New date and a new location for Gate to Southwell
The long-awaited and hugely-anticipated 14th Gate To Southwell Festival is now set to take place in September 2021 at a beautiful new location in the nearby village of Kirklington (just outside Southwell, Notts).
Having had to cancel the 2020 festival because of the Covid pandemic, the GTSF organisers are extremely confident that four days of folk, root and acoustic music from the UK and all over the world, will go ahead from Thursday September 2nd to Sunday September 5th.
The first wave of acts have already been confirmed. These include acclaimed 'supergroup’ the Gigspanner Big Band (formed by Steeleye Span fiddler Peter Knight), the extraordinary Galician piper-led Anxo Lorenzo Band, award-winning folk duo The Breath (featuring the beautiful voice of BBC Folksinger of the Year Rioghnach Connolly), re-formed Bellowhead masterminds Spiers & Boden (pictured), “Renaissance Man of English folk” Chris Wood, multi-talented young Glaswegian roots band Imar, veteran folk guitar legend Wizz Jones, London-meets-Jamaica ska stars Maroon Town, fiery Madrid-based roots quartet Track Dogs and Scottish firebrands Talisk, with many more artists to be announced.
Family entertainment is also taking shape with crowd favourite Dan the Hat confirmed along with regulars such as Mark the storyteller and Becky’s Baby Bops and Toddle Bops.
“We know it’s been a tough year for everyone and we’ve all missed families and friends and getting together to enjoy live music,” said Festival Director Mike Kirrage. “We just hope this exciting news about our festival in September 2021, at a beautiful rural location, will really lift everyone’s spirits. We’ve already booked some excellent acts and now we’re really looking forward to seeing all the familiar faces who help out, perform or attend each year. So keep well and here’s to a bright, healthy and musical 2021.”
After five years at Southwell Racecourse, the Kirklington festival site will be on farmland to the North West of Southwell with lakes, trees and plenty of green spaces. There’ll be a lot more room for camping and, for the first time, well-behaved dogs will be welcome (at no extra cost) in the main arena as well as on the campsite. There are lovely rural walks nearby and there’s the scenic Robin Hood Way which links Kirklington to Southwell and the wider area. A bus service will also connect Southwell with the new site.
The organisers already acknowledge that they’ll have to adapt to the changing situation in 2021 and will be prepared for any Covid restrictions and regulations that remain in place next September. But they’re confident that many key elements of a “normal” outdoor festival will be able to go ahead, including multiple music stages, dancing, food and drink stalls, children’s entertainment and workshops.
Gate To Southwell Festival’s ability to bounce back from a very tough 2020, while many other events struggled financially, has been helped by grants from the Arts Council and Newark & Sherwood District Council. Thankfully the organisers cancelled early and were able to refund all ticket buyers and traders.
“Rather than risk further problems in early June, we’ve decided next September would be a much safer date to stage the festival,” said Mike Kirrage. “There may be rules limiting ticket sales, we,re already re-thinking the stages and layout, and we accept we may all still need to socially distance to some extent. But the fun and the music will go on! We are a member of the Association of Festival Organisers (AFO) who are providing resources and advice on all of this, so you can be assured we'll have everything covered.”
Tickets are now on sale via the Gate To Southwell 2021 website www.gtsf.uk
Having had to cancel the 2020 festival because of the Covid pandemic, the GTSF organisers are extremely confident that four days of folk, root and acoustic music from the UK and all over the world, will go ahead from Thursday September 2nd to Sunday September 5th.
The first wave of acts have already been confirmed. These include acclaimed 'supergroup’ the Gigspanner Big Band (formed by Steeleye Span fiddler Peter Knight), the extraordinary Galician piper-led Anxo Lorenzo Band, award-winning folk duo The Breath (featuring the beautiful voice of BBC Folksinger of the Year Rioghnach Connolly), re-formed Bellowhead masterminds Spiers & Boden (pictured), “Renaissance Man of English folk” Chris Wood, multi-talented young Glaswegian roots band Imar, veteran folk guitar legend Wizz Jones, London-meets-Jamaica ska stars Maroon Town, fiery Madrid-based roots quartet Track Dogs and Scottish firebrands Talisk, with many more artists to be announced.
Family entertainment is also taking shape with crowd favourite Dan the Hat confirmed along with regulars such as Mark the storyteller and Becky’s Baby Bops and Toddle Bops.
“We know it’s been a tough year for everyone and we’ve all missed families and friends and getting together to enjoy live music,” said Festival Director Mike Kirrage. “We just hope this exciting news about our festival in September 2021, at a beautiful rural location, will really lift everyone’s spirits. We’ve already booked some excellent acts and now we’re really looking forward to seeing all the familiar faces who help out, perform or attend each year. So keep well and here’s to a bright, healthy and musical 2021.”
After five years at Southwell Racecourse, the Kirklington festival site will be on farmland to the North West of Southwell with lakes, trees and plenty of green spaces. There’ll be a lot more room for camping and, for the first time, well-behaved dogs will be welcome (at no extra cost) in the main arena as well as on the campsite. There are lovely rural walks nearby and there’s the scenic Robin Hood Way which links Kirklington to Southwell and the wider area. A bus service will also connect Southwell with the new site.
The organisers already acknowledge that they’ll have to adapt to the changing situation in 2021 and will be prepared for any Covid restrictions and regulations that remain in place next September. But they’re confident that many key elements of a “normal” outdoor festival will be able to go ahead, including multiple music stages, dancing, food and drink stalls, children’s entertainment and workshops.
Gate To Southwell Festival’s ability to bounce back from a very tough 2020, while many other events struggled financially, has been helped by grants from the Arts Council and Newark & Sherwood District Council. Thankfully the organisers cancelled early and were able to refund all ticket buyers and traders.
“Rather than risk further problems in early June, we’ve decided next September would be a much safer date to stage the festival,” said Mike Kirrage. “There may be rules limiting ticket sales, we,re already re-thinking the stages and layout, and we accept we may all still need to socially distance to some extent. But the fun and the music will go on! We are a member of the Association of Festival Organisers (AFO) who are providing resources and advice on all of this, so you can be assured we'll have everything covered.”
Tickets are now on sale via the Gate To Southwell 2021 website www.gtsf.uk
A seasonal gem to banish the approaching winter blues
Talking Elephant Records have announced a very special release with a seasonal flavour. Titled ‘’A Midwinter Miscellany’ the album is a collection of spoken word, poems, stories and songs that celebrate the many aspects of the festive season.
The album features Ashley Hutchings with special friends Becky Mills and Blair Dunlop and was recorded by Blair at Ashley’s home in the early autumn. The album was released on Friday 20th November 2020.
Hutchings and Mills teamed up several years ago to tour ‘The Beginnings of Fairport’ a spoken word and song presentation to tell the story of Fairport Convention. ‘A Midwinter Miscellany’ follows that theme of combining words and song to create an album that is a patchwork of sights, sounds and flavours of short winter days, long dark evenings and the Christmas celebration itself.
Ashley has taken excerpts from a variety of literary sources including George Eliot, and Kenneth Grahame, to inspire songs with an ageless quality. Other writings and poems by Smart and Chesterton are given a completely new treatment with music composed by Blair and Becky. And Becky also contributes several brand new songs specifically commissioned by Hutchings for this album.
Ashley is highly complimentary about Becky – “When I have a new project nearly always the first person I go to is Becky. (She is) a wonderful singer, guitarist, songwriter, - it was a totally natural decision to invite her to contribute to this album. And working with my son Blair is a real pleasure. We have frequently performed together and toured Italy several times. Being part of this album gave him the opportunity of setting to music some of the words I chose as well as recording and producing the album. A particular highlight is the duo performance by him and his mother Judy Dunlop on the ‘Mahogany Tree’.”
Since the early 80s Ashley has gathered to him a small group of renowned folk musicians to tour each December as the Albion Christmas Band. Although the line-ups have changed each decade, the core concept of seasonal words and songs has remained... Sadly due to the Covid crisis audiences will not be able to enjoy what has become a traditional part of the live folk scene. The timely release of ‘AMidwinter Miscellany’ offers a welcome opportunity to enjoy the flavours of an Albion Christmas Band live show.
For more information, visit www.ashleyhutchings.co.uk
The album features Ashley Hutchings with special friends Becky Mills and Blair Dunlop and was recorded by Blair at Ashley’s home in the early autumn. The album was released on Friday 20th November 2020.
Hutchings and Mills teamed up several years ago to tour ‘The Beginnings of Fairport’ a spoken word and song presentation to tell the story of Fairport Convention. ‘A Midwinter Miscellany’ follows that theme of combining words and song to create an album that is a patchwork of sights, sounds and flavours of short winter days, long dark evenings and the Christmas celebration itself.
Ashley has taken excerpts from a variety of literary sources including George Eliot, and Kenneth Grahame, to inspire songs with an ageless quality. Other writings and poems by Smart and Chesterton are given a completely new treatment with music composed by Blair and Becky. And Becky also contributes several brand new songs specifically commissioned by Hutchings for this album.
Ashley is highly complimentary about Becky – “When I have a new project nearly always the first person I go to is Becky. (She is) a wonderful singer, guitarist, songwriter, - it was a totally natural decision to invite her to contribute to this album. And working with my son Blair is a real pleasure. We have frequently performed together and toured Italy several times. Being part of this album gave him the opportunity of setting to music some of the words I chose as well as recording and producing the album. A particular highlight is the duo performance by him and his mother Judy Dunlop on the ‘Mahogany Tree’.”
Since the early 80s Ashley has gathered to him a small group of renowned folk musicians to tour each December as the Albion Christmas Band. Although the line-ups have changed each decade, the core concept of seasonal words and songs has remained... Sadly due to the Covid crisis audiences will not be able to enjoy what has become a traditional part of the live folk scene. The timely release of ‘AMidwinter Miscellany’ offers a welcome opportunity to enjoy the flavours of an Albion Christmas Band live show.
For more information, visit www.ashleyhutchings.co.uk
Cropredy Convention receives lifeline grant from Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention music festival has been awarded £200,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future.
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. £257 million of investment has been announced today as part of the very first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention has been held annually in the village of Cropredy in North Oxfordshire since 1979 and over the years has grown from a few hundred fans of folk-rock pioneers, Fairport Convention, to a 20,000-capacity event. Local businesses, associations and charities benefit each year from the income these festival-goers provide. The postponement of the 2020 festival on 17 April came as a blow to all concerned.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This funding is a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.”
“These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country. This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.”
Cropredy's festival organiser Graham Williams said: “We have all seen how hard this Covid pandemic has hit the festival industry; 2020 has basically been a write-off. This most welcome grant from the CRF secures the future of our festival for 2021 and will help us cover any additional costs of providing extra safety measures we will need to put in place next summer. We can now plan ahead for 2021 with fresh confidence.”
Already confirmed for the 2021 festival (which takes place 12-14 August) are Clannad, Steve Hackett's Genesis, Emily Barker, Turin Brakes, Sharon Shannon, Martyn Joseph, Richard Thompson, Matthews Southern Comfort and - of course - Fairport Convention.
For further information visit www.fairportconvention.com
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. £257 million of investment has been announced today as part of the very first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention has been held annually in the village of Cropredy in North Oxfordshire since 1979 and over the years has grown from a few hundred fans of folk-rock pioneers, Fairport Convention, to a 20,000-capacity event. Local businesses, associations and charities benefit each year from the income these festival-goers provide. The postponement of the 2020 festival on 17 April came as a blow to all concerned.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This funding is a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.”
“These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country. This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.”
Cropredy's festival organiser Graham Williams said: “We have all seen how hard this Covid pandemic has hit the festival industry; 2020 has basically been a write-off. This most welcome grant from the CRF secures the future of our festival for 2021 and will help us cover any additional costs of providing extra safety measures we will need to put in place next summer. We can now plan ahead for 2021 with fresh confidence.”
Already confirmed for the 2021 festival (which takes place 12-14 August) are Clannad, Steve Hackett's Genesis, Emily Barker, Turin Brakes, Sharon Shannon, Martyn Joseph, Richard Thompson, Matthews Southern Comfort and - of course - Fairport Convention.
For further information visit www.fairportconvention.com
Kate Rusby confirmed for Folk By The Oak 2021
The thirteenth annual Folk by the Oak Festival has been postponed until Sunday 18th July 2021, with American Bluesman Seasick Steve and Folk favourite Kate Rusby already confirmed.
Since 2008 Hatfield House has welcomed a gathering of some of the world’s finest folk, roots and acoustic performers for a day of sublime music and family fun in the leafy surrounds of the Queen Elizabeth Oak Field. Over the years Folk by the Oak has gathered momentum and grown into the UK’s largest one-day folk festival, with a loyal following of music lovers and families seeking a fabulous festival day out.
Event Director Adam Slough says “Whilst it is with very heavy hearts that we bring you this news, we know that it is the right thing to do. We take our responsibility for our festival-goers, artists, crew, and wider community very seriously.
"The safety of our incredible Folk by the Oak family has been put in doubt by the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak, and we have therefore taken the decision not to stage the festival in 2020.”What 2020 ticket holders need to know: The 13th annual Folk by the Oak will now take place on Sunday 18 July 2021. “We were very excited about our 2020 line-up” says Adam, “and we are working hard to ensure that the programme will be replicated as far as possible in 2021. We are over the moon that headliner Seasick Steve and Folk by the Oak favourite Kate Rusby are already confirmed. Further details of the line-up will be announced as soon as we are able.”
If you have booked tickets for this year's festival the organisers will contact you via email. Your tickets will automatically be carried over to Folk by the Oak on Sunday 18th July 2021. If you wish to carry your booking over to next year do not need to take any action now; you will automatically be sent new tickets in the autumn, and to show their gratitude the organisers will enter you into a VIP prize draw which includes a backstage tour, catering vouchers, a bottle of bubbly and a Folk by the Oak goody bag.
As well as asking customers to ensure Folk by the Oak is around for many more years to come by rolling their tickets over to next year, they are encouraging people to consider their long-term charity partner Willow, the only national charity working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to fulfil uplifting and unforgettable Special Days. To date Folk by the Oak has raised £81,000 for their charity partner through ticket contributions and the generosity of the audience on the day of the festival. The festival team are asking those who would have attended the festival and donated to Willow to consider helping them to ride out the current crisis by making a donation at https://www.willowfoundation.org.uk/folk-oak-donate
In a final word to the audience Adam adds “We have such loyal and enthusiastic followers, and we know that you will all be as saddened by this announcement as we are. The summer really will be a lot less colourful without you, but we are already busy planning for 2021 and looking forward to welcoming you back for a much needed day of sublime music and festival fun.”
For further details, please visit www.folkbytheoak.com
Since 2008 Hatfield House has welcomed a gathering of some of the world’s finest folk, roots and acoustic performers for a day of sublime music and family fun in the leafy surrounds of the Queen Elizabeth Oak Field. Over the years Folk by the Oak has gathered momentum and grown into the UK’s largest one-day folk festival, with a loyal following of music lovers and families seeking a fabulous festival day out.
Event Director Adam Slough says “Whilst it is with very heavy hearts that we bring you this news, we know that it is the right thing to do. We take our responsibility for our festival-goers, artists, crew, and wider community very seriously.
"The safety of our incredible Folk by the Oak family has been put in doubt by the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak, and we have therefore taken the decision not to stage the festival in 2020.”What 2020 ticket holders need to know: The 13th annual Folk by the Oak will now take place on Sunday 18 July 2021. “We were very excited about our 2020 line-up” says Adam, “and we are working hard to ensure that the programme will be replicated as far as possible in 2021. We are over the moon that headliner Seasick Steve and Folk by the Oak favourite Kate Rusby are already confirmed. Further details of the line-up will be announced as soon as we are able.”
If you have booked tickets for this year's festival the organisers will contact you via email. Your tickets will automatically be carried over to Folk by the Oak on Sunday 18th July 2021. If you wish to carry your booking over to next year do not need to take any action now; you will automatically be sent new tickets in the autumn, and to show their gratitude the organisers will enter you into a VIP prize draw which includes a backstage tour, catering vouchers, a bottle of bubbly and a Folk by the Oak goody bag.
As well as asking customers to ensure Folk by the Oak is around for many more years to come by rolling their tickets over to next year, they are encouraging people to consider their long-term charity partner Willow, the only national charity working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to fulfil uplifting and unforgettable Special Days. To date Folk by the Oak has raised £81,000 for their charity partner through ticket contributions and the generosity of the audience on the day of the festival. The festival team are asking those who would have attended the festival and donated to Willow to consider helping them to ride out the current crisis by making a donation at https://www.willowfoundation.org.uk/folk-oak-donate
In a final word to the audience Adam adds “We have such loyal and enthusiastic followers, and we know that you will all be as saddened by this announcement as we are. The summer really will be a lot less colourful without you, but we are already busy planning for 2021 and looking forward to welcoming you back for a much needed day of sublime music and festival fun.”
For further details, please visit www.folkbytheoak.com
First studio album for Worcestershire singer-songwriter Mike Weaver
Worcestershire singer-songwriter Mike Weaver released his first studio album this September. After a break of over twenty years, Cheltenham-born Mike return to songwriting and performing live in 2013. Since his 'come back' he has opened for several leading performers on the contemporary folk scene, as well as appearances at clubs, events and festivals throughout the English Midlands and South West.
Too Soon It's Time To Fly is a six track mini album, produced, recorded and mastered by Lukas Drinkwater, who also plays double bass, guitar and piano on four of the songs.
"The world changed dramatically and without warning in 2020, and many of us were left reflecting upon what had gone before - tempered with the realisation that life might never be the same again," said Mike.
"Somewhat improbably, I found myself immersed in a state of unexpected calm, underlined with a feeling that time really does move more quickly as we take one more step towards the great unknown. Too soon, it's time to fly. Initially I'd planned to record six tracks from my back catalogue to mark by sixtieth birthday, but the events of 2020 made me look at the album from a fresh perspective.
"I'd already written two new songs: firstly, Balcarras Road - which is a journey back to my childhood and nature walks we took from Charlton Kings' infants and junior schools, getting on for fifty years ago. Heart of Reunion - the second new composition - is a shimmering tune inspired by becoming re-acquainted with valued and near forgotten pals from those days, and the joy that shared memories can bring. Ties never broken, just loosened.
"The time seemed right to blend these musical bedfellows with some previously unreleased material, and songs re-worked to reflect upon the shifting patterns of my life.
"In March I lost Daisy, my constant canine companion of thirteen years. Chasing Squirrels remembers the simple shared pleasures of a symbiotic relationship that will never be forgotten, but frequently lamented. Century Caught is a song I wrote back in 2014, which imagines how a house might view the generations of lives lived within its walls, and its eventual return to nature. Ashes to ashes, and all that.
"The Richness In You was written in 1996, when I discovered I was to become a father. I didn't realise then that I was to share the pleasurable parenting of twins - nor did I imagine what fine, caring and compassionate young ladies they would grow up to be. They first flew the nest in 2015 - to study at universities in Lancashire and Gloucestershire. It was for Megan and Alice that I then wrote Pembrokeshire Fair. Five years later, equipped with impressive respective degrees in Korean and English Literature, they boldly moved to Asia to take up teaching positions at a Primary School in Korea. A re-worked version of their parting song brings the album to a fitting close.
"Finally, I would like to thank Lukas Drinkwater for helping me to bring these songs to life at his Polyphonic Recording studio. I'm indebted to his skill as a producer, musician and engineer - but also to his musical intuition. I wanted to retain the live feel of my previous recordings, with more polish and depth through the addition of additional instruments. Lukas helped me to reach this goal - and then some. Check out Lukas's own music by visiting his website www.lukasdrinkwater.com"
Too Soon It's Time To Fly can be downloaded and streamed from the usual digital platforms and Bandcamp (£5.00)- where you can also order a physical CD (£7.00 inc P&P in the UK): mikeweaver.bandcamp.com. For more information about Mike and his music, visit www.mikeweavermusic.com
Too Soon It's Time To Fly is a six track mini album, produced, recorded and mastered by Lukas Drinkwater, who also plays double bass, guitar and piano on four of the songs.
"The world changed dramatically and without warning in 2020, and many of us were left reflecting upon what had gone before - tempered with the realisation that life might never be the same again," said Mike.
"Somewhat improbably, I found myself immersed in a state of unexpected calm, underlined with a feeling that time really does move more quickly as we take one more step towards the great unknown. Too soon, it's time to fly. Initially I'd planned to record six tracks from my back catalogue to mark by sixtieth birthday, but the events of 2020 made me look at the album from a fresh perspective.
"I'd already written two new songs: firstly, Balcarras Road - which is a journey back to my childhood and nature walks we took from Charlton Kings' infants and junior schools, getting on for fifty years ago. Heart of Reunion - the second new composition - is a shimmering tune inspired by becoming re-acquainted with valued and near forgotten pals from those days, and the joy that shared memories can bring. Ties never broken, just loosened.
"The time seemed right to blend these musical bedfellows with some previously unreleased material, and songs re-worked to reflect upon the shifting patterns of my life.
"In March I lost Daisy, my constant canine companion of thirteen years. Chasing Squirrels remembers the simple shared pleasures of a symbiotic relationship that will never be forgotten, but frequently lamented. Century Caught is a song I wrote back in 2014, which imagines how a house might view the generations of lives lived within its walls, and its eventual return to nature. Ashes to ashes, and all that.
"The Richness In You was written in 1996, when I discovered I was to become a father. I didn't realise then that I was to share the pleasurable parenting of twins - nor did I imagine what fine, caring and compassionate young ladies they would grow up to be. They first flew the nest in 2015 - to study at universities in Lancashire and Gloucestershire. It was for Megan and Alice that I then wrote Pembrokeshire Fair. Five years later, equipped with impressive respective degrees in Korean and English Literature, they boldly moved to Asia to take up teaching positions at a Primary School in Korea. A re-worked version of their parting song brings the album to a fitting close.
"Finally, I would like to thank Lukas Drinkwater for helping me to bring these songs to life at his Polyphonic Recording studio. I'm indebted to his skill as a producer, musician and engineer - but also to his musical intuition. I wanted to retain the live feel of my previous recordings, with more polish and depth through the addition of additional instruments. Lukas helped me to reach this goal - and then some. Check out Lukas's own music by visiting his website www.lukasdrinkwater.com"
Too Soon It's Time To Fly can be downloaded and streamed from the usual digital platforms and Bandcamp (£5.00)- where you can also order a physical CD (£7.00 inc P&P in the UK): mikeweaver.bandcamp.com. For more information about Mike and his music, visit www.mikeweavermusic.com
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