That’s according to CAMRA, in 2022, 2023 and 2025, an unprecedented THREE TIMES! Click above for more details
“Thank you and the club for supporting us from the word go and watching us grow and develop! We enjoyed the night in Tamworth immensely, loved the banter, song responses and singers!” (Paul Walker & Karen Pfeiffer)
“I really enjoyed the atmosphere that everyone created. It was witty and welcoming. I will come along as regularly as possible because it is so enjoyable. The organisation of the whole evening is excellent and fits in with all my values. Tamworth Folk Club is a winner in all categories. Thank you for your kind welcome.” Patch
“We had an absolutely fabulous time on Friday. What a wonderful, inclusive, friendly club. One of the best nights out I’ve had in a long time” Paul (visitor from Coventry)
“We had a lovely night and will certainly be back” Karen (visitor from Nuneaton)
Thanks so much for having me as a guest at the Folk Club. It’s an exceptional club and it was such a pleasure to play there. It was a great night – one of my very favourites of the whole 28 gigs I did! Bruce Watson (Australia)
All club nights are free to enter, even if we have guest performers. All we ask is that you buy a raffle ticket or two.
Floor spots are how we operate, on a first come first served basis – so DON’T BE LATE! We always have floor spots, even when we have guests.
Remember we start at 7.30pm and it can get busy!
Future Guests
We have a fantastic line-up of guests and it’s always FREE ENTRY (and exit)
2026
2nd October – KC JonesTrio
Guesting for their second time, KC Jones are Karen Killeen-Jones and Colin (CJ) Jones, a husband and wife duo from Warwickshire (recently joined for some gigs by John Phillips on Bass) who perform mostly original songs. “Beautifully written songs, powerful vocals and great harmonies”.
20th November – Purple Bannedwith Helen Mcilveen
Joe Beard started his musical career forming The Young Contemporaries Jug Band in Stockport in the 1965/66 era of folk clubs in the NW. They signed to Transatlantic Records in 1966 and became The Purple Gang with USA folk blues mover and shaker Joe Boyd as their manager and producer.Their famous single was banned by the BBC ( Granny Takes A Trip) Yet it has endured and still receives National and international airplay.It was covered by Ralph McTell in 1968 on his debut album.
Later Joe spent a couple of years partnering folk legend Trevor Crozier,touring and recording in the folk scene.He reformed PG in 1999 with new members and had an unlikely 2 No 1 hits in Budapest. Until Joe moved to North Warwickshire as a solo he partnered PG stalwart Gerry Robinson. He now fronts “Joe Beard and The Purple Banned” trio playing old time jugband folk, Purple Gang favourites and his original songs.
Ian Castle is the band’s bass player, playing both bass guitar and upright bass to add the appropriate timbre to each song. He has over 40 years of musical experience in a stupidly large number of different musical genres, ranging from theatrical productions to rock bands, but is probably best known for making deep boomy noises in the folk genre.
Nigel Elcoat plays acoustic and electric guitar and sometimes even the kazoo. He has 50 years experience of playing from folk to rock, and almost everything in between.
My name is Helen Mcilveen . I met the purple gang many years ago when I was about 20 years old and I worked at Smile recording studios in Chorlton , outside Manchester . I had taken a year out of my degree course to learn more about sound engineering but I also did a lot of session singing . A few years later I was taken on as the first female in the sound department at Granada TV and I’ve had a wonderful career travelling all over the world to now when I just mix the sound for Coronation street . I kept in touch with everyone and a few years ago joined them in their gig at the Cavern in Liverpool. I organised a film crew so as to keep that memory of a momentous night .
A LOOK BACK IN TIME
2026
Guests
16th January
The Cartwheel Pennies
20th March
Band On The Rum
1st May
Kevin Dempsey
17th July
Bruce Watson (Australia)
2025
Guests
17th January
DryWood
7th March
Mountain Hares
16th May
Terry Hiscock
4th July
Daisybell
3rd October
Joe and The Purple Banned
21st November
Brenig
2024
Guests
19 January
Sence Valley
15th March
Scarecrow
5th July
Christopher Crompton
4th October
Den Miller
6th December
Pete Kelly
2023
Guests
20 January
Strumtastic
17th March
Pistol Pete Wearn & Olly Parry
19th May
Yonderland
15th September
Bruce Watson (Australia)
20th October
Joe Beard’s ‘Legends Of The Edge’ suite Joe Beard, Karen Pfeiffer, Paul Walker & Malcolm Robinson
Tamworth Folk Club - Folk At The Tap 