CONTRABAND - January 5th


Thanks to everyone for their continued support and we look forward to seeing you to welcome in the new year with CONTRABAND, the highly accomplished group of musicians and composers based in the Lewes area. They have earned plaudits for having added original songs & tunes to the standard ceilidh repertoire. The line up on the night will be:

Ian Cairns - Accordion
Rivkah Cummerson - Whistles, Recorder, Oboe
Glen Redman - Melodeon, Guitar, Mandolin
Marylin Thomas - Fiddle

We’re now entering our seventh year and count ourselves fortunate to have been able to enjoy such good music from musicians living within the Sussex borders, or with historic connections to the county.

As well as some great evenings from seasoned folk club acts it’s been heartening to have seen the next generation of singers and musicians coming through. Following last year’s assured newcomers The Victory Dolls, Ali McKenzie-Wilcox and Dylan Hodgson, this year we were blown away by the likes of Hickory Signals, Rowan Piggott, Rosie Hodgson, Georgia Lewis, Rebecca Barkaway and, last month, by Rachel Rose Edmunds, whose impeccable version of Molly Bawn prompted us to give her a support slot in March next year.

If we’re honest the music world is still male dominated but this year we heard some wonderfully sensitive playing from accordionists Iris Bishop and Clare Juliet as well as the distinctive singing of Caroline Kendall and Shauna Parker.


And, on the subject of women singers who have been guests recently, there are highs and lows to dwell on.  Laura Hockenhull’s inimitable vocals have contributed to the burgeoning reputations of both The Long Hill Ramblers and The Moulettes, while Chloe Overton’s band Hatful Of Rain have likewise begun to make an impact nationwide. But last month brought the tragic loss of Maggie Boyle, a truly irreplaceable beacon of the Anglo-Irish tradition. Her wonderful singing and flute playing will hardly be bettered and it was a privilege to have been in her company at The Nelson.

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