We were delighted with the evening spent with Ninebarrow. They proved a good attraction which helped us make a useful profit but there was far more value to their visit than that. Their voices in harmony are lovely and the standard of musicality is very high. They sang a range of songs from their albums, from the hauntingly beautiful to the toe tapping cheerful. They proved very engaging personalities with amusing and interesting commentaries about the songs they were about to play. They had been very helpful and encouraging before the concert and it was a real pleasure to host them. They would be very welcome back here any time.

We experienced the first night of Ninebarrow's recent tour - after a day of them traveling up from Dorset - and they were fresh, energised and gave a thoroughly polished performance. Their rapport with the audience was pitched exactly spot on with gently encouraged audience participation and personal anecdotes. The standard of musicianship was exceptional and the evening was over all too quickly. I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting a high quality yet personal evenings entertainment.

Ninebarrow played traditional folk songs, their own pieces and some covers and with every single song the harmonies were flawless. Their musical talents also showed their abilities to make folk music accessible to all and I could have listened to them for many more hours. An encore truly deserved  by this talented duo. I can honestly say that this was one of the best folk groups I have heard in a long time and I will certainly be finding where they are playing next and hope to listen to them live again soon.

Ninebarrow performed to a sell-out house in St Francis Church, Tamworth. The audience was made up of a mixture of committed Folkies’ - some of whom had travelled to see them - and local people. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed as Jon and Jay shared the stories behind their songs, then transported us with beautiful vocals and wonderful harmonies. We would thoroughly recommend booking this class act.

What a wonderful evening with visitors from near and far. Warmth, humour and cracking music from this really talented pair. Really professional organisation and superb promo material and advice. Can't recommend more highly. 

Thank you for a splendid evening. It was wonderful to see the hall completely filled with people who were so enjoying your music - there were many who had come from afar because they already had been to one of your concerts and knew they loved what you do, and there were a lot of people too who have now become new fans. For me it was a great pleasure to have you here, as you made the organisation so easy...and, icing on the cake, I found your music spell-binding.

Thank you for such an amazing concert on Thursday! I've received such wonderful feedback from those who attended on all aspects of your performance, on your rapport and the camaraderie between you and how wonderfully you interacted with the audience. You were also a pleasure to deal with both in the run up and on the night. Everyone had a great evening and we would love to welcome you back whenever you're next in the area.

The concert with Ninebarrow was the first Folk Concert we’ve ever hosted – and it was a tremendous success. The duo were great to work with before during and after the event. Beautiful harmonies and well told stories. Very positive feedback from all who came. The variety of instruments enhanced the performance when used – but the unaccompanied singing was lovely too.

The concert was stunning, everyone enjoyed it so much. We looked around the church and everyone was smiling, Jon and Jay you brought such joy! Your storytelling, the way you engage the audience, play and those stunning harmonies are just beautiful. Having heard you before I knew that everyone else would appreciate but until the evening kicked off they didn’t realise how much. See you again soon that's for sure!

How pleased we were to have such a professional duo come and entertain us. Our audience and our team would recommend them for any venue. The great acoustics of the building and their instrument's blended very well. Travelling from Dorset arriving at the venue 4 hours before the start of their performance, they practiced non stop until every detail was perfect. Thank you Jon and Jay of ninebarrow for a wonderful evenings entertainment and hope to see you again.

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Pleasley Parish Council

Jon and Jay (Ninebarrow) provided St Bartholomew's Wigginton with a beautiful night of music and stories. The harmonies that they achieve together simply lift the spirits and pull you into the stories of the songs. Each song that was performed had its own background and the introductions allowed the audience to appreciate stories that ranged from magical fairies wishing to rescue children from a violent world, shipwrecks and heroic bravery, gathering the harvest and even a jolly song about avoiding the gallows. Although some of the songs were expressing sad themes the impression of the evening was of uplift and enjoyment. 

Jon & Jay of Ninebarrow are consummate touring professionals, both in their approach to marketing, which helped us gain a good audience, and in their delightful musicianship which was the perfect entertainment with which to inaugurate our new village hall after extensive renovations. Subtle and lovely harmonies, a varied programme and a great rapport with the audience mean that we will most certainly be booking them again.

What a fantastic evening we had when Ninebarrow came to Brailsford. Jon and Jay were extremely professional and a pleasure to work with while we set up. The whole evening was enjoyed by everyone. What could be better than an evening filled with folklore and tales of Dorset all wrapped up in beautiful harmonies and musical brilliance. Thank you, Ninebarrow!

A first for St Dunstan's, a folk concert in January 2018 and how blessed we were to have Ninebarrow come and entertain us. I would recommend them to any church wanting make use of wonderful acoustics most churches have. Everyone who came thoroughly enjoyed the concert, and the atmospheric lighting of the church just added a certain something, so go on book them now for your church fundraising event!

We were delighted when we were able to book ’Ninebarrow’ for an evening at Rolleston Village Hall Nottinghamshire in December 2017. They were as good if not better than we expected as they established a wonderful rapport with our audience throughout the evening with witty but also very interesting stories behind their songs. Their singing was of the highest standard and they obviously enjoyed the banter and feedback. Our audience were very taken with their performance and we would thoroughly recommend them to any rural touring set-up as an exemplar in their class

On 10 November Sheepscombe Village were privileged to have Ninebarrow perform at our Village Hall. From the first song to the last including the encore the audience were captivated by the beauty of their songs, their wonderful harmonies, their haunting music. The combination of their lyrics, their voices and their music captured the landscape, and atmosphere of both their own work and those from traditional tales. Their rapport with the audience was also enhanced by their humour and ability to introduce background to their songs in a very natural way. At the end of the evening the words brilliant ,wonderful, magical and fantastic could be heard and we all felt that not only had we met two talented performers but very importantly two very nice people 

Thank you Jay and Jon

If ever there was an argument for organisation such as Take Art in Somerset and Arts Reach in Dorset it was on display at Charlton Horthorne on the evening of Saturday 11th of November. How else would a class act like Ninebarrow get to perform in a village hall to a very appreciative full house. They have a gentle way of putting over a mix of traditional songs and material they have written about the legends and folklore of their piece of Dorset which is The Isle of Purbeck. Ninebarrow is the hill overlooking Swanage one way and Poole Harbour the other and on a misty day it’s a bit like something out of Lord of the Rings. Plenty of scope for songs there. The banter between the two of them, their musicality and harmonies enchanted their listeners, many of whom, I suspect, like me, had never seen them before. It was an excellent night out so, Take Art and local organisers, keep up the good work.

​Hailing from Dorset and steeped in local lore, Jon Whitley and Jay Labouchardiere delivered two note-perfect sets this evening, both infused with charismatic stage patter and captivating introductions to songs that explored the rich history and mythology of this land. The large audience that packed out the village hall was easily absorbed by such songs…Like musical archaeologists, Ninebarrow have an impeccable knack of reaching deep into the soil of their subject matter to reveal glimmering treasures from the past. In doing so, they awaken the ghosts of this country's most ancient beliefs.​

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Whilst countless artists have visited the well of folklore for their music, few have succeeded in imparting such tales with the perpetual seduction of Ninebarrow. This is no doubt due to the musicianship that this constantly compelling duo deliver. ​

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Liam Wilkinson, Northern Sky

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​Read the full review:

http://www.northernskymag.com/reviews/live-reviews/ninebarrow

Thank you for such a wonderful evening last night, it was a real pleasure having you to perform for us in the Priory church. I think you could tell from the audience how much everyone enjoyed listening to you.

We were treated to a superb musical evening by Ninebarrow. These two talented men, demonstrated their musical range from singing, story telling to musical expertise on the reed organs, and string instruments which were used to accompany their lovely harmonies, which were enchanting to listen to. They are two very personable gentlemen, with a gift for storytelling in song and both have an obvious passion for their style of music which is infectious. If you have a chance to see these guys then we would urge you not to miss out on the opportunity. Personally, and as a community we can thoroughly recommend this fantastic Folk Duo. We will definitely be inviting them back.

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Reviewer: Jim Thompson – member of the Hall Committee

Ninebarrow were very easy to deal with; they contacted us soon after the contract was signed and responded promptly to emails.  They were good guests, undemanding and appreciative. Their act is gentle, technically and musically brilliant.  Their voices blend into one sound – several audience members commented on this.  They quickly established a light-hearted rapport with the audience through their knowledgeable story-telling backing up the songs they sang.  It was a joy to have sound managed such that their voices and instruments were not drowned out by heavy bass sounds!

Thank you so much for the fantastic performance at Horton and Little Sodbury Village Hall on Friday night. As you know it was extremely well received by the audience on the night. I though you might be interested to see the comments on the feedback forms. They are as follows:

‘Sublime’ ’ Very, very good’, ‘Loved it’, ‘What an amazing act’, Excellent duo’ ’Repeat performance please ‘  ‘Just brilliant’ ‘Wonderful can’t wait to see them again’, 'Musical massage’.

We shall be following your progress with interest. Hope to see you again in the near future.

Dear Jon and Jay. Thank you for giving us such a memorable night - yes we really did enjoy the concert. It was great having you and when you are thinking about visiting the area again please get in touch. Every blessing for Ninebarrow.

Thank you so much for the Concert that you put on for us on Saturday 18th June, it was a great success and very much appreciated by all those there.  After expenses we raised a grand total of £420.00 which will go towards our Remembrance Garden Appeal.  Will you post any pictures on your website?  I would love to see what the Church looks like, it certainly looked great on the night. It was such a lovely evening and your music blended in beautifully with the Church, it was all very atmospheric, you are both so very talented and obviously love what you do.

Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere treated a near-capacity crowd in the parish hall to an evening full of variety. One minute they were giving us the purest traditional unaccompanied folk singing. Moments later they were sounding like a passionate foot stomping Seth Lakeman, and when that ended they  had scarcely drawn breath before they were singing a gentle folk/rock ballad  in the style of Simon and Garfunkel. Exquisite harmonies, fine instrumental playing and beautifully crafted songs are Ninebarrow’s hallmark. This proved to be a highly successful evening for the hall. Despite having to pay all the £566 in ticket sales to Villages in Action, the event made a £435 contribution to hall funds, through bar and food sales and the raffle.

Thank you both for an amazing concert last night. Very good feedback already - it has been our most successful VIA concert to date, and we've had a few! 

I've spent the day happily returning to memories of yesterday and letting them re-run in my head. It was such a good gig! Thank you for having been such easy people to deal with and such lovely guests. We wish you both all the luck in the world with where your future plans and dreams will take you (... hopefully back up this way again at some point!).

I still haven't quite recovered from the excitement - I'd never seen Wrenbury coming out of an evening to enjoy itself before, but it certainly did, and I couldn't have wished for a better evening's entertainment than the one you gave us. 

Those who made it to Bow on September 23rd experienced something very special. Blessed with beautiful voices which blend together in spine-chilling harmonies in performances of traditional and self-penned songs, many rooted in the landscape, history and archaeology of their native county. Jon is also a skilled player of ukulele, mandola and piano: these instruments, plus the subtle drone of a reed organ, weave magical accompaniment to many of their songs. Their engaging presences, haunting songs and beautiful harmonies made this an evening to remember. Ninebarrow are now recognised as one of the most impressive new acts on the folk scene...So don’t miss them!

We loved having you in Cadeleigh and I have had nothing but enthusiastic responses to what was a really great evening. The mixture of stories, tradition, with music played on beautiful instruments along with digital technology was so beautifully put together. Your care with the quality of everything, not least your beautiful voices, made it a perfect evening - I could have sat and listened to you for hours, and I think everyone felt the same. Excellent, I look forward to seeing you again!

Excellent musicians both instrumentally and vocally - their harmonies especially were remarked upon by audience members. Greatly enjoyed all round by the audience.  From the promoter's point of view, Jon and Jay were professional, well organised and amiable.

Everyone was over the moon - we all loved you. In the end we sold 84 tickets...So we've made a tidy sum for our extension plans. Thanks again for giving us such a great evening!

Thanks very much for coming to Praa Sands! We all had a great time and the feedback from the audience was great! It was definitely right up there with the best shows we've ever had at the centre and I think your songs are really beautiful and evocative! 

We loved having you at the hall and you're right - everyone loved your music. Lots of compliments about you, the venue & even the bangers! We think the hall really suited you, you looked so relaxed & at home on our little stage.

Just a quick note to say thank you very much for giving us a wonderful concert. I have had loads of people say how much they had enjoyed it. Best of luck with your careers, you have got a lot of talent, but I know that also comes with a lot of hard work.

'Highly professional, self sufficient, well prepared but flexible duo who will transport you acoustically with their perceptive and gentle harmonies and warm rapport to the beautiful and breath-taking Dorset Coast and places of the past.'

Audience response to show - very good, fantastic. Quality of performance - very good. Arrangements with the company - excellent. Effectiveness of publicity - excellent. Audience value for money - yes.