Magpie Lane is an English

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

group, based in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The musicians of Magpie Lane first came together in the winter of 1992–93 to record ''The Oxford Ramble'', a collection of songs and tunes from, or about, Oxfordshire. Originally conceived as a one-off recording project, the success of ''The Oxford Ramble'' and early concerts and appearances in Oxford and further afield led to the release of a second CD, ''Speed the Plough'', a year later. Further recordings followed, celebrating seasonal folk customs of the British Isles: a collection of traditional Festive songs and tunes in ''

Wassail Wassail (, , most likely from Old Norse ''"ves heill"'') is a beverage made from hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation ei ...

: a Country Christmas''; and ''

Jack-in-the-Green Jack in the Green, also known as Jack o' the Green, is an English folk custom associated with the celebration of May Day. It involves a pyramidal or conical wicker or wooden framework that is decorated with foliage being worn by a person as par ...

,'' which celebrates customs around

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

and

Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...

. In 2000, the band were asked to record a companion album for ''A Taste of Ale'', a book by the author and folksong scholar, Roy Palmer. This album was one of two to feature

Benji Kirkpatrick Benji Kirkpatrick (born 1976) is an English folk singer and musician, who plays guitar, bouzouki, mandolin and tenor banjo. A son of folk musicians John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris, he was brought up in Shropshire. Previously a member of Bello ...

on vocals and string instruments. The band have continued to release albums and perform regularly in concerts, folk clubs and festivals in the UK. In 2018, they released their 10th studio album, ''The 25th'', the title of which plays on its Christmastime theme as well as being in celebration of the band's 25th anniversary. It was released in December, to coincide with the band's 25th annual Christmas concert at the

Holywell Music Room The Holywell Music Room is the city of Oxford's chamber music hall, situated on Holywell Street in the city centre, and is part of Wadham College. It is said to be the oldest purpose-built music room in Europe, and hence Britain's first conce ...

. The band takes its name from Magpie Lane, a street in central Oxford, and the title of the tune that opens their first album, ''The Oxford Ramble''.

Personnel

Current Line-up

* Ian Giles (vocals, percussion) * Andy Turner (vocals, anglo-concertina, one-row melodeon) * Mat Green ( fiddle, vocals) * Sophie Thurman ('cello, vocals) * Jon Fletcher (vocals,

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

, guitar)

Former members

* Tom Bower (woodwind, vocals, percussion) - 1993–2000 * Isobel Dams (vocals, 'cello) - 1993–1994 * Joanne Acty (vocals) - 1993–1999 * Peter Acty (vocals, guitar,

mandola The mandola (US and Canada) or tenor mandola (Ireland and UK) is a fretted, stringed musical instrument. It is to the mandolin what the viola is to the violin: the four double courses of strings tuned in fifths to the same pitches as the viola ...

) - 1993–1999 * Di Whitehead ('cello, woodwind, vocals) - 1993–2000 *

(bouzouki, guitar, vocals) - 1999–2004 * Marguerite Hutchinson (woodwind, vocals, bagpipes) - 2001–2008

Discography

*''The Oxford Ramble'' (Beautiful Jo Records, 1993) * ''Speed the Plough'' (Beautiful Jo Records, 1994) * ''Wassail: A Country Christmas'' (Beautiful Jo Records, 1995) * ''Jack-in-the-Green'' (Beautiful Jo Records, 1998) BEJOCD-22 * ''A Taste of Ale'' (Beautiful Jo Records, 2000) * ''Six for Gold'' (Beautiful Jo Records, 2002) * ''Knock at the Knocker Ring at the Bell'' (Beautiful Jo Records, 2006) *''The Robber Bird'' (Magpie Lane, 2011) *''Three Quarter Time'' (Magpie Lane, 2017) *''The 25th'' (Magpie Lane, 2018)

Footnotes

External links

Magpie Lane websiteMagpie Lane on Bandcamp
{{Authority control English folk musical groups Musical groups established in 1992