Celebrating Folkestone Songwriting Festival's 10th Year anniversary we are so pleased to be bringing Medways most exciting live acts and masters in how to tell a good and mostly dark tale about their hometown of Chatham and have a good time, The Singing Loins.
Chris Broderick & Chris (Arfur) Allen started The Loins as a raw, stripped down acoustic duo in 1990 and soon had Medway legend Billy Childish in their corner. He recorded their first two albums live in his bathroom onto a mono Revox tape machine and released them on his Hangman label. These savage rarities are now swapping hands for big dollars on EBay and are often quoted as major influences by young purveyors of punk/folk.

After a couple more self-released albums and a great album with Billy Childish called At The Bridge they split in 1999. After a six-year lay-off they shook hands and returned in 2005 with a triumphant comeback album, Songs To Hear Before You Die, and a year later were joined by Rob Shepherd, who played junk shop banjo and mandolin on their 2007 album, The Drowned Man Resuscitator.

The group then went from strength to strength with full blown sell out tours of Eastern Europe, Germany & France, plenty of American indie radio plays, and an ever increasing fan base all over the world. Further albums for Damaged Goods include Unravelling England, Stuff, and Here on Earth.

Founder member Chris Broderick, the voice of The Singing Loins sadly passed away in 2022.

After the passing of their dear friend, Chris Broderick, Billy, Arf, and Rob decided to get together and record a 45 in his memory.

The single ‘Song of the Medway’ soon led to a full-length LP with Billy, ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ released at the tail-end of 2022. It contained new songs, old songs re-worked, traditional songs and even a Bob Dylan cover.

A new line-up of the Loins recorded an album for Damaged Goods called Twelve which was released on 6th September 2024.

The band have also recently been working with Billy Childish as Billy Childish and The North Kent Folkways Revival.

The current line-up is…

Rob Shepherd – banjo, mandolin, backing vocals

Arfur Allen – vocals, guitar,

Oli Allen – guitar, backing vocals

Richard Moore – violin, backing vocals

Chris Grenfell – drums, percussion

AND VERY GOOD THEY ARE TOO!


Railcard formed in early 2025 when Rachel Love, Ian Button and Peter Momtchilo realised they
were all born within weeks of each other and joked that this was an excellent reason to form a
new band together: shared history, the same pop references, parallel lives…
The idea might have remained just that - but Rachel and Ian began writing songs together, Peter
added his own into the list, and by the time the band made their live debut in December 2025
they had recruited their fourth member Allison Thomson and recorded two albums’ worth of
material. Skep Wax Records in the UK and Slumberland in the US gave them a home straight
away.
Rachel Love (vocals, guitar, cello) started playing, writing and singing as a teenager in post punk/
pop band Dolly Mixture - who are cited as one of the major inuences on modern indie pop, riot
grrl etc - and in more recent years began a solo career with two acclaimed albums, and
collaborations with Martin Newell, Exploding Flowers and more.
Ian Button (vocals, drums) had a 20 year career as a guitarist, rst with Thrashing Doves, then
Death In Vegas, before switching to drumming, production, and writing for his own long-running
project Papernut Cambridge. Ian is the drummer in the current lineup of Heavenly.
Peter Momtchilo (bass) was a founder member of Talulah Gosh and Heavenly, and since 1999
has been a member of the Would-be-goods, as well as more recently releasing material of his own
as Tufthunter.
Allison Thomson (trumpet, keys) formed her rst teenage band The Sherbet Fountains in 1980s
Kilmarnock. In her music career since she has played for the Trashcan Sinatras, Heist, and The
Orchids, run a music school and studio in France, and recently guested on trumpet with The Love
Band.
Railcard’s individual musical DNA is easy to trace in the music - the Rachel and Ian’s songs mix
up ingredients from their earlier projects, and Peter’s bear his hallmarks too.
Their sound blends together shared lead vocals from Rachel and Ian, jangling guitars, sweet
strings, organ and cool/oblique trumpet lines from Allison, plus a drive and punch from Peter and
Ian’s rhythm section that steers into Motown, bubblegum pop/garage and more.
Their songs celebrate getting older, but playfully dismiss nostalgia. There’s fun, friendship, kitchen
sink adventure, smart love songs, and of course, songs about train travel.

Making up the triple bill are : still tbc but we just had to get the tickets onsale so we will add this once confirmed.