January - Pete Morton

band which includes three stalwarts from the folk scene in Sussex, Mel Stevens, Dick Streeter and Dave Toye. Mel plays Chromatic button accordion and C Melody saxophone with Okee Dokee, and has written a number of their songs. Mel also plays with the French dance band Tonik, mentioned above. Finally here is the programme for the Lewes Saturday Folk Club which meets at the Elephant and Castle in White Hill 3 DEC RAMSKYTE - a three-part vocal harmony group from Hampshire singing mainly English traditional songs & some written by John Bartlett. 10 DEC SHEPHERDS ARISE Old Sussex carols with fiddle, flute, bassoon, serpent, whistle & concertinas, Sussex tunes, Sussex readings, Sussex mummers’ play. 17 DEC CHRISTMAS PARTY BY FIRE & CANDLELIGHT £4 Carols, home-made mince pies, minimalist panto, candles & an open fire 7 JAN COPPER FAMILY The Copper Family of Rottingdean in Sussex sing the songs their family has loved and preserved for at least seven generations - songs of farming, sailing, love, drink, war, sport, drama and comedy.. 14 JAN WASSAIL NIGHT We light the log fire and the candles tonight. Bring songs and tunes for winter and wassailing. 21 JAN SUSSEX ALL-DAY SINGAROUND 11.00 a.m. – 11.00 p.m. Elephant & Castle, White Hill, Lewes BN7 2DJ Good pub food on sale until 7:30 p.m. First an hour of informal tunes while people arrive. Then the singing starts, with a break from 6.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m., finishing with a good hour of glorious choruses. Ballads & the occasional instrumental party piece will be very welcome too. The open fire will burn throughout & we’ll light candles for the evening session. 28 JAN EAST CORNER TRIO Three young musicians, finalists in the 2022 New Roots competition & members of the London & National Youth Folk Ensembles, Elye Cuthbertson, Danny Marshall, & Mía Iles-Pérez.

Wed 8th February 2023 to Sat 17th June 2023. Exhibition with Free entry. Maidstone Museum, St Faiths Street, Maidstone ME14 1LH The Hooden Horse can be seen snapping its teeth and causing havoc at many folk festivals, but where did it come from and how does it relate to other animal disguises around the UK? This exhibition unites Maidstone Museum’s two old Hooden Horses with their early surviving cousins; Morris Dancing revival horses; Northern skull horses; the Old Tup; Mari Lwyd; Obby Osses; and stag disguises. It explores the Christmas house-calling custom of Hoodening and its reinvention as Autohoodening, a new kind of folk performance about the precarity of contemporary seasonal working. This will be worth a visit to experience the Hooden Horse brought to life around the town and museum on event days during the exhibition. museum.maidstone.gov.uk/whats-on/events/animal-guising-the-kentish-hooden-horse

Elephant&Castle,WhiteHill,LewesBN72DJ8.00–11.00 www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org valmaigoodyear@aol.com 01273476757 Loyaltycard:6eveningvisits=£5offanevening Dec3 Ramskyte 3-manvocalharmony Dec10ShepherdsArise OldSussexcarols,tunes,readings, Mummingplay Dec17ChristmasParty Carols,candles,mincepies,openfire

Jan7 CopperFamily Emailtoreservetickets Jan14 Wassail Twelfthcake,wassailbowl,fire,candles

Firstanhourofinformaltuneswhilepeoplearrive.Thenthesinging starts,withabreakfrom6.00p.m.-7.00p.m.,finishingwithagood hourofgloriouschoruses.Ballads&theoccasionalinstrumentalparty piecewillbeverywelcometoo.Theopenfirewillburnthroughout& we’lllightcandlesfortheeveningsession. Admissionwithcollection-£1suggested.Foodonsaleuntil7:30p.m.

Tutorsperformattheclubintheevening.Emailforplaces. 11March JEZLOWE SONGWRITING 1April THEWILSONS VOCALHARMONY 29April WILL&PIPPANOBLE BALLADFORUM