Below are the bands for 2025… we have worked with many musicians in the past and keep adding to our list of both bands and music types.
If you know of any bands wh’d like to perform on the Music Train, it’d be great to hear from you. Contact musictrains@midcheshirerail.org.uk
So in no particular order….. here is how they describe their band and their music.
‘Singing songs and playing tunes, ancient and modern, from the Cheshire plains and beyond’ – a mixture of traditional, contemporary and self-written material on guitar, violin, flute and octave mandola.
Lynchpins
Join us for a night of traditional Irish music! They are a local band of talented musicians combining instruments, music and song. A core group of guitar, mandolin, banjo & flute playing Irish tunes and songs as well as folk and soft rock
an established and experienced four-piece band playing and singing Irish jigs, reels and ballads. Band members play flute, guitar, bouzouki, violin, banjo and bodhran. Their music appeals to everyone who enjoys the fun of traditional dance music and well-known popular songs.
Dave Vaughan
Dave cut his teeth at Northwich Folk Club and has a well-earned reputation as a powerful and committed unaccompanied singer with a huge repertoire of songs that span the folk tradition
Epicures
Epicures are a fresh musical duo – Jim and Brian – who will entertain us on the fiddle and guitar. They are well known for playing a fusion of popular jazz, swing and folk numbers.
Pastry Shoes
With sweet and compelling female vocals and harmonies, a guitarist who skilfully creates the sounds of a full band, and the smooth, melodic tones of the tenor sax. They will soothe you with easy-listening, familiar jazz and swing numbers – or have you singing to popular hits from the 1950s to the present day.
Nelson Peach
They are a wonderful four-piece band playing and singing Irish jigs, reels and ballads performing on a huge variety of instruments. Their music appeals to everyone who enjoys the fun of traditional dance music and well-known popular songs.
So What Now Jazz!
Louis Noble’s So What Now Jazz play cool jazz for everyone – and Latin and blues – with a whole lot of swing.
Rolling Folk
Eclectic folk music, all at once brash and ethereal, raw and refined. Virginia Kettle – singer/songwriter, guitarist. With: Clare ‘Fluff’ Smith – fiddle, vocals; Chris Lee – bass, mandolin; Mark Woolley – whistles, percussion; and John Kettle – guitar.
With roots in both the American and English folk traditions. Known as energetic and joyous live performers, the Underground Folk Collective is a group of multi-instrumentalist musicians who formed a band out of a folk music meetup group. All the members also perform in other acts (sometimes in other genres), but they share a fondness for traditional folk music and its derivatives.
Dave Roberts Trio
a mainstream/modern jazz trio …. with a huge repertoire of jazz standards….accessible, swinging jazz.
Five hundred years of songs and music… The Time Bandits are a Chester-based folk band who are equally at home playing concerts and for dances. Influenced by artists such as the Albion Band, Blowzabella and Steeleye Span our repertoire mixes Renaissance and early dance music with traditional and contemporary songs and tunes played on a variety of instruments including fiddle, border bagpipes, saxophone, recorders, melodeon, bouzouki and electric bass. The band have recorded a total of six albums to date. The most recent, Stolen Histories, was released in May 202
Hound Dog Blues
The Hound Dog Blues are Jon Ingham – guitar, dobro, cigar box; Andy Millington – guitar, vocals; and Dave Eatock – harmonica, accordion, vocals. This highly accomplished trio formed the band a couple of years ago as an acoustic sideline to their busy programme of electric blues gigs around the UK. Playing well known and not so well-known covers from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s the Hound Dog Blues Band are sure to have your feet tapping, you face smiling and your heart and soul feeling good.
L’il Ian Goodsman Trio
Lil’ Ian Goodsman (guitars) has toured New Zealand and the UK several times and has played the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival three times along with other Festivals in New Zealand, UK and Belgium. He has also done session work in San Francisco. (Tonight was amazing with one of the best acoustic blues players you will see. ‘New Crawdaddy Club, Essex, UK’) Thor Brown (bass) Thor has been a familiar face on the Chester scene for many years playing in bands such as Rev Rev and Love-Waffe, Inspired by Punk in the 70’s to playing blues and beyond more recently with the late Terry Burgin.
BandaRama treat train travellers to a special ‘Tracks of our Years’ set that celebrates the golden era of the 1960s and early ’70s. With a strong focus on acoustic versions of Beatles songs (Chester-Plumley return trip) and, in between, a selection from a mixed musical menu at the excellent Golden Pheasant, you’ll be glad you booked your ticket to ride!
Join Rose Price & Martin Medina (vocal harmonies, guitars) and Ian Southerton (bass and vocals), members of the musical collective BandaRama, who play as a trio for this evening’s entertaining excursion.
All share a mutual love of cross-genre music, each having a well-established performance record in a variety of musical contexts in Cheshire.
Acoustic Roots Duo Mambo Jambo might just be the biggest acoustic duo you’ll ever see; a truly unique two-piece performing their lively, joyous mash up of roots, world, folk and jazz, plus their own compositions. With Frankie on sax, vocals, clarinet, flute, guitar and percussion and Pete on guitar, vocal, ukulele, tres (traditional Cuban guitar), banjo, accordion and between them all kinds of percussion including suitcase and spoons!
Pete and Frankie have been gathering admirers at shows and festivals the length and breadth of the country. A fabulous uplifting musical treat is in store wherever they roll up, their tour bus packed to the brim!
