What’s On at…

Dr-Price-and-Folk-Club

THE MUSIC DIARY…

Welcome to our wonderful Folk Club, which is staging live shows every Wednesday in Pontyclun Institute Athletic Club, Castan Road/Palalwyf Avenue CF72 9EH, at 8.30pm. 

Our Zoomaround sessions are held on the first Tuesday of each month (8.15pm for 8.30pm).

IMPORTANT:  Please note that the link to our Zoom sessions has changed.  From January 6 it will be:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82653924616  

(Meeting ID: 826 5392 4616)

No password. We hope to see you there.

Wednesdays when no guest is listed are S&M (Song and Music) nights, where everyone is welcome.  £3 entry – come along and join us. (Remember to pay ONLY IN CASH – thank you!)

February 11, 2026: John Alderslade

John Alderslade has a wealth of experience in organising the Village Pump festivals in Trowbridge, Wiltshire for many years; he retired and moved to the beauty of Wales,  settling in Aberystwyth. John started performing in folk clubs in 1968, also fronting the well-travelled group Stonegallows during the 70s. He plays music in his own inimitable fashion and continues to captivate his audience in folk clubs and festivals with songs collected from friends over the years, side-splitting humour and a nearly 50-year rich fund of stories. Paul Seligman shot this video of John delighting the Llantrisant Folk Club audience the last time he was here!   

(£10 entry, £5 members)

March 4, 2026: Geoff Lakeman plus celebrating St David’s Day

Llantrisant Folk Club welcomes our guest, Cornishman Geoff Lakeman, patriarch of a folk dynasty – as dad of mighty musicians Seth, Sean and Sam and father-in-law of Cara Dillon and Kathryn Roberts. Geoff teases English and Irish folk, Americana and jazz songs out of his vintage duet concertina, and is guaranteed to have a wonderful evening – and he has released a new album, After All These Years. 

Plus: Llantrisant Folk Club celebrates March 1, the day of our patron saint, St David, Dydd Dewi Sant; we’ll also be celebrating the Cornish saint, St Piran.

(£10 entry, £5 members)

March 25, 2026: Dana Robinson

A number of years ago, Llantrisant Folk Club just soaked up the authentic sounds of Americans Dana and Susan Robinson – and from Vermont, USA, Dana is back again. He’s a songwriter, guitarist and old-time fiddler who combines a warm, open-hearted singing style, with wry humour and astute observations about community and place. For over 30 years, Dana has been a fixture on the folk and acoustic music scene in the United States and the UK, playing his unique blend of songwriting with traditional influences.

Dana’s guitar playing combines British fingerstyle and Appalachian flat-picking to create his own distinctive style. His lyrics delve deep into the natural world with wonder, hope and connection earned through his years of travel and exploration across America’s rural landscapes. His new recording, The Sound of the Word, is due for an autumn 2026 release. Please enjoy his latest video, ‘Cotton Eyed Joe‘  and another oldie: ‘Shady Grove’.

“Dana is a master storyteller, spinning his yarns with the precise skill of an artisan loom weaver.” (Seven Days)

“Rural America explored with elegant simplicity, his music and cleanly poetic song-writing bring to mind the great folksingers of our times.” (Asheville Citizen-Times)

“A poet´s perspective delivered in quietly spectacular musicianship…the music sounds laid back even while his guitar licks are knocking your socks off.” (Music Matters)

(£10 entry, £5 members)

April 8, 2026:  Steve Turner

Steve Turner comes from Manchester and  is one of those artists who have been the backbone of the British folk scene, but he has been out of circulation as a professional musician for many years. He was tempted back recently, but as he said: “folk music seems to get into your blood!” He started doing a few gigs again and came gradually back on to folkdom.

Although Steve is generally modest with his understated talent with the concertina, he is more self-confident: “All that I can do is what comes within my remit, but I would like people to be able to say: ‘If you want a concertina accompanist, Steve Turner is your man!’”

Pete Heywood, director of The Living Tradition series, said of Steve: “Although there is a common thread of tradition within the body of recordings, each singer brings their own distinctive interpretation to any song. I consider Steve to be one of a few in any generation who also takes an instrument to another level. There is depth in these songs and in these performances, and I hope that they will bring you pleasure with each listening.”

(£10 entry, £5 members)

April 22, 2026: Sarah McQuaid

Sarah is a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is known for her rich voice, captivating composing and diverse musical influences, blending folk, blues and storytelling. She was born in Spain to an American mother and a Spanish father and was raised in Chicago, Illinois. Her musical journey began early, inspired by her folk-singing mother and her distant cousin, the celebrated singer-songwriter, folk musician and storyteller Gamble Rogers. She toured with the Chicago Children’s Choir from a young age, which helped shape her musical career.

She has recorded seven solo albums: When Two Lovers Meet (1997), I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning (2008), The Plum Tree And The Rose (2012), Walking into White (2015), If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous (2018), The St Buryan Sessions (2021) and Walking into White Live in Rapid City (self-released on Bandcamp, 2025). Please watch her video: Sarah McQuaid – A Brief  Introduction.

(£10 entry, £5 members)

May 6, 2026: Ruth & Ken Powell

Ruth and Ken hail from North Wales; they provide a superb combination of songs from the 1930s to the traditional folk song and English/American contemporary music. Giving concerts that appeal to almost every audience, Ruth and Ken engage with an eclectic programme of songs with the fulsome sound of handmade instruments, made and played superbly by Ken, with dynamic lead vocals from Ruth. Not only has Ruth got an amazingly clear pitch-perfect voice, but she also has that natural ability to communicate with an audience; with the added extra of subtle harmonies from Ken, they make a great sound. They have a rich yet casual approach, giving you a feeling that you’ve known them forever.

(£10 entry, £5 members)

May 27, 2026: Over the Moon

They’re back at Llantrisant Folk Club again! Canadian married couple Over The Moon are award-winning vocal and multi-instrumentalists Suzanne Levesque and Craig Bignell, who hail from Southern Alberta – and they’re extremely good! Their first CD, Moondancer, was released in 2017, and it reflects the beautiful seamless harmony style that they are known for and the wide array of acoustic instruments that they play, including guitar, fiddle, accordion, double bass and steel. Most of the songs are original and tell stories of life lived in Southern Alberta’s ranching country, and their lovely repertoire ranges from Appalachian old-time music to Cowboy blues to Western Swing. Over The Moon’s second album, Chinook Waltz, contains ten memorable tracks – including Steve Gillette’s lovely classic ‘Darcy Farrow’. Please watch a video of Craig and Suzanne performing their song ‘Over The Moon’ on Radio Western 

(£10 entry, £5 members)

June 17, 2026: Lynne Heraud & Pat Turner

Llantrisant Folk Club warmly welcomes the sirens of song! Lynne and Pat are firm folk festival favourites with their entertaining spot-on harmonies, friendly chat, beautiful repertoire and their wry and comic observations. Folk fans know and love them for their tried-and-trusted material, enhanced with Lynne’s soprano voice and Pat’s alto, mixed with a cappella, recorder and acoustic guitar; both Lynne and Pat are guaranteed to deliver a fantastic evening.

They have recorded a clutch of albums, including Far Distant Stars, Watching for Winkles, The Moon Shines Bright, September Days, Tickled Pink and Parallel; Lynne has also recorded a CD album with Keith Kendrick, Stars in My Crown. Please watch two videos: Lynne and Pat performing ‘Moth’, by Anne Lister of Pontypool, and singing ‘A Windy Song!‘

(£10 entry, £5 members)

June 24, 2026: Kenny Speirs

“Kenny Speirs’ lifetime in music is legendary,” says singer-songwriter-guitarist Anthony John Clarke: “His songs and voice resonate from the Scottish Borders and beyond across the folk music world. He has been there and done it – a proper master of his craft.”

In 2002, Kenny moved on to form Real Time with his partner Judy Dinning, of Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies fame. For the next 11 years they toured extensively all over Europe and also in the USA, until Judy’s untimely death in October 2013. The six albums from this intimate collaboration have been the highlight of his career to date.

Kenny is also one of the leading figures of the Borders folk scene, from his early days reforming Peebles Folk Club and presenting the weekly folk programme on Radio Borders to the founding of Denholm Folk Club in 1993, which he still runs today. He is also Director of Denholm Folk Festival and the Scottish Borders Hogmanay Festival, The Land The Light The Locals.

(£10 entry, £5 members)

July 22, 2026: Mark Dowding

Mark comes from Lancashire and is a very captivating and superbly wonderful singer of folk songs; he is also a historian and a dialect scholar and for every song he sings, he can give you the history of that song – who wrote it, the social climate at the time it was written and its meaning. Mark is also a multi-instrumentalist, including amongst his collection he looks after and plays his concertina, guitar, banjo and mandolin.

He has travelled and worked around the world, his combination of music and lyrics tell stories of some of his own experiences and those of others he met along the way. He popped up in Llantrisant Folk Club’s Zoom nights, and we booked him straight away! 

(£10 entry, £5 members)

August 12, 2026: Sherburn Bartley Sanders

Amazing concertina player Chris Sherburn and vocalist/guitarist Denny Bartley  have brought their unique sound to audiences across the globe since 1993. In 2016, they joined forces with fiddler and vocalist Emily Sanders, blending vocal harmonies and strings to their unique sound.

Now their soul-stirring songs, exhilarating tunes and quick-witted banter proves that no two concerts are ever the same; from festival stages to intimate venues, their gigs are filled with warmth, laughter, exceptional musicianship and oodles of great live magic.

Their latest debut album Beguile features Chris, Denny and Emily together, and also has some stellar guest performances from Martin Simpson and Andy Seward (Kate Rusby Band). Please watch the video of Chris, Denny and Emily on stage at the Music at Manley Festival.

(£10 entry, £5 members)

August 26, 2026: We Mavericks

Antipodean duo We Mavericks are violinist and accompanist Lindsay Martin, coming from the Australian town of Chubut, New South Wales, and Victoria Vigenser, born in Auckland, New Zealand 

(£10 entry, £5 members)

September 16, 2026:  Bob Wood

(£10 entry, £5 members)

October 7, 2026: Cathryn Craig & Brian Willoughby

(£10 entry, £5 members)

October 21, 2026: Winter Wilson

(£10 entry, £5 members)

For past guests, click here

For booking information & general enquiries…

Pat Smith   Mick Tems
Telephone 01443 226892   Telephone 01443 201634
Mobile 07989 209824   Mobile 07531 812400
Email (click) Pat Smith   Email (click) Mick Tems