If you sing, play or just like to listen, come and join us at the Cotswold Club

Meetings are held every Thursday through the year. Turn up, tune up and sing, or just sit, watch and enjoy. All welcome!

● The meetings are MC’d by the regulars on a rota basis and take place every Thursday, unless it clashes directly with Christmas or New Year, with singing and playing from 7.45 to around 10.30. All kinds of music and song are welcome.

● On arrival, please either join the Cotswold Club (or rejoin if lapsed) by seeing us on the door (only £10, or £5 for the over 65s), or register with your name and address as a guest each time you attend. If you join, you’ll be asked for a £2 min donation to the club on each visit to help us cover overheads, book occasional bands etc, otherwise your £2 is treated as an admission fee and goes to the Cotswold Club.

● There is limited space, so please arrive in plenty of time to make sure of a seat. Parking is often available on the street, but if not there is a small car park on the right just past the Market House.

● Please support the Cotswold Club by using the bar – drinks and nibbles are available at very reasonable prices.

● If you’re feeling under the weather with any symptoms that might relate to Covid, flu (or any other infectious disease!) we would ask you to stay away until you’re sure you are clear.

MINCHINHAMPTON FOLK WEEK

Saturday September 14 at 7.30 pm

CARMINA

in concert with special guest DIARMAID MOYNIHAN

Diarmaid Moynihan is regarded as one of Ireland’s most creative uilleann pipers and composers. He was tutored initially by the late Tom O’Canainn at the Cork School of Music before developing his own very distinctive style and progressing to work with many cutting-edge musicians, including Dónal Lunny, Alain Stivell, John Spillane and many other major artists. He has long been admired as one of the most lyrical composers working today in Irish traditional music.

Celtic folk-jazz pioneers Carmina are: Pippa Marland (vocals, saxes and Irish whistles), Rob King (acoustic guitar, bodhrán), and Paul Bradley (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, melodica). Carmina have recorded many albums, including Weather in the Heart and the award-winning My Crescent City, both of which were produced by Irish traditional music legend Dónal Lunny. Their most recent album, Landmarks, celebrates their 30th anniversary as the band. Carmina have toured internationally, appearing at major festivals such as Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe, Cork Jazz, Cork Folk, Madrid Jazz, Labadoux (Belgium), Australia’s Port Ferry Festival and Sydney St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Ireland’s World Fleadh. Their music mixes Celtic and jazz themes in original songs, together with well-chosen arrangements of traditional material, and has been described as ‘Glorious… gorgeously haunting’ (Time Out) and (‘Powerful and spiritually uplifting’ (The Guardian).

Barely a week left to get your tickets, so please go to https://minchinhamptonmarkethouse.co.uk/carmina/ or call at the Market Store next to the Market House

Join us any Thursday at the Cotswold Club, High Street, Minchinhampton, GL6 9BN. It’s two doors up from the Crown.

MC rota

September 5: Amber Honeyfox

September 12: Chris Newton

September 19: Jan Anderson

SEPTEMBER 14-21

MFC FOLK FESTIVAL WEEK

Saturday September 14: we’re delighted to present an evening concert in the Market House with Carmina, a fusion folk/jazz trio founded in Bristol in the 1990s. They have appeared at many international venues including Glastonbury, Festival, the Cork Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh and Bath Fringe Festivals and the Madrid Folk Festival. Tickets (£10) at Carmina – Minchinhampton Market House or nearer the time from the Market Stores in the town (cash only).

Other events are being organised and we’ll keep you updated here and on our Facebook page as details are known.

RIP JOHN MILLS, 1937-2024

Founder of Minchinhampton Folk Club

John Mills, who founded our club in July 2003, sadly died in April after some years of poor health. He had just passed his 87th birthday. John had a passion for folk, particularly the trad kind, and brought enormous warmth and enthusiasm to the club’s early years. He was a great believer in upbeat chorus songs and familiar sing-along material, and had a wonderful ability to get the room going and encourage everyone to join in. Thank you for everything, John.