We had decided to visit the Cambridge Botanical Gardens, but what with one thing and another we missed the train! (Yes, we could have driven, but Cambridge and cars is not a marriage made in heaven!) We finally made the trip on Sunday. We hadn’t realized Sunday, October 25 was Apple Day! A lovely surprise. We wandered around the gardens taking in the sights when we heard music and hurried over to see what was happening. It turned out that the music was being played by Kelly and Woolley, an acoustic duo from Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds. Their music had a good rhythmic beat to it and this was inspiring a homegrown Strictly experience in front of them. When people ask what folk music is all about, there are many possible answers, but these two players did more for the cause of folk music in forty minutes than many people do in a lifetime! The way they used their guitar and fiddle caused many feet to tap, bodies to sway and young children to get carried away by sheer exuberance and dance. I shall treasure the memory of one particular young boy for a long time. He must have been just able to walk and clearly thought, “I can do that!” He was jumping, skipping and hopping about to the driving beat, occasionally falling over, but always getting up again and carrying on, lost in the music. I’m sure for that young boy, a love of music was instilled that day. That led me on to thinking about the effects that our own music has on people. Kelly and Woolley were clearly right for that occasion. I’m sure they opened up many people’s ideas about folk music that day. But what of those people who don’t think about their audience? That performance on Apple Day underlined that what is really important is the sheer joy of the music. If you can make a young lad so carefree that he just enjoys himself, that must be enough, surely? P.T.

4th September – Mayflower Folk Club, Portland Arms, Cambridge.  20 minute support spot 7.45pm

12th September – Johnny’s Blues session, Flying Pig, Cambridge 8.30pm.

27th September – Jean Grove Benefit, Devonshire Arms, 8pm

The new release from Kelly and Woolley has finally hit the deck. Miner’s Eyes is our second release but the first containing all original songs. It has been 18 months in the planning and producing. It can be ordered on this website and we will be selling it at gigs in the near future. It is available on itunes, Spotify and cdbaby.

The package of four MINER’S EYES CDs arrived on Friday. This morning I had a quiet hour to enjoy your wonderful musical creation from beginning to end. The warm melancholy mood of your music and lyrics fits each song perfectly. Earl Dotter, (Photographer responsible for the amazing cover photo)

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 I found your album on a download platform. Something about the cover of the disc attracted my attention and when I started listening I knew I found something special. Sounds very coherent and as if you guys played together for a long time. Beautiful instrumentation, expressive voice and very good mastering. Brilliant. 

Simon Vischer, from Switzerland.

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It’s very good.. buy it

Lee Cave-Berry, from Cambridge

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Got our copy, it’s wonderful, a must have.

Kay Bull, from Royston

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