Photo: Jackie luke
Design: ACDC Media
Photos: Sam Pickering
PLAY SOUTHERN ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE TUNES & PLAYFORD
The Canberra English Session meets fortnightly at Smith's Alternative to play the very best of English trad. Jigs, polkas, and 3/2 hornpipes are on the menu, as are fabulous airs, waltzes and those mysterious maggots! Tunes from all over the UK, including fantastic contemporary tunes which are now very musch part of the session's repertoire.
Experience this magnificent session at the 2024 National Folk Festival. The tune is an old favourite - Portsmouth - and the group is the Canberra English Session, and forty additional English trad enthusiasts from all over Australia. On Monday of the 2024 NFF, the gathering numbered 70 - testament to the popularity of this iconic Canberra session. Leaders are Jackie Luke, Greg Wilson & Amanda Pickering.
EXPLORE NEW TRAD ENGLISH TUNES
Listen to the Canberra English Session play "The Ironbridge" by English Concertina master Alistair Anderson. The tune was transcribed by the late Polly Garland after meeting Alistair at Sidmouth Festival in 1983, and later at the National Folk Festival. It's a five part tune in which the parts may be played alone or together. Jackie Luke found this hand-written masterpiece in her collection of music and decided to bring the tune into the light during the pandemic. She and Greg Wilson conducted Zoom English Trad sessions from their study in Gilmore, Canberra and gave copies of the parts to the session with a suggestion that they learn a part "at their own pace". The result is this joyful piece which is now firmly escounced in the Australian/UK session scene, and the result is dfferent every time. This is the session at Smiths, July 2025
DANCE TO NORTHER ENGLISH DELIGHTS with BLIGHTY'S REVENGE
"Not your bog standard builders tea! "
Dance to the "Love child of the Old Empire Band and the Commonwealth Public Service".
Two callers and a seriously good dance band invites you to step out to newly composed dances and a few old favourites in the dance halls of Canberra and beyond. Listen here to Blighty's Revenge playing "Bob'n Joan & Rusty Gulley" for the final dance at the 2022 National Folk Festival.
This is Ceilidh dancing with an English accent where the new and old collide to bring frolicking good fun and we explore some of the latest tunes coming out of the UK dance scene. Madness and mayhem mandatory!
The Canberra English Session meets every fortnight at Smith's Alternative, Sundays 12 - 2 pm. Join us for a tune, and good cheer.
Blighty's Revenge is currently is currently taking a break and in recess. Look for our bumper return dance with MFS mid-2026!
Here is some video from the band's former life as The Burnt Roast Band
