Save the date! – Furness Tradition Folk Festival 2026 will be 10th – 12th July
Welcome to Furness Tradition, we are an organisation promoting folk music and related arts and crafts in South Cumbria. Part of our mission is to keep local music and traditions alive but we also play and promote a wide range of music across different traditions. You can usually find us at The Hope and Anchor pub in Ulverston on Tuesday nights from 8:30 pm where we gather for our weekly session.
Why not come along and enjoy the music.
Upcoming Events
Dave Tonge Storyteller – Friday 10th April
Shed 1 Distillery 7:00 pm for 7:30 pm start
Tickets £12
Beguiling for Beginners
Being a celebration of cunning men, cunning women, coney catching and all manner of counterfeit craftiness
A lone trickster wanders the road, from town to town, village to village and house to house, wearing many different disguises. Sometimes a priest, sometimes a potter, and sometimes a pedlar of wares. From pots to pardons, potions to pins, he sells them all occasionally, but always he gifts lies. His trade is deceit and he practices his craft upon the foolish, the greedy and the gullible.
The thing that really struck me is the immense energy and spirit that you put into the performance. I think that’s what gave it the wow factor! It’s so obvious that you love the stories and you love the audience response. How can you go wrong with it?
Marion Leeper, Cambridge Storytelling Club
We are delighted to welcome Dave Tonge, otherwise know as the Yarnsmith of Norwich, is a jobbing teller of tales. An itinerant journeyman who performs at festivals, museums, heritage sites and schools, from Lindisfarne Holy Island in the north, to Arundel Castle in the south. He works regularly for English Heritage and national museums like the Ashmolean in Oxford. He has written three books, Tudor Folk Tales, Norfolk Folk tales for Children and Medieval Folk tales for Children. Dave specialises in telling period rich and often irreverent tales shared by the poorer folk long ago on heritage sites, but he is happy to ditch his costume in favour of a fine trilby hat and can be heard at storytelling events including Taffy Thomas’s Tales in Trust and Festival at the Edge.
Alcove – Saturday 18th April 2026
Alcove are an indie folk band from Ulverston, Cumbria, with Americana influences, formed in 2023 by local musicians Chris Butler, Rachel Clark, and Laurence McKenna, and recently joined by Heather Ord. With a diverse background in folk, classical, indie, and rock, the band blends thoughtful originals and carefully chosen covers, featuring rich harmonies and a warm, folk-driven sound on electric and acoustic guitars, keys, flute, fiddle, melodeon, and percussion.
Their sound is influenced by artists such as Tyler Ramsey, Bonny Light Horseman, Neil Young and Adrianne Lenker, shaping their reflective and emotive style.
Alcove have appeared at many festivals, including Eskfest and Solfest, and have supported artists such as Holly Clarke and Sam Barrett, steadily building a reputation for intimate, captivating performances. They have recently recorded their first live EP and are excited to share it in the near future.
More details to follow