Artisan reforming! Thank (or blame) Lunenberg Festival in Nova Scotia - they have invited vocal fireworks trio Artisan to reunite to perform at their 25th Anniversary Festival from August 5 - 8, 2010. It was just too good an offer to turn down. Lunenburg has always been one of Artisan's favourite places to play since their first appearance there in 1995. So Hilary, Brian and Jacey said: "YES, PLEASE!"

Jacey said: "It will be five years since Artisan's retirement concert in 2005, so we're going to have to get together to rehearse some old songs and learn some new. There will be a new CD released with new songs, and also a Best Of Artisan retrospective - which we've been promising for quite some time."

You can see and hear Artisan at Llantrisant Folk Club - but don't delay. Artisan will be together for a few short months, and then go their separate ways. Don't miss it!

Arts Council Wales is supporting this NIGHT OUT Scheme.

Les writes strange poems and comes from Manchester (he recently emigrated to North Wales, where he won the Welsh Learner Of The Year award). Anyway, he was an accountant before he became a professional idiot. He's written 72 books, which sell in large numbers at his gigs because people don't quite believe what they've just heard. His poems have spawned a number of folk heroes: Jason and the Arguments, Cosmo the Fairly Accurate Knife Thrower, Captain Indecisive and Spot of the Antarctic.

Les began his career as assistant to Mrs Ackroyd, a small hairy mongrel who lay around in folk clubs, bit people and became famous. Mrs Ackroyd was the only dog ever to own her own record label. Since her sad demise, Les is mainly a solo performer, though he has taken to working with humans from time to time. The Mrs Ackroyd Band gradually evolved from an ever-changing who's who of the folk scene into a tightly knit, well-rehearsed group.

Les has several solo albums to his credit, including Dogologues, An Infinite Number of Occasional Tables, A Cardi and Bloke, Up the creek without a poodle, Arovertherapy and The War on Terrier. In addition there are highly acclaimed albums of his serious work; the folk opera The Stones of Callanish, Some Love, The Wings of Butterflies and Airs of the Dog, all involving a galaxy of talent. His serious songs have also featured on recent albums by Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, and by June Tabor. June invariably includes a smattering of Les's serious and comic songs in her live performances. An evening with Les is one not to be missed!

Nicole Murray and John Thompson call their fabulous act "hot harmonies and beautiful ballads", and Rock 'n' Reel describe it as "assured and stylish acoustic-fired folk music." Cloudstreet sweep aside musical boundaries and sing! They take traditional folk song, shake it vigorously, add exquisite harmonies and a mountain of fun to produce heart-lifting shows that excite, entertain and delight. Nicole and John (who is one of Aussie folk festival favourites Spooky Men's Chorale) perform New Australian folk music, a combination of Anglo-Celtic and Australian traditional songs and tunes, coupled with trad-styled original songs. Their repertoire represents the many influences from around the world that have been blended to produce Australian folk music. This is the third time that Cloudstreet have graced us with their presence - welcome back again!

Happy 30th birthday to us! From that first Wednesday, when the fledgling Llantrisant Folk Club started life in The New Inn in Swan Street, through our moves to The Bear, The Cross Keys, back to The Bear again, The Ifor Arms, The Brunel Arms, The Cross Keys again and The Windsor Hotel. 

The Club launched itself on an unsuspecting Llantrisant when Pat Smith and Mick Tems, the only two founder members, were playing in the Bedwen Haf twmpath band with Siwsann George and Stewart Brown, and needed a room to practice. Lionel, landlord of The New Inn, immediately offered his room - and suggested the four could start a folk club. The rest is history! 

Jo, musician and composer, comes from a pioneering background in folk and acoustic music. She plays or has played with Blowzabella, Token Women, The Lal Waterson Project, Coope/Boyes/Simpson/Fraser/Freya/Boyes, Maalstrom, The Fraser Sisters, Freyja, Scarp, The Old Swan Band, as part in duos with Kathryn Locke and Pete Moreton and as a session musician with Lal Waterson, Annie Williamson and Anne Lister. Surprisingly, Female Smuggler is Jo's first solo CD (she recorded an album called Traditional Songs Of England on request from the company who wished to release it, with arrangements done by them, so this is Jo's first in reality.) The intention behind the CD is to reflect the diversity of Jo's music. It's all here - beguiling instrumental, beautiful vocal, exciting traditional and visionary contemporary, and much of it is penned by the maestro herself. Jo is going out on the road to promote the album, accompanied by Neil Ferguson and Jude Abbott of Chumbawamba. Do not miss them!

Arts Council Wales is supporting this NIGHT OUT Scheme.

Colum makes his return to Llantrisant once again, and we can look forward to a fine batch of his own whimsical, searching songs, some penetrating, some comical, but all thoroughly satisfying. A member of the internationally renowned Sands Family from County Down, Colum established his reputation as a songwriter with the release of his first solo album, Unapproved Road in 1981. Songs like Whatever You Say, Say Nothing, and Almost Every Circumstance were soon in the repertoire of artists from Billy Connolly to Maddy Prior and June Tabor. 

His second album, March Ditch, inspired a special BBC TV documentary and songs like The Man With the Cap and Looking the Loan Of a Spade confirmed his unique ability to observe locally and appeal universally. On his travels around the world he soon discovered that many of his songs had arrived before him, carried by other singers in the folk process and on recordings by fellow performers like Andy Irvine, Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, Roy Bailey, Mick Hanley and Enda Kenny.

Countless other performers have been introduced to the air waves through Colum's work as a presenter of BBC Radio Ulster's Folk Club programme. He has also broadcast a series of programmes for BBC Radio 2 and his work in radio and studio production earned him the Living Tradition Award for services to Folk and Traditional Music.

The Club extends a warm welcome to Bob, whose musical career started in the folk clubs of his native north-east, where he became resident singer at the celebrated Davy Lamp club. Later, he toured as a duo with fiddler Tom McConville.

Bob next teamed up with Stu Luckley, recording Nowt So Good'll Pass, the Folk Album of The Year which won them tours of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Bob and Stu were in demand at festivals too, including the prestigious Cambridge Folk Festival, and played as support on tours with Richard Thompson and Ralph McTell. after recording a second album, Wish We Had Never Parted, Bob and Stu pursued solo careers. More recently, Bob re-recorded 14 songs from his albums with Stu which were released as the album Box of Gold.

He recorded his first solo album, Dreams Never Leave You, and joined fellow north-easterner Jed Grimes in The Hush, a six-piece band playing traditional north-eastern songs in innovative ways. The Hush's debut album Dark To The Sky gained a nomination at the 2003 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Meanwhile, Bob regularly tours Britain, Europe, north America and Australia.

We bid the warmest of welcomes to this all-singing, all-dancing "one-man folk industry", as Radio 2 puts it - or "One of our most versatile and impressive performers" (Alan Bearman of the Sidmouth International Festival).

Pete's used to epithets and praises: Laurence Heath of Froots magazine said he is "Positively ebullient on stage, step-dancing whilst playing and singing" - while David Herron of The Living Tradition magazine declared: "Nowhere do you find all the threads of song, dance, musician, caller & organiser woven together in such a rich tapestry." Paul Davenport (EDS magazine) said: "Every aspiring young performer needs to watch this man whose driving, footstomping delivery on a variety of instruments and outstanding voice is an object lesson in regard-for-your-audience basics."

"He's still one of the most committed, most versatile, most important folk artists in Britain," said BBC Folk & Acoustic Website Artists database. While up in The North, The Glasgow Herald proclaimed: "Pete Coe is dry of wit, strong of voice and his instrumental versatility is of vaudevillian impressiveness."

The Electric Theatre, Guildford, said: "Uniquely gifted as a terrific singer, accomplished multi-instrumentalist and thrilling step-dancer, sometimes all at once! An evening with Pete Coe is an exhilarating experience" - while Chris Ridley of Bodmin Folk Song Club wrote: "He informs all he does with passion, love, and humour. This intelligent man is thought-provoking, entertaining, rewarding, and he lives his life in music."

And Auckland Festival in New Zealand reviewed him as "A huge and wonderful voice, and a multi-instrumentalist and master of his craft. Add to all that his ability to dance in the clogging style whilst playing, he was a knock-out, and left his audiences gob-smacked."

Dafydd left school and worked as a tape op in a Cardiff recording studio, recording and playing with great players like Pino Palladino, Richard Dunn, Micky Gee, Aran Ahmun, Iain Scott, Tich Gwilym, Myfyr Isaacs, Pete Hurley, Dai 'Tank' Watkins, Phil Ryan, Neil Lockwood and others passing through on a daily basis.

He started doing TV sessions mainly on bass, taking over a few sessions from Pino when he went on to become famous. But, he said: "TV work dried up with the advent of S4C and work moving north. Wish I'd moved to London then, but didn't... carried on playing in local bands such as Red Beans and Rice.

"Eventually found myself gravitating more towards songwriting and solo performance rather than being a sideman. Worked recently on new Huw Chiswell album, contributing guitars, mandolin, banjo and backing vox, with Richard Dunn, Chris Childs and Paul Beavis.

Mick is well known as a fine singer of traditional and original songs; "definitely the most underrated singer in the country," according to Froots magazine. Mick wrote comic and serious material for very popular band, Crows, and he has since written for radio and a series of highly successful folk musicals: A Tollpuddle Man, A Day's Work, The Voyage, Tanks for the Memory and, recently, The Navvy's Wife. He came to Llantrisant Folk Club with Pete Harris, a partnership which "positively oozes skill and professionalism" (Folk North West) and "utterly superb" singing (Shreds and Patches).

"Judy's the Real Thing - with capital letters..." That's none other than Peggy Seeger saying it, and we can settle back and let Judy lift the spirit and entertain with traditional ballads from a huge and varied Anglo-American repertoire. Her unaccompanied presentation and delivery combine with her joy of singing to delight all listeners. Judy comes from the US state of Maryland, and she performs each year in Britain and the Midwest as well as on the East Coast of the USA. She has two CDs of unaccompanied songs and ballads: If You Sing Songs... and Far From the Lowlands.

(Photos by Mick Tems)

Emily (fiddle) and Hazel (melodeon) came down from London and amazed us all with their sweet, beautiful repertoire which seemed to dance on air. Now they're back, by public demand - they're great musicians, and Hazel has a voice which brings a lump into the throats of audiences anywhere! 

DON’T FORGET:

All other Wednesdays are Song And Music Nights, starting at 8.30pm. 

For past guests, click here