Three Idle Women pay homage to the the heritage and daily rhythms of those who live, work, and create along the canal
Following their appearances on the Channel 4 TV programme Narrow Escapes, Three Idle Women are returning to their native Oxford to present a new show A Towpath Through Time, encompassing music from their successful and acclaimed debut album All Hands Together as well as new and as yet unreleased tracks ahead of a new album in 2026.
Three Idle Women will take the stage at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday for an evening of music, storytelling, and community spirit. Nestled between the Oxford Canal and the River Cherwell, the intimate venue offers a unique setting .
“The canal has always been a place of working-class heritage, creativity, and resilience. We want to honour that, and remind people why these waters matter”
With their growing national profile, this rare Oxford performance is homage to the landscape and the communities that surround it.
The concert, titled A Towpath Through Time, will showcase songs from their album All Hands Together alongside unreleased tracks from their forthcoming 2026 album. Joined by the Idle Choir and special guest musicians, the performance will blend rich harmonies with poignant lyrics and audio-visual storytelling to celebrate the heritage and daily rhythms of those who live, work, and create along the canal.
Doors open at 6.30pm.
Tickets: www.trybooking.co.uk/ewko
About Three Idle Women:
Jane Rouse – Vocals, concertina, Ukulele Bass, percussion
Charlie Henry – Vocals, Accordion, musical saw, ukulele, banjo
Steph Pirrie – Vocals, piano, whistle, trumpet, ukulele, harmonium, arrangements
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 trio share their diverse musical skills, instrumentation and an intimate knowledge of life on, and along, the Canal.
They have been writing new material, re-arranging older songs and spreading their infectious fondness for the canal and the waterways. 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 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' and every woman who did national service was issued with a badge emblazoned with the IW logo. There are many rumours stipulating where the name 'Idle women' came from, but the name was given to Susan Woolfitt by her daughter once she had written her book – published under the name of 'Idle Women'. Despite the name the women certainly weren't idle, they worked extremely hard, lived in very close quarters and learnt a lot about boats, engines and carrying cargo.
