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The artists appearing in the 2010 festival have now been booked. If you are an artist and would like to be considered for inclusion in future festivals, please contact Mr Alan Coy alcoy@btinternet.com
Thank you for your interest in our festival. |
2010 Programme now on line
Click here |
Over the past ten years the seaport town of Fishguard has been host to one of the UK’s best small traditional music festivals. With concerts, dance displays, workshops, meet the artist events, busking, informal music and song sessions, the town will be filled with colourful displays of dancing, along with tunes, airs, jigs and reels. Also featuring the popular guided ‘Pirate and Smugglers’ walk.
This small, friendly festival is mainly free, and embraces the talents of old and young alike and actively encourages visitors to join in the sessions with the ‘stars’ of the show.
Everyone is a part of the entertainment - not just a spectator.
Lots of opportunity to ‘do your own thing’.
So where better to celebrate our music and song.
Welcome to the 11th Fishguard Folk Festival and seven thousand years of history and tradition!
…took me 6 and a half hours to get there, but it was absolutely worth it! Outstanding! Thank you… Sian Thomas (Bristol) |
Confirmed so far:
(last updated 21st January2010)
Jez Lowe and The Bad Pennies
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Jez Lowe and The Bad Pennies have been playing their songs and music of Northern England for a decade and a half around the folk festivals, clubs and concert stages of the world. "Acoustic simplicity coupled with electric vitality" was how they were described in their early days, and with half a dozen albums to their credit, along with solo albums by Jez and by other members of the group, their following has continued to increase. In 2006 alone they have played in America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Belgium and of course all over the UK and Ireland. Strong vocals, backed by outstanding instrumental back-up on guitar, cittern, fiddle, fretless bass, keyboards and Northumbrian Pipes, have made them one of Britain's top attractions on the folk/acoustic/celtic circuit. |
Saturday night 29th May 2010
You can purchase tickets in advance at the concessionary rate of £8.50, (p&p inc) per ticket. (£10 on the door)
PayPal
All the other concerts are FREE!!!
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Nick Wyke & Becki Driscoll
Nick Wyke & Becki Driscoll are highly respected musicians, composers and workshop leaders from North Devon. They first collaborated as a fiddle duo on a busking trip around Spain and Portugal. Since then, they have made a strong impact on the British folk scene and received national and international radio play. Their passion for English traditional music and the violin has led to the development of their unique style. Becki's melodic, emotive violin and viola blend with Nick's driving fiddle chords and powerful vocals to create a rich, captivating sound. "...lovely, inventive playing" – fRoots" ...passionate musicality and distinctive presence." - the Living Tradition"
...a superb advert for English music" - the Folk Mag |
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Lucy Farrell & Jonny Kearney
Jonny Kearney and Lucy Farrell met while completing the Folk Degree course at Newcastle and began playing together when they discovered a shared love of songs. The pair have supported Rachel Unthank and the Winterset at several of their gigs on their recent UK tour as well as supporting Coope, Boyes and Simpson at The Sage in Gateshead. Jonny plays guitar, piano, and sings all his own material and Lucy sings, plays fiddle, and occasionally the saw.
Returning by popular demand!
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Mike Chant, (Vocals, Guitar, Mandocello, Didgeridoo, Bodhran) the son of a Welsh fisherman, learned his trade the hard way playing anywhere and everywhere. Pembrokeshire born, singer songwriter Mike has forged a reputation for himself as a passionate multi instrumentalist and powerful singer and lives by a small, simple, but very important bit of advice given to him by the legendary Finbar Furey… “Always from the heart…”. Always searching, exploring new ideas, keeping an open mind and an open ear has been his approach. Touched by so much music throughout his life Mike’s passion is to reach out and touch others with his music and give back a little of what music has given him it is the core of why music is his life.
His late night concerts in the Royal Oak, have made him a firm favourite with Festival goers. Mike is also the festival sound engineer. |
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Dan Walsh is a banjoist, guitarist, and singer. The banjo is his main talent and he shows amazing versatility on an instrument often confined purely to American music, taking in influences from blues, funk, jazz, rock, Latin, Arabic, and various folk styles as well as bluegrass and old-time. His entertaining performances have been witnessed throughout the UK at festivals, theatres, folk clubs and other venues including Towersey, Solfest, the Sage Gateshead and London's Southbank Centre and his debut album 'Tomorrow's Still To Come' is now available.
'The UK's finest clawhammer banjoist' - Bath Festival.
/'The most remarkable musician I've ever seen' - Anthony Simpson, BBC
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Davy Cartwright
Davy Cartwright is a mellow acoustic singer / songwriter from Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan. He was rather a late starter in terms of public performance due to problems with nerves and confidence, finally making his debut in 2003 as half of ‘Steinbeck’s Old Brown Boot’; he then sang in another duo ‘Ivy Salad’ before going solo in 2008. Since then he has slowly but surely built up a following as “a provoking, absorbing and wondrous ol’ hippy, putting a slant on traditional folk values, delivering music which is quite simply a pleasure to listen to” (Rumney Folk Club). Friends of Fairport’s ‘The Ledge’ wrote that he “does ask questions, make observations that have varying degrees of uncomfortableness, and at times simple enjoyment”
Described by Mabon’s Derek Smith as a “dark horse”
..."good enough for any folk festival I've ever been to" Drunken Scotsman in pub...
"Davy is selling himself short; for it's my opinion that he's an extremely talented singer/songwriter, who's produced some of the most moving and thought-provoking tracks I've ever heard" - Bill Everatt Radio Celtica's 'Underground Edition'
Please note, that unless he's extremely drunk, he doesn't do Elvis.... |
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The Lovely Somethings
The Lovely Somethings are Lucinda John-Duarte and Suzi MacGregor, both aged 17. They have been writing and playing together for the last two years and have been recording in London recently. They won the Fishguard Battle of the Bands and were on stage at the Celtic Blue Rock Festival for the last two years. Their songs are quirky and original - have a listen at www.myspace.com/thelovelysomethings
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Emma & The Professor
Emma & The Professor (Emma Heath & Mark Davies) have been song writing and gigging together for 6 years and both hale from Shropshire. They perform powerful, tribal roots music, on bodhran and guitar and their self penned songs are inspired by and drawn from the Marches - with world influences. Local folklore, myths, legends and history play a massive part in their song writing and these songs are delivered with passion, high energy and a contemporary edge. "They let rip with a joyous tumult of noise!"The Living Tradition Magazine. Emma Heath – ‘Singing Siren of the Marches’ and Mark Davies ‘The Foot Stomping Rhythm King,’ will simply blow you away with their engaging and energetic performance. Solfest
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Nick Scott
Nick’s introduction to folk music was through his Scottish father who is a fine fiddle player. In the late seventies he began playing the whistle and later graduated onto the Uillleann Pipes. He has recorded with multi award winning band Show of Hands appearing on their "Lie of the Land" album and joined them the following year for "Live at the Royal Albert Hall". He was invited back to the Royal Albert Hall later to perform there as part of the Scottish Tattoo. At Gosport festival in 1997 he met Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley where it became immediately obvious that they shared the same musical style, influences and, more importantly, sense of humour. Nick joined Chris and Denny to form the original line up of Last Night's Fun in 1999. In recent years he has toured across Europe and North America with the band and in between tours he has found time to teach on the Folk Music Degree at Newcastle University, appear on various albums and regularly attend sessions in the Devon area.
Did I mention Nick's pipes? They are a wonder to behold. Just sat on the floor you would swear that somebody had left a heap of old recorders and bits of trombone laying around. Closer examination would allow you to suspect that a fishing rod might have been included, and that maybe a snake charmer had left his pipe there too. In Nick's hands (and elbows too) though, they turn into a thing of great beauty, the drones working with the chanter, the sound eerie and yet melodious. I'm told these things are hard enough to play in tune, never mind play well and in tune. Nick manages to play VERY well and in tune. Lymm Folk Club review
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Fiddlebox
Helen Adam- Fiddle and Vocals, George Whitfield-Accordion and Vocals.......... Helen Adam is a classically trained self-employed musician who plays with many groups from string quartets to barn dance bands. As well as performance, Helen's professional life involves her in composition, arranging, organising workshops and private teaching. George Whitfield has been a self-employed musician for 15 years, George sings and plays with touring folk-rockers Pressgang. Solo, he entertains audiences with a wide range of popular songs from the 30’s to the present day. He also has an original set of self-penned songs and is a caller for barn dances.
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Mainbrace
Shanty singers
(Biog to follow) |
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Attila The Stockbroker
Sharp-tongued, high energy, social surrealist rebel poet and songwriter. His themes are topical, his words hard-hitting, his politics unashamedly radical, but Attila will make you roar with laughter as well as seethe with anger...
Inspired by the spirit and 'Do It Yourself' ethos of punk rock, and above all by The Clash and their overtly radical, political stance, he started as a punk bass player in 1977 and took the name Attila the Stockbroker in 1980, blagging spots for his poems and songs in between bands at punk gigs. He quickly got a couple of John Peel radio sessions, a deal with London independent record label Cherry Red Records and before very long was on the front cover of Melody Maker...and he hasn't looked back since!
Sponsored by Pembrokeshire County Council |
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Catrin O'Neill
In the world of traditional Welsh music, Catrin O'Neill chucks in the kitchen sink, the waste disposal unit and the slightly leaky u-bend.
O'Neill was surrounded by traditional Welsh music and culture growing up in Aberdyfi in Snowdonia, but her adult life has exposed her to many new influences."I took my guitar and had five years of travel," she says. "I produced children's cabaret shows in the depths of China and was a chorus line dancer the Bollywood film industry in India, among other things."Now settled back in Wales, she has spent the past four years "song writing, learning new instruments and rediscovering my undying passion for Welsh and Celtic folk music". In late 2007 she completed her first album, Nain's Kitchen/Cegin Nain which was independently released in early 2008. |
Also
Appearing |
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(last updated 21st January2010) |
'Sun shines for the 10th folk festival'
...also can I add, that it was one of the best, the music was none stop the
dancers wonderful and there was not a foot that was not tapping or head that
was not bobbing the whole weekend, in fact if you had stuck a persons feet to
the floor, it would have been classed as torture. Thank you organisers for a
great show, and a whole lot of smiling people, it was a great lift for the
Town, and in these days we all need it...
Cllr Robert Wheatley Deputy mayor |
As you probably know, many small scale live music venues have disappeared as a result of the 2003 Licensing Act. If you haven't already done so, please support the petition asking the government to act on the recommendations of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee to allow exemptions of small scale performances and acoustic music performed by one or two musicians.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/livemusicevents
As the General Election edges nearer, it could be a good point to raise with candidates as well.
Please forward this to your music loving contacts. Deadline to sign up by: 27th July 2010 |
...Brilliant event. Every town should have one!
It's a festival for the people by the people and anyone can afford to go and enjoy, unlike some others...
Dick Wells, St. Austell, Cornwall |
| Click here for 2009 pictures by Jenny Johnson Burrows |
Click image for some 2009 pictures by Janet & Bryan
(but not necessary in the right order)
Feel free to download what you like |
Here's a few more to be going on with
| ... Just a quick line to thanks to all concerned for making the folk festival such a great weekend. The accent on informality and participation (and the selection of ales) made it just what a folk festival ought to be.
Having drifted out of touch with the folk scene, it was great to come across people like Nick Wyke and Becki Driscoll I'd never come across before. More power to your collective elbows! Great to have my enthusiasm reignited but I'll have to chip a fair bit more rust off my concertina playing before next year... Best wishes, Jon Bell |
Fishguard Folk Festival wish to thank our sponsors for their continued support.
| Arts Council of Wales |
Pembrokeshire
County
Council |
Fishguard
Folk |
The Royal
Oak |
Boatshed Wales.com |
Brains Brewery |
Fishguard
& Goodwick
Town Council |
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