Christchurch Folk Music Club
July 2024 Recap
28 July: Just Janie
Just Janie is a folk musician born and raised in the heart of Central Otago, and currently residing in Ōtautahi, Christchurch where she is pursuing music and art full time. Janie’s lyrical landscapes offer
an intimately raw window into her experiences of the world around her, love and loss, the disillusion of rose-tinted memories, and what it means to write and perform her music.
In the winter of 2023, Janie travelled to the Blue Mountains, NSW to record with producers Rick Turnock and Abby Smith (Smith and Jones). The trio worked on three live recordings for an EP
surrounded by bird song in their studio, backing into the Australian Bush. The summer months saw Janie embark on her first nationwide tour promoting her debut single ‘Love Letter to Myself’ from her
up and coming EP. Her second track ‘Nostalgia’ came out on March 29 and the third and final single from the EP ‘Muse and Musician’ is set to be released July 5th, 2024.
Drawing inspiration from the folk scene of the late sixties and early seventies, Janie’s music can be described as captivating and tender.
‘I laughed, cried and fell in love on the first song’ – David Milligan, The George Foundation.
21 July: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
14 July: Ceilidh
“Theo and G” are the next barndance band! Theo on accordion with Gary on guitar and calling. They are known for their nights filled with fun, great music and most of all, exceptional dancing. Bring your dancing shoes and smiles, all that is needed for an evening of merriment and “the best fun to be had with your clothes on”.
A cèilidh is a traditional Scottish or Irish social gathering. In its most basic form, it simply means a social visit. In contemporary usage, it usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing, either at a house party or a larger concert at a social hall or other community gathering place.
7 July: Suss4
A group of four friends (with an occasional ‘augmented 5th’!) who play and sing an eclectic mix of jazz standards, Cuban and Brazilian classics, R&B, blues, rock & pop – and even some actual ‘folk’!
Jane Hobson, David Gibb, Stuart Lowe and Tony Worrall sang together for years in world music choir A Capellago, and with their common choral background, the emphasis is strongly on vocal harmony, whatever the genre.
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.
Dave Flynn Celtic Guitar Journey
23 March 2025
In ‘Celtic Guitar Journey‘ he presents beautiful guitar arrangements of Irish and Scottish traditional music, exploring the musical connections between these, and other, ‘Celtic’ countries.
James Grey with support act – Saffron Sisters
30 March 2025
James Gray is a contemporary version of an old-school traveling folk singer. In the past decade, Gray has toured throughout Canada, Europe and Australia, seeing the world and sharing his beloved songs along the way.
Helen Capes: the Hexhamshire Lass
6 April 2024
Helen’s voice and the unique sound of the Northumbrian smallpipes – a magical combination.
Open Mic Night – 13 April 2025
13 April 2025
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.
2025 Canterbury Folk Festival
18-21 April 2025
Held every Easter in the tranquil park setting, Waipara Adventure Centre, offers the opportunity to relax enjoy the music and environment. This is primarily a camping-based event and encourages full participation of attendees with additional impromptu music sessions and mini concerts outside the programmed performances of the booked artists.
Andrew London Duo
4 May 2025
Andrew London’s quirky songs will make you laugh out loud as you recognise yourself and everyone around you, and all the prejudices, obsessions and weird little idiosyncrasies we Kiwis put out on display every day.
Saltwater Creek
11 May 2024
Saltwater Creek was formed in early 2024 when a group of five long-time friends and musical collaborators – Al Mackenzie, Bruce Penno, Chris Chamberlain, Lesley Askin, and Rob Allan – decided to get together and start something new.
Ellen Aster & Paul Bacon
18 May 2025
These two artists first both brought their talents to The Open Mic stage at the club, where their ability stood out. We have been delighted to have Ellen and Paul as support acts at the club.
We look forward to a night where we experience more of their creativity, flair and their formula to bring us a night of awe inspiring music. We challenge you to support new local talent, as these two are!, Two young artists to watch as their careers develop.
Sassafras
25 May 2025
The Sassafras Bluegrass Band invites you to a “HOOTENANNY”. What is a “HOOTENANNY”? It is a “banjo-brained hoedown-throwdown-don’t slow down until the cows come home!”
Martin Curtis & Graham Wardrop
15 June 2025
Martin and Graham met in 1989 and formed a close friendship, a partnership that continues to this day. With Graham’s help in 1990 Martin recorded his 3rd album “The Daisy Patch”, which was a finalist in the New Zealand music awards. Since then, Graham has been an integral part of all of Martin’s albums – 10 in total, both as musician and latterly as the sound and recording engineer. They often perform together as a duo and thoroughly enjoy each other’s company.