What is Bowes Park Folk Club? 

First of all, we're not actually a club: there's no membership and everyone is welcome. Some make their way to us from the wider London folk-scene; some from the open-mic circuit or elsewhere. Some sing, some play, all listen. 

And the F-word? We think the essence of Folk is people coming together to share the joy of live music – making it and listening to it. 

What do we do? 

We put on Open-mic/ Singers' nights and Guest nights, bringing the best professional artists to our special corner of North London. We’re currently found at Mum's Bistro, Myddleton Road, second Thursdays, 7.45pm. 

What will you hear at a Singers' Night? We really can't tell you: anything from unaccompanied traditional ballads to opera; an Irish dancer or a passing harper. You’ll just have to come along and listen or, if you'd like to perform, there's a floor-spot and an audience waiting for you.  

Guest nights – with brilliant performers from the UK folk-scene and beyond – also feature a few open-mic slots. These are FREE (pass the jug) - what do you have to lose? We occasionally stage ticketed Sunday afternoon concerts too, currently at Shaftesbury Hall, right next to Bowes Park Station. 

What have we been doing for the last 10 years? 

Founder Mary Blake on setting up the club:  

In 2013, I decided I wanted a folk club I could walk to, and thought it might work in Bowes Park. We met in the upstairs room at The Step bar in Myddleton Road (now sadly closed), which we rapidly outgrew, moving on to our current home - Mum's Bistro - a wonderful Greek restaurant run by Nakis and Diana. 

We popped up elsewhere too in those early ambitious days: workshops, wassailing and performing at community events. 

In 2020, like many clubs, we took BPFC online, where we remained until July 2021, before a triumphant face-to-face re-launch back at Mum's. At the time of writing, we’ve been back in-person for a year – and we look forward to marking our first decade in May 2023. 

What now? 

Well, if you’ve read this far, we suggest you come down to our next night and join us: sing/ play/ listen. We’d love to see (and hear) you. 

www.bowesparkfolk.co.uk 

www.facebook.com/BowesParkFolkClub 

www.instagram.com/bowesparkfolk