Nick Degg is a Multi Slam Winning Performance Poet, with a Comedic mouth and Rock n Roll feet. His repertoire takes in subjects as diverse as Crisps, Socialism, Allotments, Rubber, Bingo callers, and he’ll even perform a Poem without any words.
He is also passionate about his home City of Stoke on Trent, which allows his work to find the light and shade of a place that has suffered terribly in the last few decades, but he’ll address this with great tenderness and humour.
As well as the regular Poetry scene, Nick is equally at home supporting Rock bands, Festivals, Comedy clubs, Arts Centres, Schools & Colleges, Libraries, Radio, TV, Functions and even pre Match entertainment at Football games.
Rachael is an author and poet who enjoys performing with others, including Glastonbury trio Strange Sisters. She writes also self-help books, and articles in the Glastonbury Oracle.
The Word Cafe
X
The Barrel House Ballroom
The Word Cafe and The Barrel House Ballroom presents The Lockdown Podcasts. Fourteen of the UK’s top poets take the guise of seven podcasts. Hosted by Matt Harvey & Julie Mullen during the lockdown of 2021.
These seven glorious poetry podcasts were created with support using public funding by Arts Council England.
The Word Café is the brainchild of the wondrous Julie Mullen. Since 2010 Julie has hosted sensational poetry and music events at an array of locations including The Cott Inn Dartington, The Landmark Arts Centre Teddington, The Pleasance Theatre London, The Rosemary Branch Theatre Islington, The Pleasance Theatre QueenDome and Bunker One Edinburgh, The Old Sorting Office Barnes & The Tea Box Richmond.
Since 2019, the home for The Word Café has been The Barrel House Ballroom Totnes, with whom this project is a collaboration.
The Word Café in the kind words of Roger Mcgough, “These are the kind of events that really bring poetry to life.”
Sign up for our newsletter to be kept up to date with all the amazing entertainment and events coming up at The Barrel House Ballroom and Totnes Brewing Company.
EVERY MONTH, YOU'LL BE ENTERED INTO A PRIZE DRAW TO WIN A PAIR OF FREE TICKETS TO A GIG OR EVENT OF YOUR CHOICE AT THE BARREL HOUSE BALLROOM - PLUS, TWO FREE WELCOME DRINKS!
Ensure our email address is added to your address book so updates and notifications don't end up in your junk folder.
See What's coming up at the Barrel House Ballroom, read artist interviews and recommendations, and find out 'what's brewing at the Brew Co' in our monthly What's On guide...
Click the cover to open the current edition in your browser.
More @ The Barrel House Ballroom & Totnes Brewing Co:
Totnes, we’re again turning back the clock in broad daylight. We kick things off at 2pm in The Beer Garden of The Totnes Brewing Co - with warm-up grooves and funky house. Then from 5pm - 11pm we ascend to The Barrel House Ballroom for a ticketed daytime celebration of House, Trance and DnB classics from 1989 – 1999.
Saturday 29th August 2026 | 2pm-11pm
William Tyler
Live Music
William Tyler is a Nashville guitarist and composer. He’s done modern country, he’s done boundary-pushing guitar work, and now he's taking us through a haunted funfair of strange, claustrophobic music that hunts down and confronts his demons.
Friday 4th September 2026 | 7:30pm
Opa Rosa – High Engergy Live Band – Balkan – Klezmer – Roma
Live Music
Fast gaining a reputation as one of Bristol’s most dynamic and virtuosic bands, Opa Rosa are an energetic acoustic ensemble sharing music from the Klezmer, Balkan, Greek & Roma traditions.
Saturday 12th September 2026 | 8pm
Harbottle & Jonas – Full Band
Live Music
Partners in life and music, Devon-based duo Harbottle & Jonas are among the most distinctive voices on the UK folk circuit today. Blending the depth and integrity of traditional folk with powerful, original songwriting, they create a sound that feels timeless and vividly alive.
Saturday 19th September 2026 | 7:30pm
Jazz at The Bazza – Mama Tokus & Friends
Live Music
A regular 2026 Sunday session of soulful vocals, spoken word, jazz, fun & warmth with Mama Tokus overseeing proceedings. Expect good music and wordplay - and a great atmosphere, with sharing plates too!
Sunday 27th September 2026 | 3pm-6pm
Moscow Drug Club
Live Music
Combining their original material with songs by the likes of Jaques Brel, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen & Eartha Kitt, and selling out venues for over a decade, Moscow Drug Club deliver an intoxicating and intimate musical experience you won’t soon forget!
Friday 2nd October 2026 | 7:30pm
The Allergies – 4-Hour Vinyl DJ Set
Club/DJs
The Barrel House welcomes back Bristol’s finest party starters, THE ALLERGIES, for another heavyweight night in Totnes. Featuring a 4-hour set of funk, deep soul cuts, hip-hop, breaks and dancefloor bombs.
Saturday 10th October 2026 | 8pm-12am
Mark Kelly & The Peaceful Warriors
Live Music
Mark Kelly will be accompanied by a full band, The Peaceful Warriors, that explores genres ranging from folk to Afro-pop and country music.
Friday 16th October 2026 | 7:30pm
Mad Dog Mcrea
Live Music
Mad Dog Mcrea blend a unique mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and ‘shake your ass’ music.
Saturday 24th October 2026 | 8pm
An Dannsa Dub – Future Dub from Ancient Scotland **Family-Friendly Matinee*
Live Music
After raising the roof of the ballroom two years running, An Dannsa Dub are back again. But this time, as part of a special initiative to open up our venue to the next generation, the band are proud to present a family-friendly matinee performance alongside their full evening show.
Sunday 8th November 2026 | 2:30pm
An Dannsa Dub – Future Dub from Ancient Scotland **Evening show*
Live Music
Blending traditional Scottish folk with dub reggae and modern dance music, An Dannsa Dub create a powerful, genre-defying sound rooted in ancient Gaelic and West African rhythms.
Sunday 8th November 2026 | 7:30pm
3 Daft Monkeys
Live Music
Cornwall’s genre-smashing heroes 3 Daft Monkeys are back for their much-loved annual return to The Barrel House. Expect a riotous collision of fiery fiddle, Celtic & Cornish roots, Balkan and Romani flavours, punky sass and irresistible global rhythms.
Friday 13th November 2026 | 8pm
Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet
Live Music
Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet move with ease and confidence between swampy jazz, raucous brass, fractured funk, blues balladry, and gorgeous folkloric textures.
THursday 19th November 2026 | 7:30pm
Mr. B’s Probably Accurate Hip-hop History Show
Live Music
Step into the world of Chap-Hop with the one and only Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer as he unravels the story of hip-hop ... his way. From Surrey to the global stage, this unique show blends razor-sharp wit, impeccable manners, and seriously funky beats.
Saturday 28th November 2026 | 8pm
Jazz at The Bazza – Mama Tokus & Friends
Live Music
A regular 2026 Sunday session of soulful vocals, spoken word, jazz, fun & warmth with Mama Tokus overseeing proceedings. Expect good music and wordplay - and a great atmosphere, with sharing plates too!
Sunday 29th November 2026 | 3pm-6pm
Martin Harley
Live Music
For three decades, Martin Harley has captivated audiences worldwide, recording albums in Texas, Nashville, and Wales. His spellbinding slide guitar style and ability to blend Americana, Blues, and Folk have earned him acclaim, including nominations for the Americana Music Awards Instrumentalist of the Year and Best Acoustic Blues Artist.
Sunday 6th December 2026 | 7:30pm
Jo Bell & Martin Figura
Podcasts
Fourteen of the UK's top poets take the guise of seven top podcasts. Hosted by Matt Harvey and Julie Mullen during lockdown of 2021
The Word Cafe X TBHB | Podcast #7
Rachel Clyne & Nick Degg
Podcasts
Fourteen of the UK's top poets take the guise of seven top podcasts. Hosted by Matt Harvey and Julie Mullen during lockdown of 2021
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Cookie
Duration
Description
chid
session
This cookie is set by the provider Mixcloud. This cookie is used for implementing audio files on the website. It enables the embedding of Mix Cloud audio player.
mx_t
10 years
This cookie is set by the provider Mixcloud. This cookie is used for implementing audio files on the website. It enables the embedding of Mix Cloud audio player.
previmpr
session
This cookie is set by the provider Mixcloud. This cookie is used for implementing audio files on the website. It enables the embedding of Mix Cloud audio player.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_ga
2 years
The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_148062153_13
1 minute
Set by Google to distinguish users.
_gid
1 day
Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT
2 years
YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
UID
2 years
Scorecard Research sets this cookie for browser behaviour research.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Cookie
Duration
Description
c
10 years
This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.
IDE
1 year 24 days
Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
test_cookie
15 minutes
The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
5 months 27 days
A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSC
session
YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devices
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-id
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Cookie
Duration
Description
BACKENDID
session
No description available.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
1 year
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
Subscribe to our newsletter and you'll be entered into our monthly prize draw!
Sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date with all the amazing entertainment coming to the Barrel House Ballroom and Totnes Brewing Co.
Plus, every month you'll automatically be entered into a draw to win a pair of free tickets to any Barrel House Ballroom gig of your choice and two free welcome drinks!
Ensure our email address is added to your address book so updates and notifications don't end up in your junk folder.
