Folk veteran to bring an antipodean flavour to Ely audience

Martyn Wyndham-Read will be performing at Ely Folk Club’s October meeting.

Wyndham-Read, who has been involved with folk music for more than 40 years, will be playing a set at the club’s home, in the Old Dispensary, St Mary’s Street, from 8pm on October 15.

In his late teens, Wyndham-Read left his mother’s farm in Sussex and headed off, with his guitar, to Australia where he worked on a sheep station Emu Springs.

It was while he was there that he heard, first hand, the old songs sung by some of the station hands at Emu Springs and he became captivated by these songs and the need to know more of them and where they came from grew.

He headed off to Melbourne and became part of the folk song revival there and throughout Australia during the early 1960s.

He is currently working with Shirley Collins on a production called ‘Down the Lawson Track’ featuring stories, poems/songs of poet, Henry Lawson.

Joining him on the bill on Wednesday will be Isleham-based guitar trio, Unity.

Tickets for the event cost £8 in advance or £9 on the door. Call 01353 740999 or 01353 664706.