JOSH Rouse, Adam Cohen, The Dunwells, The Staves and Slow Club will be part of Pocklington Arts Centre’s particularly strong music line-up for the spring and summer season.

So too will Ellen & The Escapades, Andy Fairweather Low & The Low Riders, Oysterband, The Blues Band, Courtney Pine, Thea Gilmore, Chris Smither, the Brighouse and Rastrick Band and Emmanuel Vass. Not one but two Lakeman brothers will be appearing, first Seth solo and later Sean with Kathryn Roberts.

Josh Rouse, introspective American roots musician and bittersweet singer-songwriter, will return to Pock for the first time in nine years on April 25.

“It was through Josh that we discovered another Josh, Josh Ritter, who has become an Arts Centre favourite, and we’re delighted that the first Josh will be playing here for a second time,” says Pocklington Arts Centre manager Janet Farmer. “He’ll be promoting a new album, though there are no further details yet.”

As previously announced in What’s On, singer-songwriter Adam Cohen, son of Leonard, will make his Pock debut on January 31. “We’ve been trying for two years to bring him here, and we’ve nearly had him twice,” says assistant manager James Duffy. “One one occasion, we even had him booked but then it was cancelled.”

Cohen will be promoting his fifth album, We Go Home. “The songs mostly chronicle conversations I’ve either had with my old man, or want to have with my boy,” he says.

Leeds band The Dunwells have returned from American touring to reconnect with Yorkshire with their anthemic rock and four-part harmonies, as can be heard on February 5, while The Staves are expected to hit the heights this year with the April release of their album, If I Was, produced by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, no less. Herefordshire sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor will play Pock on February 9.

Friday the 13th of February will be lucky for those who have discovered the sweet harmonies, hooks, rockabilly beats and exuberant yelps of Slow Club, alias Sheffield boy-girl duo Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor. Their latest album, Complete Surrender, touches on everything from Tamla Motown and Stax Records to Frankie Valli and David Bowie.

The season opens in January 23 with the Emerge: Yorkshire showcase of Ellen & The Escapades and two fledgling York singer-songwriters, The Voice contestant Beth McCarthy and Sam Griffiths, who has been attracting the attention of record companies.

Pocklington’s season balances young and emerging acts with the long-established, led off by one-time Amen Corner singer and guitarist to the stars Andy Fairweather, who will be playing his first Pock show in two years on February 20. Folk outfit Oysterband return to the Arts Centre on March 25 after a longer hiatus, six years in fact, during which they were committed to a project with singer June Tabor.

Surprisingly, The Blues Band’s April 11 concert will be their first visit to Pocklington, although assorted band members have performed there before. “We’ve had The Manfreds and Paul Jones & Dave Kelly but never The Blues Band until now,” says James.

On May 5, saxophonist Courtney Pine will “strip back everything for the most intimate set of shows of his long and illustrious career”, playing a repertoire of nothing but ballads with pianist Zoe Rahman in a duo show entitled Song. “I’ve always wanted to record a collection of my favourite ballads, and there’s nothing like playing in a duo format for bringing out the intimacy of great songs,” he says.

Janet concurs: “As the music will all be pared back, it will really suit a venue of our size,” she says. No less pleasing to her is the return of Oxfordshire singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore on May 12. “Thea chose us as a venue for the tour, which is always nice when that happens, and she’ll be playing here as part of a national tour in support of her new album, due out in April.”

Another Pocklington favourite, veteran American blues and folk guitarist Chris Smither, is booked in for May 23. “He’s been the focus of a tribute album by singer-songwriters covering his songs, and he’s a really wonderful musician who we always enjoy having here,” says James.

“Chris was one of the first musicians who we brought here, and we instantly loved him,” says Janet. “It’s helped by his American accent too.”

The Brighouse and Rastrick Band’s brass musicians will make their first Pock visit on June 6, while pianist Emmanuel Vass will promote his second album, Sonic Waves, on June 19, when he will be joined by young musicians from the Pocklington area.

The March 20 concert by Lakeman number one, West Country folk singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Seth, has sold out, but tickets remain on sale for brother Sean and Kathryn Roberts, winners of the Best Duo prize in the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. They play Pock on April 9 on their Tomorrow Will Follow Today tour.

Tickets are on sale on 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk