Aloha!
The time is very close indeed for the first-of-it’s-name “Beardy Folk Festival” down in Cleobury Mortimer.
As I keep bleating about, there is an astonishing array of artists from the folk tradition there, quite a haul really for the first festival.
We have spoken to some of the artists going, and very kindly they have allowed us to interview them!
Click here, for our first range of interviews that includes FALSE LIGHTS, THE JOSHUA BURNELL BAND, and ERIC SEDGE.
And if you haven’t checked it out already, go and see the full Beardy Folk Festival Lineup at: https://www.beardyfolkfestival.co.uk/
Now on to the second round of interviews!
FLY YETI FLY
Playing on the Acoustic Stage at 8.30pm on Saturday 23rd June. For further information on Fly Yeti Fly visit http://flyyetifly.com.
I: Tell us more about yourselves?
Darren and Lorna: We’re Darren Fisher and Lorna Somerville. We met six years ago at an open-mic night in Torquay, Devon, and we spent the rest of that night sitting under the stars together writing songs until sunrise. Shortly after meeting, we moved to Belgium, lived in a caravan and worked on an allotment, and it was during that time we wrote a lot of the songs that are on our first album. We then moved back to Devon and started gigging together, getting known locally as ‘the yetis’ and sharing our music with people all over the south west. We’ve since got married, and we now live on a narrowboat on the Kennet and Avon Canal – we draw a lot of inspiration for our music from the natural world and the people we meet. People say that our sound is reminiscent of the late-60s folk scene, and we released our debut album, ‘Shine a Light in the Dark’, last year.
I: Describe your music in five words?
Darren and Lorna: Dreamy, honest, delicate, quirky, enchanting.
I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?
Darren and Lorna: That’s a tough question, because each performance feels different, the room is different, the audience is different, so it can change all the time! At the moment, we really enjoy playing ‘The Mermaid Song’. It’s a song we wrote based on the Cornish folk story about the Mermaid of Zennor. The song is romantic but also dark, and as it progresses, a change occurs in the music and it morphs into something quite psychedelic.
I: What are you looking forward to most about performing at the festival?
Darren and Lorna: Well, it’s a brand new festival, so we’re excited to visit the site for the first time and meet lots of new people. We’re playing on the Acoustic Stage, and we really love playing smaller stages that give us a chance to interact with people, get a feel for the ambience, and vibe it. That’s the best thing about performing live.
I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?
Darren and Lorna: We’re particularly looking forward to seeing Jim Moray, because we’ve followed his music for some time but have never seen him live, and also 3 Daft Monkeys, who are loads of fun to dance around to! There’s also a lot of acts on the Acoustic Stage that we’ve never heard of – festivals are a brilliant way of discovering new music, so we look forward to catching lots of other acts.
I: What’s next for you after the festival?
Darren and Lorna: After Beardy Folk Festival, we’ll be travelling to Dorset to play ‘Folk On The Quay’ – a fantastic free festival which is organised by the masterminds that also created the wonderful Purbeck Valley Folk Festival. We’re also looking forward to playing Cornwall Folk Festival in August, and Glastonbury Abbey in September. We’ve got a really busy summer ahead, with lots of gigs in country pubs and smaller festivals too.
SKERRYVORE
Playing on the Main Stage at 10.30pm on Saturday 23rd June. For further information on Skerryvore visit http://skerryvore.com.
I: Tell us more about yourselves?
Alec from Skerryvore: Skerryvore create a unique fusion of folk, trad, rock and Americana that represents all the different personalities and upbringing of the 8 band members who hail from different regions of Scotland
I: Describe your music in five words?
Alec: Traditional, contemporary, progressive, raucous, uplifting.
I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?
Alec: Usually our favourite song to perform is the latest single because it’s what you’ve most recently put all the hard work into and it’s still raw and fresh to perform. Our latest single is ‘Take My Hand’ And it’s great to get the audience reaction on a song they’ve probably never heard before.
I: What are you looking for to most about performing at the festival?
Alec: It’s always fun to play to a new audience and we love playing at music festivals. It’s an exciting challenge to convince an audience to join you in having a great time.
I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?
Alec: I think the most interesting part about seeing other artists at a music festival is discovering a hidden gem that you’ve never heard before so we’re looking forward to discovering and adding some new music to the soundtrack of long van journeys.
I: What’s next for you after the festival?
Alec: The next big one in the calendar after Beardy is Moonbeams Festival at the Wold Top Brewery in Yorkshire. It’s a fantastic festival run by our lovely friend and booking agent Leila and we’re the patrons so it’s always one for us to look forward to!
GARY STEWART’S GRACELAND
Playing on the Main Stage at 5.15pm on Sunday 24th June.
I: Tell us more about yourselves?
Gary: We’re a bunch of Yorkshire-based happy-go lucky musicians who get together to play this awesome Album of South African music. The band comprises of musicians from other bands-three of us play in Hope & Social,one of us plays in Wilful Missing and our drummer used to play for Nightmares On Wax and is currently Peven Everett’s drummer.
I: Describe your music in five words?
Gary: Sunny. Jangly. Harmony. Drenched. Loviness.
I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?
Gary: I love playing The Boy In The Bubble as it’s our opening number, and it sets the rest of the show for us. And I just love the opening with the massive drums and accordion!
I: What are you looking for to most about performing at the festival?
Gary: It’s a new Festival so there is the expectation that we’ll play to a whole bunch of new people and that these people will come and see us play ‘Graceland’ again and again 🙂 Also,if it’s sunny then I’m looking forward to playing a lovely stage of lovely people in the Sun!
I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?
Gary: Urban Folk Quartet! Chris Helme is amazing. What a voice. My mate Dan Webster is also playing so I’ll be sure to catch him also.
I: What’s next for you after the festival?
Gary: More Festivals Ha! We have Moonbeams, Respect Festival, Just So, Head For The Hills to play and then we’re off to Portugal in October for Costa Del Folk (and a long awaited holiday!).
3 DAFT MONKEYS
Playing on the Main Stage at 8.15pm on Sunday 24th June. For further information on 3 Daft Monkeys visit www.3daftmonkeys.co.uk.
I: Tell us more about yourselves?
Tim from 3 Daft Monkeys: Bringing vibrant and sparkling new songs from their new album “Year of the Clown”, festival favourites 3 Daft Monkeys return to perform a brand new set of their quirky, original and upbeat fiddle-driven tunes. Now with a four-piece line-up, the band are taking their famously dynamic live show to new danceable dizzy heights.
I: Describe your music in five words?
Tim: Lyrical, Tuneful, Danceable, Wild and Original
I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?
Tim: Year Of The Clown as it’s new and relevant
I: What are you looking forward to most about performing at the festival?
Tim: Playing to a whole new audience is always a buzz.
I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?
Tim: Never seen Urban Folk Quartet but heard good reports.
I: What’s next for you after the festival?
Tim: Lot’s more Festivals !!!
And finally … www.lastnightnightidreamtof.co.uk interviewed Kathyrn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, who will be performing on the Main Stage at 2.30pm on Sunday 24th June, to promote their new album Personae. To read the interview click here