Christchurch Folk Music Club

September 2024 Recap

29 September: Open Mic Night

We provide an outlet for local acoustic performers – singers, songwriters & poets all welcome. We encourage all levels – novice or expert – to hone performance skills in front of a sympathetic audience

22 September: Anna van Riel award-winning songwriter

Lake Hāwea artist Anna van Riel is an award-winning songwriter with a passion for folk, blues and jazz.
With a music career spanning over 20 years, Anna has performed at the world’s highest musical festival in Ladakh, across two summers in the Cote d’ zur, through earth homes and permaculture farms in North America and through festivals across the East Coast of Australia. She has even performed for Prince Albert of Monaco…twice!

Anna originally hails from Invercargill; where she was inspired by the musical theatre and performing arts scene. She moved to Central Otago in her adolescence where she developed her vintage-folk fusion sound. Anna considers herself a resident of the Deep South and is serial-collaborator across the community. Her vinyl collection reflects inspiration from the greats, such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Lamontagne and Little River Band.

Throughout the year Anna tours her original 80’s-inspired one-woman stage show for children called Waste Free Wanda, empowering tamariki how to reduce single-use waste on the planet, while infusing them with actions and 80’s-inspired power anthems that support them to remember simple tools on how to care for our planet.

Trained in vocal mechanics and breathwork, Anna delivers 1:1 coaching from her Hāwea voice studio, and runs both singing & speaking workshops across the South of NZ, supporting speakers and singers to find their true voices. A passionate veggie gardener and homesteader, Anna grows food on the family property where she lives with 3 generations, including her handsome husband and two children.

Often performing with her ukulele band, The Synergy, Anna’s compositions weave storytelling with imagery, inviting audiences to journey with her through song. Following a sabbatical in the children’s-music sector, Anna is back en force, and sporting a deeper, fuller vocal range and a brand new repertoire. Anna is currently working on her 6th studio album.

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15 September: Nick Smith

Nick has a long standing interest in British folk music, attending folk clubs and festivals back in the U.K. before emigrating to NZ 20 years ago. Nick and his family settled in Gisborne for 12 years, where he was an active participant on the local music scene, performing in an acoustic duo and forming a folk / Irish band called Barleycorn.

He recently attended the Waimate Winter Folk Festival, sang a few songs at the blackboard concert. and was consequently booked for the Summer Waimate festival, where was greatly enjoyed. Nick sings and plays guitar and has a wide range of folk material – including some original self written songs. He encourages audience participation, so be prepared to sing along with him in the chorus’s – that’s where the magic lies.

8 September : Gary Elford

This folk club concert will be 2 small shows.
The first “Coming of Age” is a collection of Gary’s works in both verse and song
The second is “From Paterson to Prine”.
This features Gary reciting his favorite Banjo Paterson poems which tell the stories of Aussie bush characters and display his love of the genre; Bush Poetry.
These works are interspersed with his second great passion, the poignant, funny, sad and
uplifting songs of John Prine.
Born and raised in Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Gary has lived in the South Island of New Zealand for 40 odd years. He has been writing and performing poetry for the last 30 years.
Now residing in Christchurch, Gary has produced and published 4 poetry collections. “
Beneath The Sugarloaf “,
“The Night the Rat Stepped Out” “Strength in Adversity” and his latest book “The Birthday Present”.
Most of Gary’s poems are in the style of bush ballads that tell tales both true and tall.

1 September: Sionna – Songs and Tunes from Ireland (ish)

Sionna are a dynamic folk duo formed in Christchurch in 2023.
With Helen’s haunting vocal harmonies and top class fiddle alongside Lorcan’s natural traditional Irish vocals and stunning accompaniment on bouzouki and guitar this duo will not only perform but thoroughly entertain audiences with their talent and witty personalities to boot.

Having sold out gigs in Fairfield House, Nelson and the prestigious The Piano in Christchurch in 2023 – Sionna are definitely a band to look out for in 2024

Lorcan – bouzouki, guitar, vocals.

Lorcan is from Limerick and has lived and played music in Christchurch in New Zealand for the past 20-blah years. Mostly a session monster but is a founder member of Catharsis and Bang Your Frog.

Helen – fiddle, vocals and wonderfulness.

Helen has been a musician, actor and performer in Christchurch for over ten years and has acted with Showbiz and the Court Theatre as well as being a mainstay of Mollys Remedy band.

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Doors open 7pm. Performance starts at 7.30pm,

VENUE: Irish Society Hall, 29 Domain Terrace, Spreydon The hall is situated up the long driveway, directly next to Domain Park, and there is plenty of well-lit off-street parking..

How do I get tickets to concerts?

In advance: Book your tickets online. Select the concert you wish to attend and click on the link to book your ticket.
On the day: Purchase tickets at the venue from 7:15pm on the day of the concert if not sold out prior.

PLEASE BRING CASH For: Tea, coffee, biscuits and cake available during the break and the club raffle. Bar facilities for cold refreshments throughout the night, Eftpos available for purchases only, no cash-out facility.
Folk Club and Irish Society members please remember to bring your membership card for licensing purposes. Non-members sign in at the bar if making purchases.

Half Light: Rennie Pearson and Bob McNeill

19 January 2025
Soaring flute melodies, mesmerizing guitar work, award winning songs. A journey of Celtic music with two masters. Driving, hypnotic Celtic music from two of New Zealand’s top players.

Waimate Summer Folk Festival 2025

6-9 February 2025
Our guests are Blue Sea Above, a duo comprising Dean Hollebon and Tom Bolton.Their work “combines energetic violin improvisation with solidly crafted and strongly melodic songwriting”. The beautiful classical/folk fusion sound created by these two talented musicians is a whole new experience, not to be missed.