15/09/2026
A lot of the Bath Folk Festival programme is up on our website bathfolkfestival.org and tickets for almost all the ticketed events are now on sale at the Bath box office. We are very proud to present to you lots of amazing acts from different folk traditions.
Each day we will do a feature on different aspects of the festival. Today we focus on
Pococks living room
Upstairs at The Grapes 14 Westgate St, Bath BA1 1EQ
(Accessible by stairs only)
Hidden above the bustle of Westgate Street, above the Grapes Jacobean
Living Room is one of Bath’s most atmospheric spaces.
This a series of intimate acoustic concerts that have been chosen very
carefully to offer something special. These are strictly limited to only 30
seats so we expect these shows to sell out. Book early to avoid missing out!
Friday 2nd October 7-8pm
Dora Darling and Jenny Bliss £14
Dora Darling and Jenny Bliss will take you on an enchanting Journey...
“Dora’s rich deep voice draws you into the stories of the songs she’s written...” Nancy Kerr and
James Fagan.
Dora’s collection of self-penned and traditional songs harks back to an era of myth and legend,
her voice captures the countryside, a gentle timeless note.
With virtuosic multi- instrumentalist and ancient music specialist Jenny Bliss “Weaving her magic
again” - BBC Radio 3.
Wednesday
7th October 7:30-8:30pm Patterson & Dipper £18
John Dipper and James Patterson each have deep roots in the English folk scene.
John, brought up in the Wiltshire home of performing and instrument making parents, has been
playing fiddle for as long as he can recall. Widely regarded as one of the finest English fiddlers
he has worked as part of the English Acoustic Collective, Alma, The Emily Askew Band and
many others. His work with James Patterson has led him to commission and explore the viola
d’amore as an instrument to accompany song.
James started singing in folk clubs whilst still a student in London in the early 1970s. A highly
regarded singer and interpreter of a wide range of material, he worked off and on for nearly 40
years with the late Ralph Jordan in Silas, Crows and Patterson, Jordan, Dipper and has
continued his musical explorations with John since Ralph’s death. James has also, until recently,
worked in the revived line up of Crows.
Together they present a rich tapestry of tunes and songs garnered from a wide range of sources
and all infused with a musicality and thoughtfulness that only comes with long experience.
Friday 9th October
Brother Tree Sound
7:30pm - 9:00pm
Friday 9th October
Price: £10
With three albums generating over 10 million streams worldwide, regular spins on radio 3 Night Tracks, a recent sold out show at Kings Place London, 4 star reviews from BBC music magazine and an eclectic interest in music that spans folk, contemporary and experimental genres, Brother Tree Sound is a trailblazing string quartet with a passion for inspiring audiences.
Whether they play in music clubs, on concert platforms, at classical music festivals, outdoor stages or at folk music clubs they always put their heart into every performance.
Their open approach to creating projects allows them to move seamlessly from the more traditional string quartet repertoire to experimental music with space for some of their own arrangements of folk music along the way. They will be playing music from their EP ‘Songs Without Words’ praised for it’s ‘Intimate, ethereal beauty’ by blogger Stationary Travels and their EP of folk songs from around the UK and Ireland ‘Maid on the Shore’ as well as some new folk music from the West Country specially arranged for this concert.
Saturday
10th October 2-3pm
£11 Folk Tales of Britain with Jem Roberts
Timeless tales from up and down the length of Great Britain – Wales, Scotland, Kernow,
England and the Isles – retold for the 21st century by curious storyteller Brother Bernard, with a
tourist guide to the real location of each folktale included.
Visit famed heroes King Arthur, Merlin, Robin Hood, Lady Godiva, Macbeth, Dick Whittington
and Jack, but also those who should be more celebrated, like Molly Whuppie, Bran the Blessed,
Bladud, Taliesin and Tom Thumb. Since Britain became an island eight millennia ago,
generations of immigrants have made their home here in Albion, creating their own stories,
which have become part of the richly stocked treasury of British folklore.
Saturday 10th October 4-5pm £11 Folk N Funny with Jem Roberts
Comedy writer historian and biographer celebrates the tradition of humour in folk songs
performing from those he has collected along the way. Parental discretion is advised.
Saturday 10th October 7-8pm
Katie Stevens & Aaron Olwell £15
From Birmingham to Virginia, Katie and Aaron join musical forces with a plethora
of interests and instruments to hand. Prepare to hear Appalachian fiddling, Irish
fluting and piping, balkan clarinetting and melodies from around the world inbetween.
Saturday 10th October 8-9pm The Tradinets £17
The Tradinets bring the rich, expressive voice of the clarinet to the folk tradition.
This unique ensemble of four celebrated musicians weaves together bass and Bb
clarinets, creating a warm, sonorous soundscape that celebrates the clarinet in
traditional music, as you have never heard it before! Players include Katie Stevens
(Bonfire Radicals, The Destroyers, Filkin’s Ensemble), Dominic O’Sullivan
(Juniper, Filkin’s Ensemble), Kat Browning (Katmuss & Tyler Hay) and Helen
Gentile (Threepenny Bit, Monkey See Monkey Do, Helen Gentile & Lewis Wood).
Programme (more to follow!) Dora Darling with Jenny Bliss 7:00pm Friday 2nd October Pocock Lounge @ The Grapes Jonny Melancholy and the Sad Cowboys 8:00pm Friday 2nd October The Grapes The Charlotte Carrivick Band 8:00pm Friday 2nd October Chapel Arts French and Breton Bal and Workshop 12:00pm Satur...
