm, and the music will start at around 8.00pm. There will be a full-bar in the foyer area, open from 7.00pm, serving locally-brewed GWB real ale, Severn Cider, wine, a range of soft drinks and tea and coffee. You are encouraged to bring your own glass/tankard/bucket/mug as part of the club’s drive to be environmentally aware.

Tickets are priced at £11 each, but if you buy before Friday 13th May, you can get them for the ‘early-bird” price of just £9 each. Tickets are available from Melanie’s Kitchen in Downend, Bristol Ticket Shop or online here. Members tickets are a bargain £8 each (before Friday 13th May) and are available from the Members Area of this website or direct from Ant Miles.