After our first gig at the King Georges Hall with Fairport Convention we return to that excellent venue with Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle in September and the Tannahill Weavers in the 40th year in November.

A totally new city will be host to the Maddy Prior ‘Back To Traditions’ gig in October. The Bluecoats Arts Centre in Liverpool is a wonderful location and a tribute to all those involved in creating a great multi-faceted arts centre. The same gig in Hornby earlier this year sold out very quickly so get your seats booked as soon as possible.

One of our November gigs is also in a totally new venue for Friends of Folk. We are delighted to have secured one of only two North West dates for the Carnival Band who will be presenting their ‘around the World in 80 Tunes’ concert. Many will know the Carnival Band from their Carols & Capers tours with Maddy Prior and this promises to be an excellent evening with some of the most talented musicians we have worked with. The Rose Theatre at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk will provide an intimate setting for this concert.

No Friends of Folk programme would be the same without a performance by Abbie Lathe and her colleagues. This year we have not one, but two nights planned. Abbie Lathe and The Lovelies will be appearing at the Darwen Libray Theatre and the Hornby Institute. On both nights we will also welcome Chris & Siobhan Nelson who are a talented duo from Souhtport and have been great supporters of Friends of Folk.

The second of two concerts planned for the Hornby Institute features Ken Nicol and Phil Cool who have joined together to form a unique musical partnership.

Ken Nicol, guitar virtuoso and member of the renowned folk-rock band Steeleye Span, holds audiences spellbound with his self-penned instrumentals and brilliantly-crafted songs. Phil Cool, the famous comedian and impressionist, shows his more serious side as a singer and songwriter ... although you can bet there's plenty of fun and laughter, too. Together they produce a two-hour show full of music that both plucks at the heartstrings and tickles the funny bone.