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Folk Music Interviews

Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival Interviews #1 Kathryn Williams

Interview – Kathryn Williams

Alongside our diligent reviewing partners “Last Night I Dream of..” we have the exception pleasure of bringing you a series of interviews with folk and roots artists coming to the jewel of West Yorkshire, Hebden Bridge ahead of the Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival (running from 10 to 12 May)

Our first interview is with folk/singer-songwriting superstar “Kathryn Williams” who is a headline at the upcoming event.

We remember hearing Kathryn Williams when we first dedicated to writing about folk. I remember tracking down a large number of her albums and doing a big bulk purchase. We have several of her albums and are particularly partial to “Crown Electric”,”The Quickening” and a very soft spot for her cover of “I started a joke” on “Relations” (it comes up in my top-rated songs list quite often!) Cerebral and clever but also breezy and accessible, Kathryn Williams has rated highly in our favourite singer-songwriters long before we moved over to the folk train.

So.. on to the questions!

Q. For those who haven’t come across you before, please describe you in a few sentences?

It’s hard to be asked to describe yourself… overdo it and you look arrogant under do it and you sell yourself short. I’m a bit folky but not folk, I’m a bit poppy but not pop, I’m a bit shy but foul mouthed,.. I am the best friend you’ll ever have.

Q. How would you describe your music in five words?

Thoughtful quiet unfolding punk rock.

Q. What inspires you as an artist?

Joy and pain, observing and imagining. 

Q. What can audience members expect from your set as part of the Hebden Folk Roots Festival?

A moment of calm in the eye of the storm. Space for their own thoughts, a few laughs x 

Q. What’s your favourite song to perform as part of your set and why?

I like playing songs people ask for or know even if I’ve not played them for a while. I like bringing the sea level down to the very quietest it can be. 

Q. Who else would you recommend festival goers seeing during the festival?

Michele Stodart. She’s my best friend

Q. What do you love most about performing on the festival circuit?

To be honest I find it hard. My music is small and fragile. Playing to people who might not have heard of me is good though x

Q. Your last album, Common Ground was arranged to pair alongside the experiences of the main character in Cass Wheeler’s “Greatest Hits”. How did this differ to your usual writing style and are there any other characters real or fictional you would love to base an album on?

Well I did the album Hypoxia before the Cass Wheeler one. I loved the constraints of looking through a characters eyes, but I’m ready to be free and me again x

Q. You have recorded with many illustrious folk artists over the years. Are there any stories you can share from these collaborations and is there anyone else you would love to work with?

If I told you all my stories, you would never sleep again! 

Q. What’s coming up next for you as an artist?

I have a 20cd box set coming out with one little Indian ( Bjork label) , I’m working on two new solo albums, an album with Michele Stodart, a collaboration with carol Ann Duffy and writing with other artists!

Kathryn Williams will be performing at Hope Baptist Church at 10pm on Saturday 11 May as part of Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival. For further information on Kathryn Williams visit https://kathrynwilliams.co.uk. For further information on the Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival visit www.hebdenfolkroots.org.

As mentioned, this interview was in partnership with “Last Night I Dreamt Of”, a website dedicated to theatre and performing arts. For further information visit http://www.lastnightidreamtof.co.uk/

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Folk Music Interviews

Underneath the Stars 2018- Interviews #1 Pitou, Howlin’ Rick & The Rocketeers, Melrose Quartet, John Metcalfe and Maya Youssef

Underneath the Stars 20-22 July 2018 https://underthestarsfest.co.uk/

Hi all. We hope the sun has brought some joy to your weeks and a smile to your face!

We are back after spending much time at the Beardy Folk Festival (which we will tell you about very shortly), because after all it is still festival season!

Today we would like to introduce a number of artists who sat down and had a bit of a chat with us about the upcoming “Underneath the Stars” Festival. What is “Underneath the Stars”?

Well, “Underneath the Stars” cannot really be considered apart from the efforts of Joe Rusby (and others), and singer Kate Rusby who always forms a part of proceedings. For many, folk music has always taken pride of place in the heart and never ceases to illuminate the top shelf of the CD rack (or now maybe the top disc of your computer hard drive!) But for others later to the game, it can seem a genre with a difficult way in. Kate Rusby is many people’s way in, and it’s hard to see why not. Great vocals, singing voice and arrangements truly warrant her moniker of the “Barnsley Nightingale” and this year along with many, many others they will entertaining at Cinderhill Farm near Barnsley.

Check out their website above and get yourself there, its a lineup of kings and for us a special occasion so quintessentially South Yorkshire.

Anyway before we go, we decided to speak to a few of the artists going and this is who we stumbled upon, have a read and get ready for :

Pitou

http://www.pitoumusic.com/

We start by having a brief chat with Pitou, an intelligent music adventurer. Dutch-born with a palpable sense of experimentation in emotion, the Independent described her as “One of the most arresting voices to emerge out of 2017, Amsterdam-born artist Pitou has earned comparisons to singers such as Laura Marling and Julia Holter thanks to her intelligent brand of folk-pop.” There is something intriguing here, like the delight of a sharp, glass figurine that catches the corner of your eye in a room full of porcelain we have high hopes as she crosses the sea to share her vulnerable, exploratory music in South Yorkshire.

Pitou will be performing on the Little Lights Stage on Friday 20 July. 

I: Tell us more about yourself?

Pitou: My name is Pitou, I am from Amsterdam, and I will be playing at Underneath the Stars with my wonderful band. We can’t wait to play. 

I:  Describe your music in five words?

Pitou: My first answer would be: Please Come Look For Yourselves. It’s always kind of dreadful to try and squeeze your music into a couple of words. But let me try again. Folkpop, Harmonies, Emphatic, Human, Delicate. 

I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?

Pitou: We do a couple of acapella songs. That’s always a special moment in the set. I’ve sang in a classical children’s choir when I was young, and these songs are a way of showing how wonderful just voices can be – but to a completely different stage and to a different audience.

I: What are you looking for to most about performing at the festival?

Pitou: We are looking forward to pretty much everything – the road-trip (we are coming from Amsterdam, and playing in London the day before), the sightseeing, but mostly the performing itself, and meeting new people.

I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?  

Pitou: My drummer was beyond excited when he found out that we are playing on the same stage as Steve Earle & The Dukes.

I: What’s next for you after the festival? 

Pitou: We will play some really nice festivals, and I am already working on new music, which I’m really excited about. Right now we are starting to play abroad more and more – and it’s wonderful to see all these different places, whilst discovering that the people that come and listen are not that different from each other. In a very beautiful and positive way.

Howlin’ Rick & The Rocketeers

https://howlinricandtherocketeers.bandcamp.com

Rock and Roll never goes out of fashion.. and quite rightly so.

Taking elements of Rockabilly, Country and Blues and mixing it across their original set, Howlin’ Rick reaches back in time and tickles the nostalgia of yesteryear. From what we’ve heard it’s got legs.. and they want to move. Eschewing an homage and instead bringing something that sounds quite fresh and with solid workmanship we spoke to the Leeds multi-instrumentalist ahead of the festival.

Howlin’ Rick & The Rocketeers will be performing on the Little Lights Stage on Friday 20 July. 

I: Tell us more about yourselves?

HR&TR: We are a five piece Rhythm n Blues band from Yorkshire. We play original material and try and keep it rooted in mid-50s Rock n Roll & RnB. Most of our time is spent travelling up and down the UK playing our set at Rock n Roll clubs, bars and Rockin’ Festivals.

I: Describe your music in five words?

HR&TR: Original Rockin’ Rhythm & Blues.

I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?

HR&TR: The song of the moment for us is our new song “Lovin’ Days Are Through”. Got an RnB/Gospel feel. It’s going to be released in November as our first single.

I: What are you looking for to most about performing at the festival?

HR&TR: This festival has a great reputation. Everything from looking after the artists, the quality of the stages, sound team and last but not least how up for it the music loving audience is!

I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?

HR&TR: We are there on the Friday so after we’ve played we are gonna check out Steve Earl & the Dukes

I: What’s next for you after the festival?

HR&TR: Next up we are playing more festivals but one of the most exciting things for us is our first single coming out in November followed by our first album in Spring/Summer 2019.

Melrose Quartet

https://melrosequartet.co.uk

Folk music through and through, the Melrose Quartet are high profile indeed within these beautiful fields of traditional music that are soon to be filled at “Underneath the Stars.”  We cannot do much but sing their praises, and also point out they were one of the few lucky groups to win one of our “Halo of Folk” Awards this year (listen to our award podcast at www.folk-phenomena.co.uk). We spoke to Jess Arrowsmith (on fiddle) about the upcoming festival.

The Melrose Quartet will be performing on the Little Lights Stage on Saturday 21 July. 

I: Tell us more about yourselves?

Jess Arrowsmith: Melrose Quartet are Nancy Kerr, James Fagan, and Jess & Richard Arrowsmith. We’ve been good friends for a long time, and all are established performers with quite a range of other projects, but the band came together after ending up living on the same street and having babies at the same time as each other, spending a lot of time hanging out together singing and playing socially, and realising that the combination of all four voices plus two fiddles, box and bouzouki was a bit magic. It is one of those bands that feels like considerably more than the sum of its parts, and we genuinely have enormous fun making music together.

I: Describe your music in five words?

Jess Arrowsmith: Lively, rich, uplifting, harmony, magic.

I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?

Jess Arrowsmith: Such a difficult question! That is like asking us to choose a favourite child!!  If we are only allowed to pick one then probably Dominion of the Sword (17th century words with the snap of modern rap, put to a gutsy traditional Breton tune by Martin Carthy in the 1980’s – always gets the adrenaline going.).

I: What are you looking for to most about performing at the festival?

Jess Arrowsmith: Playing and singing for a new audience – none of us have been to the festival before.

I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?

Jess Arrowsmith: Never seen Steve Earle live before but have listened to his music for a long time, so that is pretty exciting.

I: What’s next for you after the festival?

Jess Arrowsmith: Lake District Folk Weekend 3-4 August, Dartmoor Folk Festival 10-11 August, Whitby Folk Week (where we are patrons) 18-24 August.

John Metcalfe

http://john-metcalfe.co.uk

 

One of our most anticipated acts for “Underneath the Stars” is John Metcalfe.

We can’t put our finger on it, maybe its the trip-hop influence on the song “Wrapped”.. or the slight breakbeat inflections of “Sycamore”.. or maybe it’s just the pure sleeves of talent on these performers but we are loving the soundscapes and departure from the bound and usual. Either way they are on our horizons, and should be on yours. Check out our brief stop and chat.

John Metcalfe will be performing on the Little Lights Stage on Saturday 21 July.

I: Tell us more about yourselves?

John Metcalfe: We like a small tequila after the show.

I: Describe your music in five words?

John Metcalfe: Dolphin, Tree, Copper, Dusk, Dopamine.

 I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?

 John Metcalfe: ‘Sun’. It’s 20 minutes long and is a bit of a journey…

 I: What are you looking forward to most about performing at the festival?

John Metcalfe: The lights going down just before we play.

 I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?

 John Metcalfe: Everyone we can!

 I: What’s next for you after the festival?

 John Metcalfe: New album release and producing a new album for Ben Murray and Rosie Doonan.

Maya Youssef

 https://mayayoussef.com.

With her quanun in arms and the drive for bringing peace through music, Maya Youseff is very curious indeed. She has played in Syria, at the proms and now she is playing at “Underneath the Stars.” Playing in opposition to Syria’s troubles, she is a truly great, original and ethical pick for the festival and we look forward to the event that her set absolutely will be.

Maya Youssef will be performing on the Planets Stage on Sunday 22 July. 

I: Tell us more about yourself?

Maya Youssef: I am a dreamer, a bringer of peace, and a rebel. The ‘proper’ way to describe myself is a Syrian qanun player and a composer based in London. The qanun is a 78 stringed- plucked zither often referred to as the piano of Arabic music.

I: Describe your music in five words?

Maya Youssef: Alchemical, heartfelt, intense, joyful, eye-opening.

I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?

Maya Youssef: That changes from time to time. Currently it’s ‘Queen of the night’ because it’s the most uplifting mischievous track on my album Syrian Dreams.

I: What are you looking for to most about performing at the festival?

Maya Youssef: I love myself an intimate festival … the people, Yorkshire…I would say pretty much everything!

I; Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?  

Maya Youssef: Kate Rusby. I am also looking forward to discovering some new music.

I: What’s next for you after the festival?

Maya Youssef: Two gigs in Ireland including one at the National Concert Hall, Dublin and then my UK Autumn tour in some pretty epic venues.


So there you go. Five artists and groups, five different voices and messages.. all in once place.

Underneath the Stars 20-22 July 2018 https://underthestarsfest.co.uk/

Get yourself there and get a ticket. Stay tuned for our second round of interviews.. coming soon!

Categories
Festival Folk Music Interviews Uncategorised

Beardy Folk Festival 2018 – Artist Interviews – Part #2

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

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Festival Interviews PR

Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival 2018- Some Artist Interviews!

Looking ahead to Hebden Bridge Folk and Roots Festival ( 11th-13th May!) we are hoping it is going to be a sun-drenched affair with ice-cream, cool beer and the faint rustling of leaves on the breeze. If it’s not.. well, at least we will still have the music! Before it all kicks off we managed to catch up with some of the musicians at the festival and were delighted to hear what they had to say.

For further information on the festival, its line-up, programme and to book tickets visit www.hebdenfolkroots.org.

Tickets are available to collect from the Hope Baptist Chapel in Hebden Bridge at 2pm on the first day, Friday 11th May 2018.

Henry Priestman

First of all we spoke to Henry Priestman, a man who has been in the music business quite a while (over 38 years) who whilst in the band, The Yachts supported some impressive talent such as The Who and The Sex Pistols and contributed to the world in a huge number of other musical projects. We caught up with him to hear his thoughts.

I: Tell us more about yourself?

Henry: My name is Henry Priestman. I used to be songwriter/member of The Christians (big in the 80’s/90’s, ask your Mum about them!), and before that, new wave band Yachts (ask your Grandad about them!). I released my debut solo album The Chronicles of Modern Life in 2008, and have had an amazing time in the last ten years, at this new cottage industry level, on the folk/singer/songwriter circuit. Wembley Arena? Been there, done it, give me Hebden Bridge anyday!

I: Describe your music in five words?

Henry: Radio 2’s Johnnie Walker, he called it “Music for grumpy old men”!! Me, I’d go for “wry, poignant, warmth, protest, mayhem”

I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?

Henry: Probably my song “We Used To Be You”, a song about kids leaving home to go to University (or a job away)…I love seeing how each verse resonates with certain members of the audience…I feel I can hear them saying “yes, that was us when young Billy left home”!

I: What are you looking for to most about performing at the festival?

Henry: Returning to Hebden Bridge for the first time in 4 years…love the place…also will be great to be back with my band The Men of a Certain Age.

I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?

Henry: Especially looking forward to meeting up again with quite a few people I’ve performed with in the past…a while back I did a Hebden Bridge songwriter circle with Steve Tilston and Roger Davies, and Reg Meuross and I have also done a few joint gigs together, so will be great to see all them again. And Jon Palmer and band have done Beverley Festival and Folk on the Farm Festival a number of times on the same bill as me, and they’re always good value!

I: What’s next for you after the festival?

Henry: A house gig at Spurn Point the next day!…then a good lie-down, followed by more dates throughout the year

Henry Priestman will be performing at Hope Baptist Chapel at 9.15pm on the Saturday 12th May. For further information on Henry Priestman visit www.henrypriestman.com.

Mambo Jambo

Mambo Jambo describe themselves as an acoustic-roots duo. With an uplifting sound and vast, almost continent-spanning array of instruments they have many tools in their arsenal and look to be a fabulous addition to the festival.

I: Tell us more about yourselves?

Mambo Jambo: This is what our website says about us! “Acoustic Roots duo, Mambo Jambo, might just be the biggest acoustic duo you’ll ever see. A truly unique two-piece with their own rhythmic and joyful sound, they’ll take you on a musical journey with a mash-up of sounds from roots, world, folk and jazz, plus their own compositions. With Frankie on sax, vocals, clarinet, flute, guitar and spoons plus other percussion and Pete on guitar, vocal, ukulele, tres (traditional Cuban guitar), banjo, accordion and suitcase ! Pete and Frankie have been gathering admirers at shows and festivals the length and breadth of the country. A fabulous musical treat is in store wherever they roll up, their tour bus packed to the brim!”

I: Describe your music in five words?

Mambo Jambo: Multi-instrumental Whirlwind of joyful roots music.

I: What’s your favourite song to perform and why?

Mambo Jambo: We don’t really have a favourite song as such; we keep it fresh for the audiences and ourselves with variety, variety of styles,moods and instruments. People often describe our shows as a musical journey and we don’t want to pick out just one musical stop off along the way!!

I: What are you looking for to most about performing at the festival?

Mambo Jambo: We’re looking forward to bringing a whole range of diverse roots music ourselves to the festival. We’re thrilled to be part of this festival with it’s great line up, we love the fact that there’s loads of great stuff going on in in venues, in the community and on the streets – all sorts of stuff going on!

I: Who else are you looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?

Mambo Jambo: We’re really looking forward to seeing all the musicians who are playing the same day as us, some of whom we’ve seen at other festivals they and we have played at, including Tantz, Mestisa, Don’t Feed The Peacocks. Also Steve Tilston; Musicians of Bremen, 309s; G-Runs And Roses;  and we’ll try and catch all the bands and musicians we haven’t seen before; so many great bands for us (and all the audiences) to discover! Not forgetting the storytelling sessions and workshops!

I: What’s next for you after the festival?

Mambo Jambo: We are constantly touring, which we love. So we’ve got a tour of the South West coming up, playing in venues in Bristol, Bath, and other venues in Somerset and Devon. Then a couple of festivals including The Big Malarkey Festival, Childrens Literature Festival where we’ve been commissioned to present some different workshops. Two other festivals we’ll be playing at are Beverley Puppet Festival, and a Cycle Festival in North Yorkshire. Later in the year we’ re playing some shows in Europe – lots of interesting playing for us this year! We’ve also got a fair few workshop sessions and school projects coming up, and are planning to do some recording in between all the touring!

Mambo Jambo will be performing at the Trade Club on Sunday 13th May at 3pm. For further information on Mambo Jambo visit http://mambojambo.co.uk.

Once again, further information on the festival, its line-up, programme and to book tickets visit www.hebdenfolkroots.org.

Tickets are available to collect from the Hope Baptist Chapel in Hebden Bridge at 2pm on the first day, Friday 11th May 2018.