Croydon and surrounding areas Area Guide

An English folk guitarist and singer, specialising in traditional and contemporary songs of the north-east of England and in particular, the coal mining communities thereof. He is noted for his collaborations with Tom McConville and Stu Luckley, and for solo performances since 1982. During the 1990s, together with Benny Graham he developed a multi-media show documenting the coal mining communities of Durham and Northumberland, which led to the CD "How Are You Off For Coals", featuring a selection of mining songs. In 2006 Fox, along with a range of other top UK folk artists, was involved in providing performances for the "2006 Radio Ballads" commissioned by BBC Radio, and in 2009 he performed in the part of "Songman" in the highly acclaimed West End production of War Horse which played in the West End for 18 months and was subsequently toured for another eighteen months around Britain, Ireland and South Africa. Scholar Anthony Ashbolt describes Fox as "possessing one of the best folk-singing voices in England and he evokes the world of the miners and, in general, the songs of the northeast, with power and clarity."

The Band says:- We had a fantastic year in 2024 - we were very honoured to play at the wonderful Broadstairs Folk Week in August, and also at the amazing community festival BunkFest in Wallingford. Exciting plans are coming together for 2025 - watch this space! What can you expect from a live gig We've got songs of revenge and illicit love, cheery little gospel songs about dying, and lots of accompanying laughter and banter - come and hear Sarah trash-talk each of us while Doug adjusts his guitar into ever more elaborate tunings before we set off into some melting harmonies, fiery fiddle melodies and blistering guitar licks! We cover everything from bluegrass and country to murder ballads, old jazz standards and gospel, plus the odd bluesy original thrown in for good measure. And we're keen on mixing it up with our own take on old favourites like Britney's Toxic and the Dead South's gorgeous minor version of You Are My Sunshine. In 2023 we played at the Croydon Folk and Blues Festival and Kew Village Market as well as in pubs around south-west London, including our Brentford residency at the Northumberland arms, and had a glowing review from the wonderful Doug Welch on Radio Kent Upload. Our origin story One cold January night in 2019, singer and guitarist Sarah Weir strapped her guitar to her back and set out in search of music and song. At the Old Packhorse in Chiswick, she stumbled across fiddle player Cath Nelson, and the pair bonded over shared tales of love lost - and a passion for Emmylou and Michelle Shocked. Together we became Calico Thieves, joined in 2021 by guitar genius Dr Doug Field and in 2022 by bass player extraordinaire Mark Waterfield. Now were on a mission to dress up in our finest stage gear, play and sing our hearts out - and spread the joy of American roots, country, gospel and blues!

Chris McCausland is hitting the road again with another masterclass in stand-up comedy that has literally been yonks in the making.

Opera & Ballet International proudly presents an Ellen Kent production with international soloists, highly-praised chorus and full orchestra Winner of The Best Opera Award Liverpool Daily Post Theatre Awards Back by overwhelming public demand, this award winning Opera returns with exquisite sets including a spectacular Japanese garden and fabulous costumes including antique wedding kimonos from Japan. One of the world’s most popular operas, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly tells the heart-breaking story of the beautiful young Japanese girl who falls in love with an American naval lieutenant – with dramatic results. Highlights include the melodic Humming Chorus, the moving aria One Fine Day and the unforgettable Love Duet. Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

If you are pondering whether there is a 'pop or gospel choir near me' then you may be interested in the local Rock Choir. Your local Purley choir is run by vocal tutor Valerie Turnbull. People who have already joined the choir, who hail from Purley and further afield in Surrey come from all walks of life and most had no singing experience or ever thought their singing journey would ever take them on TV or radio (not compulsory :-) ). Once you join the choir you will find you learn the songs by rote from a brilliant set of resources and you will be amazed how quickly you go from 'not sure' to 'performance ready'. The songs are uniquely arranged to make songs easy to sing yet still challenge you in places. We sing in Purley every week during term time. You can join the choir by going to rockchoir.com or you can also book a FREE singing taster session to try it beforehand. If you feel you're not ready to join a choir yet, why not check out our choir events page at rockchoir.com? There you can come along to see what we're all about - local people bringing the local Purley community together through something as simple as singing for fun. Here is a quote about our choir - 'I spend many hours every day driving and in meetings. It's often quite a struggle to get to Rock Choir and I often don't really feel like making the effort. Something magic happens when I get there - a combination of the unfailing cheerfulness of our Rock Choir tutor, the physical movement, breathing and singing, the (usually!) lovely sound of the combined voices of the choir - suddenly the stress of the day melts away, energy returns and a feeling of well-being arrives. It's been a difficult year for me - got divorced, my best friend with terminal illness passed away and I survived a tricky restructure at work, Rock Choir has often been the one really positive highlight in my week - thank you!' - Sue (Rock Choir Member) Rock Choir is a winner of the Red Ribbon 'Big Heart' Award [https://rockchoir.com/awards-achievements/]. and holds 1 former and 2 current Guinness World Records. The choir is also credited with single handedly starting the contemporary choir movement.

Queen of cosy crime and mega best-selling author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code, Janice Hallett joins us to discuss her new genre-busting crime novel The Examiner. The students of Royal Hastings Universitys new art course have been trouble from day one. From acclaimed artist Alyson who seems oddly overqualified, to hapless Patrick who can barely operate design software, and city boy Cameron who blusters his way through assignments. Not to mention Jem, whos a gifted young sculptor but cross her at your peril. The year-long course is blighted by students setting fire to one anothers artwork, a rumoured extra-marital affair and a disastrous road trip. But finally they are given their last assignment: to build an art installation for a local manufacturer. With six students who have nothing in common except their clashing personal agendas, what could possibly go wrong? The answer is: murder. When the external examiner arrives to assess the students coursework, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up. But is he right? Only a close examination of the evidence will reveal the truth. Your time starts now Janice Hallett will be in conversation with crime writer Joy Kluver. Adult only event.