Virginia Kettle has agreed with us to postpone her gig this Wednesday, 15 July, because of the clash with the Egland World Cup semi-final.

We are sorry about this. We hope Virginia and John will be back in the Autumn.

Bryony Griffith & Alice Jones

On 17th September 2025, Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones treated us to a most enjoyable evening of fine vocal harmonies and varied instrumentation. Alice switched back and forth between tenor guitar (declared a ‘Tena guitar’ at one point) and harmonium, while Bryony’s fiddle-playing mixed bowing with plenty of effective plucking. The pair also performed a fair few songs a cappella.
The theme throughout was Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire, with material from the East, West, and North Ridings, and we were assiduously apprised of the names of the song-collectors to whom we owed each offering. Honourable mentions went to Mary and Nigel Huddleston, Frank Hinchliffe, and Margaret Moorson. ‘The second best collector’ was deemed to be Anne Gilchrist of L*ncashire (the gasps were almost audible). But let there be no doubt: of all collectors, Frank Kidson of Leeds was the best! Among his source-singers was his own mother, whence this evening’s version of ‘The Grey Mare’ as absorbed in Otley in the 1820s.
Yorkshire directness was evident in the immediate confession of fratricide in ‘What Is That Blood On Thy Shirt Sleeve?’ (a.k.a. ‘Edward’), Yorkshire understatement in the ‘watery misfortune’ of ‘Strawberry Tower’ (a.k.a. ‘The Drowned Sailor’), and Yorkshire parsimony in the omission of a chorus in ‘Young Banker’ (a.k.a. one of the greatest English chorus songs). Not that we were short of other chances to sing along – ‘The Cropper lads for me!’ delighted one’s inner Luddite, ‘Early Pearly’ alias ‘Hayley Paley’ gave us a pleasing splash of sentimentality, and ‘Take her an onion!’ seemed a most appropriate mondegreen to shout in the tale of the wife who performs every task badly (‘Willy Went To Westerdale’).
Both Alice and Bryony gave us plenty of background information and historical context for their song choices, useful in the main though your reviewer is still reeling from the claim that Huddersfield ‘didn’t really exist until the Industrial Revolution’. Did not Godwine have six carucates of land taxable where eight ploughs were possible? How short folk memory can be. Wonderful harmonies made amends.

A particular highlight of the evening was the impressive display of Alice’s hamboning skills on ‘My Johnny Was A Shoemaker’, incorporating stamps, pops, thumb-clicks, chest-beats, and much slapping of the Slapping-Pants™. Many of us have since incorporated these devices into our own performances on weekly singers’ nights, albeit without the spangly attire.
We were all relieved to learn that Alice does not have syphilis.

Paul Carbuncle

Here is a review of Jez’s performance at the club this month, written by a visitor:

Jez Lowe writes the songs future generations will come to know as “traditional.” Timeless observations, commentary both cutting and hilarious (and often both). A true master songwriter.

And there he was on January 15, a guest of the Carrington Triangle Folk Club, thrilling a few dozen of us with songs new and old. Dipping deeply into his bottomless catalog of songs and stories, Jez touched on songs from his Radio 2 “Radio Ballads” series and from classic albums like 2002’s “Honesty Box” through his 2020’s brilliant lockdown piece, “Crazy Pagan.” Hearing songs as gentle as “Louisa’s Choosing” or provocative as “Taking on Men” (recently covered by The Unthanks), “The Wrong Bus,” and “This Is Not My Tribe” is one thing — pairing them with the stories behind them is another experience altogether.

These all were superlative, of course, but the handful of new songs proved Jez to be one of the great songwriters of our or any other time. Opening the evening with the optimistic “Freebody’s Wake” then sprinkling the remainder of the show with the reflective “Old Man’s Eyes,” the genius “Message From A Mandolin,” and ending the night with the raucous “Frozen Roman,” Jez made the new songs as familiar as the favorites from his past.

I’ve run out of superlatives — he was that good — and to feel the music in an environment as warm and welcoming as the Carrington Triangle Folk Club surely inspired Jez Lowe and left your American guests humbled and delighted to be in the room. What an evening. All five gold stars to the Club for hosting such a fantastic night!

Happy New Year to you all as it seems ages since our successful Christmas Party, but we’re back in action for January. Membership payments are due: you either pay £10 for membership for the full year, with free admission on singers’ nights, and a discount of £2 each 2025 guest night. Non-members pay £3 on singers’ nights.

JEZ LOWE is the first guest for this year on Wednesday 15 January.

Jez is a regular guest as he and his agent agreed a January date for us in both 2020 and 2023. Born and still living in the County Durham coalfield, his songs trace the life of the pit communities from ‘Back in Durham Gaol’ through ‘Black Diamonds’ and ‘Greek Lightning’ to ‘Talk to Me Dirty in Geordie’. He has also contributed songs to most BBC Radio Ballads, been the youngest Pitman Poet, and has written 4 novels, some of which we expect he will bring to the Club, along with his latest cd ‘Snow Dancing’.    

£10 for members, while non-members pay £12. You can pay using our card machine, so cash is only needed for the raffle. Doors open at 7.45 pm for an 8.15 start, and we finish by 11pm.

We have a wide variety of guests booked for the rest of 2025:  
Wednesday 12 February – Holly Clarke – young Cumbrian rising star
Wednesday 12 March – Steve Hicks & Lynn Goulbourne – excellent ragtime guitarist and singer-songwriter
Wednesday 9 April – Brian Peters – multi-instrumental expert on traditional songs
More coming soon.

We look forward to seeing you upstairs at the Gladstone.

Our NEXT GUEST is Dan McKinnon (https://www.danmckinnon.ca/) on 16 October.

Yes, we have managed to arrange a solo performance by Virginia Kettle, one of the songwriters and joint lead singer in the band Merry Hell, which a full house enjoyed at Lowdham nine weeks ago. She was only free to sing a couple of her own more personal songs there, but at a small festival last September she performed solo for a full hour so we agreed to book her now. Her songs are thoughtful and witty with a strong commitment to not being a shrinking violet.   

Admission is £12 or £10 for current members. Please bring cash as we don’t have any card facilities.  Doors open at 7.45 pm for an 8.15pm start and we finish by 11pm.