Ruthin AllStyles Folk & Acoustic Music

19/11/2025

🎵 All About the Bass

Not John Bass, nor Mark Bass — this time it was Richard who supplied the low-end magic, adding rich, upright-bass accompaniment to several floor spots.

Visiting from Carmarthen (perhaps dodging the floods), he wandered into our lovely little club and before long the impromptu collaborations were in full swing — a great reminder of how the wider performance area at our new venue really helps the music breathe.

We kicked off with Tom, Dick & Harry, and among the fifteen performers were the Eastwoods, the Degneys, Colin, Jeff, Chris, Neil, Joe, Phil & Maria, and — wassailing in from the Wirral — John Williams with his wonderful cello mandolin. A cracking night all round.

🤧A request not to be sneezed at! 😫

Winter’s first chill is upon us. Covid isn’t the menace it once was, but it’s still around — as are flu and some lively head colds. We’ll continue to provide disposable microphone covers, but if you’re showing common symptoms, please consider giving the evening a miss.

Remember: Coughs and sneezes spread diseases. Don’t be responsible for decimating next week’s attendance!

See you Thursday. Doors 7.30pm, music 8.00pm.

16/11/2025

🎵 “I’m a Folk Singer – Get Me Out of Here!” 🎶

🗓️Five years ago this week, there really was no getting out. Other than a short, socially distanced walk, we were all still confined to our homes under the Covid-19 restrictions.

But while face-to-face gatherings were off the cards, the music most certainly wasn’t. We were on Week 36 of the Lockdown Shows, and our Dropbox was buzzing with video performances from Ruthin AllStyles members, friends, and visitors from across North Wales, Cheshire and beyond.

As always, you can enjoy the full three-hour show on our YouTube channel ( https://youtu.be/3Yteu_XE_Us ) — or dip into this 15-minute highlights reel, featuring performances by Penni Neale, Robin the Busker, Joe Lyon, and Steve Jukes-Hughes.

10/11/2025

🎶A Comfortably-Full Roundhouse

Thirty-five music lovers joined us on Thursday - almost matching our crammed opening night at the new venue, but this time the room felt “comfortably full”. Swapping in even more of the smaller tables let us tweak the layout into a more cabaret feel, and the atmosphere was spot on.

We had 22 performers, streamlined into 16 acts with duos and a trio, giving everyone two songs within our allocated time. First-time visitors Rhiannon and Alistair (from Mold) both shared originals, and Llangollen’s Squeezebox Mike returned in his inimitable style after a long post-Lockdown gap.

It was lovely to welcome back Richard & Wendy following a busy summer of commitments. Pete & Cath too, who’ve been busy lately rehearsing a spooky Halloween play at Theatre Twm o’r Nant. Both couples graciously agreed to perform as duos, treating us to beautiful harmonies, whilst also helping free up time to give everybody a shot behind the mic.

Brother-sister duo Alan & Linda also shone with one of Alan’s lovely originals and an epic Mandolin Orange cover - yet more heavenly harmonies!

A raft of fine turns from more of our regulars rounded off a fabulous evening, with a lively finale from Conwy trio Bo Meligen.

We may miss The Feathers, but “The Roundhouse” is fast feeling like home - and yes, we’re still tweaking. Silencing that noisy tea urn is next on the list! ☕😁

See you Thursday, 7.30 for 8.00pm.

09/11/2025

🗓️On this Remembrance Sunday, 🪷 we’re looking back to Week 35 of our Lockdown Music Nights, when many of your contributions were thoughtfully themed around Armistice Day.

As ever, the full three-hour show is available on our YouTube channel ( https://youtu.be/Kp7ke5JAxbU ), and we’ve also curated this 15-minute highlights reel featuring performances by Carol Roberts, Wendy Eastwood, and Vicki & Paul Riley.

03/11/2025

Settling in at The Roundhouse

For our second Thursday at the new venue, a baker’s dozen musicians played to a comfortably full room - and it’ll get comfier still as we fine-tune the layout.

🪑🪑After opening night, when we squeezed some 40 of us into the space, it became clear that the big tables ate up too much floor space. So we resurrected half a dozen of the club’s fold-up tables from our days at The Feathers. This week we’ll add four more, meaning only a couple of large tables will remain at the back, leaving us all with more elbow room.

🎃’twas the night before Halloween and, having made it over from the Wirral for the second week running, John Williams trick-or-treated us to a great spooky set on his 4-string tenor guitar, made extra eerie via an effects pedal. Also joining us were Jeff Jones and Prestatyn’s Pete Hodgeson. We loved Pete’s take on Mark Miller’s “Bitumen Blues”.

Their musical contributions dovetailed beautifully with the excellent eclectic mix served up by ten of our core regulars.

As we bed in, we’re looking forward to another great Acoustic Thursday at The Roundhouse (Llanfwrog Tennis Centre).

Bring your instrument, your voice, or just your ears. Music from 8.00pm; doors 7.30pm. Please don’t arrive earlier — we need a little setup time before the room fills with bodies!

02/11/2025

Lockdown Lookback - Week 34 Bonfire Night

Five years ago this week, with lockdown still in full swing, Bonfire Night (5 November) found us at Week 34 of our online music nights—huddled round a virtual bonfire with a virtual firework display, but enjoying very real performances from our Ruthin AllStyles regulars and friends.

As always, you can watch the full three-hour show on YouTube (https://youtu.be/7-zOVh-0bDE), or dip into this 15-minute highlights reel featuring Tom Degney, Geoff Durno, Peter Leslie and Joe Lyon.

27/10/2025

🎶Wow, what a brilliant first night in our new venue! 🎵

🎸Nineteen performers played to a full house, with cracking sets from regulars Glyn, Lynda, Joe, Mark, Steve, Penni, Neil and Chris. We were delighted to welcome back visiting friends too: John Williams (the Wizard of the Wirral), Brian Peters (Mr Blues), Raphael (our harmonica king), Alan and Linda (oh, those harmonies!), plus the lively Conwy trio, Bo Millergen, entertaining us on banjo, bodhrán and harmonica.

Bookending the night in style, The Tom, Dick and Harry Band, featuring John Bass and Raphael, opened with a fabulous set and returned for a big finale, closing on their signature “Baker Street,” with Raphael’s harmonica a spot-on stand-in for the sax. A wonderful sound to cap a wonderful evening.

As for the room itself, a few tweaks and it will be near perfect. Including swapping some of the large tables for smaller ones for more elbow room, and moving the “Tea Station” to the back of the room with an urn replacing the kettle.

So, see you again this Thursday. Doors will be open from 7.30pm.

►It’s Halloween, 🎃 so who’d like to sing something spooky? 🦇 (see the post below…) 👻

27/10/2025

🎃Sing Something Spooky 🦇

🗓️ Five years ago, All Hallows’ Eve landed on a Saturday, so for Week 33 of our Lockdown Show, on Thursday 29 October 2020, we set the theme “Spooky Songs”. The videos rolled in thick and fast, with well over half going full Halloween.

So, here’s the same playful challenge for this week’s second night at The Roundhouse: Sing Something Spooky. Totally optional, of course - no pitchforks or bonfires even if your songs aren’t in the slightest bit bewitching.

Need a nudge of inspiration? Revisit the full 3-hour re-run of Now That’s What I Call Spooky on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CaMUswK6zbM — or dip into this ten-minute highlights reel featuring Carol Roberts, Cath Bryan, Pete Hodgeson and John Helm.

22/10/2025

🎶Farewell to The Feathers — hello Roundhouse!

Click here to watch the Video- https://youtu.be/xCrqk-u0KEo

After a false start a few weeks back, last Thursday really was our final night at The Feathers. We kept it low-key this time — just in case plans slipped again — but they didn’t, and we’re delighted to say the next chapter is ready to begin.

From this Thursday, we’ll be upstairs in the cosy room at The Llanfwrog Centre on Mwrog Street, affectionately known as “The Roundhouse” (down by the tennis courts). It’s a lovely space for music and company, and we’d love you to help us christen it in style. The word is, a certain Wallasey warbler with a cello mandolin will be lending his voice to the celebrations!

A few notes for opening night:

►WHEN: Doors 7.30pm, music from 8.00pm
►WHERE: The Roundhouse, Llanfwrog Centre, Mwrog Street
►BRING: It’s Bring Your Own alcoholic or soft drinks. Tea, Coffee and Biscuits are available.
►ENTRY: £3 on the door (and with no bar, it’s still a thrifty night out with your musical friends)

It was with a heavy heart that we said goodbye to the club’s spiritual home, but friendships are what make this club special. Fittingly, the last line sung by Steve & Penni on our last Feathers night was “you’ve all got friends”, as they closed the evening with a tender, slightly re-worded take on the James Taylor classic.

Enjoy the video of that final song below — and we’ll see you Thursday, round at The Roundhouse.

Click here to watch the Video- https://youtu.be/xCrqk-u0KEo

Click here to watch the Video- https://youtu.be/xCrqk-u0KEo

18/10/2025

A New Home for Ruthin AllStyles

We’re delighted to announce that Ruthin AllStyles is moving to The Centre (the Round House by the tennis courts) — and it’s looking fantastic. Now under the care of Katie and Paul, the venue has had more than a facelift: there are new facilities, extra heaters, and a lovely atmosphere throughout. We’ll be upstairs in the cosy, clean, carpeted, and warm room.

►Why the move?
The Feathers is up for sale and with planning permission in place, the function room will likely become a restaurant or even accommodation. So, although we are sad to be leaving our “spiritual home”, with our future there uncertain, it felt the time was right to make a proactive move.

As many pubs now use their larger rooms for dining, lots of clubs are hiring community spaces. Wallasey’s long-established folk club is a recent case in point. We are doing the same to secure a stable future for our Thursdays.

Why now?
If we’d hung on at The Feathers until we were moved on, Thursday nights at The Centre could easily have been snapped up by someone else, leaving us without a suitable venue in town.

►Door money & drinks
To cover room hire, the door will be £3 (only our second rise in 29 years).
The good news is, you can bring your own alcoholic drinks, so your night out with musical friends may well cost less overall.
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available all evening.

►Getting there
The Centre is on Mwrog Street (B5105), about ¼ mile from the town centre, easy to find (no narrow lanes to negotiate). There is ample free parking on site.
See you Thursday

We can’t wait to welcome you to our new home this Thursday. As always, bring an instrument, your voice, or just your ears.
Doors 7:15pm • Music 8:00pm
— Chris & Jayne, on behalf of Ruthin AllStyles 🎶

17/10/2025

Lockdown Lookback: Garden Meetup

This week’s Lookback takes us to the “Garden Meetup” edition from five years ago — that brief moment when Boris said we could gather in our gardens (as opposed to those other soirées at Number 10). Naturally, we marked it in style: red hats, white beards… you gnome the rest.

The songs came thick and fast, and you can relive the full show on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/LxpRz-8yYaQ
:

Our short reel this week is dedicated to the late Brian “Licorice” Locking, legendary bass player with The Shadows. The clip features Brian performing with Penni Neale on a club night at The Feathers about eight years ago — a lovely memory of a true gent of the music scene.

Postscript:
Look out for an important announcement around teatime on Saturday.

14/10/2025

🎶Fourteen on Top Form at AllStyles

🗓️ Thursday, October 9th

Fourteen performers — creating many moments that made it a night to remember.

Maria and Canada Phil opened in fine voice with a set that included Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “Chains” (made famous by The Beatles on Please Please Me). More Beatles followed, courtesy of Joe Lyon and Chris.

In a welcome detour from his trademark finger-style noodling, Mark Thatcher stepped up with three vocal numbers — including a brand-new song written only last week. Steve Jukes Hughes, Neil Martin and Geoff Durno each delivered standout turns in their own distinctive styles.

Colin put in a double shift: a strong floor spot of his own, plus tasteful accompaniment for others on harmonica and bongos — though not at the same time! Richard, Tom and Lynda served a generous helping of Americana, and Penni charmed the room with a delightful, unmistakably Penni set.

One of the evening’s highlights was the return of Peter Leslie; we have missed his lovely, relaxed style. It is well known that Peter has long been a fan of singer/songwriter Kieran Halpin who passed away five years ago this week. Peter honoured the occasion with one of Kieran’s songs alongside a couple of his own, and the room held its breath.

We look forward to seeing you all at The Feathers again this Thursday — and, with a bit of luck, we’ll soon be a step closer to securing our next home.