World class performers Collister & Fix to appear at Ropery Hall

Folk-rock rebels Blackbeard’s Tea Party celebrate 10 years of their seminal album ‘Reprobates’, a collection of stories about wrong’uns from history. They debuted material from the album during their now legendary appearance at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, and it was the album that earned them thousands of new fans.

Mixing sounds of traditional folk and classic rock, Blackbeard’s Tea Party look back to the album that reviewers called “a hell of a lot of fun” (R2 Magazine), “convincing and essential” (fRoots) and “unforgettable and exceedingly invigorating” (Living Tradition).

In this exhilarating live show, the band revisit tracks from ‘Reprobates’, along with other songs of nefarious individuals – past and present – that pack their back catalogue. You’re guaranteed a loud and energetic performance that will bring out the devil inside you.

The Luke Daniels Band is a bold force on today’s folk scene — a boundary-pushing collective led by visionary multi-instrumentalist, Luke Daniels. A former BBC Radio 2 Young Trad Award winner and global touring artist with Riverdance, Cara Dillon, De Dannan and Jethro Tull. Luke is reimagining what folk music can be — from his debut composition The Lost Music of the Gaels to prestigious festival performances including Glastonbury and the Philadelphia Folk Festival.

Featuring Matt Tighe, a BBC Radio Scotland Young Trad finalist whose fiery fiddle playing blends Irish soul with world-class virtuosity; and Luc McNally, a rhythmic powerhouse and sensitive guitarist – also a BBC Radio Scotland Young Trad finalist; Mikey Owers (Grit Orchestra) on sousaphone brings a unique blend of jazz and trad basslines to the band.

With a blend of deep basslines, nimble riffs, the band will get you dancing, delivering a sound that is both fiercely contemporary and rooted in trad inspired by the Boston dancehalls of the 1920s.  The Luke Daniels Band fuses English, Irish, and Scottish traditional tunes with global influences to create something vibrant, vital, and utterly unique.

Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It

Hal is back with a brand-new tour for 2025/2026 with a show that promises to stick it to ‘The Man’, as long as ‘The Man’ doesn’t stick it back to him.

With his trademark hard-hitting ‘take no prisoners’ comedy (this is what Hal told me to write!!!) he will be hilariously pontificating on subjects like middle aged dating, social media, the insanity of modern politics and the fact that his daughters love him but don’t respect him. He believes that, after you’ve seen the show, you’ll feel exactly the same way.

His last tour was extended four times and he’s one of a select number of comics to have done Live At The Apollo three times and the Royal Variety twice, TV also includes Have I Got News For You, The Apprentice You’re Fired, Bake Off Extra Slice and Would I Lie To You.

‘Reminded me of how much I love stand up‘ ★★★★ The Times

 ‘Go and see Hal Cruttenden, he’s got something to say and he’ll make you laugh; a lot.’ ★★★★★ Daily Mirror

 ‘Naturally funny…challenging and provocative’ ★★★★ Daily Telegraph

Other Lives Productions presents

Just Dickens!

To herald the Christmas Season, a gallimaufry of readings, snippets, anecdotes, factoids and semi-dramatisations from“the man who inventedChristmas”.

Festive Tour

Janice Burns & Jon Doran are an award-winning Anglo-Scottish duo who came together after discovering a shared love of traditional music. Their songs tell vivid stories about the nature of life and our place in the world.

Janice & Jon’s ‘clever and uncluttered musical storytelling’ (Songlines) comes alive through tight vocal harmonies and sensitive interplay between mandolin, bouzouki and guitar. Their arrangements have a spellbinding presence and an understated energy that transports songs from the pages of books and manuscripts into the imagination of the listener.

Following the success of their self-titled EP in 2020, Janice & Jon released their debut album, No More the Green Hills, in Autumn 2022. The album had overwhelmingly positive feedback, finding its place in the Official UK Folk Albums Chart, as well as gaining airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio Scotland.

With their relaxed and personable approach to performance, Janice & Jon are renowned for the warmth of their connection with audiences. From opening Stage 2 at Cambridge Folk Festival, to playing at the likes of Celtic Connections, Ceòl Cholasa, Edinburgh Tradfest, Sidmouth Folk Festival and Cecil Sharp House, the duo are highly sought after across the UK and beyond.

The duo’s winter gigs have become something of a tradition over the last few years, and now they’re heading out on tour with their brand-new festive album, Great Joy to the New. People have always forged customs to survive the winter, with rituals that bring people together and bring light to the dark nights. These rituals have often been born of necessity. Beautiful, colourful, musical traditions, linked by the common cause of sustaining people spiritually, mentally, or financially through a harsh winter. Janice and Jon’s new album and live show explores these themes through a collection of traditional folk songs about Christmas, winter, and optimism for the new year.

QUOTES

**** “Clever and uncluttered musical storytelling” – Songlines Magazine

***** “Five stars for this duo that have made an album destined for repeated listening.” – Irish Music Magazine

“They’re a revelation – crystal clear voices, great musicianship and an obvious deep love of the tradition.” – Mike Harding

“Really nicely done” – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show

“They play lovely strings, they have gorgeous harmony arrangements. Really well crafted, intimate, beautifully understated.” – Karine Polwart

This performance is part of our Members’ 241 Offer. Please ask for details.

Winter Wonderband is a chamber folk quartet with Saul Rose on melodeon (Faustus, War Horse, Waterson Carthy) and Maclaine Colston on hammered dulcimer (Pressgang, Kings of Calicutt) who are joined by Beth Porter (SpellSongs, Bookshop Band) on cello and Jennifer Crook (Broken Road, Cythara) on harp and guitar. With this beautiful combination of instruments, varied lead and harmony vocals, they play winter and festive themed music, traditional and modern, including original songs and settings by Jennifer. Collectively, they have played together in different formats for 30 years and that closeness shines through, with WWB formed in 2012. Their debut album joy illimited (from the Darkling Thrush) is released November 2025, recorded and produced by Stuart Bruce. Illimited – unbounded & infinite joy.