March 7th: Dai Thomas

Our second guest night of 2016 is nearly upon us, starring the legendary Dai Thomas!

The King of the Salford Bluesmen, Dai has a truly awe-inspiring repertoire of classic Mississippi Delta Blues classics, featuring tracks by Skip James, Charley Patton, Blind Willie Johnson, Papa Charlie Jackson, Charlie Poole, Clarence Ashley, Henry Thomas and many, many more.

If you love the blues, a night with Dai is a must. Here's a little sample of what the man can do.

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February 1st: John Brindley

Our first Guest Night of 2016 has been confirmed. Our guest will be Jon Brindley!

"My fiddle was handed down from my Grandma and I could well play you one or two of my compositions. I was inspired to take it busking all round Europe after reading Laurie Lee. I’ve explored music through many forms. Celtic melodies, blues, contemporary folk, country, rock, popular songs and traditional ballads can all be picked out of my repertoire and it’s usually my own interpretations. Expect the unexpected!"

Jon will be playing Swinton Folk Club on Monday 1st February 2016.

December 7th: Feet In Mouths at Swinton Folk Club

On Monday 7th December 2015 - our last Guest Night of the year - the guests will be FEET IN MOUTHS - the members of which are well known to all at Swinton and beyond (John Cartain, Steve Chatterly, Ged Todd and Dave Wynn, the latter crossing our northern border to be with us again).  It promises to be a lively and entertaining evening as always when the lads get together and the followers of the band, new and old, will be served up a night of laughter and quality music.

Feet In Mouths always provide a fantastic night out, so you won't want to miss this.

2ND NOVEMBER - GARY AND VERA ASPEY

Gary & Vera Aspey will be our guests on Monday 2nd November 2015. They became full time professional artists in April 1974. Their experience and performance content has, over the years, taken them to many varied venues at home and much further afield. They are very valued friends of Swinton Folk Club and engaging with the audience is important in each of Gary & Vera Aspey’s performances, when presenting their songs (some as singer-song writers) combining the reality of life, the seriousness and the laughter of it all. Come along and join us

5TH OCTOBER: BEN SANDS

MONDAY OCTOBER 5th 2015 sees the return of a great artist to the club.  BEN SANDS who hails
from Northern Ireland -singer/songwriter/musician/ storyteller - all in one lovely character.

Ben Sands lives in Newry, County Down, close to the mountains and the sea and not far from the small farm where he and his six siblings grew up in the 1950s and 1960s.
He sings songs - mostly his own. He writes songs - about life and love and the ways of the world. Some are whimsical, some are sad and some are very humorous indeed. In between he tells stories, some of which are true!
He plays quite a few instruments as well - guitar, banjo, mandolin, whistles, keyboards, and fiddle - he has even been known to wrestle a tune from the uilleann pipes.
Ben has been touring and recording with his sister Anne and brothers Tommy and Colum since the late 1960s.
“The Sands Family” have recently released their 17th album - "Home for Christmas" and a splendid "live in concert" DVD .  They have made countless television appearances; performed extensively in Ireland, UK, Europe, Canada and USA (including Carnegie Hall); shared microphones with such folk luminaries as Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Tom Paxton, Harry Belafonte and Arlo Guthrie ….....
These days the members of the “Family” still greatly enjoy getting together for special tours and festival appearances but are more likely to be found scattered far and wide, pursuing very successful solo careers.
Ben writes and performs with a natural ease and his songs are finding their way into many repertoires and recording studios.
To date, Ben has released five solo albums, including the highly acclaimed “Take My Love WIth You”, (Spring Records, 2010) - its title track was written for and sung to his daughter Kellie on her wedding day.
Ben's most recent album, "Live in Berlin" was recorded at a concert there in March 2013.

SEPTEMBER GUEST NIGHT: ANTHONY JOHN CLARKE

ANTHONY JOHN CLARKE will be the guest at the club on 7th September 2015.

Anthony John is always a very popular visitor to Swinton, so it may be a good idea to claim your seat early to ensure you experience a night to remember. See you there.

IMPORTANT UPDATE - JUNE 2015 Guest Night

IMPORTANT UPDATE - the JUNE 2015 Guest Night will be held on Monday 8th June NOT Monday 1st June. Our guest is MARK DOWDING - a great stalwart of the folk scene for many a year and well known thoroughout the North West for his wide repertoire of traditional style music and songs"  The night starts at 9pm and a warm welcome will be awaiting you.