Spiers & Boden Described by The Guardian as “the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene” and twice winners of the BBC Radio 2 folk award for Best Duo, John Spiers and Jon Boden have made the genre of spontaneous, punky English folk very much their own stomping ground. Loud, proud, and with just a few acoustic instruments, they create a multitude of textures upon which they present traditional stories and dance music which are as much at home on the main stage of Cambridge Folk Festival as they are in a lock-in at the local pub. They headline our Saturday night - more information here...
Climax Ceilidh Band Music that is as good for the ears as it is for the feet. Their unusual and original slants on the dance music, and diverse musical influences, make them sound like no other ceilidh band. With the driving rhythms of accordion and guitar, the sweet sound of dancing fiddles, the swift trill of the flute and the power of the pipes, the Climax Ceilidh Band experience is truly uplifting! They went down a storm at Gower a couple of years ago and have since had success at major festivals across Britain, such as Sidmouth. They'll be playing the second half of the Friday night dance. Have a preview here
Calan impressed everyone in 2009 with their energetic
and exciting interpretation of Welsh traditional music and songs. With
their mix of fiddle, harp, accordion, pibgorn, pipes and guitar,
singing andclogging, they had the audience calling for more. They will be performing on Sunday night.
Kerfuffle Kerfuffle are one of the premier young folk acts in the UK today. Their
music cannot easily be categorised and their vibrant arrangements draw
on influences from across Europe, incorporating tunes, songs and
dances. Kerfuffle perform their music with immense vitality and style.
Now in their 8th year, they have played venues as diverse as Towersey
& Bromyard Festivals, Fairport's Cropredy Convention and Radio 3’s
“Late Junction”. They will bring the festival to a climax on Sunday night. Click here to listen...
Brian Finnegan Trio Irish flute and whistle genius Brian Finnegan has been in the studio working on a solo album since the legendary award-winning Flook took an extended break at the end of last year. Performing here in the company of ace young guitarist Ian Stephenson, and master Manchester drummer, Jim Goodwin, the trio perform music that is wonderfully hypnotic, the perfect balance between grace and power, sunlight and shade. They will be playing on Saturday night. Listen here...
The Angles Music
at a tangent for French dances: Three musicians at the top of their
game join forces to create striking dance melodies and powerful
riffs. Haunting pipes from Chris Walshaw (Zephyrus, The Duellists,
Meridian, Climax Ceilidh Band), earthy rhythms from the hurdy gurdy of
Cliff Stapleton (Blowzabella, The Duellists, Primaeval…) and driving
accordion bass lines from Richard Jones (Meridian, Climax Ceilidh Band
and Climax Blues Band). Fabulous dance grooves tinged with blues and
jazz. They will be opening the Festival on Friday night. Listen to them here...
Bill Caddick In the words of John Kirkpatrick: “The man's a wonder. Unique. Masterful. Magnificent. Enormous. Essential." One of the finest songwriters of his generation, ex-Albion band, Home Service, Urban Legend, Bill’s songs have been recorded by the likes of June Tabor, Chris Foster, Alex Campbell, The Yetties, Christy Moore, Peter Rowan, John Kirkpatrick, Artisan, Coope, Boyes and Simpson and many others throughout the world. You name it, Bill probably wrote it. Bill will be playing on Sunday afternoon. More about him here...
Karen Tweed Since turning professional in 1989, Karen has been a massive influence, through her teaching of the piano accordion and a stunning array of musical collaborations that always push the boundaries: Poozies, Kathryn Tickell, Swap, Ian Carr, The Two Duos Quartet, Timo Alakotila, Christy O'Leary. Always brimming with ideas and new musical horizons, we can’t wait… Karen is playing on Sunday night. Listen to here here...
Fay Hield Trio Fay was part of the fabulous a-capella group Witches of Elswick until their demise. With this trio she proves that she’s got a bright solo career ahead of her. Her strong voice brings us a mix of upbeat songs and mournful ballads, with fabulous instrumentals from Sam Sweeney and Rob Harbron. The trio are playing on Saturday night. Click here for more...
Cass Meurig & Nial Cain Cass Meurig is well known as a fiddler and one of the leading exponents of the crwth, the six-stringed medieval bowed lyre which is surely Wales' most esoteric national instrument. She has worked internationally both as a soloist and with Welsh bands Pigyn Clust and Fernhill. Nial Cain plays guitar and fiddle and was a founder member of Flop Eared Mule, which later became the Old Rope String Band. A skilled violin maker and restorer, he also plays with the excellent twmpath band Aderyn Prin. They will be appearing on Saturday afternoon. Click here for more
Damien Barber & Mike Wilson Mike is a member of the respected Wilson Family Band. Damien has performed as a solo artiste and more recently as founder of the much acclaimed Demon Barbers. They have been collecting plaudits for their debut duo CD “Under the Influence” :great songs brilliantly sung. Damien and Mike will be performing on Sunday afternoon. Click here for more
Ewan McLennan Having grown up in Scotland, Scottish songs and tunes naturally form a large part of Ewan’s repertoire. However, his singing and playing around Yorkshire where he has lived for the last four years, his study of the songs of the working class movement in Britain and America, and his love of Irish traditional singing all ensure that the origins and focus of his songs are varied. Ewan's accomplished guitar work and unique vocal style convey his passion for the music he sings and writes. He will be playing on Saturday afternoon. Click here to listen
Cupola Cupola brings together Sarah Matthews, Doug Eunson and Oli Matthews as this new three-piece playing English and European dance music, and singing English songs in three-part harmony. Melodeons, fiddles, viola, soprano saxophone, vocals, clarinet and hurdy-gurdy combine effortlessly with sublime harmonies. The choice of material is inspired by tradition and contemporary works alike, with the emphasis on great melodies and intricate arrangements. They will be playing on Saturday afternoon. Click here to listen
Flossie Malavialle Flossie originally came to England to teach French for a year. She had been singing for years in France before that and that’s why she found it quite natural to turn up at the Darlington folk club one night to meet the locals and sing a song... She didn’t realise then that this was going to be the beginning of a new life in England for her. She sings both in English and French, with a repertoire that ranges from English traditional to Edith Piaf. Flossie will be singing on Saturday afternoon. Listen to her here...
Sophie Lavoie & Fiachra O'Regan Sophie comes from the fiddle-playing traditions of Quebec, whilst Fiachra hails from Connemara. Together, their fiddle and Uilleann pipes create music that explodes onto the stage in a whirlwind of energy. The links between the French Canadian Québécois tradition and Irish music provide fertile ground for this collaboration. They will play on Saturday afternoon. Click here for more...
Arcadia This fiddle-driven quartet explore the traditional dance music of England, France and Sweden. Variety is central to Arcadia's music which couples the expressiveness of the fiddle with the rhythm of mandola, melodeon, guitar and the ethereal sound of the Swedish nyckelharpa. Featuring Belinda Jones, Chris Dyer, Verity Sharp and Patrick Randall. They will be playing on Sunday afternoon, when we will make space available for those who want to get up and dance! Listen to them here...
Olion Byw This duo are based in Cardiff and create fresh and exciting interpretations of famous and less well-known traditional Welsh music.
Kaheesha is Katherine Soutar-Caddick: Since first taking classes in belly-dancing 8 years ago in Shrewsbury, Katherine hasn’t looked back and now organises workshops and her own groups called Khalila and Kinza. She will be leading a workshop to introduce this beautiful dance form (which is also a great way to get fit). Read more about this here...
Celtic Sound will once again provide the music for our ceilidh in the chapel on Saturday. Traditional fun with caller!
Kerry Fletcher Welcome back again to the lovely Kerry, the best dance teacher around! Kerry is well respected for her skills as a teacher of all aspects of French and Swedish dance styles. More information...
Carole Etherton & Andrew McKay
Andrew and Carole live on Gower and are members of the local Halfpenny Folk Club. Both are experienced and accomplished singers, Andrew also playing Crane Duet concertina. Before joining forces, they performed with different shanty groups at folk clubs and festivals in Britain, Europe and the USA. Now as a duo, they have a growing reputation not only as performers but also as songwriters, whose work is often taken as traditional and is being increasingly sought out by other singers. They will be hosting and leading the Come All Ye sessions and singarounds over the weekend. More here...