SAM SWEENEY (WITH SPECIAL GUEST LOUIS CAMPBELL) + LOU SHEPHERD
FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2025
Back in early 2021, just after the Covid lockdowns when we’d just been allowed out again, with lots of restrictions and social distancing, Sam Sweeney brought himself and his fiddle to Christ Church Downend, and had the intimate crowd mesmerised for 90 minutes.
It’s now time for him to return, this time with guitarist Louis Campbell in tow, and this time there are bound to be a few more people in the audience with over 70 tickets already snapped up at the time of writing. Yet more will watch virtually as the concert will be live-streamed in partnership with Live to your Living Room.
Sam is a veteran of the mighty Bellowhead, former and inaugural artistic director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble, founder member of the instrumental trio Leveret, and “Britain’s premier fiddler” (Songlines), at the forefront of the revival in English traditional music.
Bristol-based singer-songwriter Lou Shepherd brings the energy of the folk revival firmly into the world of experimental indie-folk, and she will get the evening under way,
Tickets for the concert, at Christ Church Downend on Friday 21 February, are available online from downendfolkandroots.com and from Melanie’s Kitchen in Downend (cash only). They are £14 in advance or £16 on the door. Doors open at 7pm and music starts around 7.45pm.
There will be a bar, stocking cider, soft drinks, wine, hot drinks and real ale from locally-based Hop Union Brewery. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own glass/mug/tankard, as well as reusable bottles for water; there is a 50p discount for those that do. Sweet treats are courtesy of the Radstock-based Great Cake Company, and a prize draw helps to fund the support artists for each concert.
The live stream is at livetoyourlivingroom.com For further information, email info@downendfolkandroots.com or on social media. This concert is expected to sell out in advance, so get tickets early to avoid disappointment.