WHATS ON
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Sir Julian with The Duchess are at the QMH on May 18th.
May 2019
Saturday 18th May
Charlie Dore with Julian Littman (Support Charlie Reston)
Quaker Meeting House
"I’m very pleased to be returning to Oxford courtesy of our friends at Holywell Music & Folk. It’s been nearly six years since we last played this beautiful city and a lot of music, both live and recorded has flowed under the bridge since then, including eleven tours and two albums, Milk Roulette and the current collection, Dark Matter. I’ll be flying with my co-pilot and honorary brother Julian Littman and now there are even more songs to choose from we have to carry even more instruments - at the last count it was 9 between us - in case we fancy trying a new song or different arrangement of an old favourite. We like to keep it fresh.
Geoff Smith is a loyal supporter and we’re particularly looking forward to playing our return gig for him in the wonderfully warm atmosphere of the Quaker Meeting House, which has wall-to-wall wood panelling - an acoustic gift for any musician". Charlie Dore
A night of eclectic, contemporary folk as multi-award winner Charlie Dore, one of the UK’s most respected songwriters teams up with long-time co-pilot Julian Littman of Steeleye Span to share her latest album, Dark Matter. Charlie promises another fast moving show as the pair swap guitars, mandolin, harmonium, ukulele, piano and autoharp.
Dark Matter has won two awards to date, both Album of the Year and Best Lyrics from the USA Indie Acoustic Project 2018 (the only UK album to be recognised that year) although previous UK winners have included Cara Dillon, Kate Rusby and Albert Lee.
As well as introducing some new and different flavours to shine a very personal light on her mysterious subject matter, Charlie and Julian will dip into favourites from the past 6 albums and share original acoustic versions of hits Charlie has written for others, including Celine Dion, George Harrison, Sheena Easton, Paul Carrack, UB40, Jimmy Nail, Tina Turner and Status Quo. And there’s always a possibility of a new angle on her own song, Pilot of the Airwaves - still a national radio favourite.
Charlie has lead a various and varied life having starred opposite Jonathan Pryce in the award-winning film 'The Ploughman's Lunch', worked in theatre, appeared with the iconic People Show, television ( 2 series of Rainbow!) and radio with Eric Idle and co-founded and performed at Soho comedy-impro venue The Hurricane Club for seven years, working alongside many comedy icons including Bill Bailey, Harry Hill and Robin Williams.
In 1978 Chris Blackwell signed Charlie to his iconic Island Records label as the British Emmy-Lou Harris - a brave signing at the height of the Punk movement, but one that produced the worldwide hit Pilot of The Airwaves. However, as she says herself, there’s been a lot of music under the bridge since then, so we are rather pleased to be welcoming Charlie and Julian to the Quaker Meeting House in May. Come along if you have never seen her before, an outstanding musician, songwriter and performer. Charlie and Julian last played Oxford in 2013 at St Michael's church, so it's about time to get them back.
"A gift for melody, brave, poignant, entertaining, original" Guardian ★★★★
“Dark Matter…an amazingly astute, moving, intelligent and connected songwriter…a voice like Kate McGarrigle meets Dory Previn. Wonderful” Mike Harding.
“Beautiful, existential, metaphysical and intruigingly other. Zen folk I want to call it. Charlie Dore’s ‘Time Out of Mind’“ Ricky Ross, BBC Scotland
Tickets for Charlie Dore with Julian Littman are £14 + 10% booking fee in adv or £17 on the door.
Truck Store 101 Cowley Road £14 + £1 handling fee in cash only.
Saturday 18th May
Charlie Dore with Julian Littman (Support Charlie Reston)
Quaker Meeting House
"I’m very pleased to be returning to Oxford courtesy of our friends at Holywell Music & Folk. It’s been nearly six years since we last played this beautiful city and a lot of music, both live and recorded has flowed under the bridge since then, including eleven tours and two albums, Milk Roulette and the current collection, Dark Matter. I’ll be flying with my co-pilot and honorary brother Julian Littman and now there are even more songs to choose from we have to carry even more instruments - at the last count it was 9 between us - in case we fancy trying a new song or different arrangement of an old favourite. We like to keep it fresh.
Geoff Smith is a loyal supporter and we’re particularly looking forward to playing our return gig for him in the wonderfully warm atmosphere of the Quaker Meeting House, which has wall-to-wall wood panelling - an acoustic gift for any musician". Charlie Dore
A night of eclectic, contemporary folk as multi-award winner Charlie Dore, one of the UK’s most respected songwriters teams up with long-time co-pilot Julian Littman of Steeleye Span to share her latest album, Dark Matter. Charlie promises another fast moving show as the pair swap guitars, mandolin, harmonium, ukulele, piano and autoharp.
Dark Matter has won two awards to date, both Album of the Year and Best Lyrics from the USA Indie Acoustic Project 2018 (the only UK album to be recognised that year) although previous UK winners have included Cara Dillon, Kate Rusby and Albert Lee.
As well as introducing some new and different flavours to shine a very personal light on her mysterious subject matter, Charlie and Julian will dip into favourites from the past 6 albums and share original acoustic versions of hits Charlie has written for others, including Celine Dion, George Harrison, Sheena Easton, Paul Carrack, UB40, Jimmy Nail, Tina Turner and Status Quo. And there’s always a possibility of a new angle on her own song, Pilot of the Airwaves - still a national radio favourite.
Charlie has lead a various and varied life having starred opposite Jonathan Pryce in the award-winning film 'The Ploughman's Lunch', worked in theatre, appeared with the iconic People Show, television ( 2 series of Rainbow!) and radio with Eric Idle and co-founded and performed at Soho comedy-impro venue The Hurricane Club for seven years, working alongside many comedy icons including Bill Bailey, Harry Hill and Robin Williams.
In 1978 Chris Blackwell signed Charlie to his iconic Island Records label as the British Emmy-Lou Harris - a brave signing at the height of the Punk movement, but one that produced the worldwide hit Pilot of The Airwaves. However, as she says herself, there’s been a lot of music under the bridge since then, so we are rather pleased to be welcoming Charlie and Julian to the Quaker Meeting House in May. Come along if you have never seen her before, an outstanding musician, songwriter and performer. Charlie and Julian last played Oxford in 2013 at St Michael's church, so it's about time to get them back.
"A gift for melody, brave, poignant, entertaining, original" Guardian ★★★★
“Dark Matter…an amazingly astute, moving, intelligent and connected songwriter…a voice like Kate McGarrigle meets Dory Previn. Wonderful” Mike Harding.
“Beautiful, existential, metaphysical and intruigingly other. Zen folk I want to call it. Charlie Dore’s ‘Time Out of Mind’“ Ricky Ross, BBC Scotland
Tickets for Charlie Dore with Julian Littman are £14 + 10% booking fee in adv or £17 on the door.
Truck Store 101 Cowley Road £14 + £1 handling fee in cash only.
Harp and a Monkey
June 2019
Saturday 8th June
Harp And A Monkey (Support Stew Simpson)
Quaker Meeting House
"We are very excited for our first show with Holywell Music and Folk at the Quaker Meeting Rooms. It's going to be a great night. For those who haven't seen us before, we have a lot of songs inspired by such a wide range of subjects. There is something for everyone. It will be great to share them with some new faces alongside our regular followers." Martin Purdy
SONGS about cuckolded molecatchers, a lone English oak tree that grows at Gallipoli, care in the community and medieval pilgrims… we can only be talking about the folk experimentalists Harp and a Monkey.
The harp ‘n’ banjo driven contemporary-folk-storytelling of Martin Purdy (vocals, glockenspiel, accordion, harmonica and keyboards), Simon Jones (harp, guitar, viola) and Andy Smith (banjo, melodica, guitar and programming) is imbued with a deep Lancashire sensibility that shines through in their beautifully crafted and sometimes spooky vignettes of northern life, love and remembrance.
The outfit, who have been friends for more than 20 years, channel the ghosts of summers spent in municipal parks and winters walking on the moors. Ask them about their influences and they are as likely to cite Ordnance Survey maps and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as they are Chris Woods, Bjork or The Oldham Tinkers.
Formed in 2008, Harp and a Monkey have been establishing a loyal following via the old fashioned practice of relentless gigging and modern practice of social network sites.
Regulars on the national circuit, the band have gained a strong reputation for the excellent rapport they establish with their live audiences. Such is the strength of their reputation as a quality live act, they have twice been asked to perform at the English Folk Expo; the annual international showcase of the best of English folk and roots music.
The trio’s melodic and hauntological storytelling, which is always underpinned by a firm commitment to classic songsmithery, has caught the attention and support of the likes of Steve Lamacq, Mark Radcliffe, Clare Balding and Mike Harding on BBC Radio 2, Lopa Kothari and Nick Luscombe on BBC Radio 3, Folk Radio UK and many more international, national and regional broadcasters.
The band’s self-titled debut album received critical acclaim on its release in late 2011 and they collected excellent reviews for their contribution to the 2012 ‘Weirdlore’ compilation which highlighted Britain’s most promising practitioners of alternative folk. Their second album, All Life Is Here, was released in April 2014 and again received outstanding reviews, with the likes of fRoots magazine describing them as “undoubtedly one of the most vital and charismatic things happening in English folk music right now”.
The band’s third album, War Stories, was released in July, 2016, as part of a project (part-sponsored by Arts Council England and The Western Front Association) to mark the centenary of the First World War. The band performed new material and re-worked traditional songs (which challenged stereotypes of the conflict) in unusual venues related to the war on British shores. The album received outstanding reviews, with the likes of The Observer describing it as “bold and brilliant”. Support from BBC Radio 2 was substantive, including live sessions and interviews with the likes of Clare Balding (Good Morning Sunday) and Mark Radcliffe (The Folk Show).
Tickets for Harp and a Monkey are £14 in adv + 10% booking fee or £17 on the door
Truck Store 101 Cowley Road £14 + £1 handling fee in cash only.
Saturday 8th June
Harp And A Monkey (Support Stew Simpson)
Quaker Meeting House
"We are very excited for our first show with Holywell Music and Folk at the Quaker Meeting Rooms. It's going to be a great night. For those who haven't seen us before, we have a lot of songs inspired by such a wide range of subjects. There is something for everyone. It will be great to share them with some new faces alongside our regular followers." Martin Purdy
SONGS about cuckolded molecatchers, a lone English oak tree that grows at Gallipoli, care in the community and medieval pilgrims… we can only be talking about the folk experimentalists Harp and a Monkey.
The harp ‘n’ banjo driven contemporary-folk-storytelling of Martin Purdy (vocals, glockenspiel, accordion, harmonica and keyboards), Simon Jones (harp, guitar, viola) and Andy Smith (banjo, melodica, guitar and programming) is imbued with a deep Lancashire sensibility that shines through in their beautifully crafted and sometimes spooky vignettes of northern life, love and remembrance.
The outfit, who have been friends for more than 20 years, channel the ghosts of summers spent in municipal parks and winters walking on the moors. Ask them about their influences and they are as likely to cite Ordnance Survey maps and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as they are Chris Woods, Bjork or The Oldham Tinkers.
Formed in 2008, Harp and a Monkey have been establishing a loyal following via the old fashioned practice of relentless gigging and modern practice of social network sites.
Regulars on the national circuit, the band have gained a strong reputation for the excellent rapport they establish with their live audiences. Such is the strength of their reputation as a quality live act, they have twice been asked to perform at the English Folk Expo; the annual international showcase of the best of English folk and roots music.
The trio’s melodic and hauntological storytelling, which is always underpinned by a firm commitment to classic songsmithery, has caught the attention and support of the likes of Steve Lamacq, Mark Radcliffe, Clare Balding and Mike Harding on BBC Radio 2, Lopa Kothari and Nick Luscombe on BBC Radio 3, Folk Radio UK and many more international, national and regional broadcasters.
The band’s self-titled debut album received critical acclaim on its release in late 2011 and they collected excellent reviews for their contribution to the 2012 ‘Weirdlore’ compilation which highlighted Britain’s most promising practitioners of alternative folk. Their second album, All Life Is Here, was released in April 2014 and again received outstanding reviews, with the likes of fRoots magazine describing them as “undoubtedly one of the most vital and charismatic things happening in English folk music right now”.
The band’s third album, War Stories, was released in July, 2016, as part of a project (part-sponsored by Arts Council England and The Western Front Association) to mark the centenary of the First World War. The band performed new material and re-worked traditional songs (which challenged stereotypes of the conflict) in unusual venues related to the war on British shores. The album received outstanding reviews, with the likes of The Observer describing it as “bold and brilliant”. Support from BBC Radio 2 was substantive, including live sessions and interviews with the likes of Clare Balding (Good Morning Sunday) and Mark Radcliffe (The Folk Show).
Tickets for Harp and a Monkey are £14 in adv + 10% booking fee or £17 on the door
Truck Store 101 Cowley Road £14 + £1 handling fee in cash only.
Judith, Nick & Gordon
July 2019
Saturday 13th July
Gordon Giltrap, Nick Hooper & Judith Hooper
Quaker Meeting House
"Oxford has always been a city close to my heart, having played there on a number of occasions.
Sharing the stage with such great players like Nick Hooper and Judith Henderson will be a joy".
Gordon Giltrap
Over the past forty years, Gordon Giltrap has graced the music business with his dedication to his craft and his affection for his audience. As one of the UK's most respected guitarists, he has consistently proved the adage that respect cannot be bought. It must be earned.
Gordon joined his first band when barely in his teens, and relished the opportunity to play songs by his idols - Cliff Richard, The Shadows and The Everly Brothers. He set his sights on Art College, but bowed to his father's insistence that he learn "a trade", and grafted his way through a series of unrewarding jobs. Gordon unwittingly taught himself a hybrid technique of plectrum and little finger, but in doing so, created the individual sound that is still his trademark. He continued to play the guitar in his spare time, and in November 1966, he singlehandedly secured a recording contract with Transatlantic Records.
In the late Seventies, Gordon enjoyed a brief spell as a pop star, with a hit album Perilous Journey and two hit singles 'Heartsong' and 'Fear of the Dark'. 'Heartsong' was nominated for an Ivor Novello award, and is fondly remembered as the theme tune to the BBC's Holiday programme
Over the years, Gordon has worked with an amazingly broad range of artists, from rock musicians such as Brian May, Rick Wakeman and Midge Ure to the jazz virtuoso Martin Taylor, the classical guitarist Raymond Burley and the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1996, Gordon realised a dream of playing guitar alongside Cliff Richard, on stage in Cliff's West End musical Heathcliff. As well as performing in the role of The Troubadour, Gordon arranged the overture and wrote two pieces of music.
Nick Hooper
Best known for his two film scores for the Harry Potter series, Nick has continued on his creative path using his imaginative and musical skills, which held him in such good stead in the film world, to both perform his own music, and to write novels. Early in his teens, Nick became an accomplished guitarist, going on to study at the Royal College of Music. He then went on to develop a career as a film composer picking up many awards along the way, including two BAFTAs, an Ivor Novello, and a Grammy nomination. Nick has returned to his guitar, working on projects with various musicians, including the legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap. Nick’s solo guitar album 6 Strings was released by Angel Air Records in June 2018.
Judith Hooper
Judith has been playing the violin since the age of 6. Having grown up with a classical training in music, a diploma in music therapy at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama led her to develop her long-suppressed inclination towards improvisation and folk music. She went on to enjoy a close association with Cecilia Macfarlane and Oxford Youth Dance, creating the music for several dance pieces, including ‘Journey of Ten Knights’ (Oxford Playhouse) and ‘Cityscape’ (Pegasus Theatre). With Nick Hooper she formed the fiddle and guitar duo Henderson:Hooper in 2001, and the duo released their first full-length CD in 2018, entitled Pete’s Trees. Nick and Judith also perform with the singer/bass player Susanna Starling in their trio The Boot Band.
Tickets for Gordon Giltrap are £14 + 10% booking fee in adv or £17 on the Door
Saturday 13th July
Gordon Giltrap, Nick Hooper & Judith Hooper
Quaker Meeting House
"Oxford has always been a city close to my heart, having played there on a number of occasions.
Sharing the stage with such great players like Nick Hooper and Judith Henderson will be a joy".
Gordon Giltrap
Over the past forty years, Gordon Giltrap has graced the music business with his dedication to his craft and his affection for his audience. As one of the UK's most respected guitarists, he has consistently proved the adage that respect cannot be bought. It must be earned.
Gordon joined his first band when barely in his teens, and relished the opportunity to play songs by his idols - Cliff Richard, The Shadows and The Everly Brothers. He set his sights on Art College, but bowed to his father's insistence that he learn "a trade", and grafted his way through a series of unrewarding jobs. Gordon unwittingly taught himself a hybrid technique of plectrum and little finger, but in doing so, created the individual sound that is still his trademark. He continued to play the guitar in his spare time, and in November 1966, he singlehandedly secured a recording contract with Transatlantic Records.
In the late Seventies, Gordon enjoyed a brief spell as a pop star, with a hit album Perilous Journey and two hit singles 'Heartsong' and 'Fear of the Dark'. 'Heartsong' was nominated for an Ivor Novello award, and is fondly remembered as the theme tune to the BBC's Holiday programme
Over the years, Gordon has worked with an amazingly broad range of artists, from rock musicians such as Brian May, Rick Wakeman and Midge Ure to the jazz virtuoso Martin Taylor, the classical guitarist Raymond Burley and the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1996, Gordon realised a dream of playing guitar alongside Cliff Richard, on stage in Cliff's West End musical Heathcliff. As well as performing in the role of The Troubadour, Gordon arranged the overture and wrote two pieces of music.
Nick Hooper
Best known for his two film scores for the Harry Potter series, Nick has continued on his creative path using his imaginative and musical skills, which held him in such good stead in the film world, to both perform his own music, and to write novels. Early in his teens, Nick became an accomplished guitarist, going on to study at the Royal College of Music. He then went on to develop a career as a film composer picking up many awards along the way, including two BAFTAs, an Ivor Novello, and a Grammy nomination. Nick has returned to his guitar, working on projects with various musicians, including the legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap. Nick’s solo guitar album 6 Strings was released by Angel Air Records in June 2018.
Judith Hooper
Judith has been playing the violin since the age of 6. Having grown up with a classical training in music, a diploma in music therapy at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama led her to develop her long-suppressed inclination towards improvisation and folk music. She went on to enjoy a close association with Cecilia Macfarlane and Oxford Youth Dance, creating the music for several dance pieces, including ‘Journey of Ten Knights’ (Oxford Playhouse) and ‘Cityscape’ (Pegasus Theatre). With Nick Hooper she formed the fiddle and guitar duo Henderson:Hooper in 2001, and the duo released their first full-length CD in 2018, entitled Pete’s Trees. Nick and Judith also perform with the singer/bass player Susanna Starling in their trio The Boot Band.
Tickets for Gordon Giltrap are £14 + 10% booking fee in adv or £17 on the Door
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Holywell Music Rooms, Holywell Street, Oxford, OX1 3SD
Doors open at 19.00 – support 19.15 – Main show 20.00 Tickets available on line at www.wegottickets.com |
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Website © HolywellMusic&Folk2017
