Derby Folk Festival acts and information
Wed 16 Sep 2015
The 2015 Derby Folk Festival takes place in just over 2 weeks time, from Fri 2 - Sun 4 Oct and we've got two fantastic acts appearing as part of the festival. Well-known UK folk singer Benji Kirkpatrick will be bringing his brilliant new work Bendrix: The Hendrix Project as a pre-festival preview show on Thu 1 Oct, and Adverse Camber Productions will be performing Fire in the North Sky.
Benji is embarking on a new solo project, reinterpreting the songs of Jimi Hendrix; stripping back the layers of guitar, the psychedelia, and the era, revealing the songs in their pure form.
Remembered for his pioneering, exceptional ability as a guitarist, as well as on and off stage antics, Hendrix’s legacy extends to a wealth of great songs. Leaving behind the guitar altogether, Benji tackles his material on bouzouki, banjo and mandolin, and will perform the songs of Hendrix like you’ve never heard them before. To book tickets, click here
Fire in the North Sky: Epic Tales from Finland is a brand new show from Adverse Camber Productions - one of the UK’s most celebrated storytelling companies. It is a rare opportunity to hear stories from Kalevala performed live and to experience the pinnacle of Finnish contemporary folk music.
Leading UK storyteller Nick Hennessey and three virtuoso Finnish musicians make these 2000 year old traditional stories come alive with a touch of offbeat fun, enchantment and music that moves between dancing flutes, intoxicating rhythms and hauntingly beautiful sung melodies. To book tickets, click here
Free Fringe Acts
As well as the ticketed events, there will be several acts performing at the Saturday Free Fringe which takes place from 12pm-6pm at the Old Bell Hotel. Performers include Penny Stone, The Barber Sisters, SomeAntics and Louise Jordan.
Penny Stone is a radical singer, songwriter and peace activist. Born in Derby, she now leads singing groups and encourages participation in radical music in her adopted home town of Edinburgh and at peace gatherings and actions the world over. Come along if you want to sing along!
The Barber Sisters, Isobel, Lydia and Eleanor come from the village of Thorpe in Derbyshire. They create their own arrangements, skilfully weaving the sounds of the three string instruments into a musically satisfying whole – sometimes lyrical, often full of gusto! Strongly influenced by the Scottish fiddle tradition, this is a case of Scotland meets Derbyshire.
Louise Jordan’s songs tell tales of universal human experience. Questioning yet reflective Louise uses simple subject matter to create songs of striking intensity and undeniable familiarity. Louise plays guitar, piano and cello but it is her voice which is most often celebrated as the pinnacle of her trade mark sound: captivating, powerful and evocative.
On Sunday, the Free Fringe sees Furthest From The Sea running and curating a day of Derbyshire artists in the Old Bell Hotel, as well as more free music in Derby Cathedral’s Retro Choir.
Dance sides
At this year’s Derby Folk Festival there will be an array of vibrant and interesting dance performances. From Rapper sword to Morris dancers there is something for everyone with dance and music displays happening throughout the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter on Saturday and Sunday.
Boggarts Breakfast are a mixed Border team from Sheffield sporting top hats and blue faces. They’re always entertaining, so expect great dancing, super music, and lots of infectious fun!
Crook Morris come all the way from Kendal, and are well versed in the arts of fine dancing, musicianship and socialising! They dance Cotswold, Border and Rapper.
Frumptarn Guggenband were loved so much by the good folks of Derby last year, we had to invite them back! Barnsley based, they take bold brass and punchy percussion and mix it with colourful costumes and handsome headgear.
Sheffield Steel Rapper are an award winning women’s rapper sword team from Sheffield and will be swirling their black and orange skirts in the streets and pubs. They let men play music and get in the way.
Toby Bennett is a professional dancer and teacher who specialises in step dancing, particularly the rich traditions of English Step Clog.
Wakefield Morris are a North West team with a long history of brilliant dancing. Always a pleasure to see you’ll spot their blue and gold kit, hear their clogs and see their smiles.
