Medina Book Shop

Ryan O'Reilly , Jadea Kelly and Tali Trow
2025-12-14 19:00 (Europe/London) | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Ryan O’Reilly, an English-Irish songwriter known for his poetic, emotionally charged songs, has spent the past decade touring Europe and North America, building a dedicated fanbase through word-of-mouth and compelling live shows. His music, featured US Netflix shows, and ITV’s McDonald & Dodds and After the Flood, blends folk, indie, and literary influences, with writing credits alongside London indie favourites Flyte, Germany’s Amistat, and Prague’s Anna Vaverková. His latest album Other Plans explores connection, solitude, and modern life with quiet power.
‘Ryan O’Reilly is the perfect antidote to our era of production-line pop, to see him live is to be reminded of what music is all about: people, passion and poetry.’ – London Evening Standard
Jadea Kelly, hailed by CBC as “a shining jewel in the crown of Canadian songwriters,” brings a cinematic, heartfelt edge to contemporary Canadian-country-folk. Her latest release Roses earned millions of streams and ‘Single of the Year’ at the Oshawa Music Awards, while her voice has featured in acclaimed film and TV projects. Fans of Alternative Folk music and artists such as Kathleen Edwards and Lindi Ortega will immediately fall in love with Jadea Kelly.
‘If you can imagine Patsy Cline writing songs with Feist you kind of have an idea of where Jadea Kelly resides in the musical spectrum’ – The Pop Stereo USA
Tali Trow is a producer, musician, and writer with over 30 years of global performance experience. From his early days as a chorister singing for the Pope to sharing stages with legends like The Rolling Stones and, more recently, Bonnie Raitt. Recently, he has reconnected with his own artistic voice, supported by the musicians who first inspired him. His latest album has been praised as a “treasure trove of good songwriting and musicianship,” with listeners captivated by the “sublime clarity and warm timbre” of his voice. Trow’s storytelling, lyricism, and vocal skills continue to bring joy to audiences.

Christmas Carols Under The Tree.
2025-12-21 17:00 - 18:00 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Medina bookshop invites you to join us for our annual Carols Under The Tree performed by the wonderful Medina Community Choir.
Gathering around the Christmas tree outside Rosalie’s at the bottom of Market Hill, we, along with some of the surrounding shops will be offering mince pies, mulled wine and other seasonal treats. A chance to really get in the spirit of Christmas and pick up a few last minute presents. There will also be a charity collection.

An Evening Of Stories And Songs With JC Carroll Of Legendary Punk Group The Members
2026-01-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Quitting his job as a bank clerk to become a member of the, erm, Members, co-authoring their early hits Solitary Confinement and Sound Of The Suburbs, JC’s career has followed a remarkable trajectory. As well as a life in music working with legends such as Graham Parker, Johnny Thunders and film composer Michael Kamen, he also set up the iconic London boutique ‘The Dispensary’ selling his own designs and becoming a gathering place for the early acid house scene. Described by Ian Hislop as ‘the TS Eliot of Punk’ JC now tours and records regularly as frontman of the Members and has recently published his brilliant autobiography ‘(Still) Annoying The Neighbours’.
Come and join us as JC holds court with a mixture of chat, readings and song followed by an audience Q&A.

Tales Of Winter SOLD OUT
2026-01-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Come join us for a wintery selection of classic jazz and self-composed tunes, performed by the wonderfully accomplished trio of Jon Thorne on double bass, Tom Barker on piano and Chris Jones on drums.
Bring your own refreshments
Doors at 6:45

Second Time Around SOLD OUT
2026-01-29 19:00 - 21:30 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Following our sell out show at Ventnor Fringe Festival, the band can’t wait to bring you a repeat performance of ‘Across the Pond’, an exploration of the similarities and differences of English and American folk music in the wonderful, intimate atmosphere of Medina Books.
Their rich and varied soundscapes allow them to weave together many genres of music and song of not only traditional folk, but early jazz, Americana, gospel and World music that has kept their audiences entertained and guessing for over a decade.
Bring your own refreshments.
Doors just before 7pm, performance starts just after 7pm.

Lucy Kitchen
2026-02-26 19:00 - 21:30 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Lucy Kitchen is a British folk singer-songwriter based in Romsey, Hampshire. She makes music spanning Folk, Americana, a little bit of Country, and infused with the feel of 70s singer-songwriters. Lucy’s songs explore concepts of grief and loss. She is inspired by lyrical poets, nature, the seasons and making beauty out of hard things.

The Brothers Gillespie
2026-03-07 19:00 - 21:30 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Described by Folk Radio UK as ‘weaving an especially compelling magic’, and ‘showing British acoustic music in its best possible light’, Northumbrian duo The Brothers Gillespie make music that is animated by lyrical songwriting, fine fingerstyle guitar playing, multi-instrumental musicianship and ‘the glorious tones of their blood harmony’ (Sam Lee).
Brothers James and Sam Gillespie found their sound growing up in the fells and valleys of Northumberland, their songs often describing relationships with wild places and the
experience of finding oneself in a world alive with soul. The music comes to them most strongly when walking in the borderlands with their packs and instruments which remains a
regular practice for them. This spirit is channeled into their live performances which have a rare and intimate energy, both ethereal and earthy, romantic and radical. The brothers have travelled far and wide with their music and have played at Cambridge and Sidmouth Folk Festivals and opened for Lankum and Sam Lee. In 2021 they featured in the English Heritage ‘Songs of England’ recording series that appeared on BBC Radio 4. The release of their new album ‘The Merciful Road’ (‘pure magic’, Living Tradition) in Spring 2022 saw them embark on their most extensive national tour to date.
‘The Merciful Road’ was recorded in a cottage by the banks of the river Tweed and like their previous album ‘The Fell’, it blends rootsy, acoustic elements to create a rich warm sound with a touch of vintage magic. In some ways it is an album about finding the thread of love
and belonging in a world that seems to be nonetheless unravelling.
The brothers emerge from the time of lockdowns with a yet greater reverence for the joy and privilege of being with an audience in real time and space.
‘Our music is inspired by the still wild soul of the land in which we live, a land alive withpresences, not owned by anyone. It is about seeing with the eye of the heart and recovering our imaginations. It is about finding home, belonging and each other in a world which is singing to us as we sing to it’.
“Anyone who has seen the brothers live will surely attest that it is an experience that will stay with you. There is a feeling of warmth that exudes from them and affects everyone in the room” – Folk London
“Not since the minimal chamber folk of Simon And Garfunkel has two voices and an acoustic guitar sounded so absolutely perfect.” FATEA
“Stunning songs beautifully sung and played. Without doubt a classic in the making from a duo potent with potential.” – Northern Sky
“Uncluttered, simply but intoxicatingly arranged and adorned by their magical harmonies, musically steeped in the earth, grass and leaves that mark the pathways, this is a road you really need to travel.” – Bright Young Folk
“The stars of the show were The Brother’s Gillespie – more than an hour of fantastic musicianship. Imagine the guitar work of the early Nic Jones, the close harmony work of
the Dransfields and the commitment and honesty of Bob Davenport rolled into two brothers and you’ll get some idea.” Mike Harding

Dom Pipkin - Piano from London, soul from New Orleans
2026-03-12 19:00 - 22:00 | Island Sailing Club, 70 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RE, United Kingdom
Alongside a glittering session career (David Byrne, Ray Davies, Morcheeba), piano player and songwriter Dom Pipkin has been described by Blues in Britain as “one of the world’s greatest exponents of New Orleans piano”. He first discovered the New Orleans style in the early 90s, and has gone on to become a regular visitor and performer in that city, with appearances that include the highly acclaimed “Piano Night” and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. He is a regular fixture on the European blues and boogie-woogie festival circuit having played 1000’s of club and theatre, radio and TV dates in a career spanning nearly three decades. Jazz star Jamie Cullum says “I can’t hold a candle to this guy”.
Pipkin developed a particular specialisation for the unique flavours of maverick New Orleans piano star James Booker (1939 – 1983) capturing the player’s trademark combination of driving blues married with rhapsodic classical influences. He was invited to play at the world premiere of the documentary “Bayou Maharajah” at SXSW in 2014, and at multiple subsequent screenings of the film.
Pipkin regularly performs and records in New Orleans, and has shared stages with legends such as Allen Toussaint , Dr John and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Grammy award winner Jon Cleary invites him to jam whenever he’s in town. In live shows Pipkin mixes his own compelling songwriting with blues and Big Easy classics that “..cooks up a steaming musical stew that has the crowd dancing and clapping for more” Classic Rock Blues Magazine.
During the Covid lockdown he performed more than 120 broadcast shows from his home and completed his solo album “C’mon Sunshine” – an all-original collection of songs on the subject of hope, jammed full of spicy New Orleans and blues piano styles. The album “Live At The Temple” followed in 2023 – a spontaneous mix of two live sets at London’s Temple Of Art And Music.
Pipkin’s on screen appearances include the new Netflix thriller, Black Doves (5 Dec 2024), and A Thousand Blows by the creators of Peaky Blinders (released Feb 21 2025), and he can be seen jamming boogie-woogie with king of Mandopop, Jay Chou, in the latest Rimowa commercial.
Alongside his own career, Pipkin has travelled the world with the band Morcheeba (with whom he has been associated since the bands inception in 1996). He is also active as an educator, running a highly popular New Orleans jam session in London, and writes articles based around keyboards for Blues Matters magazine.
WEBSITE https://www.dompipkin.com

Johnny Campbell
2026-03-18 19:00 - 21:30 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Johnny Campbell emerged onto the UK folk scene writing self-penned material and delving deep into Northern English folk song and story.
‘A Modern-Day Billy Bragg’ – Tradfolk
The album From Hull & Halifax & Hell (2020) took him to The Faroe Islands where he recorded a live album on the island of Nolsoy. Since musical instruments hadn’t arrived on the islands until the 19th century, this is perhaps the first time Northern English traditional song has been recorded on these islands.
This album earned him album of the week with Blues and Roots radio and reviews with British folk press:
‘The spirit of the folk clubs in their heyday runs in his veins’ Folking.com
‘I defy anyone not to be galvanised by the total integrity of his exceptional rendition of (Ewan MacColl’s) Moving On Song’ The Living Tradition
‘A truly entertaining work. Lose yourself in the true folk experience’ Fatea Magazine
Since March 2020, Campbell hasn’t relented, releasing three singles, Hard Times of Old England, Winter Hill Trespass & A Right to Roam. The former receiving play on Ian Lynch’s (Lankum) Fire Draw Near podcast, Winter Hill Trespass (2021) gained national press in Country Walking Magazine & The Guardian.
‘Nobody else seems to be doing what Campbell is doing right now, and his passion and determination deserve recognition’ – Jon Wilks
A Right to Roam (2022) is a collaboration with Commoners Choir & Skelmanthorpe Brass Band which received the accolade of ‘One of the Best Folk Songs of 2022’ alongside contemporaries such as Eliza Carthy, Jon Boden, Angeline Morrison & more, chosen by Tradfolk.
2024 sees Campbell releasing True North, an album of Northern English traditional songs recorded on their respective county summits, garnering press from Country Walking Magazine, Folk on Foot & BBC Radio 4 Open Country. Richard Thompson declared True North as one of his top five albums of the year in ‘My Year in Music’ in UNCUT Magazine.
‘I can’t think of another project quite like this!’ Richard Thompson
⭐⭐⭐⭐'(True North) is a psychogeography field trip’ MOJO
Through extensive touring in UK and Europe, Campbell finds time to write for Britian’s best selling walking magazine, Country Walking as well as being billed with BBC Folk award nominees & winners in recent years such as Stick In the Wheel, Martin Carthy, Ye Vagabonds, Lankum, Daoiri Farrell, Ewan McLennan, The Men They Couldn’t Hang and many more.
⭐⭐⭐⭐’Haunting, Evocative & Pure’ SONGLINES

Awake Mother
2026-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Awake Mother are a new duo from the south of England.
They are keen to share music from the folk tradition, reigniting old favourites and introducing you to new songs and tales from times gone by.
Awake Mother are Minnie Birch and Kathleen P, two award winning, critically acclaimed musicians who have joined together to present something new and special in the folk tradition.
Minnie Birch has been writing and releasing music for many years. In 2020 she released an album called “You’re not singing anymore” which was a contemporary look at the relationship between football terrace songs and folk music. This work received critical acclaim and was named a Sunday Times Album of the year. She has toured extensively, performed at The Great Escape Festival, been BBC Radio 1s introducing artist of the week, named Buzzfeed’s “one to watch” and supported Joan Armatrading on tour.
Kathy Pilkinton is an award winning folk musician. With her trio Said the Maiden, she has performed at many of the countries prestigious folk clubs and festivals including Folk By The Oak, Folkeast, Gate to Southwell, Shepley and Bunkfest. These opportunities have in turn led to invitations to support many fantastic artists including The Fisherman’s Friends, Jim Moray, Megson, Martin Carthy and David Swarbrick.
“I think every folk club in the country will be beating a path to their door”
Fatea

Tom Bright
2026-06-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
Tom Bright is a relentlessly touring songwriter whose songs land with emotional weight and unvarnished honesty. 2025 saw him make his third television appearance on BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live, serenade thousands at his fifth Glastonbury Festival, and sell out shows across the UK and beyond.
Armed with a guitar signed by Johnny Marr of The Smiths and John Squire of the Stone Roses, Bright’s tireless graft has seen him hit iconic heights of the London Palladium, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, appear on BBC’s The One Show and Sky News, and record countless live sessions and interviews for BBC Radio 2, 5 Live, Radio X and more. Along the way, he’s shared stages with The Libertines, Mystery Jets, Tom Grennan, Reverend & The Makers, Katherine Priddy, Ed Harcourt and others.
He has collaborated with The The, earned continued support from tastemakers Guy Garvey and John Kennedy and spent two years on Spotify’s Most Beautiful Songs in the World playlist with ‘If I Met Your Shadow’.
In May, Tom released Young Old Bloke, a collection of early songs produced by Mick Jones (The Clash) and Dirty White. He has three previous albums in the world — all produced by Ed Harcourt. Away from the stage, his story is just as remarkable: once the UK’s youngest pub landlord, and a childhood marked by multiple life-saving surgeries.
Tom is currently working on his fifth studio album, with Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets) handling production.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombrightmusic/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tombrightmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5FeiISr6o8mHNSTNtwKceS
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tombrightmusic

An Evening Of Old Songs Sung By 'Soft Lap'
2026-06-18 19:00 - 21:30 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
‘I have fallen so completely in love with this book… just one of the finest, most covetable things around’ Katherine Rundell
Best-selling historian and author Amy Jeffs, musician Natalie Brice and illustrator Gwen Burns have created Old Songs, a reimagining of ten traditional British ballads. Each artist applied her primary trade: word, music and image respectively, but each also influenced the others’ work.
In this live performance, Amy will offer historical insights and readings from the stories, while Gwen will showcase animations created from the illustrations and Natalie will lead them both in mesmerising sung renditions of the earliest known melodies of the ballads themselves. Old Songs fuses short stories, histories, lyrics and illustrations in an enthralling reimagining of traditional folk ballads. Sunday Times Bestselling historian Amy Jeffs and Illustrator Gwen Burns combine forces to create a rich compendium, singing of travel, mystery, magic and the essential urges of humanity.
Featuring iterations of fairy tales and sinister descendants of Greek myths and bible stories, as well as a cast of lesser-known characters with names like Tam Lim, Child Wynd and Maisery, Old Songs threads a tapestry of Britain’s landscape, history and cultures. At the base of hills we can visit to this day, elf queens kidnap hapless poets and carry them through rivers of blood; and at the foot of a tree whose offspring still stand in the forests of Northumberland, a girl mimes combing the hairless head of a dragon who was once her brother.
Dr Amy Jeffs is an author, artist and medievalist. During her PhD in Art History at the University of Cambridge, she co-convened a project researching medieval badges and pilgrim souvenirs at the British Museum. She then worked in the British Library’s department of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern manuscripts. Now a Somerset-based author, she illustrates her books with print and paper cutout. Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain was published in 2021. It was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Waterstones Book of the Month, as well as being shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year. Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain was published in 2022. Its audiobook, illustrated with 7 original songs, was named Audiobook of the Week by the Guardian and the Times.
Amy will be discussing her work with Bookshop manager Paul Armfield on the following night Friday 19th.

Detta Kenzie
2026-11-06 19:00 - 21:30 | Medina Bookshop, 50 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7RR, United Kingdom
DETTA KENZIE is an indie-folk singer and songwriter whose music, while often touched by traditional Celtic folk influences, is guided by a thoroughly modern and independent spirit. Her sound blends the richness of folk storytelling with elements of soul, cinematic minimalism and leftfield pop, creating music that is emotionally expansive, intimate and unmistakably her own.
Her songs are threaded with themes of transformation, survival and renewal. There’s a quiet spellcasting in her work, pulling listeners into a sonic world shaped by a love of language, a skill honed during her years as a secondary English teacher.
In 2025, she began a creative partnership with award-winning guitarist Chris Cleverley. Together they are crafting a sound that feels both grounded and dreamlike, combining intricate, genre-crossing guitar work with immersive arrangements and a shared instinct for musical storytelling. Their collaboration spans co-written songs and bold reinterpretations of folk material, expanding the boundaries of acoustic music.​
Detta has opened for folk greats Martin Simpson and Phil Beer, and collaborated with celebrated artist Tobias ben Jacob. With a growing body of work and a voice defined by precision, boldness and creative intent, Detta Kenzie is emerging as a powerful and distinctive presence in contemporary folk, rooted in tradition yet always reaching beyond it.
“Detta Kenzie is a singer of siren songs with a voice likely to lure the unsuspecting onto the rocks.”
FATEA Magazine
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“Detta has the ability to fully inhabit the song, to wring from it every last emotion. Stunning.”
Downend Folk & Roots
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“A very special singer.”
Gavin McNamara, Bristol24/7
“Detta Kenzie goes in at the deep end with (Reynardine) a bold choice of single… Hitting the heights of a higher register within a few seconds, conjuring up the iconic Sandy Denny take.”
Mike Ainscoe, At The Barrier
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“Her music has a depth and honesty that is both exciting and unique.”
St George’s Bristol
