We are delighted to announce that Downend Folk Club wins the award for LCM 'Folk Club of the year'. The award celebrates the rich network of folk clubs around the UK and Ireland, which play such a valuable role in supporting and promoting folk, roots and acoustic music.  

Huge congratulations to Ant, Jim, Alan. Gaynor, Ken. Cliff, Steve, Peter and Jill and all the supporters of the club.

Our Top 10

• 1) Downend Folk Club
• 2) Hitchin Folk Club
• 3) Epping Music Club KIPA
• 4) TwickFolk, Twickenham
• 5) Cambridge Folk Club
• 5) Loughton Folk Club
• 5) Redbourn Folk Club
• 5) Uxbridge Folk Club
• 9) Waveney Valley Folk Collective
• 10) Ram Folk Club
• 10) Red Lion Folk Club
• 10) Watford Folk Club

Downend Folk Club was formed in early-2014 and aims to bring high-quality live folk, roots and acoustic music to venues in and around the Downend area. They host great concerts every month.

The club is the brainchild of Ant Miles who drew together a group of like-minded individuals to drive the club. Within a week of the first meeting of this new committee, Downend Folk Club had attracted a large following on Facebook, had a website up and running and, most importantly, had the first two concerts in the diary!

Their first event was in April 2014 when Bright Season played at our launch night on Easter Saturday. The club was soon able to announce a gig with Bella Hardy in the May of 2014, and just a couple of weeks later, Bella was crowned Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, which was a massive boost for the club. Some great coverage followed in local magazines, especially Downend Voice.

And this was quickly followed up in late-March 2014 when it was announced that Jim Moray would be the new club's Patron.

Gigs by stars such as Jim, Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar and The India Electric Company were soon added, while the club also featured up-and-coming artists like Ange Hardy, Jess Vincent and Gren Bartley on its programme, along with Downend-bred Jennifer Crook's trio.

From July 2014, the club added local-based support acts to the evening, and 16-year old Gloucester-based singer-songwriter Emi McDade was announced as the first one.

Quickly, the club began to make a name for itself as a top venue for folk music, attracting top names like Lucy Ward, Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin, O'Hooley & Tidow, Jackie Oates and many more, as well as featuring some great up-and-coming acts.