What WAS on at The Goose is Out!
Please click on a name below to find out more!
- Alasdair Roberts
- Andrew McLeod
- Andy Hankdog
- Bob Rafkin
- The Boycott Coca Cola Experience
- Brass Monkey
- Bulgakov
- Cheeseburger
- Chris Foster
- Chris Parkinson
- Chris Sarjeant and Benedict Taylor
- Chris Wood
- Circulus
- Cornrigs
- Dan Maitland
- Danny and the Champions
- Dave Swarbrick
- Dick Gaughan
- Drohne
- Ed Hicks
- Edwin Brooks
- Eliza Carthy and Saul Rose
- Elle Osborne
- Ewan McLennan
- False Hare
- Faustus
- Fran McGillivray and Mike Burke
- Hamish Meaney
- Jack Allitt/Spoono
- Jack Harris
- Jackie Oates
- Jake Wilson
- Jason McNiff
- Jen Doyle and Joe Fowler
- Jess Bryant
- Jessica Cahill
- Jim Causley
- Joe Wilkes
- John Kirkpatrick
- Jon Loomes
- Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham
- Kevin Sheils
- The Kittiwakes
- Lauren McCormick
- Martin Carthy
- Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick
- Martin Simpson
- Mary Humphreys and Anahata
- Matt Allin
- Matthew Ord
- Matt Milton
- Mawkin:Causley
- Michael Wright
- Mistral
- Nancy Wallace
- Naomi Bedford
- Norma Waterson
- Olivia Chaney
- Paul Scourfield and Jon Loomes
- Paul Simmonds (The Men They Couldn't Hang)
- Peta Webb and Ken Hall
- Rob Anderson
- Robin Gillan
- Run
- Salt and Blue
- Sam Lee
- Sarah Gillespie
- Sarah McQuaid
- Siobhan Parr
- Skinny Lister
- Spoono/Jack Allitt
- Susan Wheeler
- Tim van Eyken
- Tom Rodwell
- Tone Deaf Leopard
- Wizz Jones
- The Woodentops
- The Woodlarks
Alasdair Roberts
23 January and 30 October 2009
Alasdair has twice come down from Glasgow specially for the Goose. Last time DHFC was packed, and it was a very special evening. Alasdair said that he'd enjoyed it too!
He is one of those singers who just could not possibly be mistaken for anybody else, having his own very individual style.
Based in Scotland, he released his first solo album of traditional songs, "The Crook of my Arm", in 2001. His second album "Farewell Sorrow" was one of the Observer's top albums of the year (note - that's top albums, not top folk albums! Amazing for a folk album!), and consists of beautiful self-written songs which are totally personal yet clearly influenced by the folk tradition.
Alasdair's next album, "No Earthly Man", was a collection of traditional British ballads and his fourth, "The Amber Gatherers" was released in 2007. Alasdair is working on a new album, due for release in early 2009.
Click here to go to Alasdair Roberts' website
Click here to see Alasdair Roberts singing River RhinefRoots said of his latest album, released earlier this year: "Spoils is back to his unyieldingly scary best… it is a beautiful, disquieting, comic, twisted, bizarre, riveting masterpiece.”
back to topAndrew McLeod
28 March 2008
Andrew made his live debut at the age of seven singing Oom-Pah-Pah in an assembly at Eliot Bank primary school with his friend Neil Wallace. A classically trained cellist, Andrew spent much of his 20s singing and playing in a Brighton avant-garde grunge band. He got back into folk seriously about ten years ago when he started going to Sidmouth festival with his mum and sister. He is a regular floor singer in small venues and folk clubs. He currently sings with the indy-blues band The Pendletons and in an amateur choir in Hackney.
back to topAndy Hankdog
28 March 2008
Andy needs no introduction to those of you who know and love his Easycome Acoustic Club, every Wednesday night at the Old Nun's Head on Nunhead Green. In the seventies, at its previous location at The Ivy House, the Easycome was one of the major South London venues - the Stones played there, and Pink Floyd had their first gig there.
From rock star in the seventies, Andy Hank Dog left the drugged up music scene and became a jewellery designer throughout the eighties, returning to his music career in the nineties. His band The Hank Dogs were signed to Joe Boyd's record company Ryko Music, and their second album Half Smile (on Spinney Records) got great reviews in the national press.
Andy has lived in Crystal Palace for ten years now, and has a recording studio there called Crystopolis, where he promotes young talent. He also curated the Tate's Floor Spot night in 2007. We are grateful to Andy for being so supportive of The Goose Is Out, and for being so tolerant of our talent-spotting amongst his Easycome singers!
back to topBob Rafkin
25 September 2009
Another great Goose night at Hooper's Bar!
Bob Rafkin came over from the States to do this gig for the Goose, and what an excellent night it was!
Bob is a premier acoustic guitarist, songwriter and performer. His roots go back to the late 60's music scene of New York's Greenwich Village, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He performed as a back up guitarist for many artists including; Joni Mitchell, Arlo Guthrie, Phil Ochs, The Everly Brothers and Eric Andersen. His song Lazy Waters was recorded by the Byrds.
On stage, as a solo performer, Rafkin's powerful guitar playing weaves magically through his poignant lyrical vocals. His delivery is spontaneous and strong. Bob has released seven CDs, including his latest, Songs Of Bob Rafkin.
You can find out more about Bob on his website
www.bobrafkin.comand listen to some of Bob's music on
back to topThe Boycott Coca Cola Experience
28 March 2008
Backed by William Warren on toy drums and brass, Tim Siddall sings caustic, funny, surreal and mundane songs and has been described as "Mark E Smith meets Jake Thackray". Siddall has got something to say and he says it with wit and warmth whilst grappling with a demonic Mississippi-via-Peckham guitar.
The Goose thinks TBCCA is brilliant, and judging by the applause, so did you!
Find out more at
The Boycott Coca-Cola Experience's MySpace page
back to topBrass Monkey
Friday 15 May 2009
Well, if you were there you will know what a truly brilliant gig this was - one of the highlights of the Goose so far, and that's saying something!
We've had some great performers at the Goose since we tentatively tapped our way out of our egg in March 2008, but we can't believe we've actually had Brass Monkey at East Dulwich! We'd go (almost) to the ends of the earth to see them, and half of the Goose has The Doffing Mistress as the ringtone on her (clue) mobile. People do tend to look a bit startled on the bus....
Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick, Martin Brinsford, Roger Williams - and now with Paul Archibald on trumpet! What more do you need to know?
Jere's what Routes Music said: "Messrs Carthy and Kirkpatrick naturally lock into one another's playing with an ease and precision that can only come of playing together for over thirty years. Sharing the vocals, and sometimes singing together in unison, they bring the fruits of years of experience to this band with an explosive freshness that is clearly driven by the excitement they all feel by playing together. It is a rare treat to see masters of their art combine with such open hearted enthusiasm to reach such tremendous heights. Feel the power!"
You can find out more and hear some of their music at
xxxhttp://www.routesmusic.co.uk/brassmonkey.php
back to topBulgakov
25 April 2008
Bulgakov is (are?) a seven-piece acapella vocal ensemble who have been singing with the wonderful London Bulgarian Choir for several years.
They are all still dedicated members of the Choir, but decided to form Bulgakov so that they could explore songs from beyond Bulgaria, for example from Georgia, and to bring this great form of 'open throat' singing to South London, where most of them are based.
They are completely smitten with the folk music of the Balkans, with its spine-tingling and often clashing harmonies, and powerfully evocative songs.
Where does their name come from? This is what they say: "We are named Bulgakov after the Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov, writer of the seminal 20th century novel ‘The Master and Margarita’. Why? Well, we love that book; his name conveniently contains the first five letters of ‘Bulgaria’; also the particular ‘open throat’ singing technique sometimes makes us cough!"
Click here to find out more about Bulgarian singing and the London Bulgarian Choir on utube
back to top
Cheeseburger
23 May 2008
What can we say about Cheeseburger? Here's what some other people have said:
"Cheeseburger are maybe the oddest and best band you'll see this year"
"Like an apocalyptic fallout out by The Meteors with Nick Cave and Link Wray in attendance"
"Cheeseburger's appeal lies in their shambolic beauty and their knack for writing skewed, off kilter songs that would grace the soundtrack of a David Lynch road movie"
"Cheeseburger's songs collectively create a movie in the mind's eye -- a long-lost road movie of guilt-ridden men, nascent love, and go-go girls."
You can find out more about Cheeseburger and listen to some of their music on their website and MySpace page:
Click here to go to Cheeseburger's website
Click here to go to Cheeseburger's MySpace page
back to topChris Foster - Upstairs at the Mag
Friday 11 June 2010
We were very excited when Chris agreed to come to the Mag, as he is based in Iceland these days, so it was a bit of a long trip to East Dulwich!
Chris Foster is a master of his trade. Alongside Nic Jones, Dick Gaughan and June Tabor, he established himself in the 1970’s as one finest interpreters of the traditional ballads of the British Isles with tales of romance, magic, murder, liquor, love, adultery and cross dressing. Each song is a story. Shared experiences of the human condition, instantly recognisable to all audiences, crossing the boundaries of urban and rural experience, of past and present.
Chris has a distinctive voice, deep and clear with a faint overlay of his native Somerset, and a vocal style that incorporates a subtle use of decoration with an intricate and exciting sense of rhythmic patterns. He provides guitar accompaniments that range from fine filigree lines to beautifully paced punchy, rhythmic counterpoint harmony, weaving words and music together to complement the action of the story.Underpinning it all is his on-stage persona, with his urbane wit and engaging enthusiasm for his music that draws the audience into his performance.
‘As one who has witnessed the development of ‘English’ guitar accompaniment to traditional songs, I have always ranked Chris as one of our most exciting interpreters…. My old vinyl copies of his 2 Topic albums remain precious.Chris remains a consummate artist.’Graham Lobb – The Living Tradition.
‘His is one of the most distinctive voices in English folk music, totally sure and engaging, with some of the most accomplished and sensitive guitar accompaniments that you are likely to hear. A mesmeric performer.’ Vic Smith - The Folk Diary
Watch Chris Foster singing Geordie here!
Chris sang some songs with his wife, and the two of them together were just brilliant.
back to topChris Parkinson
19 March 2010
Chris appeared at the Goose with Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy.
Despite the fact that we have already had Martin at the Goose in various incarnations (solo, with Dave Swarbrick and as part of Brass Monkey), as soon as we saw these three live we knew we had to book them!
For more than 30 years Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy have been at the forefront of the English folk scene. Joined by their long time friend Chris Parkinson they perform fantastic traditional songs and music in a way only they know how.
Chris Parkinson has played music since the age of 5, starting with the harmonica and developing into a long career playing in various bands. Other instruments he has accomplished (I'm sure that's not the right word but hey, that's what it says here!) include the piano, guitar, concertina, tin whistle, melodeon, piano, accordion and keyboard - and he even finds time to play the fiddle. He has worked with a number of people from the folk scene and beyond, including Ralph Mactell, Steve Philips and Billy Connolly.
back to topChris Sarjeant and Benedict Taylor
2009
Pic and info coming soon!
back to topChris Wood
Friday 19 December 2008
We had a great evening with Chris Wood in the week before Christmas, just after it was announced that he had five! nominations in the 2009 BBC Folk Awards.
Click here to see a video of Chris Wood singing plus an interview with ChrisChris Wood has been called "The renaissance man of English folk". His first solo album "The Lark Descending" was Mojo's Folk Album of the Month on its release, and was Number One on both fRoots' playlist and Radio 3's World Roots playlist.
This album includes the BBC Folk Award winning song "One in A Million" (which still makes half the Goose cry whenever she (clue) hears it ..... cry in a good way though - it has a very happy ending :) )
Chris has performed on Verity Sharp's Late Junction on Radio 3, and was part of Simon Emerson's acclaimed Imagined Village project which also included Paul Weller, Billy Bragg, and Martin and Eliza Carthy on.
Of his album "Trespasser", the BBC said "If he continues to produce albums with the fragile beauty and profoundly human warmth of Trespasser, then (his) future should be very bright indeed.
The Lark DescendingTrespasser (with a couple of tracks you can listen to)
back to topCirculus
Wednesday 23 April 2008
The Goose was delighted to welcome mediaeval/psychedelic band Circulus for our celebrations of Saint George's Day. We think it's unlikely East Dulwich had seen anything quite like Circulus before - except maybe in mediaeval times, of course ..... we don't think we've ever seen quite such an array of strange and unusual instruments!
Atmosphere was added to the evening with a football semi-final being screened in the adjacent bar - oh how appropriately very English! - as we were downstairs instead of upstairs as usual (this was when the Goose was in its original incarnation at the EDT). Hopefully everybody enjoyed the mix of English music to sing along to (though in retrospect perhaps Benny Hill's "Ernie" was a bit over the top - sorry, the Goose got carried away there ......)
The Guardian said this about Circulus' debut album:
"By turns preposterous, unsettling, tear-jerkingly beautiful and wonderfully refreshing: the one thing it is not is a concerted effort to storm the charts by sounding a bit like Coldplay or Franz Ferdinand, which may explain the flurry of critical excitement the band are currently generating."
Click here to see the full Guardian article
Click here to go to Circulus' MySpace page
back to topCornrigs
25 April 2008
The Cornrigs are Hannah Harris on vocals and Ian Granton on acoustic guitar. They are based in London.
Hannah and Ian met several years ago when they were both in a band called "Telophase". They formed the Cornrigs in 2006, taking their name from a song in the movie "The Wicker Man", and have been been writing original music since 2007.
Their influences are wide ranging and include Nick Drake, John Martyn, Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, Ravel, Vaughan Williams, Miles Davis and - er - Doris Day. And many more!
They say "We are very interested in the tone of the guitar and voice and have tried to write uncluttered music that emphasises the melody and allows the songs to breathe"
The Cornrigs have released an album, A Kinder Fayre.
Click here to see some video clips of Cornrigs
back to topDan Maitland
28n March 2008
A great singer, songwriter and musician, our very own local lad Dan Maitland released an unashamedly reflective album of acoustic songs on Folkwitt records in Spring 2008, entitled ‘Rumours Of A Nice Day’.
Read more about him and listen to his music on www.myspace.com/danielmaitland.
back to topDanny and the Champions of the World
Friday 27 March 2009
Wow what a good evening this was!
We're sure we will be inviting the Champs back to the Goose, but meanwhile find out more about them from their website
http://www.thechampionsoftheworld.org/
and listen to some of their music at
http://www.myspace.com/dannyandthechampionsoftheworld1/
back to topDave Swarbrick
28 March 2008 and 23 April 2010
Swarb was the very first artist to appear at the Goose, over two years ago now, and our opening night was a sellout!
We were also delighted that he was able to do a solo gig for us two years later at very short notice, after James Yorkston had to pull out for unavoidable reasons. That was on St George's Day, and the gig was a Folk Against Fascism awareness-raising gig, as part of the national Folk Against Fascism Week.
Folk legend extraordinaire, brilliant fiddler and mandolinist, ex Fairport Convention, but maybe best known for his amazing gigs/albums with Martin Carthy. Possibly the only folk musician (or indeed anyone) to have had an obituary printed in the Daily Telegraph whilst, erm, not actually being dead......
You can see some pictures of our opening night in our gallery
Links to more information and music:
- Swarb biography
- Interview with Swarb
- Swarb in Wikipedia
- Byker Hill video
- Now Be Thankful video
back to topDick Gaughan
Friday 14 November 2008, 20 November 2009, 17 June 2011
Our first evening with Dick was such a memorable one, that we asked him back the following year (and he will be returning to the Goose in 2011!) If you were at either or both of these gigs, you will know why we have booked him again!
Dick has been at the cutting edge of Scottish music for almost four decades. He was an early member of Boys of the Lough (he is on their first album) before joining the now-legendary Scottish folk-rock band Five Hand Reel, making three albums with them in the mid-to-late seventies.
A stunning and passionate singer with a wonderfully expressive voice allied to a dazzling guitar technique, Dick has been described as "truly masterful" (Folk Roots) and "How music from the gut really sounds" (The Guardian). If you want to know what we mean, just seek out "Handful of Earth" and "The World Turned Upside Down" - nuff said, we think.
And hey, the Goose's cup ranneth over when Dick did both those songs as an encore, despite the fact they involved completely retuning his guitar! Thanks Dick!
You can find out more about Dick and his music at
www.dickgaughan.co.ukAnd if you want to buy tickets for his next gig at the Goose,
back to topDrohne
18 July 2008 and 20 November 2009
Drohne had a very appreciative audience, with an interesting mix of instruments and an equally interesting mix of material (Drohne, not the audience! All Tomorrow's Parties played on the hurdy gurdy, anyone?)
For over a decade Philip G Martin has been making and releasing a unique modern music based on the use of hurdy-gurdy and bagpipes. His music incorporates medieval pieces, traditional songs, carefully selected modern songs, folk and sound pieces into a whole which is always varied, but coherent.
Phil brought along Simon on melodeon and Phil on wind instruments. Thanks guys, you were great!
Click here to go to Drohne's websiteClick here to go to Drohne's myspace page
back to topEdwin Brooks and the Burning Glass
2 July 2010
Photo coming soon ....
When Edwin Brooks is not growing vegetables he writes and sings songs on Ukulele and other small stringed instruments. The songs are influenced by music of the 1920s-40s and also by traditional English material, and deal with such diverse subjects as mortality, 18th century corsairs, Beatles fanatics and garden pests.
The songs are often accompanied by Kirsty Witchell who plays clarinet, bass clarinet and flute, Robin Allison on acoustic bass and the vocalist Gabrielle Lewry. Performing over the last six months Edwin has been appearing at venues on the folk club circuit, supported Emiliana Torrini at the Royal Festival hall and will be appearing at Glastonbury this year along with other UK festivals.
Ed has a forthcoming EP, scheduled for release in June 2010 with the aforementioned musicians entitled 'Anthems for a Quiet Life'.
You can see Ed and Kirsty in action
back to topEd Hicks
22 May 2009
Ed is a banjo player and Magpie's Nest regular who came to the Goose with Sam Lee and Michael Wright in one of our earliest Upstairs at the Mag evenings.
More information and a pic coming soon!back to topEliza Carthy and Saul Rose - DHFC
Friday 2 July
As a duo Eliza and Saul are incredible. Wnat chemistry! The Goose saw them at Cheltenham Folk Festival and decided there and then that they would have to book them.
Eliza Carthy is a gifted musical conceptualist (the Goose knows exactly what that means, hope you do too, your starter for ten), confirming her position as, arguably, the most impressive and engaging performer of a generation. OK you could say she was a bit lucky with her genes, but hey, she's a truly inventive and innovative singer and fiddle-player!
Eliza is also the winner of an unrivalled seven BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2003 she became the first traditional English musician to be nominated a BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music (for Anglicana).
She has revitalised and made folk music relevant to new audiences and has captured the most hardened of dissenters with intelligent, charismatic and boundary-crossing performances.
‘A gloriously natural singer’ – Q magazine
Saul Rose is rare gem of a musician. He has been playing melodeon for all his adult life, touring in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong and most of Europe. He's won 2 folk awards with Waterson:Carthy (Broken Ground) and been nominated for the Mercury music prize with Eliza (Red Rice).
Hey never mind all the blurb, if you've ever seen them you'll be down to DHFC on 2 July with all your friends, if you haven't, have a look at this:
Eliza Carthy and Saul Rose on YouTube
back to topElle Osborne
5 February 2010 and 16 April 2010
Due to Elle having flu for the Tim van Eyken support slot we'd originally booked her for in January, and moving to support Jim Causley in February instead, she came back to East Dulwich rather sooner than expected (to headline Upstairs at the Mag) - but hey, that's definitely a good thing we think!
Elle was born on the North Sea coast of Lincolnshire where she taught herself to sing and play the fiddle (and ride Gypsy horses on the beach, although that's another story). She was raised amongst folk singers and wrote songs from an early age.
Barry Dransfield started her fiddle-singing (when she only asked him to glue her fiddle back together). She toured the world solo for five years, including North America, NZ and five tours of Australia in four years. Elle's debut CD, Testimony, featured in the fRoots Best of Year Critics' Poll, and was reviewed by Colin Irwin "…One of the most compelling performances of the year".
Inspired by the language and beauty of English folksong, Elle performs her own as well as re-interpretations of traditional songs (many of which she nicked from her Dad.
Elle featured on the Lal Waterson tribute album Migrating Bird, with her experimental folk noise duo Lindsey Woolsey ("Willful dissonance!" The Times). She also composes for dance, and makes sound installations - most recently LongLines for the National Fishing Heritage Museum.
Elle has played with John Spiers and Jon Boden, James Yorkston, and most recently, Alasdair Roberts - including at our Goose evening last year!
"Elle Osborne is the future of the tradition" - Auckland Folk Festival. "Raw and compelling, passionate and engaging" - Time Out
Click here to find out more about Elle Osborne
back to topEwan McLennan
15 January 2010
He is a brilliant young Scottish singer who we originally booked at the Goose to support Faustus in 2009, on the basis of hearing his wonderful album of mainly traditional songs, and we were certainly not disappointed. We don't think you were either, judging by the comments afterwards!
We were then delighted when he agreed to headline at the Mag, even though he has to travel all the way from Leeds, and the place was packed - at one point we thought we were going to have to start turning people away!
Well, we had to ask him back, and he will be appearing again Upstairs at the Mag on Friday 11 March 2011
Hooray!
You can Ewan singing on his MySpace page:
And you can find out more about Ewan from his website at:
back to topFalse Hare
12 June 2009
The Goose met Helen and Katie when they came to ask our advice about setting up a new folk club in Deptford (erm, yes, we did ask them if they had any idea what they were letting themselves in for!)
We went to their first night and when they got up to do a song together, we were blown away, particularly as they had modestly said to us that they were only doing it because it was traditional for folk club organisers to get up and sing (erm, yes, thanks for subtly pointing out that the Goose has not as yet adhered to this tradition .....)
Anyway, we basically said to them that if they could get a half-hour set together which was anything like as good as what we'd heard, we would be delighted to have them come and sing at DHFC, to which after a bit of shuffling they agreed.
On being asked for a brief biog, this is what they said: Helen was in a cool indie band for a while - Kate was in the school choir. On being pushed for more, it transpires that Helen was lead guitarist in an all girl punk band called Kamikaze Kitten...... who were pretty big on the Oxford music scene circa 1998.
Well, we were well impressed but somewhat bemused until we found out that Helen was about five at the time ..... well fourteen actually .....
And - False Hare? One of them is into wigs, the other one thinks if there isn't a traditional song about a false hare, there should be. Saying anything? No, not us. We're saying nothing about that photo, either.......
And hey, they were great! So we'll deffo be having them back to the Goose too!
back to topFaustus
Friday 24 April 2009
Faustus consists of Saul Rose (Waterson:Carthy), Paul Sartin (Bellowhead) and Benji Kirkpatrick (Seth Lakeman/Bellowhead. Erm, need we say more? We think not, but hey, we will anyway!
This exciting young band consists of three of the most pivotal players in the English roots revival of the past decade. Saul Rose, singer and melodeon player, is best known for his work with the Kings of Calicutt and Waterson Carthy and is considered by many to be the best melodeon player in the country.
Paul Sartin is a hugely versatile and classically trained musician who has played with such varied ensembles as Bellowhead, Belshazzars Feast and the Christchurch Cathedral Choir! As well as vocals, Paul plays fiddle and oboe for both Faustus and the now infamous Bellowhead.
In 2001/03, ace guitarist Benji Kirkpatrick (John's son) was a member of the Oysterband Big Session playing alongside Eliza Carthy, Jim Murray, Rose Kemp, Cara Dillon and Seth Lakeman. He has played with the Mercury-nominated Seth Lakeman on many duo/trio projects and tours and - like Paul - is a member of Bellowhead (currently Band in Residence at London's Southbank Centre!)
Faustus have been described as "conjuring a dark and peculiar Mediaeval world". We think they just make fantastic music! Their first album is due to be released in May 2009, and you can check out their music meanwhile at
You can also check them out on their website (in progress at the time of typing but possibly completed by the time you read this) atPlease note! Faustus are not to be confused with a band of the same name who come up on Google. Well at least, we were momentarily confused until we realised that, erm, "our" Faustus are not "an indie/rock/progressive band" and do not "play a selection of covers from artists such as The Kaiser Chiefs, The Stone Roses and The Subways."
But hey, we were very relieved when Benji Kirkpatrick walked through the door of DHFC on 24 April!
back to topFran McGillivray and Mike Burke
8 January 2010 and 2 July 2010
Fran and Mike, apart from being excellent musicians, have been much appreciated mainstays of the Goose, their commitment extending to burning their fingers whilst lighting our tealights when the candlelighter broke (a frequent occurrence, sadly!)
They have appeared at the Goose several times (we can't remember the other dates!) and in July 2010 played at the Crystal Palace Road Street Party, one of the Big Lunch events which took place in East Dulwich.
Fran and Mike are acoustic folk-blues guitarists who play as a duo and also in the blues band So Long Angel. In February 2008 the Guardian said of them "Very impressive. McGillivray has an agreeably controlled and laid-back vocal style, often with an American twang, while Burke is an excellent blues guitarist."
Colin Irwin, an fRoots Magazine reviewer said of them "The material is beautifully, grippingly balanced - heartbreakingly poignant one minute, rousingly upbeat the next - and the acoustic settings give it all an illuminating freshness"
To find out more, visit
and
Fran and Mike will be appearing Upstairs at the Mag on Friday 1 October 2010.back to topHamish Meaney
19 December 2008
The Goose is getting a reputation for bringing some of the best singer songwriters around to East Dulwich, and just before Christmas in 2008, we had a great set from Hamish Meaney.
Hamish Meaney is a foot stompingly good folk rock singer songwriter currently based in London. Three years ago he exchanged his heavy metal rig for an acoustic guitar and hit the road. Travelling the world pursuing his love of surfing and the steep and deep, he has been profoundly influenced by all he has seen and this is reflected in his songs. Lost love, natural beauty/degradation and odes to the road are all themes apparent in his music.
He has been described as "a one man folk lightning strike" - we said before the gig that we didn't think you would be disappointed, and judging by the audience reaction we doubt if anyone was!
Check out some of his music at www.myspace. com/hamishmeaney
back to topJack Allitt/Spoono
24 October 2008
Spoono (as Jack was then known) supported Martin Carthy at the Goose. With apologies to the others, Spoono was probably the most brilliant local guitarist we've ever had at the Goose, and held the audience spellbound despite saying hardly a word throughout!
click here to listen to Spoono!We'll post a pic of Spoono here soon!
back to topJack Harris
18 September 2009 and 23 April l2010
Jack supported Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick last year - we thought he was great, so we asked him back!
Jack Harris was born in 1986 in Builth Wells, Powys, Wales. His mum and dad are keen amateur musicians and his life has been steeped in the music of the British Isles and the Americas. He started learning to play the guitar at the age of 8 and by the time he was 13 he was already showing a talent for writing songs and performing at his local High School.
Jack's songs tell searching stories of human experience and reveal a maturity and understanding far beyond his years. His rich, complex lyrics and his powerful melodies draw upon a diverse range of influences - from the music of Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett and Laura Nyro to the local tales told by his grandmother.
Find out more about Jack at
www.jackharrismusic.com
back to top
Jackie Oates
Friday 18 July 2008
Well, we thought we'd better have a change from all this BlokeFolk (technical term - copyright us). Jackie is fast establishing a reputation as a fiddle-singer (singing and playing the fiddle at the same time) and at the time she came to the Goose she had just finished recording her second album.
Spiral Earth said of her:
"Beautiful music of intrigue and passion."
She has played as part of Rachel Unthank's Winterset, and more recently with Tim van Eyken.
You can find out more about Jackie and her music via these links:
The Goose was delighted to welcome Jackie to East Dulwich, and we hope it will be the first of many times.
back to topJake Wilson
23 April 2010
If you have been to our gigs at the Mag you may have seen Jake doing a few floorspots. We were impressed, so always keen to encourage talent, we asked him to do a half hour support at DHFC.
More info and a picture coming soon!
back to topJason McNiff
2009
Picture and info coming soon!
back to topJen Doyle and Joe Fowler
5 February 2010, 12 November 2010
Sorry about the bit missing in your pic, guys, but hey you have no idea what blood sweat and tears went into trying to format the massive photo you sent for our website!!
If you were at the Mag to see Ewan McLennan, you will remember Jen Doyle and Joe Fowler who did a floorspot - worth the ticket money alone, we feel! The best version of Banks of the Sweet Primroses I have ever heard, bar none (and yes that does include Famous People).
These two are going to be big and hey, they're local, so we're doubly pleased that they were able to do a half hour spot at DHFC supporting Jim Causley and will also be coming back to the Mag as headliners on 12 November 2010, playing traditional songs and tunes from England, Ireland and Australia!.
Jen and Joe moved to Dulwich from Fremantle in Western Australia three months ago - and how lucky for us, as you will know if you have seen them Upstairs at the Mag!
Joe was born in Aylesbury and Jen in Dublin, but they both emigrated with their families to Australia over 20 years ago. They have returned to Europe for 'an adventure'.
They have both toured and played in festivals in Australia with various groups ('Sham', 'Seisun', 'FGA', 'Bomshell Fountaine' - Joe and 'Tangled Reel', 'McCool', 'Sila' - Jen.)
Jen plays traditional fiddle and met Nigel Kennedy once, who signed her violin with a permanent marker pen (ruining it). Joe Fowler sings simple songs and learned a lot about music from flute player Brian Warren who said '..its like you're trying to break an egg with a sledge hammer', after a performance. Nice!
back to topJess Bryant
2009
Jess's voice has been described as one that "you wouldn't only die for, you'd probably kill for too." and as "one of the most poignant, tragic, sad and yet wildly beautiful things I've ever heard. Whilst listening to her I am transported to another place entirely, a multi-coloured garden of tropical flowers, with no notion of how I got there. Impossible to categorise, apart from under the 'Utter Genius' category."
Listen to some of Jess's music at
back to topJessica Cahill
20 June 2008 (with Salt & Blue), 24 April 2009
Multi--instrumentalist/vocalist Jessica Cahill has been described by Nigel Eaton as "one of the best hurdy-gurdy players in Britain, with a superb driving style".
Her inspiration derives from many sources: her love of traditional music from England, France and Eastern Europe, and her passion for all forms of contemporary music.
back to topJim Causley
5 February 2010
Well we first saw Jim sing as a third of The Devil's Interval, and we last saw him at the Goose as part of Mawkin:Causley in March 2009, but wash our mouths/beaks out, we know they're the latest folkie boy band and nominated for awards and stuff, but we have always thought Jim shone best as a singer singing solo. And we had the chance to prove it to our lovely Goose audiences!
Here's the blurb from his website:
Young Devon folk singer Jim Causley became involved with traditional music from an early age via his family, the local folk scene and an historical wassailing tradition in his village of Whimple, East Devon.
Jim studied Traditional Music at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. During this time he became involved in the wider folk scene and gained great interest in folk clubs throughout the country as a solo performer. He recorded his debut album, 'Fruits of the Earth' on the WildGoose label in 2005. Later the samet year he was nominated for best newcomer at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2006. Causley also recieved great acclaim and interest for his singing work as part of a trio named The Devil's Interval whose album Blood & Honey (WildGoose) also received wide acclaim and another Folk Award nomination in 2007.
He has toured with Waterson:Carthy as part of their Frost and Fire Christmas Tour for five consecutive years and has joined them in the studio on their recent album 'Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man' (Topic). Causley has become renowned for his warm, rich and mature singing voice, (quoted as being akin to the fruitiest of real ales) his natural gift for interpreting traditional song and his wry and cheeky stage presence.
Most recently Jim has been working as a duo with longtime collaborator James Dumbelton (of Waulk Elektrik fame) and performing with Essex instrumental quartet, Mawkin as Mawkin:Causley and also collaborating with Scottish musician John McCusker as part of the Celtic Connections/Cambridge Folk Festival commissioned project; 'Under One Sky'.
Click here to find out more about Jim Causley
And listen to some of his music here!
back to topJoe Wilkes
Friday 1 May 2009
Joe was long associated with The Spitz venue in East London, where he played with Bert Jansch, Beth Orton and Davy Graham (R.I.P.) amongst others.
His debut album, Spotlight, was released in 2006, and has been described as "a subtle and pastoral acoustic testament at the vanguard of the re-emerging British folk scene" - a far cry from his times at the Twelve Bar Club, when he and his anarcho acoustic band would "cause a mess, with anyone and everyone joining in." !
Last year, Joe toured Europe and the UK, and filmed a TV concert. He has a new album due out in 2009.
You can find out more about Joe from his website
and listen to some of his music at
And read a four star review by Maverick magazine here:
http://indiestore.7digital.com/joewilkes/
back to top
John Kirkpatrick
Friday 25 April 2008, 15 May 2009 (with Brass Monkey), 21 January 2011
Brilliant performer on the squeezebox, great singer, and a very funny guy as well (we think he could have done stand-up if Steeleye Span hadn't nabbed him first), John Kirkpatrick is one of the most well-known and popular performers on the British folk scene.
His amazing skill with accordion, concertina and melodeon has taken him from folk dancing to experimental rock music - and a wide range of international recording collaborations.
John regularly toured and recorded with Richard Thompson, and played with both the Albion Band and Steeleye Span. He always maintained his love of acoustic music - that led to a long standing partnership with Martin Carthy which subsequently blossomed into the group Brass Monkey.
And now the Goose must fess up - we had a hidden agenda here. We brought John Kirkpatrick to the edt in a last-ditch attempt to encourage him to sing "Bow Down to the Bonny Broom", which is one of our all-time JK faves and which we haven't seen him do recently. Yes, heavy hints were dropped to Mr Kirkpatrick ...... :)
And hey - they worked! Not only did we get the Broom (apparently correctly entitled "Riddles wisely expounded"), we got a song about dogs (erm, seemingly entitled "What do doggies do when they get bogies up their nose?" and what must be the only folk song in the world with a chorus of "Hey derry down the computer is down."
John also came to the Goose as part of Brass Monkey, and is making a welcome return to DHFC on 21 January 2011
Click here to buy tickets for John Kirkpatrick now!
More info on John's website.
back to topJon Loomes
2009
Pic and more info coming soon!
back to topKeith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham
12 March 2009
A folk performer from the late ‘60s with the likes of Muckram Wakes (Hey! I have their first album with the original lineup! I was such a folkie! This is half the Goose speaking ...erm, the female half ......), Keith is an enthusiastic supporter of English traditional music and song, and has inspired many people to get involved in it.
He has a stage presentation which is humorous whilst still respecting the music, and a wry, vernacular delivery combined with a depth of repertoire and a vocal and instrumental ability which make his performances a total pleasure.
In recent years he has teamed up with Sylvia, who brings her own skills of communication and musicianship, so enabling the duo to produce harmonic and joint (leg of lamb anyone? Sorry, I shouldn't be updating the website whilst drinking Muscat. Apologies to vegetarians ....) concertina skills.
Click here to find out more about Keith and Sylvia
back to topKevin Sheils
28 March 2008
Kevin has been involved in singing, MCing and organising several London Folk clubs over the years, including The Enterprise at Chalk Farm, The Chestnuts at Walthamstow and the present Walthamstow Folk Club.
He is a regular presenter of the Traditional Music Hour on Resonance 104.4FM, and some of his old shows are syndicated on Radio Britfolk.
He was a concert MC at Sidmouth Folk Festival for 18 years and still is at Towersey. He has also introduced concerts at the Purcell Room as part of "Folk in the Fall", and at The Barbican.
Kevin and his colleagues at Walthamstow Folk Club gave a lot of enthusiastic advice and support to us two newbies on our steep hike up the learning curve of setting up a new venue. He was our very first singer when the Goose opened with Dave Swarbrick back in March, and we were delighted to welcome him back again to our new Goose venue.
You can hear some of Kevin's songs on MySpace
back to top
The Kittiwakes
20 June 2008, 18n September 2009
The Kittiwakes are Kate Waterfield on vocals, Chris Harrison on accordion and Jill Cumberbatch on violin, mandolin, banjo and guitar.
'Absolutely wonderful. I cannot recommend highly enough catching them live if you get the chance' - Folk and Roots Online
Their EP "Lofoten calling" is original music based around the people, landscape, folklore and history of the Lofoten Islands, an area above the Arctic Circle in Norway. The music is song based, and influenced by traditional British Isles and Norwegian folk music.
Paul Collier of the Leigh Folk Festival described their music as "delicious, intriguing and evocative, beautifully played and sung by this talented trio."
You can find out more about the Kittiwakes at
and at
back to topLauren McCormick
14 November 2008
Info coming soon!
back to topMartin Carthy
Friday 24 October 2008
Well, luck shone upon the Goose - we had an enforced change of venue, and had already booked Martin for this date - so he headlined our first event at our new venue DHFC and gave us a great start with a large and enthusiastic audience!
If you are one of the few folkies on the planet who doesn't know about him, click here to read about Martin Carthy!
Martin has also appeared at the Goose in a duo with Dave Swarbrick (see below), as part of Brass Monkey, and with Norma Waterson and Chris Parkinson
Well, considering the Goose would never have come about had it not been for Nyge and Sue meeting at a party and having a conversation about Martin, we think we're entitled to have a bit of a Carthy Fest occasionally :)
back to topMartin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick
Friday 18 September 2009 and 24 September 2010
Half the Goose saw these two back in the sixties - they were her (clue) heroes then and they still are, but who could have foreseen she'd meet another folk fanatic and be booking them herself?
Here's the official blurb .... but do you really need to know more than the names?!
A startlingly intense reunion from this legendary ground-breaking duo. All the old skills are demonstrated with a new collection of traditional songs and instrumentals. Their experienced approach to their art lacks none of the fervour of their early days, and brings a maturity born of many years living with the music that is an integral part of their beings.
This remarkable pairing played an important part in the tremendous shake up given to British folk music in the middle to late 60's. Dave Swarbrick first came to prominence on the folk scene as a young instrumental virtuoso in the Ian Campbell Folk Group. Having worked alongside other leading musicians such as Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, Beryl and Roger Marriott and A. L. Lloyd, he teamed up with Martin Carthy in 1966.
While they featured hot instrumental tracks in their live sets and recordings, Dave's forte in the duo was sensitive accompaniment to Martin's vocals and guitar. On Rags, Reels & Airs the focus was solely on Dave and it finally gave him a chance to really stretch out and demonstrate his leading instrumental prowess. The result was a new era of English instrumental folk music and a new approach to folk music altogether. When they parted in 1969 Dave joined Fairport Convention and his contribution to folk and folk/rock music is legendary and well documented.
"Intense and demanding, this is hard core traditional music. Sublime fiddle playing and the passionate delivery of evocative old songs by their ablest interpretor." Telegraph
"The super-duo are back together after 14 years." The Guardian
"Swarbrick is an absolute revelation here, as instinctively sympathetic and wickedly inspirational as he ever was. It’s like they were a couple of twenty somethings again. To hear Swarb bowing with such soul and tenderness and dynamism too is an unconditional joy." fRoots
For more than 40 years Martin Carthy has been one of folk music's greatest innovators, one of its best loved, most enthusiastic and, at times, most quietly controversial of figures. His skill, stage presence and natural charm have won him many admirers, not only from within the folk scene, but also far beyond it. “Arguably the greatest English folk song performer, writer, collector and editor of them all!” Q Magazine (2004)
YAY! Is what we (mostly) have to say ....
Click here to buy tickets for Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick now!back to topMartin Simpson
Friday 20 February 2009 and 26 November 2010
Another great night for the Goose at DHFC! This was the first time Martin had been to East Dulwich, and he did two brilliant sets having come down from Sheffield for the gig (and went straight back afterwards!
Described by the Sunday Times as "one of the UK's finest folk musicians", the Goose reckons that Martin is probably the best acoustic guitarist in the UK. BBC Radio 2 Folk and Acoustic Reviews said "Although it's his guitar virtuosity that's frequently lauded, it's as an interpreter of song that Martin Simpson really scores."
2008 was a fantastic year for Martin, and at the BBC Folk Awards he was winner for both "Best new album" (Prodigal Son) and "Best original track" (Never Any Good, a moving song about his father).
This year he is nominated in the "Best Musician" category.
You can find out more from his website www.martinsimpson.com
Martin is returning to DHFC on 26 November 2010 with his trio, Andy Cutting and Andy Seward - definitely not to be missed!
Click here to buy tickets for The Martin Simpson Trio now!back to top
Mary Humphreys and Anahata
12 June 2009 and 8 April 2011
The Goose really love these two, and this was such a good Goose evening we have invited them back to headline Upstairs at the Mag in 2011!
Mary has the most beautiful and moving voice - several people commented that she really sings from the heart.
Mary sings traditional songs, mostly in English and a few in her native Welsh, and plays banjo and concertina. Anahata accompanies with melodeons, concertina and cello, and they play instrumental arrangements, mostly of English traditional music.
If you missed their 2009 gig, be sure to come to the next one!
You can find out more from their websites
http://www.maryhumphreys.co.uk/
and
http://www.treewind.co.uk/mha/
and hear some of their beautiful music at
back to topMatt Allin
19 March 2010
We discovered Matt when he came down to the Mag and did a couple of floorspots. Matt lives in South East London, and plays mostly traditional songs and some songs he writes himself. He has a liking for sea songs, but unfortunately has no sea legs. He plays guitar and sometimes (when he's allowed) the melodeon. He has two very tolerant cats.
As well as supporting Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy and Chris Parkson at DHFC, Matt played and sang to an enthusiastic crowd at our local street party in Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich, in July 2010.
back to topMatthew Ord - Upstairs at the Mag
15 May 2009, 12 February 2010, 21 January 2011
Matthew supported Brass Monkey at DHFC in 2009. Straight after the gig we were already getting requests to have him back .... so we did!
Matthew's live performances draw together the delta blues, English ballads, jigs, reels, protest songs and nursery rhymes, all performed with warmth and conviction.
There are not many people on the folk scene who can make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck with their singing, and Matthew is one of them. His versions of traditional songs are just absolutely stunning.
He is also one of the best guitarists we have ever seen.
Like Ewan McLennan, Matthew is up-and-coming-about-to-be-very-well-known. In fact we'll stick our long Goose necks out here and say that we think he is going to be MASSIVE.
Click here to go to Matthew Ord's myspace page and listen to some of his great music!
Matthew will be appearing at DHFC again on 21 January 2011 supporting John Kirkpatrick.
Click here to buy tickets now!back to topMatt Milton
25 April 2008
Brixton-based Matt Milton is a classically trained violinist who plays bluegrass fiddle for the low-down dirty country singer Rod Stern. For the last two years he has been concentrating on the noble art of folk/blues fingerpickin' guitar and song.
Very much of the Bert Jansch school, his bluesy chops and bizarre lyrics have often been compared to both Robert Johnson and Robyn Hitchcock.
Matt has two MySpace pages, but we were assured that Matt would be in his folkie incarnation for the Goose and not performing his violin and saw improv, which we felt could be an acquired taste for many of the Goose's audience :)
Click here to go to Matt Milton's folkie MySpace page
Click here to go to Matt Milton's improv MySpace page
back to topMawkin:Causley
Friday 20 March 2009
Well after seeing their picture on the cover of fRoots with their modesty preserved only by a careful positioning of their (musical) instruments, we weren't quite sure what to expect, but hey they remained fully clothed and gave us some great music!
Hopefully not too many Goose people saw half the Goose (clue: It wasn't Nyge) fall over whilst bopping at the side of the room ......anyway, here's some blurb about them .....
Mawkin:Causley was/were formed when somebody had the inspired idea to combine Mawkin with acclaimed singer and ex-Devil's Interval member Jim Causley.
As well as Jim on vocals, the band consists of brothers Jamie Delarre (fiddle) and David Delarre (acoustic guitar), plus Danny Crump (electric bass) and Alex Goldsmith (melodeon). Together, they merge west to east (from Essex, Suffolk and Devon), tunes and songs played with attitude - the result breathing youthful vigour and energy into folk-inspired music.
Channel 4 Online has this to say about them: "Those wicked Essex rascals, Mawkin, have joined forces with the honey-voiced Jim Causley to form one hell of a boyband! One of the best instrumental outfits to emerge in recent years, Mawkin have a string of festival and concert appearances under their belt. Bringing Jim Causley on board is a master stroke, as his gorgeous baritone voice is the perfect foil for their the cleverly textured tunes and energetic performances. A unique collaboration not to be missed."
Mojo Magazine described them as "Unconditionally Mighty."
You can find out more and listen to some of their music at www.myspace.com/mawkincausley
back to topMichael Wright
Friday 22 May 2009
A brilliant jaw's harp player, Michael appeared Upstairs at the Mag with Sam Lee and banjo player Ed Hicks.
More information coming soon!
back to topMistral
24 October 2008
Mistral are Chris and Caroline Shaw, who play excellent Breton tinged music and are part of Gig-CB, a local ceilidh band.
More info about Mistral coming soon, plus a pic!
back to topNancy Wallace
20 November 2009
Music Week magazine called Nancy "one of the finest folk vocalists of her generation", and Mojo said "long respected as one of the purest voices on the folk circuit .... her live work fashions an amazing intimacy with her listener
The BBC said of her album "Old Stories is one of the first highlights of 2009. She certainly has every right to be talked about in the same breath as some of the traditional music greats."
Although we previously knew her as the singer with The Memory Band, and now with The Owl Service, the Goose thinks her solo work is just brilliant. Listen to some tracks here:
back to topNaomi Bedford
27 February 2009, 20 November 2009
Brighton-based songwriter Naomi Bedford was first discovered by Orbital at a Brighton Party, and co-wrote and sang lead vocals on their 2001 chart smash "Funny Break."
Since then, she has focused on her original passion for country and folk-spiced material, playing around the UK both with her own band and in guest appearances with The Men They Couldn't Hang.
Her first album, "Dark They Were And Golden Eyed" was produced by Mick Glossop (Frank Zappa, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor etc.) The legendary Bonnie Prince Billy was delighted with her dark version of his song "Riding" which features on this album, and Del Amitri's Justin Currie called her "An English Emmylou or an American Sandy Denny". Confused? Us too. Let's just say she's got an amazing voice!
Naomi is planning her second album this year, which will be an album of murder and death songs, some original and some traditional (the Goose sees a bit of a theme emerging here, given half the Goose's passion for Nick Cave.) Anyway, moving swiftly on …..
Described by Maverick Magazine as "…achingly expressive … totally captivating …. Original and quite intriguing " you can hear some of Naomi's music atNaomi has appeared at the Goose both solo (supporting Dick Gaughan) and with Paul Simmonds of The Men They Couldn't Hang.
back to topNorma Waterson, Martin Carthy & Chris Parkinson
19 March 2010
Despite the fact that we had already had Martin at the Goose in various incarnations (solo, with Dave Swarbrick and as part of Brass Monkey), as soon as we saw these three live we knew we had to book them!
And how glad we were that we did - of all the amazing gigs we've had, this has to have been one of the best. What a night!
For more than 30 years Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy have been at the forefront of the English folk scene. Joined by their long time friend Chris Parkinson they perform fantastic traditional songs and music in a way only they know how.
Martin Carthy is a much loved and enormously influential figure in English folk music and has been for over 40 years. He has appeared and recorded solo, as a duo with fiddler Dave Swarbrick, and as part of bands The Watersons, Steeleye Span, Brass Monkey and Blue Murder.
Norma Waterson is one of the country's finest, most emotive singers with her wonderfully compassionate voice and another BBC Folk Award recipient. Norma is a founder member of groundbreaking harmony group The Watersons. Apparently sometimes described as "The Folk Beatles" (it says here). Eh?
Chris Parkinson has played music since the age of 5, starting with the harmonica and developing into a long career playing in various bands. Other instruments he has accomplished (I'm sure that's not the right word but hey, that's what it says here!) include the piano, guitar, concertina, tin whistle, melodeon, piano, accordion and keyboard - and he even finds time to play the fiddle. He has worked with a number of people from the folk scene and beyond, including Ralph Mactell, Steve Philips and Billy Connolly.
back to topOlivia Chaney
20 February 2009
Shamelessly nicked from the Magpie's Nest website, (the blurb not Olivia, obviously) - a gifted virtuoso, this young folk singer will conjure dark-eyed sailors, damsels in distress and rakish knights from an Indian harmonium and steel-string guitar. We said you could expect to be charmed, moved and entertained by a performer and musician of unusual depth and passion, and judging by your reaction, you were.
Hear some of Olivia's music at
back to topPaul Simmonds
27 February 2009
Paul Simmonds has been with UK folk rock band The Men They Couldn't Hang for over 20 years. He also released a solo album last year, "The Rising Road", which infuses country ballads with darker and more English overtones.
Hear some of Paul's music at
www.myspace.com/paulsimmondstmtch
back to topPaul Scourfield and Jon Loomes - Upstairs at The Mag
Friday 13 November 2009
The Goose saw Paul and Jon play at Cheltenham Folk festival a couple of years ago and had been after them ever since (in the nicest possibly way of course!)
Paul is a stylish and highly respected melodeon player and singer, taking material mainly from the English tradition. Inspired to take up the melodeon after going to see John Kirkpatrick at the local folk club, he has since spent a year being mentored by the great man himself.
Jon is a fine interpreter of the tradition, creating wonderful new versions of old songs. He is a fine guitarist - a wonderfully melodic player - also adding fiddle, hurdy gurdy and concertina.
Jon and Paul's music combines effortlessly, with soaring melodies and fine singing, packed with energy and imagination. This will be another great night at the Mag!
And hey! You can watch a clip of them on youtube with, erm, the nodding heads of the Goose in the front row :)
Click here to see Paul and Jon at the Cheltenham Folk Festival!
back to topPeta Webb and Ken Hall
9 October 2009
Pic coming soon!
Peta Webb, a Londoner with an Irish background, formed her highly-acclaimed individual vocal style through the influence of such Irish traditional singers as Sarah Makem. She believes strongly in the imnportance of learning directly from traditional singers wherever possible, and has taken part in many collecting trips.
Ken Hall was originally much influenced by people like Bob Davenport, later developing an interest in the Northern Irish singing style of people such as Joe Holmes.
Peta and Ken got together to explore the rich sounds of acappella duet singing, drawing on American styles as well as the British and Irish traditions.They sing regularly at festivals as well as giving presentations and running workshops around songs and singing."Individually they are magnificent, together they are superb. They create a sound rarely approached in contemporary folk music" - Keith Summers, co-editor, Musical Traditions Magazine.
back to topRob Anderson
23 January 2009, 19 March 2010
We were absolutely delighted to be welcoming Rob back to the Goose. He supported Alasdair Roberts the first time Alasdair came to DHFC, and also headlined at Hoopers back in the day!
Rob hadn't played in about 10 years when he was lucky (he says - we're sure it wasn't luck ....) to fall in with the Flynn Brothers when they were running shows at the Troubadour around 15 years ago, and as a result had the good fortune to work on the same tiny stage as a number of great singer/players when things were still pretty informal.
He worked with Wizz Jones a few times and Wizz asked him to play dobro for him at his 65th birthday at the Half Moon (Herne Hill not Putney, we presume - Sarf Lahndon, innit). Since then (according to Rob)he mostly plays to the cats in the kitchen. We think that's the feline variety. Sounds like a great tune title actually :) Or band name ... maybe not ....
Rob says he tends to work over less known material written by other folks, in some sort of alt country/blues/folk soup, usually American in origin, and is "quietly looking for some other old farts who might like to get together and see what happens."
Well never mind the other old farts, the Goose very much enjoys hearing Rob wherever and whenever he's playing, and judging by the Goose audience reaction, so do you!
back to topRobin Gillan
12 June 2009, 11 September 2009,
Robin Gillan started playing folk guitar at the age of 8, and discovered an immediate aptitude and love for the music. An additional advantage was that it could be learned by ear - he later found that he was dyslexic, which prevented a more conventional musical career.
Now 35, Robin has added fiddle, banjo, squeeze box and mouth organ to his accomplishments, as well as singing. Have a listen to him on his MySpace page, and you will understand why we were delighted when Robin made his first appearance at the Goose in June, and we we have invited him back so soon!
www.myspace.com/robinjohngillan
back to topRún
20 February 2009
Erm, don't blame us, they appear to think they are corkbots. Just don't ask. Obviously there are in fact more of them than appear in the circle - see below!
The Forestbrook Gaelic Choir, Rún are five fantastic lassies (their words, not ours!) who perform four-part vocal arrangements of old Gaelic songs like 'An Cailín Rua' (the red-haired girl), 'Casadh an tSúgain' (twisting the hayrope) and 'Bo Na Leath Adhairce' (the one-horned cow.
Rún perform acapella and with Celtic harp. Current members include Lewis Barfoot, Alli Buhagiar, Sonja Byrne, Evrah and musical director, Brona McVittie, who many of you will know as one of the Woodlarks. Rún is the Gaelic word for 'secret, wish or love'.
Well, Rún were just brilliant - what more can we say. They'll be back!
back to topSalt and Blue
20 June 2008
South London duo Salt & Blue are multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Jessica Cahill, described by Nigel Eaton as "one of the best hurdy-gurdy players in Britain, with a superb driving style", and the uniquely haunting cellist Jakob Kaye. Together they have been described as spine-tingling and hypnotic.
Salt & Blue's inspiration derives from many sources: Jessica's love of traditional music from England, France and Eastern Europe; Jakob's Icelandic heritage, and the passion that both of them have for all forms of contemporary music. Taking its cue from the hurdy-gurdy, their music is primarily drone-based, and explores both traditional and original material, with unconventional use of instruments and voice.
back to topSam Lee
14 November 2008, 22 May 2009
Many of you will know Sam from The Magpie's Nest and from his work for the English Folk Dance and Song Society, based at Cecil Sharp House. Sam appeared at the Goose with Lauren McCormick as one of the support acts for Dick Gaughan in 2008, and then headlined Upstairs at the Mag in 2009 with banjo player and Magpie's Nest regular Ed Hicks and the brilliant jaw's harp player Michael Wright.
Sam is a singer, promoter, researcher, teacher and confessed die-hard enthusiast of the folk arts. Since swapping his career teaching wilderness survival and performing on the Burlesque Cabaret circuit to work in folk music, he has performed at many of the major UK festivals.
Since discovering folk music Sam has become apprenticed to the great traveller singer and storyteller Stanley Robertson who is passing on his vast legacy of Scottish ballads. He spends much of his time in between gigs travelling in the footsteps of Peter Kennedy collecting songs from the English Romany Gypsies, The Cumbrian Fell pack hunts and many other communities.
FRoots said: "Sam is the most accomplished and authentic interpreter of traditional English song to emerge in years".
back to topSarah Gillespie
23 October 2009
Another great Goose night!
"She's an incandescent new presence who matches her imposing delivery with superior lyrics." John Fordham, The Guardian ****
"A leftfield singersongwriter...wry lyrics and sinuous melodies" John Bunjey, Mojo ****
A sonic reflection of the contemporary London street, Greenwich-born singer-songwriter Sarah Gillespie delivers a melting-pot mix of urban-folk and middle-eastern blues. Expect emotive ballads & raucous gypsy swing incorporating pre-rock elements of blues & vaudeville - all with her trademark lyricism that knits everyday banter with raw poetry.
Sarah performs regularly on the London circuit @ diverse venues inc Ronnie Scots, the Borderline, the 606 Club, the Vortex, as well as Arts Centres, festivals and venues across England. Her dynamite band features internationally renowned Israeli-born jazz artist, Gilad Atzmon on accordion, clarinet and saxophone, Ben Bastin on double bass and Asaf Sirkis on drums. Tonight she performs solo, every bit as powerful as when backed by her band.
Check her out at
Sarah Gillespie's website page!
back to topSarah McQuaid
Friday 14 May
Sarah McQuaid learned folk music from her mother, to whom she dedicates a CD, who sang her traditional Appalachian folk songs. Sarah's mother was a Chicago native, who volunteered with the Quakers in poverty projects in Kentucky and other parts of Appalachia, and there learned of the music of Jean Ritchie, Peggy Seeger and others who helped to popularize the music of the region back in the traditional folk music boom of the late 1950s and 1960s.
Later, Sarah became enchanted with Irish music, and lived and performed in Ireland from the mid 1990s until 2007. There she also served as a newspaper columnist on music and also wrote a tutorial book on Irish guitar technique.
She is a fine guitarist, and her vocals evoke the classic English folk alto of singers like June Tabor.
Whereas her acclaimed debut album album When Two Lovers Meet was a feast of Irish music, 2008’s I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning is an enchanting celebration of old-time Appalachian folk, with Sarah’s arrangements punctuated by her own fine compositions and a cover of Bobbie Gentry’s classic ‘Ode to Billie Joe’. Sarah is also the author of a highly-regarded guitar tutor, The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book.
“Likely to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.” — Aled Jones, BBC Radio 2
“Her singing has shades of Baez minus the operatic warble and Gillian Welch without so much Nashville twang.” — Spiral Earth
Click here to find out more about Sarah from her website!
back to topSiobhan Parr
2009
Info coming soon!
back to topSkinny Lister
8 January 2010
Skinny Lister the band is Daniel Heptenstall and a loose collective of players who play fresh folk-influenced songs. They're mainly South London-based, and have played extensively around South london and beyond.
They have been featured on Radio 6, the Independent and Artrocker, and their first single, the Plough and Orion, came out in Summer 2009.
Dan did a solo set for the Goose, and we hope it will be the first of many.
Watch Skinny Lister on YouTube here!
and listen to him at
And listen to him on his MySpace page here!
back to topSpoono
Pic coming soon!
Spoono (now known as Jack Allett) supported Martin Carthy at the Goose. With apologies to the others, Spoono was probably the most brilliant local guitarist we've ever had at the Goose, and held the audience spellbound despite saying hardly a word throughout!
click here to listen to Spoono!back to topSusan Wheeler
30 October 2009
To the horror of the nuns, Susan started singing country music in Dublin nightclubs at the tender age of 12, with her best friend Jane. Their plans to run away and support John Denver on tour failed but as soon as they could escape Loretto Abbey they headed for London to make their fortune.
Things didn't go quite to plan and Susan found herself living in a squat in Peckham, prime suspect in a murder inquiry. Her innocence proven, she now lives with her family in South West London and her songs are inspired by her love of country music, her Irish roots, her chequered past and her hopes for her two sons, Lucian and Ryan.
In 2008 Susan went into the studio for the first time and recorded her 5-track EP "Dream Home".
back to topTim van Eyken
20 June 2008, 8 January 2010
We have had two brilliant Goose evenings with Tim! We were particularly delighted to have been able to book him in 2010, as he had been very tied up with his work with War Horse at the National Theatre and latterly the New London Theatre, and had not been undertaking other folk gigs.
Tim has come a long way since winning the 1998 BBC Young Folk Award, breaking new ground with Dr Faustus and touring the world with Waterson:Carthy.
He is now firmly established as a leading light in the UK's thriving folk scene. The Guardian described him as "compelling" and "original" and the Observer described his last album (acclaimed everywhere from the Times to the Sun) as "a triumph".
Here's what the Morning Star said,
"Stiffs Lovers Holymen Thieves sees Tim van Eyken slipping from traditionalism into the ghostly hinterland occupied by the likes of Alasdair Roberts and Will Oldham, where folk formalism meets the eerie textures of modern electronica to bring out the mix of death, lust, religion and hedonism that lies at the heart of folk."
The Telegraph said,
"He fully exploits his great strengths of versatility and boundless enthusiasm. Babes in the Wood is given a darkly compelling treatment, and there is chaotic joy to Twelve Joys of Mary, its anarchic percussion and brass inspired by memories of a boisterous wedding procession Van Eyken joined while visiting Syria." The giant strides made by English folk music will not shorten while it remains in such accomplished hands."
The Sunday Times made the "Stiffs" album a **** Pop (sic!) CD of the Week, and said,
"In his sleeve notes, Tim van Eyken attempts a definition of folk able to encompass his quietly radical arrangements of traditional tunes......(he) encourages the songs to speak for themselves, and finds they still have plenty to say."
You can hear some of Tim's music here:
back to topTom Rodwell
Friday 29 May 2009
Tom Rodwell performs wildly original, pastiche-free improvisations drawn from obscure blues, gospel and calypso sources - housewrecking blues, spirituals and otherworldly roots. Tom has been touring fulltime since 2003 from New Zealand to the UK to Switzerland to the USA to Holland and now The Goose!
Here are some quotes:
"By turns wild, angry, hypnotic and sensual, it's as uncompromising as it is funky and some of the best live music I've seen." Blues in London."
"The most blistering one man set we've seen," - Gigwise.
"Refreshingly different, very genuine and unforced and with a seriously juicy groove," Giles Hedley and the Aviators.
Find out more about him from his website
http://www.tomrodwell.comwhere you can also listen to some of his music!
back to topTone Deaf Leopard
18 July 2008
Well for once words fail the Goose when attempting to describe Tone Deaf Leopard. If you have ever seen them, you will know what I mean. One of them did email Sue to say "I've just seen your picture on the Goose website - were you that person convulsing at the front in the scout hut at the Leigh festival?" Erm, yes, that was me.
Go to the loo before you watch them, that's (almost) all I have to say
You can see some Leopard stuff on their website.
back to topWizz Jones
30 January 2009, Autumn 2009
Two more great Goose nights, when we welcomed legend Wizz Jones, now living in South London, accompanied by his son Simeon.
There are few artists with more claim to being a 'musician's musician' than Wizz Jones. Inspired by Big Bill Broonzy, Rambling Jack Elliot, Alexis Korner and Ewan MacColl, learning his craft from the likes of Davy Graham and Long John Baldry in the coffee bars of London's Soho during the late fifties, busking through Europe with Rod Stewart and cited by John Renbourn and Eric Clapton as an important early influence. With his unique acoustic guitar style, an eclectic repertoire and a 'right hand worthy of Broonzy' Wizz continues to tour on the acoustic folk and blues circuit - usually solo but sometimes together with son Simeon on Sax, Flute and Harmonica.
back to topThe Woodentops
Friday 23 May 2008
This was a great and unique night of English nu folk - The Woodentops played a special acoustic set for the Goose!
Formed in 1983, The Woodentops soon achieved worldwide fame as a brilliant live band. Original indie heroes - and longtime favourites of John Peel (R.I.P.) - they were renowned for hi-speed melodious semi-acoustic rock and roll, based on the distinctive acoustic guitar style of singer Rolo McGinty. At the beginning of the late 80's dance scene, they found themselves Balearic champions in Ibiza - resurfacing in 2006!
Three of the Woodentops now live in East Dulwich, and this gig was the band's first ever local performance! Their legendary energy and charisma have survived the eighties intact, as has Rolo's unmistakable voice.
P.S. The Goose found out only recently that "Woodentops" is old time slang for 'acoustic guitars'. This has greatly confused us as we were hoping the band would bring along The Very Biggest Spotty Dog you Ever Did See to have a bark with Sue, but now we find they are not in fact related to a fifties television programme. Duh.
back to topThe Woodlarks
28 March 2008, 23 January 2009
The Woodlarks are Brona and Tanya, who put their own unique stamp on folk songs from around the world. They met when they heard each other perform at the Magpie's Nest in Islington. Discovering a common passion for folk music, they decided to try a few songs together - and the rest is, well maybe not quite history yet, but definitely a good thing for the rest of us!
Listen to some Woodlarks tracks at www.myspace. com/the woodlarks
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