Top Acts for Derby Folk Festival
Tue 9 Feb 2016
Following the fantastic success of the ninth Derby Folk Festival, which was enjoyed by thousands we can confirm that the tenth Derby Folk Festival will take place from Friday 30 September to Sunday 2 October 2016.
Preparations are moving at a pace with a collection of great artists confirmed to perform at a variety of venues in Derby's Cathedral Quarter. Building on past success our festival team will be working with Folk 3D to take the Festival to the city's streets, where there will be brilliant dance teams performing over the weekend.
To produce the Derby Folk Festival we work closesly with Derbyshire-based PR Promotions and we have yet another strong line-up for this year's festival. The legendary Fairport Convention will be headlining on the Friday night in the City Marquee on the Market Place. On Saturday evening, two multi-award-winning acts will fill the main stage as wonderful trio, The Young'uns kick things off, followed by The Demon Barbers and their genre-defying folk-hip-hop music and dance spectacular! Sunday sees the delightful Heidi Talbot in the City Marquee, with many more acts yet to be announced.
The festival will also include a host of free fringe events, dance acts, sessions, as well as an Arts and Craft Fair. These free events will be taking place in Derby City Centre, making sure the festival reaches the masses.
Councillor Martin Rawson, Deputy Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for Communities and City Centre Regeneration, said: "Derby Folk Festival has grown year after year and is now one of the cultural highlights of the calendar. We can be proud to deliver such a prominent festival in our City with visitors coming from across the UK and indeed the world to enjoy the spectacle. The tenth Derby Folk Festival is set to be the best yet with fantastic venues and exciting acts, with much more to be announced in the coming months."
The fantastic set of venues throughout the Cathedral Quarter will be the perfect backdrop for the festival, be it the recently renovated rustic Old Bell Hotel or the enlightenment era Derby Cathedral. The full list of venues includes the City Marquee on the Market Place, the Guildhall Theatre, The Old Bell Hotel and Derby Cathedral.
The eminent Fairport Convention will be joining the festival as the headline act for Friday night. They are a band that have been making fantastic music for almost 50 years and are often credited with originating British folk-rock music. The band has many prestigious achievements, a highlight of which is their ground breaking album Liege and Lief.
The Young'uns were Voted 'Best Group' at the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and have fast become one of the foremost groups on the UK folk scene. Beguiling audiences around the world, they seamlessly switch from beautiful ballads to brilliant banter, from profoundly poignant songs to infectiously irreverent humour.
Since winning 'Best Live Act' at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The Demon Barbers have been immersed in the development of their Folk & Hip Hop Dance Extravaganza The Lock In. The show has evolved following a number of successful UK tours, including high profile shows at Glastonbury Festival and 5 star reviews for their 2 week run at Edinburgh Fringe.
Winners of the 'Best Duo' at the 2015 BBC Folk Awards Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker have seen an almost meteoric rise to fame in recent years. Derby Cathedral will be the perfect setting for audiences to appreciate their classically instilled traditional songs and self-penned lovelorn ballads, as they headline on Saturday night.
Also playing on the Saturday will be Sally Barker who reduced Tom Jones, and viewers alike, to tears with her flawless performances on BBC's The Voice. Tom Jones' finalist on the programme,Sally turned down a £75,000 advance and the opportunity to record a covers album for Universal, choosing instead to finish the Poozies' album Into the Well and work on her own material. It is in live performance that Sally thrives and excels. She has the ability to lift the words off the page as if you were hearing them for the first time, revealing their true meaning.
Heidi Talbot is an award-winning artist from Co.Kildare, Ireland and was a member of the Irish-American supergroup Cherish The Ladies before forging her own solo career. In Love And Light, her solo breakthrough, won her international acclaim, including a US Indie Acoustic Award which signalled her music's crossover appeal. Collaborations with Michael McGoldrick and Drever, McCusker & Woomble followed, as well as guest slots for Idlewild and Eddi Reader, and her recent album even featured the guitar of Mark Knopfler.
John McCusker is one of the UK's most gifted and versatile musicians in any genre and will be performing on the Sunday of the Festival. Born in Bellshill, near Glasgow, John began playing whistle & fiddle as a child, and joined the legendary folk outfit Battlefield Band aged 17. During his 11 years with the band, John also released his first two solo recordings, 1995's self-titled debut and 2000's Yella Hoose.
As if the list of acts for Sunday couldn't get much better, the great Belshazzar's Feast will also be performing. They are a musical passion borne out of the desire to earn sufficient money to support their extravagant lifestyles. Their amazing musicianship coupled with wry humour stunned audiences around Europe and the States.
Paul Sartin one half of Belshazzar's Feast is a member of the multi-BBC Radio 2 award-winning big band Bellowhead and of Faustus. The other half of the band Paul Hutchinson is the founder member The Playford Liberation Front and is member of the new quartet Pagoda.
Ange Hardy and Lukas Drinkwater will be combing their vast musical talent to also wow crowds on the Sunday. Since she burst onto the folk scene in 2013 with her stripped back album Bare Foot Folk Ange Hardy has continued to release a 14-track album every year. The 2014 release of The Lament of The Black Sheep led to Ange being nominated at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards which provided the platform for writing and releasing Esteesee in 2014.
With the whole festival programme taking place in and around the city, it is perfectly placed for those arriving by either bus or train. Festival tickets are available from our website or you can book in person at the Derby LIVE Box Office, Market Place, Derby, or call 01332 255800. It's never too early to book with an early bird offer for those who book weekend tickets before 31 July 2016. Tickets for the whole weekend are £75 (adult), £43 (Students) and Family Tickets (2 adults, 2 children) are £170 if booked before 31 July and are on sale now. Day and Evening tickets for those who can't make the full weekend are available priced £21- £37.
Festival goers can find out all of the latest accommodation information at visitderby.co.uk where a range of hotels are available for all budgets and group sizes.