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.
OUR NEXT CLUB MEET
will be after the summer break on
UPCOMING SHOWS
SUMMER BREAK
24 AUGUST
Chris Conway
The Campbells
Hannah Woof
14 SEPTEMBER
Jinder
The Abrahams
Romy Gensale
28 SEPTEMBER
The Old Grey Dogs
Dariah Kulesh
Cliff Ward
12 OCTOBER
King's Gambit
Phil Hare
The Secret Magpie
28 OCTOBER
Glymjack
Ady Johnson
Damian Clarke
CLUB INFO
FRIDAY 24 AUGUST
Chris Conway
The Campbells
Hannah Woof
Chris Conway
A very welcome return to the club for this hugely popular “Renaissance Man” of music. Active in many musical genres: singer-songwriter, new age, jazz, Celtic, electronic, and world music, Chris is a multi-faceted maestro with a huge Midlands fanbase who enjoys the relentless creative flow of his music. A true multi-instrumental wizard, Chris plays piano, keyboards, 9 string acoustic & electric guitars, low, tin & twin whistles, live electronics, kalimba, theremin, zither, and he sings! He has a prolific output, and has released over 80 CDs, either under his own name or with his various bands, and his music has been heard on UK national TV, radio, and film. He has sold over 55,000 CDs worldwide and worked with a very diverse set of top musicians - from members of Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention to composer Gavin Bryars, tabla player Talvin Singh, violin virtuoso Dr L Subramanium, and Martin Carthy. Brazilian jazz diva Ithamara Koorax, UK folk artist Vikki Clayton, and Irish singer Bridget McMahon have all recorded his songs. An exceptional talent! www.chrisconway.org
KONTRA ROOTS CLUB GALLERY
Photos of our acts from the last six months (click to expand).
KONTRA ROOTS CLUB
Hannah Woof
At only 18 years old, this outstanding new singer-songwriter has already played to sold out crowds, released an EP of "fantastic, heartbreaking” tunes and even played on BBC Radio 1. With a stunning “real-deal” voice and top drawer songs, she is a first class emerging talent on the UK acoustic scene and you are certain to be hearing a lot more of her. www.hannahwoof.bandcamp.com
