Blowzabella at The Newman Rooms, Oxford

Name: Blowzabella at The Newman Rooms, Oxford
Start: 2025-10-24T19:30:00+01:00
Location: The Newman Rooms, Rose Place, off St Aldates, Oxford, OX1 1RD

Schedule

Fri, 24 Oct, 2025 at 07:30 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

The Newman Rooms, Rose Place, off St Aldates, Oxford, OX1 1RD | Oxford, EN

Come and dance to Blowzabella: a genuinely unique band that makes an inimitable, driving, drone-based wall-of-sound - played with a fabulous sense of melody, rhythmic expertise and sheer feeling. They compose their own music which is influenced by English and European traditional folk music and song. Many of their tunes are “standards” in the modern British/European folk repertoire and are played by people all over the world. Bands across Europe and beyond who experiment with folk music often cite Blowzabella as a major influence. Much loved and respected, there is no one else quite like them.
The band is: Andy Cutting – diatonic button accordion; Jo Freya – vocals, saxophone, clarinet; Paul James – vocals, bagpipes, saxophones; Benoit Michaud - hurdy gurdy; David Shepherd – violin; Barnaby Stradling – bass guitar; Jon Swayne – bagpipes, saxophone
Doors open at 7:30pm. Band will be on stage at 8pm and it ends by 11pm. Bar available.
Most people like to dance at their gigs. The band have always made a big effort to be as inclusive as possible and don't pressure people to dance - usually their infectious music does the trick! Jo and Dave will call some of the dances - mostly with non-gendered explanations. Other dances in their repertoire are easy to pick up by watching and then joining in as you want. There's plenty for experienced and less experienced dancers to enjoy. The band also welcome anyone who wants to just come and just watch and listen. There are no reserved seats but there will be plenty of chairs around the dance floor and we always make sure there's a seat for anyone who needs one.
Tickets are priced £20 standard, £10 for under 25s, and free for under 12s. We accept online payments with PayPal. Please contact us directly for other options.
This gig is a co-promoted between Blowzabella and Oxfolk.
https://blowzabella.co.uk
http://oxfolk.org.uk/
*How to Get There*
Full address: The Newman Rooms, Rose Place, off St Aldates, Oxford, OX1 1RD
Travel options:
This venue is on the edge of Oxford city centre.
By bus: Most of the major bus routes stop within 10 mins walk. The 300 Redbridge / Pear Tree Park & Ride bus stops on St Aldates about 2 mins walk away.
By train: Oxford station is 0.8 miles away.
By car: We recommend using the Park & Ride car parks, if possible. The 300 bus for Redbridge and Pear Tree Park & Ride stops on St Aldates about 2 mins walk away.. The nearest car parks are at the Westgate shopping centre or next to the Icerink, both from Oxpens Road. Detailed information on parking options is available from https://www.oxford.gov.uk/parking-oxford
*Access Information*
- If you have a disability and need a personal assistant so that you can enjoy our events, we're happy to provide you with an extra ticket for them, free of charge. You can book a carer’s ticket when you book your own.
- There is ground level access into The Newman Room from Rose Place. A disabled person’s toilet is available.
- Lighting is a combination of the standard lights in The Newman Rooms, and some coloured stage lighting. We do not use flashing lights.
- There is a quieter area in the lobby, which is next to The Newman Rooms but separate from it.
If you have any questions or requests please contact us on [email protected]