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Welcome to the website of the Brigstowe Village Band.

We are modelled on the village bands of Thomas Hardy’s day when local musicians played for all the local gatherings and celebrations.

We play lively upbeat traditional tunes of the British Isles and include songs, words and dances to reflect the origins of the music.

We perform at events such as fairs, street parties, harvest festivals and concerts, see archive on right.

Professional folk musician Alison Rowley arranges most of our music and leads monthly rehearsals.

The band is run as cooperatively as possible with members taking on organisational roles.

We are a friendly and inclusive group welcoming all acoustic instruments, there are no auditions and music is provided online – reading music is an advantage but some members play by ear.

Please contact the membership secretary using the email address below if you are interested in joining the band. We may operate a waiting list for some instruments.

For more information about joining the band or booking us for an event please email heatherjenne@gmail.com

“Just dropping you a quick line to say a very big THANK YOU to you and The Band for such a wonderful time last night!  I know how much you had put into making it a Pill themed show and by the hush in the audience at those points I know you had hit just the right spot!  Everyone in the audience was obviously having a good time and enjoyed joining in with the singing.  We loved the Christmas Pudding Making and Bathing the Horse (complete with soap bubbles) sketches –  pure genius! Many thanks.” Crockerne Pill History Society  November 2025

“Thank you for being part of Bristol Folk Festival 2025. The humour, high spirits and fun you brought was really special, and we very much enjoyed the music. Your performance brought a real warmth to proceedings. ” Dr Anna Rutherford, Creative Director, Bristol Folk Festival, May 2025

“Thanks again for a truly wonderful performamce today. I particularly enjoyed the reading of the serpent player and boy fiddler.” David Mowatt, St Stephen’s Bristol, May 2025

“This was a first for us. We invited the Brigstowe Village Band to perform instead of having a speaker and what wonderful entertainment we had! The band specialises in performing music from the first half of the 19th Century but also does some earlier music …..Some of them are skilled performers on several instruments and they all seemed to be real ‘characters’ …….” – Alveston Local History Society, December 2024