Four folk bands set to take to the stage at The Apex in the coming weeks

There are four fabulous folk gigs coming to at The Apex, in Bury St Edmunds, before Christmas.

Blazin’ Fiddles (pictured above) formed for a one-off tour of the Scottish Highlands in 1999 and are still blazin’ a trail a quarter of a century later.

With nine albums, and many thousands of miles behind them, no other band has quite managed to capture the excitement, sensitivity and raw fire of traditional Scottish fiddle music.

Their gig on Monday, November 11, will include solo and ensemble sets, so you can hear the regional expressions from Scotland’s Highlands and islands, backed by guitar and piano.

This year see’s the 40th anniversary and farewell tour of Maddy Prior and The Carnival Band’s Carols and Capers.

On Monday, December 9, you can hear the instantly recognisable voice of Steeleye Span – Maddy Prior – with the Carnival Band, playing a range of traditional carols and festive music, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

On Monday, December 16, The Albion Christmas Band, which includes Fairport’s Simon Nicol and Ashley Hutchings, will take you on a guided tour through the Christmas customs of Britain.

The seasonal mixture of carols, spoken word and humorous readings was described in The Guardian as “the perfect antidote to the corporate Christmas” and was featured in the ‘Top ten unmissable shows this Christmas’ by The Telegraph in 2018.

And ontemporary folk stars, Turin Brakes will perform an acoustic set on Thursday, December 12.

The band released their Mercury Prize nominated debut “The Optimist” LP in 2001 (which acheived gold status in the UK) and followed it up in 2003 with their most commercially successful album – “Ether Song” – featuring the Top 5 hit single “Pain Killer (Summer Rain)”.

Since then, the band have racked up seven top 40 singles, six top 40 albums and over a million record sales worldwide.

See www.theapex.co.uk or ring 01284 578000 for tickets or more information.