Sarah McQuaid Enchanted the Audience at the Saltcellar Folk Club

The Saltcellar Folk Club was a great place to be on the first Saturday in September when Sarah McQuaid visited us.  She proved to be very popular. 

photo by Robin Tulloch

Sarah's songs are well-crafted and thoughtful and cover many topics from the historical to the movingly personal. Her performances at the Saltcellar were captivating, as she used the good acoustics in the venue to fine effect. She has a beautiful voice and accompanied this with virtuoso guitar playing (using DADGAD tuning). She also used technology to stunningly enhance the vocals on a couple of her songs.

We were also fortunate to have some brilliant floor performers to provide a variety of top quality songs. One of the performers, Robin Tulloch, took the photo of Sarah above (see his Facebook page for a few more).

On Saturday 5th October, the Saltcellar will host popular local duo, Chameleon, who promise an evening embracing British traditional songs, American country music (traditional and contemporary), ragtime and jug band music and a sprinkling of jazz classics.  The evening starts at 7.30pm and floor performers are welcome.

Sarah McQuaid - Coming Soon to the Saltcellar

After a break for August the Saltcellar Folk Club returns on Saturday 7th September with a very special guest: Sarah McQuaid, who comes to Bristol at the start of a 64-date autumn tour around the UK and US.  

 Photo by Colm Henry (www.colmhenry.ie)

Sarah is a rising star with a voice likened to malt whiskey, melted chocolate and “honey poured into wine”.   Her musical output reflects her own eclectic background: Sarah was born in Spain, raised in Chicago, holds dual US and Irish citizenship, and now lives in rural England. At the Saltcellar we can expect to hear her beautifully crafted originals and her interpretations of material from around the globe and down the centuries. Sarah's website has further information.

A reminder that the evening begins on the 7th at 7.30pm and the entrance charge is £5. If you would like to contribute to the evening as a floor performer, please let us know when you arrive.

Johnny Coppin at the Saltcellar

This Saturday (6th July) sees the final headline act at the Saltcellar folk club before the summer break.

Johnny Coppin is a Gloucestershire based singer/songwriter, composer, poetry anthologist and broadcaster. He has written and recorded many albums as a solo artist and has a weekly one-hour show on BBC Radio Gloucestershire. He is also Musical Director for the Festival Players and has written songs for many productions of Shakespeare plays.

You can find more information on Johnny's website and listen to his radio show via the BBC website.  A reminder that the evening begins at 7.30pm and the entrance charge is £5. If you would like to contribute to the evening as a floor performer, please let us know when you arrive.

Fantastic Interpretations of Songs

On Saturday 27th April, the Saltcellar Folk Club welcomed back Si Barron, one of the most popular local performers of traditional and acoustic songs.

As in his previous appearance in 2012, Si delighted the audience with well-performed interpretations of songs from a surprisingly wide variety of sources. We heard traditional English folk songs, compositions from songwriters on both sides of the Atlantic and even a saucy piece of music hall whimsy. The linking thread was Si's thoughtful presentation of each song, as he passed on his clear love of the music to everyone watching (and singing along).

We were also fortunate to have over a dozen other singers and musicians who performed "from the floor". There were many different musical styles on display and a plethora of sources, both traditional and more modern. We heard lyrics from such great songwriters as James Taylor, Tom Waits and GK Chesterton(!). During many of the songs the performers encouraged singing from the audience and the Saltcellar's good acoustics were showcased to great effect.  

The next Saltcellar Folk Club is on 1st June, when our guest will be Sara Grey, a ballad singer of great strength and one of the foremost exponents of the old-time style of five string banjo playing. We would appreciate it if any potential floor singers and musicians could e-mail us in advance if they wish to perform.

Two Helpings of the Saltcellar Folk Club in April

Due to the May Bank Holiday, there will be a second evening of music on 27th April.  

Our guest on the 27th will be Si Barron who attracted the largest attendance of 2012 on his first appearance at the Saltcellar. Si has an assured stage presence and is a popular local performer of of traditional English songs and original material. Si's website has more information.

On 5th April we had a great set of songs from Sue Franklin and Tim Brine, who mixed traditional songs and their own music to good effect. They are a very engaging, not to mention talented, duo. We were also fortunate to have 13 floor performers with top quality singing, playing and reciting (we had our first ever poetry performances).

A Night of High Quality Music of Many Styles

The March Saltcellar Folk Club featured an appearance by Karen Tweed, in whose hands the accordion is truly an instrument of tremendous versatility. She was supported by over a dozen vocalists and musicians who turned up to sing and play.

Within Karen's two sets the tunes ranged from jaunty toe-tappers to gorgeously romantic music, from astonishingly complex combinations of rhythm and tone to simple memorable melodies. Often, a single piece encompassed many of these variations, as in the second set when Karen played music from her most recent CD, "Essentially Invisible To The Eye".

As well as being a fine musician, Karen is an engaging speaker and an ambassador for the accordion. In addition to answering questions about the instrument during the evening, she also stayed behind at the end to speak to many of those who attended (there were around 70 in total). All this despite the fact that the following day saw Karen catching a flight to Norway for gigs there.

Karen's website has more information about all of her work.

We are very fortunate that the Saltcellar attracts a fine array of performers "from the floor". The March folk club had some very memorable songs and tunes, with an astonishing variety of styles, content and instruments (including unaccompanied vocalists). Many thanks to everyone who performed. There were tunes of beautiful delicacy, love songs, songs that provoked smiles and laughter and, above all, consistently high quality. As Karen noted, Bristol is fortunate to have such talent.

April will see two meetings of the Saltcellar Folk Club (the second to avoid the May Day bank holiday weekend). On the first Saturday in April, the 6th, we welcome singer songwriter duo, Sue Franklin & Tim Brine, who are very popular in local folk clubs, with their own well-crafted songs and interpretations of other great pieces.

As always, floor singers and musicians are welcome and should contact us in advance to be sure of a spot. The evening begins at 7.30pm.

Karen Tweed on Saturday 2nd March

Next Saturday, 2nd March, the Saltcellar Folk Club welcomes Karen Tweed, one of English folk music's most accomplished accordion players. Karen will be performing a solo set and has a CD out which has received very positive reviews, "Essentially Invisible to the Eye". This includes some of Karen's own compositions alongside traditional and modern melodies.

Photo by Richard Faulks

More information about Karen is available from her website and she is also featured in this month's Froots magazine.

As usual, there are opportunities for floor singers and musicians. If possible it would be good if you could let us know in advance if you intend to perform. If not please speak to us on arrival.

Stunning Folk Choir in February, Accordion Queen in March

February's Saltcellar Folk Club was attended by around 70 people, who enjoyed an evening of entertaining music from the Freshly Ground folk choir, ably supported by some great floor singers and musicians.

Freshly Ground tackled a wide repertoire of songs with great professionalism and, depending on the piece, humour, tenderness or vigour. We felt very privileged to have eleven great singers on the stage who combined their voices so well and were led with such effectiveness by Issy Emeny.

Photo: Laurie Burn

Thank you to the choir, picture above, and to all those who contributed floor spots.

On 2nd March the Saltcellar Folk Club will host Karen Tweed, one of the leading accordion players on the UK and International folk scene. She is a stunning soloist with a musical approach informed by tradition but which breaks convention and takes acoustic music into a new realm. 

According to the Irish Echo, what Karen has done is to "liberate the piano accordion from the oompah band stereotypes and demonstrate the instrument’s full melodicism" while Iain Anderson of BBC Radio Scotland describes her latest LP, "Essentially Invisible To The Eye", as "…beautifully presented and judged". More information is available via Karen's website.


The club will be open from 7.30pm in the basement of Totterdown Baptist Church on Wells Road. As always, singers or musicians who would like to perform "from the floor" during the evening should let us know either prior to the evening or as they arrive. The entrance fee is £6, less for performers.

19 Acts Performed in One Night

The first Saturday of 2013 was a singaround, where anyone who wished could turn up and play. For those involved in the organisation of the evening there was nervousness before it started: How many performers would appear? Would there only be enough for a shortened evening of music?

We need not have worried. We were blessed with nineteen acts who turned up to showcase their talents. There were a wide variety of musical styles but the quality did not waver. Each act captured the attention of everyone who was there as, in turn, they performed their chosen pair of songs or instrumental pieces.

There were guitars galore but we also heard accompaniments from other instruments and none. Traditional songs and tunes rubbed shoulders with more up to date pieces, including some about very up to date topics and others from the third best selling LP of 2012. The evening ended with our largest ever floor act, a North Bristol folk choir.

Coincidentally, the next Saltcellar Folk Club, on 2nd February, will be headlined by an ensemble of folk singers, Freshly Ground. This group of eleven vocalists have come together to sing English traditional and original songs in glorious harmony.  With stunning arrangements written by the group’s creator Issy Emeney, Freshly Ground are establishing a reputation as one of the finest choirs on the folk scene today. See Issy's website for more information.

The club will be open from 7.30pm on Saturday 2nd February 2013 in the basement of Totterdown Baptist Church on Wells Road. Any singers or musicians who would like to perform "from the floor" during the evening should let us know when they arrive. The entrance fee will be £6, with a reduction for performers.