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Sunday line-up

Little Johnny England - Sunday 20.20 - 21.45


Moulton, Northamptonshire - rocked festivals, concerts and clubs from St.Louis, Missouri to Hong Kong over the 15 years they existed. Their music full-on electric FolkRock - rooted in the English tradition, with a large repertoire of original songs and tunes coming from within the band and from composer Pete Scrowther.

Marking twenty five years since they formed, original members Gareth Turner (melodeon), Guy Fletcher (fiddle, mandolin),  PJ Wright (electric guitar)  and Mat Davies (bass guitar) have reconvened with drummer Mark Stevens (joined 2007) to play this favourite field, Gregg Cave (guitars) helping out PJ, Gemma Shirley (fiddle, keys) helping out everyone and, ramping up melodeon muscle, Gareth's wingman Hugh Crabtree, the power behind the mighty Feast of Fiddles


Discography

Little Johnny England  (2000)

LJE Live (2000)

Mercs & Cherokees (2002)

Tournament of Shadows (2008)

Ten Years On...      (2009)+



WHAT THE AMERICANS SAID:


Ten Years On... (Talking Elephant TECD142) Acknowledged for giving folk-rock a kick up the proverbial for the new millenium, this quintet were popular on the UK folk/roots circuit and toured the US five times with their unique brand of music, with a mission statement ("rocking the English tradition") that put
the rock firmly back into folk-rock.

Their original songs - from seafaring yarns and the plight of the working man down the ages, to the brutal delights of a Saturday night out in post-industrial northern English towns - will appeal to those who
like their folk music electric, loud and rhythmic!

Recorded live in US/UK, studio outtakes, etc.   M. Waters:  Dirty Linen, USA


Not the M Waters, surely?


Washed my dirty linen in muddy water….


Here is a little taster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m9sNTjVfuk

Photo by Daniel Coston

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Matt Black - Sunday 12.00 - 12.45


Definitely one of our festival favourites, so much so you get to see him perform twice!!

With his popular annual Thursday night comedy and cabaret show with music, Matt returns to the stage for his regular Sunday morning spot. Matt has played more sets at our Festival than anyone else and is always a firm favourite with his banter, comedy and superb piano playing.

Unlike Thursday, this show is much more chilled leaving out the naughty words (it is Sunday!!) but depending if and who join him on the stage expect plenty of humour while focussing on his blistering piano playing. Sit back, relax and enjoy a nice gentle start to your Sunday’s entertainment.


Matt is from nearby Bournemouth and in the 20 years, and more, spent earning a living in the entertainment world, he has consistently altered his stage persona to meet the requirements of his audience, be they guests at a society wedding, delegates at a business conference or corporate dinner, or bikers attending a rally or even The New Forest Folk Festival. That is why he has been able to perform for Royalty, celebrity, and just about everybody and his aunty. Matt is also a highly acclaimed producer with his own “Hangover Hill” studio.

Matt also has a weekly radio show Friday night’s at 10pm on Forest FM which can be streamed online.


If you missed the extended biography on Matt you will find it amongst the Thursday Artists

Website: https://matt-black.org/

Winter Wilson - Sunday 12.55 - 13.40

Singing out for the underdog in glorious harmony. Original songs packed with punch and emotion

that will get beneath your skin, and all delivered with great humour.

Pre-Covid, Winter Wilson had completed tours of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and most of

Western Europe, in addition to the UK. Their eight studio albums had all received rave reviews, and 2019’s “Live & Unconventional” (recorded on tour with folk-rock icons Fairport Convention and on stage at Cropredy Festival) was no different.

"If you need evidence of just how special the duo Winter Wilson is, then Live &

Unconventional delivers in abundance." Steve Caseman, RnR magazine.

Back in Lincolnshire throughout the pandemic, the pair streamed “Live from the Lounge” for 60 consecutive weeks and also wrote and recorded “The Passing of the Storm”, the duo’s tenth album, adding further to their reputation as superb writers, singers and musicians, and great all-round entertainers. Now performing stunning new songs alongside old favourites, Kip Winter and Dave Wilson are thrilled to be back on the road.

.

“You will laugh; you may cry. You will certainly want to see them again!

“A masterclass in songwriting" Debs Earl, F.I.B. Promotions.

"Another fine album of original songs....Ghost .. should be heard in every folk club in the country." Dai Jeffries, RnR Magazine

“Kip Winter's outstanding vocal talents and Dave Wilson's stunning abilities as a songwriter, composer, guitar and singer welded seamlessly to produce a most memorable evening” John Waltham, Living Tradition Magazine.

“Fabulous voices, fabulous harmonies, singing fabulous songs and to top it off an entertaining and often very humorous presentation - how can you go wrong? Winter Wilson were unquestionably one of the finest and most polished acts we’ve ever had here in Humph Hall and that puts them in some very illustrious company indeed!” Wayne Richmond Humph Hall, Sydney Australia.

"Kip Winter and Dave Wilson have made it to the next level....the duo's eighth album is the latest collection of songs from Dave's outstandingly prolific pen, rendered in the trademark fully accomplished, harmonious and heartfelt Winter Wilson styling." David Kidman, fROOTS Magazine

”Great songs that are beautifully crafted and sung, accompanied by fine musicianship and built on acclaimed, all-round musical talent" Cec Bucello, Trad & Now Magazine, Australia


YouTube Playlist

First to Fall Beardy Fest 2020 Ghost live at The Union Chapel. "Wilson's songs pull no punches when relating to the sights and sounds of everyday local life, and are complemented by Kip's powerful and emotional voice." The Telegraph

It’ll Take a Long Time (Featuring Fairport Convention) “It’s a privilege to be a part of this beautiful album” The Fairports.

Weary Traveller "Winter Wilson have landed another right on the bridge of the nose, this is not an album that is easy to ignore" Neil King Fatea Magazine

Tried & Tested ”A superb album of well crafted songs" Penny Black Music.

Far Off on the Horizon (official video) “Everything that defines folk music and what makes it great” Barry Hammond, Penguin Eggs Magazine, Canada.


Website: https://winterwilson.com/

Steve Tilston with Hugh Bradley on double bass - Sunday 13.50 - 14.50


Steve Tilston is one of our most celebrated song smiths, widely recognised within the world of folk and contemporary music; the words, arrangements and subtle, quite superb guitar playing could be no one else.  “The more you listen, the more there is to discover.” Bob Harris

The story of Steve’s “lost” letter from John Lennon thrust Steve into the worldwide media spotlight and was the inspiration for a Hollywood movie. Danny Collins, starring Al Pacino in the title role is now available to own on DVD. Sadly, Steve’s songs didn’t actually appear on the soundtrack, but the publicity surrounding the film, brought Steve and his music to much wider attention. You can still watch the clip of when Steve met Al on YouTube. Steve was also voted, Fatea Awards Male Vocalist of the Year 2015 and Truth to Tell was chosen as one of The Telegraph’s top folk albums that year too.

2021 saw the release of Such Times and the continuation of the connection with Riverboat Records begun with Distant Days; Steve’s solo acoustic retrospective, from 2018. In Such Times Steve takes on the role of social commentator and storyteller; 15-tracks almost exclusively new material, recorded during the first national lockdown. The release coincided with the 50th anniversary of his debut album, An Acoustic Confusion in 1971. After more than fifty years in the business Steve can still deliver the goods.

In 2007 a 5-CD boxed-set was released Reaching Back the Life and Music of Steve Tilston by Free Reed, the company behind the Richard Thompson anthology. Back on song-writing form, he released Ziggurat in 2008 from which A Pretty Penny made it into Acoustic Magazine’s top 50 songs. In 2009 his early career was hi-lighted in a book Bristol Folk, the story of Bristol’s powerhouse folk & blues scene in the 60s & 70s. And the Bristol connection is marked once again in 2018 when Steve features in a major exhibition Bristol Music: Seven Decades of Sound at M Shed Museum in Bristol. His 2011 release The Reckoning garnered 4-star reviews in the Guardian, the Observer and the Scotsman, a guest appearance on Later with Jools Holland and the BBC Four Songwriters’ Circle series, plus a Folk Award win for best original song. Followed in 2013 by the highly acclaimed trio album Happenstance. Steve was also commissioned to write for the Olympics Radio Ballads series and theHarbour of Songs project.

Born in Liverpool and raised in the Midlands, Steve made his recording debut in 1971 with the classic An Acoustic Confusion and has been turning out quality albums ever since. Life by Misadventure, And So It Goes, Solo Rubato and Such and Such all featuring first-class song-writing and stylistically Tilston, marking him out as one of this country’s finest writers. Whilst the instrumental Swans at Coole is testament to his guitar virtuosity. Though known as a songwriter, Steve has always had an ear for the tradition and included new interpretations of old favourites on his original recordings. Of Many Hands is his first “all-traditional” album; with unique arrangements of timeless classics. There’s also a “best of” anthology, The Greening Wind and a live album Live Hemistry recorded on tour with Fairport Convention.

He joined an illustrious band of guitarists including Martin Simpson, Michael Messer and Wizz Jones, when he was invited to contribute to the Guitar Maestro series of DVDs; a combination of live studio performance and interviews, revealing the real passion behind these talented musicians… If anyone ever deserved the moniker “Guitar Maestro”, it’s Steve Tilston!

The writer of such classic songs as The Slipjigs and Reels and the award-winning The Reckoning, is also a published author. Steve’s first novel All for Poor Jack is an historical tale set in Bristol and the New World, full of colourful characters. It’s a mighty good read and has been enjoyed by the likes of Bob Dylan no less!

He’s toured with John Renbourn’s Ship of Fools, traditional singer Maggie Boyle (the classic recordings Of Moor and Mesa and All Under the Sun), as guitarist with Ballet Rambert, with Maartin Allcock & Pete Zorn in WAZ! with Brooks Williams and with his daughter Martha. Plus collaborations with alt-country band The Durbervilles and old Bristol pals Keith Warmington and the late Stuart Gordon as the Steve Tilston Trio. His most recent project is Tilston & Lowe a duo with fellow songwriter Jez Lowe, producing The Janus Game a CD of brand-new co-writes.

Others have also recorded Steve’s songs. Here’s to Tom Paine is the adopted theme song for the Tom Paine Society of America and we’ve lost count of the number of versions of The Slipjigs & Reels!

Steve is accompanied by bassist Hugh Bradley. Hugh has been a working musician the majority of his life. Involved in traditional music for over 35 years, Mr Bradley has collaborated and toured with notable artists such as The Whisky Priests, Jez Lowe and The Broonzies. His talents, of which there are many, have taken him all over the world and more recently have been acknowledged by the BBC Folk Awards after his collaboration with Steve Tilston. Hugh also plays mandolin, whistle and is an awesome harmony singer!

Website: www.stevetilston.com

Green Diesel - Sunday 15.00 - 16.00

'Hailing from Faversham in Kent, folk-rock band Green Diesel first emerged in 2009 and take their inspiration from the depths of English folk lore and legend and the classic folk rock sound of their predecessors Fairport Convention and The Albion Band. Blending violin, mandolin, dulcimer and accordion with electric guitars and drums, Green Diesel's sound is born from a love of traditional English music and a desire to bring it to a modern audience.


Performing original compositions, steeped in folklore, alongside inventive reworkings of traditional songs and tunes the band have built up a reputation as a fearsome live act.  Their energy and musicianship grabs the audience by the scruff of the neck and leaves them wanting
The band's albums, 2012's 'Now Is The Time' and 2014's 'Wayfarers All' have won praise from critics and fans alike for the quality of songwriting and musicianship while the band have appeared at the likes of Beverley Folk Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Broadstairs Folk Week and the Kelburn Garden Party. They have shared stages with the likes of Gilmore & Roberts, Spiers & Boden and Fotheringay.


The band's third album 'The Hangman's Fee' (released in March 2017 on Talking Elephant Records) features songs inspired by the darker side of folklore.  Sinister spirits and bloodstained tales weave their way through the album backed by the signature Green Diesel sound.  English folk, red in tooth and claw, performed by a band at the top of their game.'

Website: http://greendieselfolk.com

SilverBlues - Sunday 17.30 - 18.30

Lindisfarne meets Fairport.

Ray Jackson: Rich, warm vocals, Blues Harmonica that'll make you weep and Mandolin that'll take you on a trip to way back when.

Ric Sanders: Sizzling Electric Violin, Improvisations to delight and excite.
Tom Leary: Electric Violin, Mandolin and Lap Steel that'll put Wolf in your soul and Mud in your blood.
Vo Fletcher: Guitar & Vocals that glue the band together and impel then rhythmically and emotionally onwards and upwards.

Ray and Tom are from the North-East; they’ve known each other for donkeys. Ric and Vo are from Birmingham; they’ve known each other longer than that. Ric and Tom live quite close; Ray and Vo don’t. It was obvious they’d end up playing together;)

Amongst the interpretations of traditional material taken from their combined experience, SilverBlues play some of the earlier Lindisfarne favourites alongside some of the newer ones which feature Ray’s astonishing blues harmonica. Some early Fairport numbers have been given a new lease of life as have newer Fairport tunes composed by Ric.

No recordings of the lineup exist yet. SilverBlues have resisted rushing into the studio just to fulfill the usual commercial demands. But with this band’s obvious pedigree you can be sure it will have been well worth the wait when they do decide to record.

Meanwhile, every gig is different. These guys aren’t bound by any convention - Fairport or otherwise;) Improvisation, inspiration and excitement abound at every show.

Website: https://silverblues.co.uk

The Longest Johns - Sunday 18.50 - 20.00

The Longest Johns are a British folk musical group from Bristol, England, consisting of Andy Yates, Dave Robinson, Jonathan "JD" Darley, and Robbie Sattin. They are known for performing folk music and sea shanties in the English tradition, and they also compose and record their own music. They gained popularity from their rendition of the 1800s folk song "Wellerman", which went viral on TikTok in early 2021.

Formed in June 2012 after first singing together at a friend's barbecue, the original line up consisted of Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathan Darley and Dave Robinson. About a week later, they posted their first video on YouTube, singing "Haul Away Joe."

The band recorded their first EP, Bones in the Ocean in 2013, which was wholly original music. It was released on 27 May 2013. The band released their second EP, Christmas at Sea, later that year, on 2 December 2013.

In 2015, Bowker was unable to perform at the 2015 Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival due to the birth of his daughter. Robbie Sattin joined the band as a replacement, and the band later announced that he would be officially joining the band

The band released their first full-length album, Written in Salt, on 18 June 2016. Following this release, and amid the band's heightening popularity, Bowker left the band to focus on running his business.

In November 2017, the band announced via Facebook that Anna Cornish would become the first female member of the band, having been singing with them for several months prior.

In April 2016, the band began recording their second studio album. The title of the album was later announced to be Between Wind and Water, and was released on 19 June 2018.

In October 2019, the band announced that Cornish would be leaving the band to focus on her other band, The Norfolk Broads.

In June 2020 the band released their third studio album, Cures What Ails Ya which includes a mix of traditional tunes and their band's own compositions. In a review Mike Davies stated the band takes a "irreverent and playful approach to the tradition." Tunes such as "Got No Beard" and "Hoist up the Thing" are humorous in nature. Their original tune "Fire and Flame" tells the story of Halifax Explosion, a 1917 maritime disaster which took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

In June 2021, the band recorded their fourth studio album album Smoke & Oakum, and that it would be released on 21 January 2022.

Also In 2021, the band released Land Shanties as a partnership with Suzuki which was described as, "the genre-defining Land Shanties album, the soundtrack to the Suzuki Vitara. Capturing all the fun and adventure of the high seas on the highways, Land Shanties is a concept album following one hero's quest to buy almond milk for his sweetheart."

The band collaborated with shanty punk band Skinny Lister on their 2021 single "Damn the Amsterdam".

In  December 2021, they participated twice in The Yogscast's Jingle Jam livestream, performing a mixture of shanties and cover versions of popular music and Yogscast original music.

TikTok viral trend

The Longest Johns found a surge in fame after a sea shanty video went viral on TikTok. The trend started back in August 2019 when The Longest Johns released a YouTube video of them singing the song "Wellerman" as the first episode of their Sea of Thieves series, Open Crewsing. This video was shared around on many online platforms including Reddit, iFunny and Tumblr amassing many millions of views.

The song then found a strong following on TikTok, with many users creating memes and popularising the song on the platform. A lot of the success of the song has been attributed to Scottish musician and TikTok user Nathan Evans who uploaded a video of himself singing the maritime song, which quickly went viral with the help of other users adding their own contributions through the duet feature on the app.

However, the spark that ignited the worldwide phenomenon happened when two brothers released a TikTok of them listening to The Longest Johns version of the song in a car. This video goes through the emotion of initially not liking the song, but slowly becoming enraptured by it and wanting to join in with the singing. The trend sparked a huge interest in sea shanties, with millions of people discovering The Longest Johns' recording of Wellerman, originally released on their 2018 album Between Wind and Water. The song has been streamed on Spotify over 58 million times (as of 11 March 2023

Website: www.thelongestjohns.com