Two Yorkshire Folk Voices Come Home to Slaithwaite: O’Hooley & Oates at the Civic
There are gigs that arrive with fireworks, giant screens and a queue halfway down the street. Then there are nights built around two remarkable musicians, a piano, a fiddle and the sort of songs that make a room go properly quiet. Slaithwaite gets the latter tomorrow — and it could be one of the most rewarding local shows of the weekend.
Belinda O’Hooley and Jackie Oates bring their new collaborative show When the Light Draws In to Slaithwaite Civic on Saturday 17 October. Doors open at 7pm and the music starts at 7.30pm.
A collaboration made for an intimate room
The show brings together original compositions, traditional folk music, song and story. The appeal is not simply two established names sharing a bill: the official event description promises a performance shaped by the pair’s natural rapport, expressive musicianship and a healthy amount of warmth and humour.
That matters in a venue like Slaithwaite Civic. This is music built on detail — the turn of a lyric, the space around a piano phrase, the grain of a fiddle line — and a close local room gives it somewhere to breathe.
Why these two matter
Belinda O’Hooley is the pianist, singer and composer known as one half of O’Hooley & Tidow. Their song Gentleman Jack became the theme to the BBC/HBO drama of the same name, while Belinda’s wider work has included accompanying artists such as Rufus Wainwright and folk legend Nic Jones.
Jackie Oates is a singer, fiddle player, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and eight solo albums to her name. Her work stretches from traditional song and English lace-telling traditions to music for children, including contributions to CBeebies’ Nick Cope’s Popcast.
Put them together and the prospect is less a conventional double act than a musical conversation between two artists who know exactly when to lead, when to answer and when to leave the song alone.
The practical bits
Belinda O’Hooley & Jackie Oates play Slaithwaite Civic Hall, 15A New Street, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5AB, on Saturday 17 October 2026. Doors are at 7pm, with a 7.30pm start.
The ticket listing currently offers a pay-less option at £16, standard admission at £20 and a pay-a-bit-more option at £24, with booking fees added. It is an all-ages event, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. The venue is listed as wheelchair accessible, with a lift and accessible toilet.
Full event information is also available through Kirklees Community Directory.
Monkey Supporter Spotlight: Lizard at Foresters
If your weekend needs a louder finish, Monkey Supporter venue Foresters Hotel, Crosland Moor has Lizard playing classic-rock favourites on Sunday 18 October from 6pm. It is another free-to-discover local gig in a venue that keeps backing live music week after week. See the band’s announcement.
Keep the rest of the weekend local
Slaithwaite’s Saturday night is the focus here, but it sits inside a busy Kirklees weekend. Check the Monkey GigsList weekly listings before you set off and give another local venue or performer your support while you are out.
Monkey GigsList — Helping To Keep Local Music Alive Since 2014.
Cover image: official Belinda O’Hooley & Jackie Oates event artwork supplied by O’Hooley & Tidow via WeGotTickets.
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