The Three Idle Women in the dock

The Three Idle Women were forged by a shared love of the Oxford Canal and a fondness for close harmony singing, folk music and stories that are carried through song. Working together since 2013, the Oxford trio bring their diverse musical skills, instrumentation and an intimate knowledge of life on, and along, the Oxford canal. They have been writing new material, re-arranging traditional songs and spreading their fondness for the canal and the waterways. They have Performed at events such as the canal heritage concert, the Oxford Canal festival, festivals and produced the successful soiree Roses & Castles. The trio are not merely traditional folk singers, they are interested in quirky instrumentation, rich vocal harmonies and strong stories which emerge from the heritage and history of the canal. The Three Idle Women borrow their name from the women who worked the canals as part of the WW2 war effort, the waterways equivalent of the women's land army. 'IW' stands for 'Inland Waterways'. The initials were part of the National Service badge given to the woman trainees as well as the boatmen who worked on the boats during the latter part of the war. There have many rumours about the source of the nickname 'Idle women' – that it was the boatmen who coined it, or that they used it amonst themselves but the truth is that it was suggested by the daughter of one, Susan Woolfitt, when she was writing a book about her experiences in 1947. Then it stuck and the idea grew that it was in use during the war. The reality is that, during the war, they were never known as anything but ‘trainees’, even when they had finished their training and working extremely hard in teams of three working a pair of boats with some 50 tons of cargo.

The Three Idle Women are: Jane Rouse – Vocals, concertina, acapella Charlie Henry – Vocals, Accordion, musical saw, baritone & soprano Ukulele, basic cello Steph Pirrie – Vocals, piano, whistle, trumpet, arrangements Biographies: Jane Rouse has written and produced two albums – one entitled A Life on the Water – a collection of songs and tunes she co-collected and recorded. She toured the album along the canal – performing at canal-side pubs the length and breadth of the Oxford Canal. She has lived aboard narrowboats since 1995. Steph Pirrie is an accomplished choir-leader, performer and musician. She leads the much loved 120 strong choir the Jericho singers. When not leading choirs Steph can be found in jazz clubs with her trumpet plus writing and arranging tunes. Steph has lived in a house in Jericho since 1997 and she is a committee member of the Jericho Wharf Trust seeking to resurrect a community interest boat-yard and community centre right back in the heart of our city. Charlie Henry is a versatile performer who has worked a lot in devised theatre and the London folk circuit. She has been on a boat since 2012 and she loves the transient nature of life along the canal, the proximity to nature, the seasons and the comradery and community of the boaters. She loves to play lots of things especially the accordion and the ukelele and she writes and sings songs about this life. Testimonials Really lovely evening, music, stories and insight into 'boating life' Brilliant! Superb! Amazing! Wonderful evening! Splendid songs! A very cheerful evening, Thank you ❤️ Utterly charming, made me feel like home. A really well thought out programme - In turns funny, moving and touching - which was excellently performed and really drew the audience in. Thank you for a wonderful evening's entertainment can't wait for the album and next year's project! It made my heart SWELL (in the best way)