Held on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month at Earls Barton Working Men's Club in Northants, a typical Kontra evening will showcase three varied, top quality acoustic roots acts who play for 45 minutes each approx. The club starts at 8pm and runs through till 11pm, and though it is non-profit making we do charge a token £3 admission to cover costs. We also welcome voluntary donations. Our Earls Barton venue is ideal for acoustic music: characterful and friendly (it also serves real ale) and can be found at 1 Queen Street, Earls Barton, Northants, NN6 0LN (see map at bottom).
From humble beginnings in 2004 as an open mic at a Northamptonshire village pub, Kontra gradually evolved through several changes of venue and format, all the while building a reputation for presenting entertaining and eclectic evenings of quality acoustic music.
It is now acknowledged as Northamptonshire's premier acoustic roots club, attracting some of the best up and coming acoustic talent from across the country, as well as
more established performers from home and abroad.
With an open music policy that welcomes all genres of acoustic roots music as long as it is of outstanding quality, Kontra is a rare success story in these difficult economic times. Run as a non-profit making enterprise, admission to the club is just a token £3, and the acts, many of them professional musicians, play for expenses only. That they do so is testament to the excellent reputation the club has built up over the years, with its friendly atmosphere, large, loyal, and enthusiastic audiences, excellent sound (courtesy of Geoff Bland), and the imaginative programming of organiser, Kev
Buxton. Priding itself on the fact that it sets no musical boundaries other than quality, a typical Kontra session crosses many genres within the space of a single evening: folk, blues, Americana, jazz, world, contemporary and traditional music all find a welcome reception on the Kontra stage.
NEXT CLUB MEETS
UPCOMING SHOWS
15 DECEMBER - XMAS SPECIAL
Cordwainers
TC & The Bobcats
Whale
12 JANUARY
George Breakfast
Nick Corney & The Buzz Rats
Hazeyjane
26 JANUARY
Ben Smith & Jimmy Brewer
Rob Halligan
CarterDolby
9 FEBRUARY
When Rivers Meet
Stevie Jones & The Wildfires
Anne-Marie Sanderson
23 FEBRUARY
Flashback Photograph
Kete Bowers
Bernard Hoskin
9 MARCH
Gypsy Fingers
King's Gambit
John Forrester
CLUB INFO
FRIDAY 12 JANUARY
George Breakfast
Nick Corney & The Buzz Rats
hazeyjane
Nick Corney & The Buzz Rats
A welcome return to the club for this cracking band from Peterborough, feted and popular on their home turf, both at venues and on local radio, and who are now beginning to make a name for themselves further afield. With intelligent, catchy, hook-laden songs that span the emotional spectrum, plus Nick's terrific vocals and some great playing, this is a band that are well worth checking out. www.nickcorneymusic.com
George Breakfast
An internationally acclaimed, award winning folk roots songwriter, whose songs have been covered by many performers, George is also a troubador who has travelled the world for 40 years, playing pubs, clubs, festivals and concert halls, radio, TV, and street corners. A complete original, he is a songwriter of brilliance with “a voice that layers soul onto tunes like honey dripping off a biscuit.” His enormous repertoire, dexterity on guitar and mandolin, and engaging style are a winning combination, delighting people wherever he plays. www.georgebreakfast.com
IMG_8709.jpg
KONTRA ROOTS CLUB
hazeyjane
As a duo Hazeyjane are acclaimed acoustic guitarist/singer Chris Brown and fretless bassist Kevin T Ward, who perform Chris's original poetic songs in richly crafted, ambient arrangements to produce mellow, melodic and haunting soundscapes. By turns intense and intimate, dreamy and dynamic, airy and atmospheric, Hazeyjane have become one of the area's most feted acoustic acts in recent times.