NOTE: The Topic Folk Club is CLOSED on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
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Next Club Night:
Thursday January 8th 2026
Singers' and Musicians' Night
A chance to sing a song or play a tune or just listen.
At The Wallers Brewery bar, Sunbridge Wells Complex, Upper Millergate, Bradford BD1 1SX (see info on how to get there below).
Entry £1
Doors open 7pm
NOTE: The last Singers' and Musicians' Night of 2025 on 18th December was moved at short notice to The Castle, as unfortunately the Wallers Brewery bar had suffered a large break-in that required the place to close for the night.
The next Guest night will be January 15th, a Double Header with Ghost School and Lilian
Songs with a Bradford Accent
A collection of folk songs about people, groups and special places in Bradford District.
To mark Bradford City of Culture in 2025 the Topic Folk Club gathered together folk songs about the story of the people and/or groups who work to make Bradford District a welcoming and supportive place.
See the 62 songs uploaded at SWABA-LYRICS-FINAL.pdf . It's a PDF file you can download and open.
We are using two separate spaces. Guest nights are in the Wallers Brewery bar, on the lower floor. Singers and Musicians evenings will be held in the separate Rose and Crown bar. Metal stairs before you get to the Wallers Bar will lead you up to it, and the performance room will be one floor above that. Those who want to minimise stairs may find it easier to access this from Sunbridge Road itself.
There are toilet facilities on both levels.
Parking
There are some parking spaces on Sunbridge Road, cost: £1 from 6pm to midnight.
Parking is free after 6 pm on Thornton Road, a few minutes walk from the venue, though temporarily suspended on the south side. There are small side roads off Thornton Road with no parking restrictions. Jacob's Well car park charges £1.50 per hour. There's also the car park behind the Media museum (Sharpe Street), but that's also £1.50 an hour, it's a bit further to walk than Jacobs Well.
Bradford Interchange is about 6 minutes walk from the venue, Forster Square about 10 minutes.
You can see see The Topic's Safeguarding Policy (March 2024) here
Coming Soon
2026
15 Jan
Double Header Night
Ghost School
Calderdale-based band Ghost School is an acoustic trio that plays a mixture of original songs and traditional material from all corners of the British Isles. The band brings together three highly accomplished and experienced musicians, Andy Greaves (mandolin/guitar/vocals), Jen Trott (fiddle/ vocal) and Les Gillon (guitar/vocal).
Weaving songs and stories from the past with contemporary original compositions, Ghost School create a rich musical tapestry that comes to life in their dynamic live performances.
2024 saw the release of their first album Let All Hearts Be Hollow, which is available on all download and streaming platforms.
Lilian
Lilian is a singer/storyteller of traditional folk and fairytales. Through song Lilian explores real world issues that we face today, and combines this with encounters of the supernatural world, drawing inspiration from the folk tradition to create a sound that is dark and at times ethereal.
Lilian released her debut album ‘Pareidolia’ in 2023, a collection of traditional and contemporary songs and tunes, and has performed up and down the country to attentive audiences who describe her voice as haunting.
"At times ethereal, at times vivid, A triumph in the use of acoustic light and shade" - Tykes/Stirrings
A chance to sing a song or play a tune or just listen.
Entry £1
Doors open 7pm
29 Jan
Double Header Night:
White Sail
White Sail are Jane Stockdale, Chris Bartram & Sarah Dean. With two sell out tours supporting (and as backing band) to legendary Hothouse Flowers front man Liam Ó Maonlaí, White Sail are making waves and certainly have the wind behind them!
With a glorious melding of sublime harmony vocals & guitars, mandolin, Celtic harp, Appalachian dulcimer, schruti box, trumpet, flute, woodwind & percussion the trio perform their own unique material at gigs and festivals. Taking their inspiration from nature, history and heritage they write about love, life, the land and the sea. The stories are told with passion and sublime musicality. The songs are set against soundscapes that are joyous, vibrant and at times, gentle and mesmeric. They also weave their unique magic on the contemporary & traditional.
August 2021 saw the release of their 2nd EP This Great Ocean to great reviews - the first EP To The Blue and Single 'WinterTide' are available on CD and Download. White Sail are putting the finishing touches to a recently recorded live EP entitled White Sail Live in Session at Crooked Room Studio.
"White Sail are rooted in the music of the people and the music of the land. There is a heart driven energy in the way they share their music and songs. I had the pleasure of touring with them two years in succession. We made a lot of music together venturing in to the unknown" Liam Ó Maonlaí, Hothouse Flowers
Here’s the Steeple
Here’s The Steeple is the musical handle of multi-instrumentalist Dan Walters. Distinctly northern, Dan has lived most of his life in Teesside and West Yorkshire, where he has developed a reputation for intricate guitar textures and soaring, soulful vocals that warm you up like a good cup of tea. As Here’s The Steeple, his music draws on a range of folk-related influences, from the singer-songwriter stylings of Laura Marling to the experimental folk of Rachael Dadd.
Dan is an accomplished solo performer, and both his original music and his takes on trad. folk songs have received praise from artists including The Brother Brothers, Tiny Ruins, The Unthanks, and the Wilson Family. Recorded, his songs often take on new life with sophisticated arrangements and vocal harmonies, influenced by Dan’s long history of choral singing.
Here’s The Steeple has played both as a soloist and with a band, supporting artists including The Brother Brothers, Will Varley, Tiny Ruins, Jesca Hoop, Scott Matthews, Rozi Plain, and Chris Brain.
Here’s The Steeple’s most recent offering is a collection of 3 double A-side singles, funded by Help Musicians. Released across 2023-24, they explore themes of childhood, relationships, and politics, and demonstrate the thoughtful lyrics and rich textures he has become known for.
“Dreamy, childhood soundscape” - Tom Robinson, BBC Introducing Mixtape
“There’s a lot going on but it sounds like it’s fallen together in a really perfect way... There’s something reaIly, really special about it.” - Emily Pilbeam, BBC 6Music
“I honestly got a little bit lost in that track there... I think it’s stunning... Already looking forward to hearing more. Absolutely soaking that up.” - Christian Carlisle, BBC Introducing Leeds & Sheffield
“Bloody fantastic!” - Adrian McNally, The Unthanks
A chance to sing a song or play a tune or just listen.
Entry £1
Doors open 7pm
12 Feb
Pete Coe
Pete has been a professional musician since 1971, playing at festivals concerts, clubs, dances & schools throughout Britain, Europe, Asia, New Zealand & USA. During the ‘70s he toured and recorded with Chris Coe, was a member of the legendary New Victory Band & with Nic Jones, Tony Rose and again, Chris Coe, he was a member of Bandoggs. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s he toured and recorded with Red Shift but since 1985 he's mainly worked as a soloist & earned an enviable reputation.
His strong, distinctive voice is enhanced by his instrumental versatility, the ringing strings of his bouzouki, the sweet chords of his mountain dulcimer, the plaintive frailing banjo & the pulsing reeds of his melodeon. He's also a country dance caller, creator & band musician. He sings, plays & step dances, sometimes all at once!
His latest album is The Road to Peterloo, about which Tykes News said: “These songs may be 200 years old but they still have the power to shock, amuse and inspire, especially when handled as empathetically and powerfully as by this trio of musicians.”
“There’s a very good reason why Pete Coe’s career has been such a long and successful one: this is a man who never rests on his laurels and who is constantly looking for new angles from which to approach his music. In addition he’s an extremely competent singer, musician, arranger, step dancer and a stage performer of rare ability…” - John Waltham, Living Tradition.
“One of the most important folk artists in Britain” MOJO
“it may be easier and quicker to list the talents that Pete Coe doesn’t have.” - Andy Kershaw, BBC World
“Pete Coe in many ways represents the backbone of the modern folk revival. A fine solo performer and an energetic activist for the scene as well, founding Ryburn 3 Step, running folk clubs, dances and workshops in Ripponden and beyond while also teaching music and dancing in schools. He’s still one of the most committed, most versatile, most important folk artists in Britain.” - Colin Irwin MOJO
NOTE: The Topic Folk Club is CLOSED on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
