The Village Quire was invited to participate in the Festival of Britain, 60th anniversary celebrations at The Southbank Centre in London. The 14 May event coincided with Martin Carthy's 70th birthday celebration in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, with Eliza Carthy and Dave Swarbrick as guests – just a week before Dave headlines our benefit concert for Norma Waterson.  Not to be missed! At the end of Martin Carthy's interview in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Front Room, the Village Quire piped up with a special tribute verse of the Malpas Wassail before taking the stage for a short set of mainly Watersons-inspired songs. [Close]

The Village Quire sings thrilling, unaccompanied West Gallery music, folk harmony, shape note and catches. Like so many of the 18th century quires we sing in four parts and with three voices to a part.  We sing in the spirit of the sort of music-making that must have been found in the rural parishes of these times.

In those days it was the same singers in the pub on Saturday night, in the church gallery on Sunday morning and out on the land all the other hours God sent.  The songs might have been different, but the spirit was the same;  the Welsh call it Hwyl – heart and soul.

This is what we do!  Find out more about the music …