Friday 26th September | 1pm
The Wylam Song Cycle : A Railway200 Celebration
A special performance of a newly commissioned song cycle to mark and celebrate Wylam’s significant railway history through original song.
Join Wylam based singer-songwriter Gareth Davies-Jones and his daughter (and singer-songwriter) Bronwen Davies-Jones with members of Tyne Valley Voices choir as they perform an engaging and entertaining song cycle about Wylam’s unique and significant railway history. The song cycle was written by Gareth and Bronwen and arranged by local musicians Simon and Gail Davies-Fidler and Len Young as part of the Wylam Railway200 Arts Project to help the village mark the national bicentenary celebration of the birth of the modern railway. The songs were originally performed as part of a gala evening in the village at Wylam Winter Tales Festival in February 2025. Jointly commissioned by Wylam Parish Council, Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership and Wylam Winter Tales the song cycle takes a lyrical and sometimes whimsical look at Wylam’s famous and not so famous railway engineers, it’s place as an influential coal, iron and engineering hub and even the feud (and friendship) between George Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel ! Gareth and Bronwen will also perform a selection of songs from their solo work and from their repertoire with Howay The Lasses.
Gareth Davies-Jones www.garethdavies-jones.com
Singer, songwriter, story-teller and producer, Gareth has been writing, recording and performing as a professional musician for over twenty years. The lead songwriter from Howay The Lasses, a collaborator with folk luminaries like Megson, Calum Stewart, Celtish and Yvonne Lyon, from community halls to concert halls, he has travelled the length of the country armed with a rich distinctive voice and two decades worth of perceptive, compelling songwriting spanning sixteen albums and song-writing collaborations. His solo performances are known for gathering people together, inviting audiences to travel with him into a world of landscapes, history, characters and causes all underpinned with assured vocals and the warmth and vibrancy of a beautifully played array of stringed instruments.
"Rich, soulful vocals, a fine ear for melody & masterful acoustic guitar playing" R2 Magazine
"Some artists often sing in the name of one cause or another without conviction, but that is not the case here. The legacy of well-written, descriptive music laid down by Woody Guthrie, still lives on here in the UK" Maverick Magazine (5 Stars)
Bronwen Davies-Jones www.howaythelasses.com
Singer-songwriter and lead singer of local folk group Howay The Lasses, Bronwen Davies-Jones was born and raised in Wylam. After studying at Exeter University and gaining a Masters in Arts Management at Queens University Belfast, Bronwen has returned to the North East to work in a variety of settings from community music with schools and local organisations to choir leading and collaborative songwriting. With Howay The Lasses she has toured in the UK and USA, appeared on local and national TV and Radio bringing audiences an inspiring celebration of the lives and stories of North East Women through original song. She is currently working on song commissions with Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership and Sunderland Culture and leads the Singin' Tyne choir in the Tyne Valley.
“...a moving paean to the lives of women from the North-East of England, from the fêted to the altogether more obscure.. ear-catching three-part vocal harmonies.. an uplifting foot-tapping delight.” Songlines (4 Stars)
Tyne Valley Voices
A local Wylam based choir led by the aforementioned and wonderfully talented Simon and Gail Davies-Fidler. The choir have performed at concerts and events in Tyneside and Northumberland and always welcome new members at their rehearsals during term time at Wylam Institute.
A LIVE Lit & Phil Event | £10/£8 (concession)
(If you would prefer to book directly over the phone, please call the Library Desk team on 0191 232 0192 and they will be happy to help)
The Wylam Song Cycle | Images provided by promoter
