Old Fire Station Cafe
Friday 22nd April
4.00pm John and Di Cullen
4.45pm Jack Walker and Tom Rogers
5.30pm Linda Watkins
6.15pm Ben Avison
7.00pm Moonaroon
Saturday 23rd April
4.00pm Paul Scourfield
4.45pm BlueJay
5.30pm Three Idle Women
6.15pm Short Drag Roger
7.00pm The Jolly Grogsters
John and Di Cullen
Well known in the South East as club guests and regulars at Broadstairs Folk Week, John and Di sing very interesting material using harmony, guitar, bouzouki and bowed psaltery.


Linda Watkins
Linda Watkins is no stranger to the folk scene. Her clear voice is delivered with a passion for each lyric, quickly drawing the listener in and carrying you with her upon the song’s journey.
Writing songs of love, life and more in traditional and contemporary styles, she also utilises the voices of different instruments to complement each set of well-crafted lyrics. It is not unusual to see her perform with a veritable cornucopia of instruments from strings to percussion! She has played support for a long list of well-known artistes and with four albums to date, radio airplay plus concert and festival appearances you can be sure of an entertaining set from this experienced Welsh songstress.

Ben Avison
Guitarist Ben Avison has carefully honed the craft of songwriting, telling a story in every song. He is a captivating performer who has been singled out for his “beautifully rich voice”, “tasty guitar work” and as a “master of many styles” by the BBC. The influences are eclectic and classic, yet floating above it is a clear English voice all its own.

Moonaroon
Bringing a mix of folk traditions from all over Ireland, the British Isles, North America, and Europe to the table, Moonaroon's complex vocal and instrumental arrangements flow easily between rampant and heartwarming over the course of their performances, delivering the varied sound that, in their minds, defines the European folk tradition.
Moonaroon are also playing in the Blue Room at 8pm on Saturday 23rd April (details here).

Paul Scourfield
Paul brings warmth and humour to any venue he visits, along with songs and tunes which alternately excite, move or make you laugh! Paul has released an album “Freshly Squeezed” featuring songs and tunes from his solo repertoire.

BlueJay
BlueJay are Wendy Bryant and Roger Jackson. They met many years ago but have only been singing together as BlueJay for the last few years. Wendy has sung with many bands including Wycombe-based Bluegrass outfit Redwing. Roger Is a film and TV composer and choir leader.
BlueJay are also supporting The Holy Fools at the Folk Weekend Oxford/Finstock Unplugged mini-gig at Wilcote Studios on 4th March (details here).

Three Idle Women
The Three Idle Women were forged by a shared love of the Oxford Canal and a fondness for close harmony singing, folk music and stories that are carried through song. Working together since 2013, the Oxford trio bring their diverse musical skills, instrumentation and an intimate knowledge of life on, and along, the Oxford Canal.

Short Drag Roger
Short Drag Roger began just after the turn of the millennium in the landlocked village of Chalgrove, Oxfordshire. Like true shanty men they sing traditional sea shanties, some dating back as far as the sixteenth century. They sing in strict work rhythm, to keep the true character of work songs. However the rich and exotic chorus harmonies are all our own! In keeping with tradition, they also write our own shanties, and audience participation is an essential part of any Short Drag Roger gig.
They are also giving a singing workshop earlier in the day at the Pitt Rivers Museum at 12.30pm (details here).

The Jolly Grogsters
The Jolly Grogsters put the shazam into shanties plus some original bangers for good measure. Guitars, vocals, mandolins, whistles, froittoirs and fiddles are all alive and kicking on Planet Grog.
