THE Shed kicked off its new season last week on a huge roll, with drummer Sebastian Rochford playing a drum solo tour in the back of a van – yet another extraordinary brainchild of Simon Thackray, who has previously put musicians in skips, rivers and Yorkshire pudding boats.

However, if you missed that event, there are lots more fantastic gigs to see from now until mid-December at The Shed’s usual venue, Hovingham Village Hall.

On Saturday are Jackie Leven and the Gothic Roadsters. Jackie was born into a Roma family in Fife, Scotland, and has lived life as an outsider. Wayward at school but outstanding at English, he spent many days truanting alone in the glens and hills and by rivers, which still form the basis of the imagery in his songs today. Tickets are £15.

Eliza Carthy and Norma Waterson, with Martin Carthy featuring on guitar, play at The Shed on November 11.

The award-winning mother and daughter have recorded The Gift, their first ever duo album together, which features a stellar line-up of friends and family playing and singing folk classics as well as jazz-infused gems. Tickets are £18.50 and only a few tickets remain.

On November 11 is Frøy Aagre Band, featuring Norwegian saxophonist Frøy, who studied classical music, jazz and gamelan in Birmingham, tango in Buenos Aires and saxophone with Dave Liebman in New York. Frøy plays bright, beautifully melodic tunes full of atmosphere and special soundscapes and with sold-out performances at London Jazz Festival and Ronnie Scott’s and tours of Scandanavia, USA, Germany and Japan, her international reputation is growing all the time. Tickets are £15/ £10 under 18s.

Michael Marra was expelled from school at 14 as a trouble-maker, but plays in Hovingham on November 20.

Affectionately described as the Scottish Randy Newman, Marra remains a best-kept secret – except to his fans who include Deacon Blue, Billy Connolly and Eddie Reader – plus many artists who have covered his songs. Tickets are £15.

Three times winner of Best Group at the Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008, 2009 and 2010, Lau play at The Shed on November 25.

The band employs rising, epic song structures not usually associated with folk music but more akin to those on the left-field of rock and jazz. Highly regarded musicians in their own right, the combined talents of Kris Drever, Martin Green and Aidan O’Rourke make for a fantastic trio and their live shows offer an energy and musicianship which has been described as ‘spellbinding’. Tickets are £15 with only a few remaining.

On November 27, there’s a double bill featuring Troyka and Leb Bib.

A gene pool of some of London’s hottest new players, Trotyka have been described by Time Out as ‘fast becoming a force to be reckoned with, like King Crimson for the iPod generation’, with Chris Montague on guitars and loops, Josh Blackmore on drums and former Empirical pianist Kit Downes on organ.

Meanwhile, Mercury Music Prize nominees Led Bib combine the energy and passion of a rock outfit with the technical ability of trained jazz musicians with exhilarating effects. Tickets are £15/ £10 under 18s.

Finally, rounding up the programme in a tradition that is becoming akin at Christmas to plum pudding and Father Christmas getting stuck in the chimney are Hank Wangford and the Lost Cowboys on December 10 and 11, who perform at The Shed’s 18th Christmas Party.

If Daniel O’Donnell is the brightly scrubbed face of British country music, then Hank Wangford is its guilty conscience, wheeling his wagon train back to The Shed for what they call their ‘annual dose of festive misery’. Tickets are £17.50 on December 10; the gig on December 11 is already sold out.

For all shows, the door (and bar) opens 7pm with the concert starting at 8pm.

For further information and to buy tickets, phone the box office on 01653 668494 or visit www.theshed.co.uk