Magpie Lane (www.magpielane.co.uk [//www.magpielane.co.uk]) is a five-piece folk band from Oxford, specialising in traditional English songs and dance tunes. The band has been delighting audiences for over 25 years - and through 10 critically-acclaimed albums - with a combination of powerful vocals and vigorous dance tunes, performing inventive arrangements on acoustic instruments. The musicians of Magpie Lane first came together in the winter of 1992-93 to record 'The Oxford Ramble', a collection of songs and tunes from, or about, Oxfordshire. Although originally conceived as a one-off recording project the band soon took on a life of its own. The success of 'The Oxford Ramble' led to the release of a second CD, 'Speed the Plough', a year later; to be followed shortly afterwards by 'Wassail: a Country Christmas' and 'Jack-in-the-Green'. The celebration of beer in song 'A Taste of Ale' was commissioned by highly respected author and folksong scholar Roy Palmer, to accompany his book of the same name, and was the first to feature new recruit Benji Kirkpatrick. Next came 'Six for Gold' with Sophie Polhill and Marguerite Hutchinson in the line-up, alongside Benji, and original members Ian Giles, Mat Green and Andy Turner. The seventh Magpie Lane album, 'Knock at the Knocker, Ring at the Bell', was the first to feature Jon Fletcher. This was another seasonal collection featuring songs and tunes from the band's Christmas shows. Immediately after the release of 'The Oxford Ramble', a series of promotional concerts in and around Oxford proved immensely enjoyable - for band and audience alike - and confirmed Magpie Lane very much as a live band, as well as a recording outfit. Since then Magpie Lane have built up a loyal following: in particular, the bands regular Christmas concerts at the Holywell Music Rooms have become something of a tradition on the Oxford music scene, and have frequently sold out.