What is the concept?

A house concert is open to all music enthusiasts although it is essentially a private gig - for which you are sent a personal invite.
It is non-profit making and funded by guest donations and host's subsidy. Guests make a suggested donation, usually £10, to the artist on arrival.
Our aim is to support live music and bring together the growing network of music goers with both emerging and established artists to grow their fan base.

How long has the project been going?

Live @ Little Rabbit Barn has been running since February 2011 although we held our first house concert in 2008 with Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo. She subsequently won a Bafta for the BBC Wallander theme music and more recently The Shadow Line.
Last summer we completed the adaptation of a timber building and hosted a mid summer concert for Eve Selis, the seven times Americana award winner from San Diego. Following more events earlier in the year, including Little Miss Higgins, who picked up an Independent Music Award in March for best Blues album, and local band The Floe, we have created an identity for our venue with artists booked to perform through to Summer 2012.

What inspired you to start the project and who came up with the idea?

I've always been a regular supporter of live music and had a preference for smaller venues, well, ever since a certain Chris Rea blasted a hole through my space time continuum back in 1978 some 10 years before achieving wider recognition. I followed Chris through many small venues up to the arenas and was fortunate to enjoy regular guest passes, access to sound checks and best of all some studio time. Since then the idea has evolved into hosting live music and creating a space. I've always liked the ambiance of Great Bardfield's Highbarn and this is something I wanted to achieve with our barn.

What can we expect from each concert?

Two 45 minute headline sets from an established artist and an opening set from an emerging artist. Our Mackie sound reinforcement system and professional engineer will deliver a high quality natural sound to complement the artist and room acoustics.
During the break between sets we have some complementary food available.
You can talk with the artists who are pleased to sign and personalise their merchandise.

Where do the concerts take place?

We have a converted timber barn with an attached marquee that we set up for each event. It's beside our house in Ardleigh near Colchester so we have all facilities close at hand including parking.
Click here for directions to Ardleigh. Full directions to the Barn will be sent to you when you make a reservation for an event.

When do the concerts take place?

Little Rabbit Barn concerts are held monthly on a weekend. We try to book for Saturday night but sometimes this will be a Friday or Sunday to fit in with the artists touring schedule.

Who performs at the concerts? Is there a particular genre?

We host some of the finest Americana, (Alt Country) roots artists from USA, Canada and the UK. Many have won nationally recognised music awards or have been nominees, all artists have received national airplay exposure. For those not familiar with Americana, think of this as a broad categorisation of music with many influences from country, folk, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll - or the type of music Bob Harris plays on his BBC R2 Show.
We are really excited to have confirmed headline dates, Kim Richey, Eve Selis, Catherine MacLellan, Cara Luft, Lynn Miles, Bex Marshall, Delta Maid, Amy Wadge, Andrea Glass, Edwina Hayes, Little Miss Higgins and Joanna Eden, with emerging artists including The Floe, Hannah Scott, Holly Taymar, Danni Nicholls, Three For A Girl, David Booth and Steve Curtis.

Why should people come to your events?

Little Rabbit Barn concerts will appeal to people who want to enjoy some of the finest Americana, (Alt Country) roots artists from USA, Canada and the UK in an informal setting where the priority is the sound quality and vision. For a minimum donation of £10 you could enjoy a Saturday night with live music, complementary food, and you can bring your own refreshments. Please come and join us!