Great Folk Head for Southwell

Five thousand visitors are expected to attend this summer’s Gate to Southwell Folk Festival in Nottinghamshire. Len Brown, one of the organisers behind the festival, tells you what to expect. Some of the best artists from the British and International Celtic, folk and roots music scenes will be performing on the site (near Southwell’s National Trust Workhouse) between 6-9 June including multi-award-winning headline acts such as Oysterband, Show of Hands, Home Service, Eliza Carthy & Jim Moray, Roddy Woomble and, from Canada, Genticorum and Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys. Alongside these established acts, the Midlands’ premier music event has also attracted bright new talent like BBC Folk Award winners Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar, Luke Jackson and Jess Morgan, who's been championed by BBC DJ Steve Lamacq.  Derby-born Lucy Ward - the singer /songwriter guitarist and concertina player, who featured on the BBC’s Inside Out – returns to Southwell by popular demand. Also on the bill, there’s the newly-reformed Faustus, British folk’s best double act Tim Edey & Brendan Power and the award-winning Rura from Scotland.  Ireland is well represented by multi-instrumentalist Niamh Ni Charra, sibling trio The Henry Girls and in-demand guitarist John Doyle. Plus there’ll be many other eclectic acts such as the Derby-based acoustic collective The Open Road and Western swing combo Rip Roaring Success. You'll also find fine purveyors of Celtic & English traditional folk like Newcastle’s Chloe’s Passion and Liverpool’s Galloway Culbert & Doyle, and the prohibition-era decadent jazz-swing sound of The Chuck Pinkett Quintett. In addition to ceilidhs, musicians’ workshops and puppet shows, this family-friendly, volunteer-run community festival also promises a beer and cider festival, craft and food stalls, street theatre, sculpture in the woods and a children’s festival. Guaranteed to provide a great long weekend of music, song, dance and fun, at the Workhouse site and various other locations throughout Southwell, tickets are selling fast but still available via the website http://www.southwellfolkfestival.org.uk/ For more information call 01636 816678.