James Bell & The Half Moon All Stars

Event information

James Bell and his band of singers and musicians will be performing songs from his new album of traditional English songs and tunes — Joy & Jealousy — which features new discoveries taken from the Bodleian archives, that in some cases may not have been performed in well over 100 years.

There will be songs about jealous lovers, devious doctors, lethal mermaids and transvestite highwaywomen, as well as reworkings of some well known folk songs and tunes.

But this is not exactly folk music. It's music from a long tradition of English popular music, from trashy broadside songsheets to sentimental Music Hall love songs to dark true-story murder ballads. It's the disposable music of yesteryear, written to be played loud and sung along to.

Most songs will have a chorus (and about 8 people on stage singing along to it) so audience participation is more than welcome!