30/07/2010

Sidmouth Folk Week Gets Underway

Now in its 56th year, Sidmouth Folk Week (July 30 – August 6) is still the grand-daddy of British folk festivals. The oldest and most enduring event in the British folk calendar, Sidmouth Festival has always reflected, and frequently led, the ever-changing folk music scene.

Set in the Regency, East Devon town of Sidmouth, just a few miles from busy Exeter, the folk festival brings colour, a joyous atmosphere and beautiful sights to this Jurassic coast town. 

Folk Week events take place in venues throughout the town. 

The main venue is the thousand-seater Ham Concert Marquee, at the end of the Esplanade, nestling under Peak Hill and beside the river Sid. Three concerts a day, at noon, 2.30pm and 8pm, feature some of the best names in folk music. This year, the concert guests include award-winning duo, Show of Hands (Saturday 31 July), folk super-group Blue Murder, comprising FolkWeek Patron Martin Carthy, Norma Waterson, their daughter Eliza Carthy and Coope, Boyes and Simpson (Monday 2 August) and BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year (2009) melodeon-player Andy Cutting and Friends, who will include the singer June Tabor, Euro-bandBlowzabella and ace guitarist Martin Simpson (Thursday 5 August). 

Other Ham Concert Marquee evening concert guests are Julie Fowlis, supported by Jackie Oates (Friday 30 July), the new band KAN(Sunday 1 August), The Martin Simpson Band (Tuesday 3 August), Barry Coope & John Tams (Wednesday 4 August) and Heidi Talbot with John McCusker & Boo Hewerdine (Friday 6 August).

Afternoon concerts in the Ham Concert Marquee include young folk boy-band Mawkin:Causley, Eliza Carthy & Saul Rose and Brass Monkey. On Thursday 5 August, there is a special concert, In Search of Nic Jones, when some of the young leading lights of the folk movement will celebrate the legendary singer and guitarist’s influence (Nic Jones was seriously injured in a car accident in 1982, and has not performed since). Nic now lives in the south-west and will be attending the concert.

The Bulverton Marquee on the edge of town, near to the Festival Campsite, is the venue for high-energy Festival Clubhouse events. Guests here include Bellowhead (Wednesday 4 August), Shooglenifty (Thursday 5 August) and Salsa Celtica (Friday 6 August). Each evening, there is the Festival’s famous Late Night Extra event, where the country’s top ceilidh bands will have the audience jigging into the early hours. 

Elsewhere in the town, the Manor Pavilion, Bedford Hotel and Methodist Church will host concerts, featuring Roy Bailey, Chumbawamba, newcomers Tyde, BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year 2010 John Kirkpatrick and The Wilsons. A special event in the Manor Pavilion is The Music of Bagpuss, starring Sandra Kerr and John Faulkner (who provided the voices in the original TV shows) – a must for children of all ages!

If you want to ‘feel the music and dance’, there are at least three, usually four, Ceilidhs a day featuring some of the country’s top dance bands, with a dance caller to explain the moves and steps. For those who prefer the more sedate approach, the social dance programme has workshops and dances all day long. Morris, sword and clog dancers will bring colour and excitement all over the town. 

Many festival-goers use the opportunity of a week-long festival to attend Workshops – the chance to extend existing skills and develop some new ones – in song, dance and instrumental music. 

For Families and Young Children, the Blackmore Gardens is the hub of the festival, with music workshops, craft activities, puppet shows, storytelling and dances. 

This year sees the re-launching of the Festival’s youth programme, called Folk-a-Cola, with a greater variety of events on offer for teenagers than the Festival has seen for some years. 

During the week, over one thousand performers will be appearing at FolkWeek events.

The Festival Programme (£5) gives details of all the events at the Festival (with children’s events being given in the Family and Young Sidmouth Programme - £1). Copies are available from the Sidmouth FolkWeek Box Office next to the swimming pool on Ham Lane, Sidmouth, EX10 8XR, 01395 577 952. 

The Ticket structure is flexible enough to cater for all visitors. There is the Full Week Season Ticket, which gives access to all events except the Ham evening concerts (for which a separate season ticket is available, or you can buy individual Ham evening event tickets at a discount). There are also Weekend and Day Season Tickets, as well as individual event tickets, in some cases available in advance. Details of all the ticket options, as well as camping details, are on the website www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk 

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