Jackie Oates and John Spiers - Masham Town Hall

A blend of elegant, rhythmic and virtuoso playing and easygoing folk club banter. A quiet triumph - The Guardian

These festive concerts are a beautiful and heart-warming antidote to the materiality that can be a feature of the Christmas season. Multi award-winning contemporary folk artists Jackie Oates and John Spiers meld together their shared love of English traditional folk tunes and songs with their fine voices and expertly played acoustic instruments. Audiences can look forward to a fresh, uplifting and poignant evening.

The duo perform captivating traditional Christmas carols and tunes from England and beyond.

Although followers of British folk music will be familiar with Jackie's vocals and fiddle playing through her eight gorgeous solo albums, and "Squeezy" John's virtuoso melodeon work in Bellowhead, Gigspanner and many more collaborations. This duo began quite innocently and spontaneously when the pair played together for fun during guest spots at Nettlebed Folk Club in Henley-on-Thames. Recognising the potential, they began working together on material from their native county of Oxfordshire, and have developed their popular Christmas shows since 2020.