The Wilson Family plus special guest Holly Clarke

Date: Friday 18/03/22
Doors: 19:00, performance starts: 19:30 (all timings are subject to change)
Location: The Auditorium, The Fire Station
Tickets: From £11.00
Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult

Please note that ticket holders will be required to comply with the latest government Covid-19 guidance at the time of the event and will be informed prior to the event of any additional safety procedures that are in place.

The glorious, powerful, vocal harmony of The Wilson Family of Billingham, Teesside has rung out in folk clubs and festivals continuously for over 40 years. Singing old songs and new, the brothers are rooted in tradition, performing with deep understanding, joy and their famous infectious humour.

Having recently worked with the world-renowned recording artist Sting, their roots actually took hold within the folk music scene of their native North East during the 1970's.

They developed a close friendship with the highly respected folk performer and writer Peter Bellamy, and cite him as a major influence, along with traditional Sussex singing family group, The Copper Family, singing Shropshire farmhand Fred Jordan, The Young Tradition, The Watersons, Johnny Collins & Jim Mageean, amongst many others.

In turn, they have been cited by many of the younger generation of folk performers as a major influence, including fellow Teessiders, The Young 'uns, Tyneside's The Unthanks, Bellowhead's Jon Boden, and many more.

It was Jim Mageean who first invited the Family into a recording studio, in 1979, to contribute to the compilation album "Aall Tegithor Like The Foaks O' Shields". Since then, they have produced a number of critically acclaimed albums including, "Horumarye", the first complete album by any Folk Group or Performer dedicated to the songs of Teesside songwriter Graeme Miles,

Now, they're preparing to go back into the studio and aim to bring out a new album in 2022.

Support from wonderful Cumbrian singer-songwriter Holly Clarke.

Holly Clarke, a singer from the Lake District who is steeped in the tradition of ballad singing, is a singer who explores these old songs and finds new ways to perform their unique narratives. Storytelling is at the heart of what Holly does as an artist and this has been influenced by the field recording singers like Nora Cleary and Sarah Anne O'Neill. It is grit and the purity of these recordings that drives Holly to perform in the way that is true to the tradition and to herself. Her voice and style is resonant with the tradition and the stories she tells, and the songs she sings resonate with people today.