FESTIVAL PROGRAMME - The Sidmouth Folk Festivalsidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Festival-Programme-2019-Final.pdfChoir workshop also celebrates 25 years. The one

Sidmouth Town Council

SidmouthHotels

Festival Patrons: Martin Carthy MBE and Show of Hands

FESTIVALPROGRAMME

Richard Thompson

Julie Fowlis

Flook

£6

Rivington Morris

clearer name, The Sidmouth Folk Festival; ‘still uniquely glorious and gloriously unique’. One of the highest profile folk events in the world, the Festival offers huge diversity to all tastes, ages and interests. Its scope is unique, stretching from the genre’s highest profile artists to a 10 person masterclass, going via 270 workshops, concerts of all sizes and styles, storytelling and every variety of folk dance, with a new in-town main venue. To avoid missing out, plan carefully to make the most of what’s on offer. Don’t miss the many notable celebra-tions this year – details on the following pages.

Our next era will be as exciting and demanding as the last. We aim to meet the challenge of our customers’ expectations and developments in the Festival arena. Be assured though that we won’t lose sight of our unique, special Sidmouth attributes: the things that persuade you to spend up to 8 days in this lovely, flower-laden town on Devon’s extraordinary red coastline, where everyone can create their own festival.

I’m really looking forward to The Ham concert venue programme, our strongest in years – great shows at lunchtimes and in the

Sidmouth welcomes you to the 65th – another great Festival. Enjoy every moment and bring your memories back with you in 2020.

John BraithwaiteFestival Director

Environmental 2019This year will see the introduction of reusable souvenir drinks cups at our bars, no single use plastics at our catering stands and zero waste to landfill through our new waste management system. Why not bring your own reusable drinks bottle and use our Water Refill Points. These are located at The Ham, the Market Square (on the side of the Market building to-wards the town), in the ‘arches’ on the seafront (at the western end of the Esplanade), below the Cricket Ground, at the Campsite and at The Bulverton (in the Garden area).

These are just some of the initiatives we are implementing as we continue to reduce our reliance on single use plastics and to make the festival a more environmentally sustainable event.

Accessibility 2019For 2019 we have simplified the process for obtaining a Personal Assistant ticket and as an ongoing process we are improving the acces-sibility information that we provide. If you have any questions relating to accessibility please email [email protected].

afternoons plus blockbuster evenings. Don’t miss The Bulverton Big Nights Out, Kennaway House’s ‘Cellar Full of Folkadelia and Bedford Hotel-based EFDSS Presents concerts. Plus all our other town venues. Huge choice and superb quality. Experience that unique Folk Festival atmosphere across the town, with music and dance everywhere.

Young people get a special place at our Festival. The setting for the Children’s Festival in the town centre Blackmore Gardens is idyllic. The Youth programme offers the next stage with energetic and challenging activities –never a dull moment with Shooting Roots!

Food is important too, so we have brought in a celebrated local restaurant and event caterer, the Rusty Pig, as the main caterer at the Ham and extra food offerings at The Bulverton. Drinks also feature, with our bars serving Gloucester’s Wickwar Brewing Company ales, Crediton’s Sandford Orchards prize winning ciders, plus wines, spirits and cocktails.

The Festival is very big and complex. To make it happen, our many supporters, the 3 Councils and partner organisations including fRoots, EFDSS, Creative Scotland, Hobgoblin and Halsway Manor play a vital role – Thank you.We are also particularly grateful to our local sponsors – thanks for your essential support. Finally, we rely on our 500 volunteers and the Core team – thank you too for your time and skills.

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Welcome ... from the Festival Director

Now in its 65th year, our vibrant Festival starts a new era, with refreshed branding and a

suit

Old Fore Street, Sidmouth Tel: 01395 514271

• Open all day during Folk Festival• 80-seat restaurant• Children’s meals• Take-away food• Folk Festival Gold sponsor

With over 750 programmed events we aim to celebrate this national treasure’s 65th birthday in style! Make the festival your own – throwing yourself headlong into the huge programme of concerts, dances and workshops with a best value Season Ticket. Dip in and out of selected events at leisure and make the most of all that the beautiful seaside location has to offer.

The following daily programme pages are a guide to creating your own custom-built festival experience. Read on here for a tip-of-the-iceberg taster of what’s special for 2019.

It’s a BIG birthday for the festival this week – 65 years on from that very first folk dance event in 1955. But there are a lot of other notable celebrations to make a noise about too. Born in Sidmouth, the wonderful Shooting Roots Youth events turn 25 this week. Festival favourite Sandra Kerr’s Festival Choir workshop also celebrates 25 years. The one and only Token Women celebrate 30 years since they got together at Sidmouth, with a special one-off reunion with former members. Blackbeard’s Tea Party take over The Bulverton for a night for their 10th anniversary. And Festival Patron Steve Knightley celebrates 50 years since he first came to the festival with a mega concert at The Ham with special guests.

Big Concert Names at the Ham this year include the debut Sidmouth appearance of the legendary Richard Thompson, just a few months before he celebrates his 70th year at the Albert Hall. We are delighted to welcome back the extraor-dinary English/Irish musical explorers Flook, Quebecois firebrands Le Vent du Nord, dulcet Gaelic song ambas-sador Julie Fowlis and the deliciously unexplainable Spooky Men’s Chorale!

Folk Dance remains at the centre of the festival with three in town evening venues including the splendid Music Room at Sidholme Hotel as well as three hour Square and Contra workshops with

The Eye on the Future programming showcases some brilliant young talent with the National Youth Folk Ensemble, Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail, Stream of Sound and our own Shooting Roots.

And keeping it firmly In the Tradition at The Woodlands Hotel, guests include the wonderful Tony Hall, Eileen O’Brien & Conor Keane, Sheena Wellington, Harbour Lights Trio and more.

Wall-to-wall fun and activities for your family take place at the Children’s Festival. Enjoy the festive atmosphere of Blackmore Gardens during the day, and head out to the superb Family Evening Shows before sleep-time!

Or, ‘now for something completely differ-ent’? A superb programme of left-field sounds at the Cellar Full of Folkadelia, Ukulele Workshops, Storytell-ing, New Poetry Open Mic, Sidmouth Horse Trials and Spooky Men’s Chorale’s world record attempt at the MANCARENA! Don’t ask! Just join in!

Have a great birthday week!

Diane Silver direct from North Carolina. Special shows created for Sidmouth include: a revisited Living By The Sea show at the Ham – a feast of words and music celebrating Sidmouth’s seaside communities; Adrian Williams’ Hey in the Hay, bringing to life the rural lives of the ‘Dixton Haymakers’ painting with music and dance, and a Tribute to the much-missed Roy Bailey. Then there’s Dartmoor at The Seaside celebrating the moor’s thriving traditional music and dance scene, past and present; The Road to Peterloo’s broadside ballad show and The Young Uns’ touching musical ad-venture, The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff...and much more.

Big Nights Out at The Bulverton feature the incendiary Celtic party sounds of Peatbog Faeries, local hero SethLakeman, Anglo-French dance musicinnovators Topette!! and folk rock favourites Merry Hell. Make a full night of it and stay on for Late Night Extra Ceilidhs and early hours sessions!

Feel like a dance? You can trip the light fantastic in fun-filled ceilidhs each day with the likes of Whapweasel, Banter and Kirkophany and a New Callers’ Showcase. Want to try a different dance style? We have Lindy Hop, Salsa and Indian joining old festival favourites, European, Balkan, Scandinavian and Irish Set! And don’t miss Morris Wednesday, Dance Spectaculars, Processions and the legendary Jig Competition.

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Sidmouth Folk Festival Celebrating 65 years in style

Sidmouth Horse Trials

Steve Knightley

Ceilidh with Mrs. Midnight’s. Caller Mike Boston. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Afternoons At The Anchor with The Boxwood Chessmen. Collection

Pre-Festival Special with Ralph McTell. Plus Kitty Macfarlane. MC. Derek Schofield. Not included in All-In-One, Week and Weekend tickets. Supported by White Horse Café £24/£20 (£12/£10)

Absolute Beginners’ Dance Workshop with Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt and ChrisWalshaw. If you think you can’t dance then this is for you! We’ll cover the basic dancerhythms and steps you’ll need to join in the dances at the rest of the festival. You don’t need to bring a partner, just some enthusiasm! Beginners. W £12

Ceilidh with The Jam and Crumpet Band. Caller Fee Lock. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Evenings At The Anchor with The Dillyboys, The McSmiths, Scott Phillips. Collection

Welcome Dance – An American Evening. A fun start to the week with Diane Silver calling American contras and squares. Music by English Contra Dance Band. £12 (£6)

Welcome Ceilidh with Threepenny Bit. Caller Barry Goodman. £12 (£6)

The Festival Dance Club. Mic Spenceley kicks off a week of mixed social dance at theFestival Dance Club. Come along and enjoy a fun evening, music by meg’n’mor. £12 (£6)

Welcome Concert with Lady Maisery and The Askew Sisters. MC. Jo Freya. No additional charge for Week and Weekend ticket holders. Supported by the Royal York & Faulkner £20/£16 (£10/£8)

Concert@Kennaway with Jeff Warner, Ragged Trousers, Alice Jones. MC. Bob Walton. £12 (£6)

Music and Song Session hosted by Alan Austen & Linda Smith. All welcome. Collection

Welcome To The Bulverton with Banter (9.10pm). Preceded at 8.15pm by dance spots by Alton Morris, Crooked Moon, Oakenyouth, Windsor Morris. MC. Michael Catovsky. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £24. Doors 7pm. Supported by Sidmouth Hotels £18 (£9)

Welcome Music and Song Session hosted by Jon Shapley with Damien Barber and Bill Murray. All welcome. Supported by Bedford Hotel Collection

Late Night Extra Ceilidh with Tautas Roks. Caller Gordon Potts. Performance by Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £24. £12

Rapper Dance Workshop. Join Black Swan Rapper to learn rapper dancing in their unique style. Suitable for all levels including advanced. W £12

Appalachian Dance Workshop with Crooked Moon. This first workshop is aimed at begin-ners, introducing you to some of the core Appalachian steps through a short routine. Taps or hard soled shoes recommended. W £12

Storytelling Circle for adults. Come and hone your storytelling skills, or just sit back and listen. Hosted by Tom Goodale and Mo Keast. Collection

American Dance Workshop. Mainly contras, some squares. Diane Silver will have you dancing with grace and finesse to the English Contra Dance Band. The first hour will be a Back to Basics reminder of the structure and flow of contra dance. W £14

English Dance Workshop. Victoria Yeomans leads the English Dance workshop with “Modern British Choreographers” – a selection of English country dances written by choreographers from the British Isles, all written in the last 100 years or so. Music from Mollie and Dave. W £14

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Moulton Morris, Rivington Morris. Collection

113 8:15-10:30 pm The Bulverton

114 8:30-11:00 pm Bedford Hotel Pynes Bar

115 11:00-1:15 am The Bulverton

201 9:30-10:45 am St Teresa’s Church Hall


203 9:30-11:00 am Woodlands Hotel

204 9:30-12:30 pm Blackmore Gardens Marquee

205 9:30-12:30 pm Methodist Church Hall

206 11:00-11:45 am Esplanade: Bedford Steps

001 7:30-9:30 pm Market Square Welcome To Sidmouth 2019. The traditional informal start to FolkWeek with Great Western Morris, Sidmouth Steppers, Sidmouth Traditional Mummers and Mrs. Midnight’s. MC. Mike Boston. Collection

002 8:00-10:30 pm The Ham Pre-festival Special Lindisfarne. Plus Miranda Sykes. MC. Derek Schofield. Not included in All-In-One, Week and Weekend tickets. Supported by Sidmouth Rugby Club £24/£20 (£12/£10)

Thursday 1st August

Friday 2nd August

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Saturday 3rd August

101 12:00-2:30 pm Anchor Garden


103 3:00-5:15 pm The Ham

104 4:30-6:00 pm St Teresa’s Church Hall






110 8:00-10:30 pm The Ham

111 8:00-10:30 pm Cellar Bar Kennaway House

112 8:00-11:00 pm Royal York and Faulkner

Keep an eye on social media for Special Offers through the Festival Week!

Saturday 3rd August

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223 2:15-3:35 pm The Music Room: Sidholme Hotel


225 2:30-3:00 pm Esplanade to Blackmore Gardens

226 2:30-3:45 pm Methodist Church


228 2:45-3:45 pm Arts Centre

Sing Like A Bloke Workshop with The Spooky Men’s Chorale. We will explore the particular worlds of sweet and boofy musical sounds which have been our inspiration during the grand spooky journey. It’s very likely that we’ll do something Georgian, something very foolish, and something tender-hearted. This will also be the rehearsal for Sunday’s world record attempt at the largest MANCERENA ever. W £12

Irish Set Dance Workshop. Maggie Daniel gives an introduction to Irish set dancing, including basic steps and practice of some of the common moves to give a grounding for the workshops later in the week. Music by The Perfect Cure. W £12

Bhangra Dance Workshop. The first of two workshops on Indian Dance. You’ll learn the basics, steps and moves, and a dance. Dress colourfully. Led by Avtar Indian Dance. W £12

The Big Square Thing with Ivan Aitken and Jeremy Child. A linked series of workshops about square dance. Today, Ivan will teach and walk through Southern Squares, followed by Jeremy taking you through some Modern Western Squares. With music from The Linda Game Trio. W £14

Procession of invited teams along Esplanade and through the Market Place to Blackmore Gardens, followed by dance display in the Blackmore Gardens Marquee. Teams to assemble at the west (Connaught Gardens) end of seafront by 2.15pm. Collection

Start The Week. A Taster Concert with Canaan’s Land, The Weatherbury Quire, Mike Bailey and Peter Wilton. West Gallery, Shape-note Music and British Community Songs. £8 (£4)

Music and Song Session hosted by Jon Shapley with SkillicorneMAX. All welcome. Collection

Shooting Roots – Give It A Go. Considering moving on from the Children’s Festival or new to Shooting Roots and want to see what it’s all about? Come along to meet the tutors and discover the fun, creativity and new skills that await in the rest of the week’s workshops. Bring an instrument if you have one. Ages 12-17. Free

207 11:00-12:00 pm Port Royal Dance Display with Oakenyouth, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Star and Shadow Rapper, Windsor Morris.

208 11:00-12:00 pm Betsy’s Lounge Shooting Roots Tutors Meet Up. All Shooting Roots tutors to attend to discuss plans for the (The Bulverton) week and for a festival briefing. 209 11:00-12:30 pm St Teresa’s Cotswold Morris Workshop with Five Rivers Morris. Learn a dance from the Oddington Church Hall tradition in Five Rivers’ vigorous, energetic and traditional style. Beginners to intermediate. Bring long sticks if possible. W £12

210 11:00-12:30 pm The Bulverton North West Morris Workshop. Earlsdon Morris Men will be teaching North West Morris dances, and may include traditional or their own. All welcome. W £12 211 11:15-12:30 pm Bedford Hotel An Hour Or So with Ragged Trousers. Introduced by Bill Crawford. £10 (£5) 212 11:15-12:30 pm Cellar Bar The Askew Sisters: Enclosure. Emily and Hazel Askew present songs from their new album Kennaway House Enclosure. Introduced by Kevin Sheils. £10 (£5) 213 11:30-1:00 pm The Ham Opening Welcome Concert featuring Eileen O’Brien and Conor Keane, Halsway Young Folk, Star and Shadow Rapper, Sid Vale Folk and Sidmouth Town Band. MC. Barry Goodman. Free to everyone. Supported by Churches Together In Sidmouth. This concert is dedicated to the memory of Rev. David Slater. Collection 214 11:30-1:00 pm Woodlands Hotel Storytelling Workshop “How to learn a story to tell” with Janet Dowling. Progressive, participatory. For Beginners and Improvers who want to refresh the basics. Bring pen and paper and something to lean on. Limit 32. W £12215 11:30-1:00 pm Kingswood & Devoran Hotel, Kingswood Room

216 12:00-2:00 pm The Volunteer Inn

217 12:00-12:30 pm The Anchor Garden


219 1:30-2:45 pm Woodlands Hotel

220 2:00-3:30 pm Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel

Fiddle Workshop. John Dipper will explore how to develop and get the most out of the tune. Looking at how to make your bow behave and create the sound you want and push the bounda-ries of a tune. Improvers / Advanced. Bring fiddle and recording device. W £12

In The Tradition. A traditional pub session hosted by George Frampton with special guests. Collection

Lunchtime Ceilidh with Out of Hand. Caller Gordon Potts. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Private Reception for all booked dance groups.

Mini Concert with Mary Humphreys & Anahata and Annie Winter & Paul Downes. Introduced by Barry Lister. £10 (£5)

The Life and Songs of Robert Burns with Sheena Wellington. A pictorial and musical look at the most famous of Scotland’s Makars. It gets behind the cliches of the Burns Supper with knowledge, passion and humour. W £12


Saturday 3rd August

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229 3:00-4:00 pm Anchor Garden 230 3:00-4:30 pm Manor Pavilion

231 3:00-5:00 pm Bedford Hotel




235 3:15-5:15 pm The Ham Hobgoblin Stage 236 3:50-5:10 pm Methodist Church Hall




240 4:15-5:00 pm Esplanade: York Steps

241 4:30-6:00 pm Rugby Club


243 5:00-6:00 pm Market Square

244 5:00-6:30 pm Upstairs at Costa Coffee


246 5:30-6:15 pm Port Royal


C218 7:00-9:00 pm All Saints Church Hall


249 7:15-8:00 pm Betsy’s Lounge (The Bulverton)


Afternoons At The Anchor with The Fountaineers. Collection

Halsway Young Folk In Concert. Halsway Young Folk is Halsway Manor’s programme for young musicians, singers and dancers. The participants spend a week-long intensive residential with professional folk artists, led by Will Lang, to create a festival performance of new traditional arrangements and self-penned material. £6 (£3) Concert with Hannah Rarity, Jeff Warner, The Brothers Gillespie. MC. Bob Walton. £12 (£6)

fRoots Presents A Cellar Full of Folkadelia with Kitty Macfarlane and Jon Wilks. MC. Tim Chipping. Supported by fRoots £12 (£6)

An Hour Or So with Damien Barber and Tony Hall. Introduced by Mike Norris. £10 (£5) Dance Spectacular. A brief taste of some of this year’s dance teams with Alton Morris, Black Swan Rapper, Crooked Moon, Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris, Moulton Morris, Oakenyouth, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Rivington Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper, Windsor Morris, Toby Bennett. MCs Chris Rose and Graham Lee. £8 (£4)

Concert with Hannah James’ JigDoll Ensemble. MC. Derek Schofield. Supported by Hobgoblin Music £18 (£9)

Beginners’ Dance Workshop. Amy Burton leads a series of linked workshops for beginners or dancers wanting to improve their techniques. Covering Playford to modern English, American, and English Ceilidh. Music from meg’n’mor. W £12

Scandinavian Dance Workshop with Megan Hatto. Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced. Over the week, Megan will teach polskas from various regions in Sweden including Finskogs pols, plus vals and schottis. Music from Chris Dyer. W £12

Shooting Roots Theme Session. Anniversary edition! (age 12-17 years) Make new friends and catch up with old ones during our birthday themed welcome session! Free Playing For Early Dance Music 1. Playing effectively for dancers of dances from the 15th and 16th centuries. Acoustic instruments welcomed that can blend. Simple tunes taught by ear in D and G. Music available from July via http://eglamore.wordpress.com/workshop-music/ . Confident players can progress to the dance event. Led by Andy Richards, Fayre Play and Helen Richards & Eglamore. W £12

Dance Display with Oakenyouth, Rivington Morris, Windsor Morris. Collection

Melodeon Workshop for Relative Beginners with Bob Ellis. One of two workshops for those who can pick out a few tunes on a D/G melodeon but want to develop more fluency in their play-ing. Progressive but not essential to attend both. Ability to read music not essential. Beginners/ Improvers. Not suitable for complete beginners. Limit 40. W £12

Afternoon Ceilidh with Jigfoot. Caller Jane Bird. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Black Swan Rapper, Five Rivers Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. Collection

Storyround. An opportunity to tell some stories, or just sit and listen. Hosted by Mo Keast and Tom Goodale. Collection

Ballad Session. Hosted by Sheila Miller and Moira Craig with their guest Ragged Trousers. All welcome. £6 (£3)

Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Earlsdon Morris Men, Moulton Morris, Toby Bennett. Collection

Talk and Tales: Lust and Revenge; the passions of the night sky presented by Janet Dowling. Stories of the Constellations retold and illustrated by Urania’s Mirror in a Victorian Candle Lit Theatre Box. All Levels Welcome. Not suitable for under 14’s – adult themes. W £12

Family Ceilidh with Ray Langton and Adam Courthold. Calling by Barry Goodman plus performances by Jeff Warner and Star and Shadow Rapper. £10 (£5) F £15

Evenings At The Anchor with Swing’it Dixieband, Tamar, Bad Cat. Collection

Halsway Young Folk. The final fling of Halsway Young Folk 2019! After a packed day of performances come see the great young musicians perform their last high-energy, fun set! Free American Dance. Ivan Aitken calls a fun evening of American dance, all types of contras and squares, for everyone. Music from Wild Ride. £12 (£6)


Saturday 3rd August One Step Beyond Ceilidh. Whapweasel invite you to the Sidmouth Ska ceilidh. Come dressed as your favourite Madness song or your favourite Ska hit. There will be a prize for the best dressed, judged by the band and a signed album awaits the winner. Caller Gordon Potts. Performance by Five Rivers Morris. £14 (£7) The Festival Dance Club. A fun mix of social dance every evening. Come and join in. Mic Spenceley is MC, supported by meg’n’mor. £12 (£6)

English Dance. A very special evening dance of modern choreographers from Victoria Yeomans with music by Mollie and Dave. £14 (£7)

Dispatches On The Red Dress presented by Rowan Rheingans. Rowan sings to the past, the present and the future as she unravels an urgent and pertinent message hidden in the folds of a true story passed down from her grandmother. Introduced by Simon Diegan. Supported by The Mocha Group £16 (£8)

The Rugby Club Sessions – A-Chapella: English music session hosted by The Old Chapel Band. All welcome. £6 (£3)

Concert with Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs, Alice Jones, Annie Winter & Paul Downes. MC. Louisa Davies-Foley. Supported by Bedford Hotel £12 (£6)

Concert with The Spooky Men’s Chorale. Plus Hannah Rarity. MC. Kevin Sheils. Supported by Sidmouth Cricket, Tennis & Croquet Clubs £26/£22 (£13/£11)

The Tradition Gathers hosted by John Howson and Dan Quinn with Sheena Wellington, Eileen O’Brien & Conor Keane, Harbour Lights Trio, Bill Murray, Damien Barber, Tony Hall, Ragged Trousers. Supported by Woodlands Hotel £12 (£6)

Folk Arts Acoustic. If you like to play and sing truly acoustically, come along to the Kingswood Room. Folk club style with guests Mary Humphreys & Anahata and Mo Keast. Lots of opportunities to perform. Bob & Gill Berry are your hosts. £8 (£4) Concert@Kennaway with OBT (Oakes, Thorpe, Bews), Hannah James & Toby Kuhn, The Brothers Gillespie. MC. Jo Freya. £12 (£6)

Music and Song Session hosted by The Ship Band. All welcome. Collection

Bulverton Big Night Out with Merry Hell (9.10pm) and Jon Wilks (8.15pm). MC. Michael Catovsky. Preceded by Halsway Young Folk in Betsy’s Lounge at 7.15pm. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £24. Supported by Sidmouth Hotels £18 (£9)

Late Night Stories. Join Tom Goodale and friends for an hour of tales to chill your blood and make your spine tingle. Collection

Late Night Extra Ceilidh with Banter. Caller Nick Walden. Performance by Windsor Morris. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £24. £12

Cotswold Morris Workshop. Moulton Morris will teach two dances from the Brackley Tradition, including learning how to step and twirl at the same time. All levels. Bring a morris stick if possible. W £12

Sidmouth Festival Choir. Sandra Kerr celebrates her 25th year as Director of this friendly, hard-working and musical choir. Each session starts with a gentle warm-up then begins rehears-ing this years’ repertoire. Expect a mixture of traditional & contemporary pieces in 3 or 4 part harmony. Everything is taught by ear so you don’t need to be able to read music, though words & music are supplied. W £12

How To Learn Tunes By Ear with Bob Ellis. A workshop for players of any melody instrument providing a step-by-step guide to learning tunes by ear in the keys of D, G and E minor. Not suit-able for complete beginners. You will need to know where to find each note on your instrument. Limit 50. W £12

Rapper Dance Workshop. Join Black Swan Rapper to learn rapper dancing in their unique style. Continuation of Saturday’s workshop- suitable for all levels including advanced. W £12


Tune Learning Workshop with John Adams (Village Music Project). Tune learning by ear plus music sheets provided for readers. The north-east of England has been a rich repository of tunes and distinctive players. You can learn a few of the tunes and take away some more for later (keys: D and G). Participatory for musicians of intermediate standard. W £12




254 8:00-9:30 pm Manor Pavilion

255 8:00-10:30 pm Rugby Club


257 8:00-10:30 pm The Ham


259 8:00-10:30 pm Kingswood & Devoran Hotel, Kingswood Room







302 9:30-11:00 am Manor Pavilion

303 9:30-11:00 am Rugby Club



306 9:30-11:00 am Kingswood & Devoran Hotel, Kingswood Room

Sunday 4th August

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Sunday 4th August

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Shaker Workshop with Jo May. Shakers are often more difficult to play than we realise! Come and learn some basic techniques on a variety of different types of shakers. Plenty of shakers will be provided but do bring your own if you’d like to! W £12

American Dance Workshop with Diane Silver. Advancing your Dancing – understanding nuances. Once you “get” a few details you can think less and just enjoy the ride. Wilth Wild Ride providing the Ride. W £14

Shooting Roots – Craft Day. Get stuck in for the whole day, or pop along for a shorter time, either way, there will be something for you. Come and learn a new crafty skill! Ages 12-17. W £6 Folk Festival Christian Service. Hosted by Churches Together in Sidmouth. All welcome.

Folk Mass. Festival visitors and musicians welcome.

Morning Singaround. An opportunity to start the day singing or listening in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with Kitty Vernon and Tim Edwards. Collection Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Five Rivers Morris, Rivington Morris. Collection

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Windsor Morris. Collection Massed Dance Display with local, visiting and guest dance groups – all dance sides welcome. Collection

Sounds Of Modern Scotland. An Hour or So with Hannah Rarity, BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2018. Introduced by Bob Walton. £10 (£5)

Storytelling Workshop. How to tell a story with Janet Dowling. Once you have the bones of a story, how to put the flesh back on so that it becomes your story to tell. Participatory. Progressive. Bring pen and paper. W £12

English Dance Workshop. “Modern European Choreographers” led by Victoria Yeomans. A selection of English country dances written by choreographers from continental Europe, all written in the last 100 years or so. Musically supported by Mollie and Dave. W £14

The Mancarena – World Record Attempt with The Spooky Men’s Chorale. Don’t ask, just come and join in. Collection

West Gallery Music Workshop. Led by Mike Bailey and the West Gallery Music Asso-ciation. Featuring carols and other pieces from the Rollo G Woods Collection. Suitable for all line-playing instruments in C or Bb, and singers with enthusiasm. Music provided. Instrumental-ists should bring a music stand. Singers will find it a help to read music. W £12

Sidmouth Big Band Workshop with Nick and Mary Barber. A series of workshops leading up to a public ceilidh with the workshop participants forming the band. The music played will be from English sources dating from around 1800. Participatory. Progressive. All levels. Bring a music stand. W £12 EFDSS Presents Alice Jones and The Brothers Gillespie. Introduced by Katy Spicer. £10 (£5)

English Fiddle Workshop with John Dipper. See Saturday for details. W £12

Shape-Note Singing Workshop. What are these Shapes? Beginners and Brush Up, with Canaan’s Land. W £12

Poetry For All with Ilse Pedler. A series of stand alone workshops for all abilities. Using poems and other techniques as writing prompts, participants will be encouraged to write their own poems in a supportive environment. No previous experience, just bring pen, paper and enthusi-asm. There may be an opporrtunity to read your poems in Friday’s Showcase Concert. Collection

Dance Display with Earlsdon Morris Men, Moulton Morris, Oakenyouth. Collection

Lunchtime Concert with National Youth Folk Ensemble plus Finn Collinson. MC. Derek Schofield. Supported by Sweetcombe Cottages £12 (£6)


Ceilidh with SkillicorneMAX. Caller Nick Walden. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

A Chance To Meet Black Swan Rapper and Star and Shadow Rapper – two of the country’s finest rapper dance teams go sword to sword. MC Graham Lee. £8 (£4)

307 9:30-11:00 am Sidmouth C of E Primary School Hall



310 10:30-11:30 am Connaught Gardens

311 10:30-11:30 am Church of the Most Precious Blood

312 10:30-12:30 pm Royal York and Faulkner313 11:00-11:45 am Esplanade: Bedford Steps

314 11:00-11:45 am Esplanade: York Steps

315 11:00-2:00 pm Esplanade




319 11:30-12:00 pm Port Royal


321 11:30-1:00 pm Rugby Club



324 11:30-1:00 pm Sidmouth C of E Primary School Hall

325 11:30-1:00 pm Royal Glen Hotel

326 11:45-12:30 pm Esplanade: Bedford Steps

327 12:00-1:30 pm The Ham





Sunday 4th AugustEpic Storytelling Workshop with Mike O’Connor. Moving from ten minute fireside tales to the epics of folk art. How do you begin to work on ‘big’ tales? Learn how to plan, structure and craft the story. Suitable for storytellers or interested listeners. W £12

Shooting Roots Tutors’ Rehearsal.This is a time for band tutors and Stream of Sound to get together to rehearse some tunes and songs for the Betsy’s Bash sessions.

Sidmouth Horse Trials. An all-comers event for Hobby Horses, Unicorns, Goats, Morris animals and other Beasts of Disguise. Canter along to Port Royal for a bit of horseplay. A splendid trophy has again been created and donated by Aardman Animations, to be awarded to the Sidmouth Folk Festival Best Beast by Peter Lord. MC. Stephen Rowley. Collection

Big Gospel Sing with Jeff Warner. A great sing-along session, with chorus words handed out. The joy is in the singing together. £8 (£4)

Sea-front West Gallery Sing.For more than 25 years members and friends of the West Gallery Music Association have sung to the public in the shelter diagonally opposite the Bedford Hotel. Join us again to sing and play this lively music. All levels welcome. Collection An Hour In The Company of Tony Hall. Introduced by Keith Rusby. £10 (£5)

Song Accompaniment on the Melodeon Workshop with Hazel Askew. A chance to learn a song and explore different tools and techniques to accompanying it on the melodeon. Inter- mediate / Advanced Level. W £12

Harmony Workshop. Ragged Trousers explore some of the approaches that they use to com- municate traditional song through harmony and acapella arrangement. All levels. Participatory / Lecture / Q & A. W £12

Bhangra Dance Workshop.The second of two workshops on Indian dance led by Avtar Indian Dance. All abilities. Learn steps, moves and dance. W £12

The Big Square Thing. A linked series of workshops about square dance with Ivan Aitken and Jeremy Childs. Today Ivan will teach and walk through Quadrilles, followed by Jeremy looking at squares with unusual choreography. When is a square not a square? Music by The Linda Game Trio. W £14

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Oakenyouth, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. Collection

Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Earlsdon Morris Men, Rivington Morris. Collection

Themed Singaround. For King and Country. Patriotic songs, any song concerning royalty or a country or serving one’s country. Hosted by Colin & Sonja Andrews. Collection

Music and Song Session hosted by Jon Shapley with Jigfoot. All Welcome. Collection

Afternoons At The Anchor with Newtown Roots Band. Collection

The Bashful Boys. An afternoon of music hall songs, monologues and mayhem with Dan Quinn and Matthew Crampton. Expect the well-known, the little known and the best-forgotten. Introduced by Mike Norris. £10 (£5) Concert with OBT (Oakes, Thorpe, Bews), Damien Barber, Eileen O’Brien & Conor Keane. MC. Barry Lister. Supported by Vinnicombes Bakery £12 (£6) fRoots Presents A Cellar Full of Folkadelia with Cigdem Aslan & Tahir Palali and Gwenifer Raymond. Introduced by Steve Hunt. Supported by fRoots £12 (£6)

The 32nd John Gasson Memorial Jig Competition covers Solo and Double jigs with Audi-ence Appeal, Best Over 40 and Best New Entrant categories. Sponsored by Trefor Owen, Janet Dowling, Dave and Fee Lock, The Seven Champions, His Old School Friends, Outside Capering Crew, Kerry Fletcher and Chris and Tracey Rose. Judges are Barry Goodman, Jackie Oates, Simon Newman and Roy Pinder. Entertainment by Banter. MC. Chris Rose. £8 (£4) Concert with Merry Hell Acoustic and Nick Hart. MC. Kevin Sheils. Supported by Hobgoblin Music £16 (£8) Absolute Beginners D/G Melodeon 1 with Ed Rennie (5 days progressive). A great opportu-nity to get started on playing the D/G Melodeon! Ed’s numbering system (Rennie tab!) will help those who can’t read music. Ed has a number of melodeons available to borrow for the lessons. The borrowing melodeons are allocated by a lottery, entry tickets available at the box office until closing time, Saturday 3rd August. W £10

Shooting Roots Young Performers’ Workshop. A great opportunity to learn some perfor-mance tips and tricks and get some individual advice on your playing, or brush up on your skills before our Open Mic events on Tuesday and Wednesday! 12-17 years. W £6



333 1:30- Port Royal


335 2:00-3:00 pm Esplanade Shelter


337 2:00-3:30 pm Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom













350 3:15-5:30 pm The Ham Hobgoblin Stage 351 3:30-4:15 pm Kingswood & Devoran Hotel, Kingswood Room


page 14


Sunday 4th August

page 15

1918 – The Untold Stories Of The Great War. Chris Hoban takes the listener through the war in a chronological journey of music and narrative. With special guests Sidmouth Town Band and a vocal quartet (along with a possible star visitor.) The less familiar characters of World War 1 finally have their say. Introduced by Gail Duff. £12 (£6)

Beginners’ Dance Workshop. Amy Burton leads a series of linked workshops. Music from meg’n’mor. See Saturday for details. W £12

Explore Your Voice with Tim Eriksen. Come make a noise and get better acquainted with your voice. The class will move from voice production and overtone singing to solo unaccompanied singing and shape-note harmony. Open to all levels of experience and musical ability. W £12

Absolute Beginners D/G Melodeon 2 with Ed Rennie. See workshop 1. (3.30pm). W £10

Melodeon Workshop for Relative Beginners with Bob Ellis. A progressive series of two workshops for beginners who can pick out a few tunes but want to develop more fluency in their playing and add or improve bass lines. Bring a D/G melodeon but the ability to read music is not essential. W £12

Ceilidh with The Old Chapel Band. Caller Fee Lock. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Earlsdon Morris Men, Oakenyouth, Star and Shadow Rapper. Collection Storyround. An opportunity to tell some stories, or just sit and listen. Hosted by Mo Keast and Tom Goodale. Collection

Ballad Session. Hosted by Sheila Miller and Moira Craig with their guests Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham. All welcome. £6 (£3)

Dance Display with Black Swan Rapper, Rivington Morris, Toby Bennett. Collection

Talk: Folk On Foot. You’ve heard the podcast – now join us for the film show. Matthew Bannister takes you behind the scenes of his award winning podcast. He shares some of the film footage he’s shot along the way, featuring artists including Seth Lakeman, Steve Knightley, Martin Simpson and Julie Fowlis, often performing against spectacular backdrops. W £10

Folk Festival Songs Of Praise.

Taize Church Service. A service of meditation, readings and the music of Taize. All welcome.

Shooting Roots 25th Anniversary Party. Happy Birthday to...US! Shooting Roots is turning 25 this year, and we’re going to have a party! Take a normal (awesome!) Betsy’s Bash and spruce it up with unique takes on traditional party games, memories, friends and food to share! Free

Family Story Show with Dave Tong: The Yarnsmith of Norwich. MC. Donna Cliftlands. £10 (£5) F £15

Evenings At The Anchor with Adam Sweet Band, Velvet and Stone, Glorious Rascals. Collection

American Dance. Jeremy Child calls a fun evening of American dance, contras and squares, for everyone. With music from The Linda Game Trio. £12 (£6)

Remember The Drill Hall Ceilidhs? Dance like it’s 1994 with The Committee Band. Caller Nick Walden. Dress appropriately! Performance by Alton Morris. £12 (£6)

The Festival Dance Club. A fun evening of mixed social dance. Come and join in. Mic Spenceley is MC, supported by meg’n’mor. £14 (£7)

The Road To Peterloo. A moving and passionate concert performance to mark the 200th anniversary of Manchester’s notorious Peterloo Massacre, telling the story through street ballads and folk songs of the time. Presented by Pete Coe, Laura Smyth, Brian Peters. Introduced by Simon Diegan. Supported by The Mocha Group £18 (£9)

The Rugby Club Sessions. East Anglian Night with Harbour Lights Trio and The Harbour Inn Crowd and a guest spot by Tony Hall. Hosted by Derek Simpson. All welcome. £6 (£3) Concert with Hannah Rarity, Ragged Trousers, Nick Hart. MC. Louisa Davies-Foley. Supported by Bedford Hotel £12 (£6)

50 Shades Of Sidmouth with Steve Knightley and Friends. Steve first came to Sidmouth Folk week in 1969. In this show he will look back over the last 50 years with songs and guests that reflect his own musical journey from beachside busker to Festival patron. With Phil Henry and Hannah Martin, Evie Knightley, Barry Lister, Chris Hoban, Paul Downes, Mike Selley, The Sidmouth Town Band. Opening set by Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs. MC. Barry Goodman. Supported by Devon County Council, Stuart Hughes, Members’ Locality Fund £24/£20 (£12/£10)












364 6:00-7:00 pm Parish Church

365 6:00-7:00 pm St Francis Church


C325 7:00-8:00 pm Unitarian Hall






372 8:00-10:30 pm Rugby Club


374 8:00-10:30 pm The Ham


SidmouthCRICKET, TENNIS & CROQUET CLUBSLots of convenientTown Centre parking, right by the seafronton Station Road.

Great food, bar andmusic in the Clubhouse.All welcome.

Delighted to be supporting Sidmouth Folk Festival

www.sidmouthcricketclub.co.uk

Sunday 4th August

page 17

Traditional Night Out hosted by John Howson with Eileen O’Brien & Conor Keane, Jeff Warner, Katie Howson, Bill Murray, Sheena Wellington, Damien Barber, Alice Jones, Bill Crawford. Supported by Woodlands Hotel £12 (£6)

Folk Arts Acoustic. If you like to play and sing truly acoustically, come along to the Kingswood Room. Folk Club style event with guests Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham and The Brothers Gillespie. Bob and Gill Berry are your hosts. £8 (£4)

Concert@Kennaway with Tim Eriksen, Jo Freya & Kathryn Locke, Ian A. Anderson. MC. Jon Wilks. £12 (£6)

Music and Song Session hosted by English Rebellion. All welcome. Collection

Sounds Of Modern Scotland: Party Night with Peatbog Faeries (9.10) and OBT (Oakes, Thorpe, Bews) (8.15). MC. Tim Chipping. Preceded by Shooting Roots’ 25th Anniversary Party in Betsy’s Lounge from 6.30pm. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £30. Supported by Sidmouth Hotels £24 (£12)

Late Night Extra Ceilidh with Whapweasel. Caller Fee Lock. Performance by Black Swan Rapper. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £30. £12

Sidmouth Festival Choir with Sandra Kerr. See Sunday for full details. W £12

Film Show: The Dartmoor Entertainers is a film about the music, song and dance traditions in the north-east of Dartmoor. It is centred on an evening of Dartmoor entertainment featuring Bob Cann, The Dartmoor Pixie Band and many others including Bob’s grandson Mark Bazeley. A wonderful reminder of how things were and the characters who provided local entertainment in 1979. Introduced by Bill Murray who initiated the film. W £12

Festival Concert Band Workshop. John Kirkpatrick leads a progressive series of five ses-sions playing from written tune arrangements. Suitable for players of any acoustic instrument who are not complete beginners, but no electronic instruments or keyboards, please. The workshop culminates in a showcase event on Friday lunchtime. It helps to be able to read music, but ear players will have opportunity to pick the tunes up. Bring music stand and pen /pencil. W £12

Molly Dance Workshop. Ouse Washes will be teaching some simple molly dances featuring vigorous movements, colourful clothing and lively music. All welcome. W £12 Shape-note Singing Workshop. Singing from Shapes – Gentle Songs with Canaan’s Land. W £12


Folk Fiddle: Beginner and Beyond with Kitty Greenwood. Just starting out, or stuck in a rut? Kitty will help you lay the foundations of good fiddle playing. Develop technique and musicianship through beginner-friendly repertoire – plus the chance to have all your fiddle questions answered! W £12

Beginners’ Tin Whistle Workshop with Pat Brennan. A progressive, participatory series of lessons. Worthwhile to attend all five leading to a solid grasp of the instrument and a great group spirit. Bring Tin Whistle in key of D and a folder for tutor sheets. W £12

North West Morris Workshop. Earlsdon Morris Men will be teaching North West dances, and may include traditional or their own. All welcome. W £12

American Dance Workshop with Diane Silver. Mainly contras, and squares. Diane is demys-tifying the secrets of shadows, end effects and other tips that make more complex dances not so challenging after all. Wild Ride will make you dance. W £14

English Dance Workshop with Victoria Yeomans. The final one from Victoria: “Modern Amer-ican Choreographers”. A selection of English country dances written by choreographers from the United States, all written in the last 100 years or so. Music from Mollie and Dave. W £14

Beginners’ Pipe and Tabor Workshop with Terry Mann. A basic introduction to playing the pipe and tabor. Through a series of exercises you will start to understand the techniques needed to play the two instruments, and hopefully take at least one tune away with you at the end! Pipes provided for the duration of the workshop. One-off. Limited to 20. W £12

Morning Singaround. An opportunity to start the day singing or listening in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with Kitty Vernon and Tim Edwards. Collection

Dance Display with Black Swan Rapper, Oakenyouth, Windsor Morris. Collection







401 9:30-11:00 am Manor Pavilion 402 9:30-11:00 am Arts Centre

403 9:30-11:00 am Rugby Club


405 9:30-11:00 am Methodist Church



408 9:30-11:00 am Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom




412 10:00-11:30 am Lower Methodist Church Hall


414 11:00-11:45 am Port Royal

Monday 5th August Keep an eye on social media for Special Offers through the Festival Week!

Monday 5th AugustWild Thyme Border Morris. An on-the-street border morris workshop led by Sue White. Sticks & jackets provided. Everyone welcome from beginners to experienced dancers (and musicians). Collection Nick Hart Sings Nine English Folk Songs. Nick Hart sings as much of “Nick Hart Sings Nine English Folk Songs” as Nick Hart can sing in an hour or so. Introduced by Keith Rusby. £10 (£5)

Cotswold Morris Workshop. A chance to learn a Sherborne dance in Five Rivers Morris’ vigorous, energetic and traditional style. Intermediate to advanced. Bring hankies if possible. W £12Talk And Tales: Collecting Devon Ghost Tales with Janet Dowling. This talk is about searching out the stories, retelling them as tales and being mistaken for a ghost. Plus some of the Tales will be told! W £12

Appalachian Dance Workshop. A continuation of Crooked Moon’s first workshop, using the steps learnt in some interesting choreography. Taps or hard soled shoes recommended. W £12

Stellar A Capella. Harmonies from here, there and everywhere, with the madcap singers of Stream of Sound. For anyone aged 13 to 21. W £6

Youth Folk Workshop with tutors and members of the National Youth Folk Ensemble. Play alongside the Ensemble and Sam Sweeney and Rob Harbron. You will learn a tune from the Ensemble’s repertoire by ear and turn it into a full band arrangement. 12-19 years. All instru-ments welcome. Not suitable for beginners. Limit 25. The Ensemble is an EFDSS programme funded by Arts Council England www.efdss.org/youthfolk. W £6

West Gallery Music led by Mike Bailey and the West Gallery Music Association. See Sunday for full details. W £12

Sidmouth Big Band Workshop with Nick and Mary Barber. A series of workshops covering the individual and group skills needed to play in a band for dancing. Participatory. See Sunday for full details. Limit 70. W £12 EFDSS Presents Kim Lowings and Finn Collinson. Introduced by Katy Spicer. £10 (£5)

Mountain Dulcimer Workshop. The basics with Nonsuch Dulcimer Club. Getting the feel of the instrument; everyone will end up playing at least two recognisable tunes using single string and simple chord playing. Dulcimers provided but feel free to bring your own. W £12

Fiddle Masterclass with John Dipper. Participants will be given time to play a prepared piece of their choice from the English repertoire. Each participant will then work on their chosen piece with John. Participant numbers strictly limited, apply in advance via the website. Spectators are welcome. Second price applies to spectators. W £12 (£6)

Poetry For All with Ilse Pedler. See Sunday for full details. Collection

Dance Display with Makeney Morris, Moulton Morris. Collection

Sounds Of Modern Scotland. Concert with OBT (Oakes, Thorpe, Bews) and Ross Couper & Tom Oakes. MC. Bob Walton. Supported by Hobgoblin Music £12 (£6)

Podcasts. Podcasting has democratised the media. Now anyone can be a radio station. Fancy a go? Stephen Rowley introduces you to the basics and helps you develop your own podcast. W £12


Lunchtime Ceilidh with Token Women. Callers Jo Freya and Fi Fraser. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection European Dance Workshop. Bourrée and Polka with Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt & Chris Walshaw. Bal Classics, with variations for more experienced dancers, with a focus on style and dynamic turns. Mixed level. W £12

A Chance To Meet Earlsdon Morris Men. Find out about the origins, dances and music of one of England’s best known North West Morris teams. MC. Chris Rose. £8 (£4) Shooting Roots – Funky World Band. Join our team to learn some exciting new tunes and arrangements to take away with you, and work together as one big old funky band to create some stomping musical numbers for our showcase on Friday. All abilities welcome. 12-17 years. W £6

Dance Display with Black Swan Rapper, Oakenyouth, Windsor Morris. Collection

Come Dine with The Harbour Lights Trio and friends. Lunchtime Open Concert with a song or two from the audience. Hosted by Derek Simpson. £10 (£5)









423 11:30-1:00 pm Rugby Club






429 12:00-1:30 pm The Ham

430 12:00-1:30 pm Lower Methodist Church Hall



433 12:30-1:50 pm All Saints Church Hall





page 18

Monday 5th August

page 19

Beginners’ Guitar Workshop. Flatpicking with Steve McEleney-Smith. This session will help you master the basic techniques of flatpicking. Whether a folk, country or blues guitarist, capable of playing basic chords, flatpicking is a great way of making your guitar work for its living. W £12

Well Known Tunes at a Steady Pace with Bob Ellis and Jannette Stewart. These are struc-tured sessions suitable for those new to tune sessions, or with limited experience who would like a gentle introduction to them. More experienced session musicians are welcome provided they are happy to play well known tunes at a slower tempo than normal. Bring acoustic instruments of choice. W £12 Sea-front West Gallery Sing with members and friends of West Gallery Music Association. See Sunday for more details. Collection

Recorder (and Whistle) Workshop for intermediate/advanced players. Finn Collinson will teach a tune or work with material already known by the participants. He will work on folk specific techniques including articulation and ornamentation and give tips on arranging tunes for perfor-mance when playing a solo melody instrument. W £12

Playing Reels Workshop 1 with Kirsty Cotter. This pair of workshops will look at how to play a reel so that it sounds like a reel. Improving beginners- intermediate or for musicians that are new to playing folk music. This workshop will be taught by ear, but music will be available if required. Progressive. W £12 Medieval Music for Folk Musicians with Emily Askew. In medieval times the boundary between folk and art music was more blurred. Come along and learn some medieval melodies that work well as folk tunes and songs. Open to all instruments. Tuition will be by ear. W £12

Irish Set Dance Workshop. Led by Maggie Daniel, music from The Perfect Cure. Practice of the steps and moves in a complete Irish set dance. Suitable for beginners and experienced dancers, no need to have attended earlier workshops. W £12

Lancashire Clog Workshop with Melanie Barber, Ruth Bibby and Mike Adamson. An intro-duction to the style and technique of Competition Hornpipe Steps. It will cover a variety of steps and judging criteria and some time for Q and A. Clogs, hard soled shoes. No taps. W £12

Scandinavian Dance Workshop with Megan Hatto. Music from Chris Dyer. See Saturday for details. W £12

The Big Square Thing with Ivan Aitken and Jeremy Child and The Linda Game Trio. A linked series of workshops about square dance. Today Ivan will teach and walk through Sets in Order Part 1 (1944 to 1950) followed by Jeremy developing the moves and concepts used by Ivan. W £14

Shooting Roots – Theatre. A great workshop for making new friends, gaining confidence and having a laugh while working together to create some high quality theatre! Expect games, larks, tableaux, devising, ridiculous plots, and much more! 12-17 years. W £6

Dance Spectacular with Black Swan Rapper, Crooked Moon, Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris, Makeney Morris, Moulton Morris, Oakenyouth, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. MCs Chris Rose and Graham Lee. Collection

Salsa: Rueda Workshop with Hannah Moore & Andy Wright. Rueda: The ceilidh dancing of the salsa world – a progressive dance done in a circle with a caller. Slick, sociable and danced to the irresistible rhythms of Latin America. One-off. Participatory. Beginners. Wear shoes you can turn in. W £12

Choir Workshop: Out Of The Horse’s Mouth. Join Paul Sartin for “Songs from the Folk Stable.” The workshops will be progressive, culminating in a showcase performance on Friday. W £12

Themed Singaround. Down Under. Songs of mining, underground, anything buried, under the weather or connected with the other side of the world. Hosted by Colin & Sonja Andrews. Collection

English Country Music and Song Session with Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham. All Welcome. Collection

Afternoons At The Anchor with The Cleverly Brothers. Collection

Concert with Broom Bezzums, Ragged Trousers, Annie Winter & Paul Downes. MC. Barry Lister. £12 (£6)

fRoots Presents A Cellar Full Of Folkadelia with Owl Light Trio and Ma Polaine’s Great Decline. Introduced by Jon Wilks. Supported by fRoots £12 (£6) Album Launch: Lost Lands. Ben Moss is an exciting new voice reimagining traditional songs alongside original compositions written to address the challenges of the modern day. Join him for the launch of his debut album. Introduced by Mike Norris. £10 (£5)












449 2:30-4:00 pm Connaught Gardens










Monday 5th August

page 21

Ordinary Giants presented by Robb Johnson. A solo performance version of a song suite about the life & times of Robb’s father, a family history of the 1930s, World War Two & the Welfare State. MC. Kevin Sheils. £14 (£7)

Concert: The Unfinished Violin with Sam Sweeney plus Emily Portman & Rob Harbron. MC. Barry Goodman. Supported by Hobgoblin Music £18 (£9)

Absolute Beginners D/G Melodeon Workshop 1 with Ed Rennie. See Sunday for full details. W £10

Shooting Roots Young Performers’ Workshop. A great opportunity to learn some perfor-mance tips and tricks and get some individual advice on your playing, or brush up on your skills before our Open Mic events on Tuesday and Wednesday! 12-17 years. W £6

Shooting Roots – Dance. A split structure to our Dance workshops this year will allow us to learn a dance or two for our Dance Out on Friday, as well as getting to try out other different exciting styles of dance throughout the week! There’s something for everyone! 12-17 years. W £6


Early Dance Workshop 1. Led by Helen Richards & Eglamore. Try your feet at a first set of dances from the 15th and 16th centuries. No partner required. No prior knowledge assumed. Players from music workshop may add to the band of Andy Richards and Fayre Play. W £12

European Dance Workshop. Dances from the Morvan region with Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt & Chris Walshaw. Mazuka and Bourrée from the Morvan region of East Central France, where the French half of Topette!! come from – so you’ll be ready to dance in style with their music tonight! Mixed level. W £12

Dance Display with Crooked Moon Appalachian, Five Rivers Morris. Collection

Mummers Skills Workshop. Founder of the Mummers Festival, Stephen Rowley, returns with a set of essential skills for mummers. How to be loud, without straining the voice. How to fight without tears. How to die for laughs. W £8

Melodeon Masterclass with Saul Rose for G/D melodeons, 8, 12 and 18 bass welcome. A chance to learn techniques to get the best out of your melodeon. We’ll use common tunes to practice embellishments, grace notes, bass runs and triplets. Limit 30. First of three sessions. W £12

Accordion Left Hand Workshop with John Kirkpatrick. First of two linked workshops on how to play interesting stuff on regular (“Stradella”) accordion basses. Not suitable for melodeons. All levels welcome but second session suitable for experienced players. W £12

Anglo Concertina Workshop. Two Hands in Harmony with Brian Peters. Brian explores ways in which the left hand can provide chordal accompaniment to right hand melodies. Suitable for players of intermediate level upwards. Anglo concertina in C/G, preferably with at least 30 buttons, is required. W £12 A Round Of Rounds. Rounds are a part of our cultural heritage, come along and sing some wonderful ones, old and new, with Stream of Sound. All welcome. W £12


The Forty Niners! At the 1989 festival, those born forty years previously gathered to mingle and celebrate. Thirty years later The Forty Niners are invited to get together again. There will be cake! Welcome drink free. Partners welcome.

Community Songs Workshop with Peter Wilton and Mike Bailey. Folk songs, national songs, parlour songs, glees from the 19th and early 20th century song books. Suitable for all singers who can pick up a tune by ear. Music and words provided. First of two linked workshops. W £12

Afternoon Ceilidh with English Rebellion. Caller Martyn Harvey. Collection

Dance Display with Black Swan Rapper, Moulton Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Windsor Morris. Collection

Motley Mummers. Invitation to anyone wishing to be in the Motley Mummers performance on Thursday. Free



459 3:15-5:30 pm The Ham Hobgoblin Stage





















Monday 5th August

page 23

Ballad Session. Hosted by Sheila Miller and Moira Craig with their guest Sheena Wellington. All welcome. £6 (£3)

Dance Display with Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris, Oakenyouth. Collection

Panel Discussion. The role of competitions in step dance traditions. Chris Metherell, Jenny Read, Lisa Sture, Melanie Barber, Toby Bennett, Katie Howson. W £10

Betsy’s Bash. Come and make some beautiful noise in our energetic, inclusive sessions. Bring your instruments, dances, games, and songs and we’ll find a place for all of it. 12-25 years. Free Family Circus Show with Solid State Circus. MC. Greg Smallbone. £10 (£5) F £15

Evenings At The Anchor with The Leylines, Spin 2, Out of Hand. Collection

Eye On The Future Concert with Stream of Sound, Missing Richard, Finn Collinson, Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell. MC. Gail Duff. £8 (£4)

American Dance. Diane Silver calls a fun evening of American dance, contras and squares, for everyone, with great music from Wild Ride. £12 (£6)

30th Anniversary Ceilidh with Token Women. Callers Jo Freya and Fi Fraser. ‘The ‘Divas’ of the folk dance music world play an exclusive retrospective for Sidmouth Festival. Performance by Makeney Morris. £14 (£7)

The Festival Dance Club is a fun evening of mixed social dance every evening. Come and join in. Mic Spenceley is MC, supported by meg’n’mor. £12 (£6) English Dance. A pleasant evening of 18th century dance in the company of Stuart Marsden and Boldwood. £14 (£7)

Dartmoor At The Seaside with The Dartmoor Entertainers including Mark Bazeley, Jason Rice, Thomas White, Christabel White, Rob Murch, Carl Allerfeldt, Jim Causley and Bill Murray. Together this line-up brings the full flavour of a traditional night of merrymaking on the moor with Dartmoor songs, tunes and step-dancing. Introduced by Simon Diegan. Supported by Branscome Brewery & The Mocha Group £16 (£8)

Steppin’ Time Session. Hosted by Jo and Simon Harmer with Jigfoot and members of Instep. £6 (£3)

Concert with Emily Portman & Rob Harbron, Brian Peters, Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail. MC. Bill Crawford. Supported by Bedford Hotel £12 (£6)

Concert with Julie Fowlis plus Matthew Byrne. MC. Derek Schofield. This concert is dedicated to the memory of Simon Schwartz. Supported by Friends of Sidmouth Folk Festival. £22/£18 (£11/£9) Traditional Night Out hosted by John Howson with Eileen O’Brien & Conor Keane, Jeff Warner, Sheena Wellington, Martin Carthy, Ragged Trousers, Sandra Kerr, Bryony Griffith, Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham. Supported by Woodlands Hotel £12 (£6)

Folk Arts Acoustic. If you like to play and sing truly acoustically, come along to the Kingswood Room. Folk Club style event with guests Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs and Harbour Lights Trio. Lots of opportunities to perform. Bob & Gill Berry are your hosts. £8 (£4)

Concert@Kennaway with Broom Bezzums, Nick Hart, Kim Lowings. MC. Tim Chipping. £12 (£6) Music And Song Session hosted by The Harbour Inn Crowd. All welcome. Collection

Bulverton Big Dance Night with Topette!! (8.15pm). MC. Kerry Fletcher. Preceded at 7pm by Betsy’s Bash in Betsy’s Lounge. Supported by Sidmouth Hotels Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £26. £20 (£10)


Late Night Extra Ceilidh with Threepenny Bit. Caller Gordon Potts. Performance by Moulton Morris. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £26. £12




482 7:00-8:00 pm Betsy’s Lounge (The Bulverton) C424 7:00-8:00 pm All Saints Church Hall








490 8:00-10:30 pm Rugby Club


492 8:00-10:30 pm The Ham









Tuesday 6th AugustSidmouth Festival Choir with Sandra Kerr. See Sunday for full details. W £12

Talk – Cotswold Morris Music. The mid 20th Century Cotswold Morris revival focused on the dances, but through historic recordings, Stephen Rowley reveals how two schools of thought developed in how to play for morris. W £12

Festival Concert Band Workshop. John Kirkpatrick leads a progressive series of five ses-sions playing from written arrangements of four or five tunes. See Monday for full details. W £12

Molly Dance Workshop. Ouse Washes will be teaching some simple Molly dances featuring vigorous movements, colourful clothing and lively music. All welcome. W £12

Shape-note Singing Workshop with Canaan’s Land. New Songs, New Challenges. The workshops are participatory and progressive. Loaner books provided. Limit 65. W £12

Storytelling Circle for adults. Come and hone your storytelling skills, or just sit back and listen. Hosted by Tom Goodale and Mo Keast. Collection Folk Fiddle: Beginners and Beyond with Kitty Greenwood. See Monday for full details. W £12

Beginners’ Tin Whistle Workshop with Pat Brennan. Progressive series. See Monday for details. W £12

North West Morris Workshop. Rivington Morris will teach Marston, a dance based on a Cheshire garland dance renamed and adapted to dance with sticks. Progressive 1 of 2. W £12

American Dance Workshop with Diane Silver. Mainly contras, some squares. Diane takes off. Flying Figures. Dancing on the fly (medleys and no walkthroughs) and dances that make you feel like you’re flying. English Contra Dance Band on the joystick. W £14

18th Century English Dance Workshop. Stuart Marsden leads a workshop that will focus on English dances from the late 18th century and the early 19th century; a wonderfully rich source for dancers and musicians. Music from Boldwood. W £14

Balkan Instrumental Music Workshop. Join Chris Edmunds, Dave Hiscock and Dave McKeown as they prepare for the Balkan Social Dance on Friday. All instruments welcome to come and explore these fascinating modes and rhythms. Sheet music provided. W £12 Morning Singaround. An opportunity to start the day singing or listening in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with Kitty Vernon and Tim Edwards. Collection

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Moulton Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper, Toby Bennett. Collection

Wild Thyme Border Morris. An on-the-street border morris workshop led by Sue White. Sticks & jackets provided. Everyone welcome from beginners to experienced dancers (and musicians). Collection Horizon Lines: Matthew Byrne. In Concert with one of Newfoundland’s finest traditional singers and storytellers. Introduced by Keith Rusby. £10 (£5)

Cotswold Morris Workshop. Makeney Morris will be teaching one of their own dances “Gathering Storm” in the style of Ascott-under-Wychwood. Suitable for all levels. Bring 2 morris sticks if possible. W £12

Flatfooting Workshop with Crooked Moon. Learn to freestyle, play around with the four sound walking step, 3 sounded basics and more. Ideal for people with stepping experience. Taps or hard soled shoes required. W £12

Sounds Of Modern Scotland. An Hour or So with Kim Carnie. BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2017 finalist and the voice of THQ Nordic’s ‘Black Mirror’ trailer. Introduced by Bob Walton. £10 (£5) Stellar A Capella with Stream of Sound. See Monday for more details. 13-21 years. W £6


Sidmouth Big Band Workshop with Nick and Mary Barber. A series of workshops covering the individual and group skills needed to play in a band for dancing. Participatory. See Sunday for full details. Limit 70. W £12

EFDSS Presents Nicola Beazley and Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell. Introduced by Katy Spicer. £10 (£5)

Intermediate Fiddle Workshop with Sarah Matthews. “From Shuttle to Clog” – Learning a new tune and exploring bowing techniques. Music will be taught by ear, and notes handed out after the workshop. Intermediate. Bring your own fiddle etc. W £12


502 9:30-11:00 am Arts Centre

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522 11:30-1:00 pm Rugby Club



page 24


Tuesday 6th August

page 25

Mountain Dulcimer Workshop with Nonsuch Dulcimer Club. A hands-on exploration of the dulcimer’s development to the modern day; learning older styles of playing suitable for old time music/Americana and newer chord/melody styles. Dulcimers provided but feel free to bring your own. W £12 The Music In The Words Workshop with Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs. Music can make or mar a performance. Successful integration of stories and music takes planning and skill. Find out how it should be done. Suitable for storytellers, any instrumentalists, interested listeners. W £12


Lunchtime Concert with Token Women and Jeff Warner. MC. Barry Goodman. Supported by Royal Glen Hotel £12 (£6) Swedish Bagpipes: An Introduction with Terry Mann. A chance to find out a bit more about the bagpipes of Sweden, and have a go yourself. Only six sets of pipes to share round, but numbers not limited . Participatory / Lecture. All levels welcome. W £12


Ceilidh with The Committee Band. Caller Hannah Moore. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

European Dance Workshop. Bal Classics with Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt & Chris Walshaw. Mazurka and Waltz, with a focus on technique, dancing as one with your partner and a flowing style. With variations for more experienced dancers. Mixed level. W £12

A Chance To Meet Rivington Morris. Find out all about the origins, dances and music of this leading women’s North West Morris dance team. MC. Graham Lee. £8 (£4) Shooting Roots – Funky World Band. See Monday for details. Ages 12-17. W £6 CD Launch – Meanders. Rob Harbron launches his long-awaited solo CD: an entirely solo showcase of Rob’s distinctive playing of a 1930s Wheatstone Aeola concertina. Featuring an assortment of new compositions alongside settings of several traditional tunes. Introduced by Mike Norris. £10 (£5)

Remember Hiroshima. Hiroshima Day commemoration. You are welcome to bring a song or poem for a few moments of remembrance.

Dance Display with Moulton Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Star and Shadow Rapper. Collection

Beginners’ Guitar Workshop. Fingerstyle with Steve McEleney-Smith. Help create a new dimension to your guitar playing. You will need some knowledge of chords. We’ll explore some basic finger patterns used by many guitarists in a number of different styles of music. W £12

Well Known Tunes at a Steady Pace with Bob Ellis and Jannette Stewart. Suitable for those who are new to tune sessions and would like a gentle introduction to them. See Monday for full details. W £12

Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Makeney Morris. Collection

Sea-front West Gallery Sing with members and friends of West Gallery Music Association. See Sunday for more details. Collection

Songwriting Workshop with Broom Bezzums. Mark Bloomer and Andrew Cadie will share their tricks in this interactive workshop, with everything from how to generate ideas through to finishing off a ditty ready for the next singaround or gig. W £12

Playing Reels 2 with Kirsty Cotter. This pair of workshops will look at how to how to play a reel so that it sounds like a reel. Improving beginners – intermediate or for musicians that are new to playing folk music. This workshop will be taught by ear, but music will be available if required. Progressive. W £12 Ukulele Workshop with Rusty Wright. Bring a ukulele with you to the Workshop – Soprano, Concert, Tenor, Baritone, U-Bass from beginners to experienced players of all ages. Come and join us, with or without an instrument and find out what ukuleles and ukulele people are all about. W £12

Irish Set Dance Workshop. led by Maggie Daniel, music from The Perfect Cure. Practice of the steps and moves in a complete Irish set dance. Suitable for beginners and experienced dancers, no need to have attended earlier workshops. W £12

Stepping Workshop. Finding your feet with Simon and Jo Harmer, Janet Keet Black. Simple steps in polka, waltz and jig time from the southern counties to help you discover and release the step dancer within you. We’ll also use the steps in a social dance or two. Hard shoes. W £12




528 12:00-1:30 pm The Ham




















Vegan kebabs – delicious, healthy and honestly homemade! All the way from pickling chillies to fermenting Kimchi, Luke and Justa are fully dedicated to

getting your taste buds going! Their kebabs come in freshly cooked flatbreads plus their

signature dips and sauces too.

Food Passion and Fine Flavoursat The Bulverton

.....

Tuesday 6th August

page 27

Scandinavian Dance Workshop with Megan Hatto. Music from Chris Dyer. See Saturday for details. W £12

The Big Square Thing with Ivan Aitken and Jeremy Child. Today Ivan will teach and walk through Singing Calls, followed by Jeremy looking at fast squares. Music from The Linda Game Trio. W £14

Shooting Roots Theatre. See Monday for details. Ages 12-17. W £6

Choir Workshop: Out Of The Horse’s Mouth with Paul Sartin. See Monday for details. W £12

Themed Singaround. Ales and Ailments. Songs about the pleasures or consequences of drinking or mentioning any affliction, disease or disability. Hosted by Colin and Sonja Andrews. Collection

Music And Song Session hosted by Derek Simpson with Harbour Lights Trio. All welcome. Collection

Afternoons At The Anchor with Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail and Sidmouth Ukulele Band. Collection

Stories, Poems and Ballads hosted by Bill Crawford with Debs Newbold, Jan Dean, Sheena Wellington. £10 (£5)

Squeezebox Concert hosted by Keith Kendrick with Conor Keane, Katie Howson, Brian Peters. £12 (£6)

fRoots Presents A Cellar Full Of Folkadelia with Lisa O’Neill and Burd Ellen. Introduced by Tim Chipping. Supported by fRoots £12 (£6)

Dance Spectacular with Alton Morris, Crooked Moon, Makeney Morris, Moulton Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Rivington Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper, Toby Bennett. MC. Graham Lee. £8 (£4)


Shooting Roots Open Mic (12-17 Years). Individual feedback and the chance to perform in our week-ending Showcase are on offer at our friendly, relaxed Open Mics. Visit Shooting Roots in the Arts Centre between 11 and 5 Sun-Wed to sign up. You can also turn up on the day, but signing up is recommended to ensure a place. Free

What You Do With What You’ve Got. A Tribute to Roy Bailey. Hosted by Martin Simpson with John Kirkpatrick, Martin Carthy, Sandra Kerr, Robb Johnson and Nancy Kerr & James Fagan. £16 (£8)

The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff with The Young ’Uns. The story of one man’s adventure from begging on the streets in the north of England to the Spanish Civil War. A timely, touching and often hilarious musical adventure following the footsteps of one working-class hero. MC. Kevin Sheils. Supported by Hobgoblin Music £20 (£10)

Shooting Roots – Dance. See Monday for details. Ages 12-17. W £6 Beginners’ Dance Workshop. Amy Burton leads a series of linked workshops. Music from meg’n’mor. See Saturday for details. W £12 Playing For Early Dance Music 2 with Andy Richards, Fayre Play and Helen Richards & Eglamore. The previous workshop is not a requisite but see Saturday’s entry for requirements and music. Confident players can progress to the dance event. W £12

Folk Dances from The Balkans Workshop with Cathy Meunier with Chris Edmunds, Dave Hiscock, Dave McKeown, Ffiona Eaves, Chris Planel. Discover the wonderful music and dances from the Balkans. No partners are needed. We dance in a circle or in lines. Dance steps range from simple walking to more intricate footwork. All levels. W £12

Melodeon Masterclass with Saul Rose. See Monday. W £12

Intermediate D/G Melodeon Workshop. How to Take Your Playing to the Next Level with Mel Biggs. Each day we’ll look at a ‘tune with a technique’. Discover tunes from Norway, France and Mel’s own repertoire. (Participants should have a good grasp of their instrument and be able to play with both hands.) W £12

The Stream Of Sound Sound. Grown-ups, it’s your turn again! Come and learn a few of our songs, sing harmony the Stream of Sound way! W £12


Community Songs Workshop with Peter Wilton and Mike Bailey. See Monday. W £12























569 4:30-5:15 pm Kingswood & Devoran Hotel, Kingswood Room 570 4:30-6:00 pm Methodist Church


Tuesday 6th August

page 29

Ceilidh with Jigfoot. Caller Barry Goodman. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Makeney Morris, Rivington Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper. Collection


Poetry Open Mic. New for Sidmouth, the first poetry open mic! Sign up on the door to read for up to four minutes, either your own work or bring a favourite poem or two to share. Experienced writers or newcomers welcome or if you just fancy relaxing and listening to some poetry for a couple of hours come and join us. Hosted by Ilse Pedler with guest, local poet Jan Dean. £6 (£3)

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Moulton Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. Collection

Talk: Morris From The Archives. Jameson Wooders has been an active participant in morris dancing at Sidmouth for almost 30 years. Join Jameson as he shares his morris discoveries from the archives. Think you know the history of morris? You may be surprised! W £12

Shooting Roots Presents Sam Sweeney. New and exciting opportunity to come and meet one of English folk’s finest musicians. A multi-award winning multi-instrumentalist, Sam will be joining us for an informal live session hosted by John Sandall. Bring your finest questions and find out more about Sam, his music, and his influences. Aimed at 12-25 years. Free I Am The Song – Charles Causley’s Poems for Children with Jim Causley, Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham. MC. Martyn Harvey. £10 (£5) F £15

Evenings At The Anchor with Sweet Black Angels, Devonbird, Anna Hamill. Collection

Eye On The Future Concert with Don’t Feed The Peacocks, Arthur Coates with Kerran Cotterell, Burdock and Molly Pipe. Introduced by Gail Duff. £8 (£4)

American Dance. Jeremy Childs leads a great evening of American dancing, contras and squares of all types. For everyone. Music from English Contra Dance Band. £12 (£6)

New Callers’ Showcase Ceilidh. A chance to dance to some new voices that you will not have heard call at the festival before, combined with the infectious dance rhythms of The Gloworms. It’s sure to be a irresistible night of dancing at the cutting edge of emerging talent and is hosted by Michael Catovsky. £12 (£6)

The Festival Dance Club is a fun mix of social dance every evening. Come and join in. Mic Spenceley is MC, supported by meg’n’mor. £12 (£6)

Scandinavian Ball. A fun evening of varied Scandinavian dances with Megan Hatto. Music from Chris Dyer and Jamie Huddlestone. £14 (£7)

King Lear Retold with Debs Newbold. An explosive, emotive retelling of the legend of Lear, King of the Britons. Introduced by Simon Diegan. Supported by The Mocha Group £16 (£8)

The Rugby Club Sessions. Come and join in an English music session with lots of opportunities to join in or lead your own tunes. SkillicorneMAX will also recreate some of the tracks on their new CD ‘Gold Bars’ featuring both string and brass sections. £6 (£3)

Concert with Martin Carthy, Kim Carnie, Mary Humphreys & Anahata. MC. Barry Lister. Supported by Bedford Hotel £12 (£6) Concert with Flook and Lisa O’Neill. MC. Tim Chipping. Supported by Kia Cars £22/£18 (£11/£9)

Traditional Night Out hosted by John Howson with Eileen O’Brien & Conor Keane, Rob Harbron, Chris Ormston, Alvar Smith, Bill Murray, Burd Ellen, Brian Peters, Katie Howson. Supported by Woodlands Hotel £12 (£6) Folk Arts Acoustic. If you like to play and sing truly acoustically, come along to the Kingswood Room. Folk club style event with guests Jeff Warner and Sheena Wellington. Your hosts are Bob and Gill Berry. £8 (£4) Concert@Kennaway with Nancy Kerrr & James Fagan, Robb Johnson, Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail. MC. Bob Walton. £12 (£6)

Music and Song Session with Alan Austen & Linda Smith. All welcome. Collection

Bulverton Big Night Out with Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys (9.10pm) plus Broom Bezzums (8.15pm). MC. Simon Care. Preceded by Meet The Artist in Betsy’s Lounge at 7pm. Big Gig Ticket available £28. Supported by Sidmouth Hotels £22 (£11) Late Night Extra Ceilidh with Out of Hand. Caller Fee Lock. Performance by Crooked Moon. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £28. £12
















585 8:00-10:30 pm Rugby Club


587 8:00-10:30 pm The Ham








Wednesday 7th AugustSidmouth Festival Choir with Sandra Kerr. See Sunday for full details. W £12

Talk: Cecil Sharp: Saint or Sinner? Brian Peters discusses the truth behind the common caricature of Cecil Sharp as a neo-fascist bully who exploited his singers and was fatally selective in his collecting practices, using archive material that Sharp’s critics choose to overlook. W £12

Festival Concert Band Workshop. John Kirkpatrick leads a progressive series of five sessions playing from written arrangements of four or five tunes. See Monday for full details. W £12

Cotwold Morris Workshop. Makeney Morris will be teaching their newest original dance “Squatters’ Rights”, in the style of Adderbury. Intermediate to advanced. Bring a morris stick if possible. W £12

Shape-note Singing Workshop with Canaan’s Land. New Songs, New Challenges. The work-shops are participatory and progressive. Loaner books provided. Limit 65. W £12


Folk Fiddle: Beginners and Beyond with Kitty Greenwood. See Monday for full details. W £12

Sidmouth Percusstra led by Jo May. Come and be part of this year’s Percusstra! In these three sessions, we’ll be putting together some percussive arrangements leading up to a performance at the showcase on Friday 9th. No experience necessary. W £12


Clog Dance Workshop. Oakenyouth teach a dance in the Lancashire Toe/Heel style: Pat Tracey’s Old Lancs A Routine. Progressive, part 2 Friday. Suggest hard soled shoes or clogs. W £12

American Dance Workshop with Diane Silver. Diane takes a nod to tradition. Favourite Chestnuts, a focus on triplets, plus a few modern choreographies that have earned classic status. With favourite chestnuts, Wild Ride. W £14


Bones Workshop. Beginners with Louisa Davies-Foley. Learn to play the Bones, the world’s oldest percussion instrument. An introductory workshop covering the hold, single beats, ornamen-tation and playing to music. Bones provided but please bring your own if you have them. W £12


Dance Display with Alton Morris, Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris, Windsor Morris. Collection

Wild Thyme Border Morris. An on-the-street border morris workshop led by Sue White. Sticks & jackets provided. Everyone welcome from beginners to experienced dancers (and musicians). Collection

Rapper Dance Workshop with Star and Shadow Rapper will be teaching traditional and adapted figures, looking at stepping and sword handling and putting them together into a dance. Progressive – 1 of 3. W £12

Hither Side Of The Hedge celebrates folk song collector, author and artist Alice Gillington, using her own words as well as traditional Hampshire songs and dances she collected from Gypsy families in the New Forest. Presented by Simon and Jo Harmer, Jigfoot, Janet Keet-Black and Peter Ingram. Introduced by Keith Rusby. £12 (£6)

North West Morris Workshop. Rivington Morris will teach Marston, a dance based on a Cheshire garland dance renamed and adapted to dance with sticks. Progressive 2 of 2. W £12

Stellar A Capella with Stream of Sound. See Monday for more details. 13-21 years. W £6



EFDSS Presents Granny’s Attic and Harri Endersby. MC. Katy Spicer. £10 (£5)



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Wednesday 7th August

page 31

Run The Film Backwards. A song, music and verse presentation on the life and work of Sydney Carter presented by Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham. W £12

Intermediate Fiddle Workshop. “Sing John Ball” – Exploring fiddle playing and singing together with Sarah Matthews. Sarah will take a well known song and explore singing with fiddle accompaniment. Music will be taught by ear, and notes handed out after the workshop. Intermediate. Bring your own fiddle and be prepared to sing! W £12

Mountain Dulcimer Workshop with Nonsuch Dulcimer Club. Slow Jam: session playing from scratch – an opportunity to practise dulcimer skills and play with others (banjos, mandolins, fiddles, guitars etc welcome to join in!). Dulcimers provided but feel free to bring your own. W £12

Intermediate Whistle Workshop. Slow Airs with Jacquelyn Hynes. Learn how to play two beautiful slow airs from the Sean Nos tradition of Ireland, and the stories behind them. Bring a D whistle (high D or Low D acceptable). W £12


Lunchtime Concert with Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, Alice Jones. MC. Derek Schofield.Supported by Hunter’s Moon Hotel £14 (£7) Music For Cotswold Morris. “What did the old dead guys ever do for us?” Most morris musi-cians just pick it up as they go along, so it may come as surprise to discover there are distinct ‘methods’.Drawing on the research and their own musical journeys, Stephen Rowley and Andy Richards with dancer, Alex Merry, help us learn the secrets of playing for Cotswold. W £12


Ceilidh with The Old Chapel Band. Caller Barry Goodman. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

European Dance Workshop. Schottische Special with Kerry Fletcher, Chris Walshaw and Frances Watt. Style and technique. Some variations and fusions of Schottische, with a chance to get creative with your own variations. Mixed level. W £12

A Chance To Meet Oakenyouth. Find out more about this group of prize-winning young dancers and musicians. MC Chris Rose. £8 (£4)

Shooting Roots – Funky World Band. See Monday for details. Ages 12-17. W £6 Dance Display with Rivington Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper, Windsor Morris. Collection

Dance Display with Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris. Collection

Slide Guitar Workshop with Matt Price. Feel like playing some down ‘n’ dirty bottleneck guitar but don’t know where to start? This workshop will cover the tunings and techniques you need to get your mojo workin’. Open to anybody with a steel string guitar, a slide/bottleneck, but some guitar playing experience helpful. W £12

Well Known Tunes At A Steady Pace with Bob Ellis and Jannette Stewart. Suitable for those who are new to tune sessions and would like a gentle introduction to them. See Monday for full details. W £12


English Concertina Song Accompaniment Workshop with Jeff Warner. Exploring song phrasing, use of drones and dissonances, playing melody and chords together, best fingering techniques and use of scales in building of chords. Knowing your scales on the ’tina is helpful, but not required (but it will be someday…). W £12

Jigs Workshop. Making your jigs jiggy with Kirsty Cotter. Improving beginners – intermediate or for musicians that are new to playing folk music. This workshop will be taught by ear, but music will be available if required. W £12

Ukulele Workshop with Rusty Wright. See Tuesday for details. W £12

Irish Set Dance Workshop led by Maggie Daniel, music from The Perfect Cure. Practice of the steps and moves in a complete Irish set dance. Suitable for beginners and experienced dancers, no need to have attended earlier workshops. W £12

The Dartmoor Stepdance Tradition with Lisa Sture and Thomas White. Lisa provides back-ground information about the Dartmoor Stepdance tradition from recent research and from her own experience of learning from ‘the old boys’. Part information, part dancing. Hard shoes, no taps or clogs. W £12






629 12:00-1:30 pm The Ham


















Wednesday 7th AugustScandinavian Dance Workshop with Megan Hatto and Chris Dyer. See Saturday for details. W £12

Tales From The Bawdy Bardess. A consummate teller of tales, Debs Newbold knows the meaning of the word ‘bawdy’. In this masterful piece of ribald ‘stand-up storytelling’ you can hear three of her most frolicksome medieval tales. Please note, this show has been cheekily crafted for audiences 17+. Introduced by Gail Duff. £12 (£6)

The Big Square Thing with Ivan Aitken and Jeremy Child. A linked series of workshops. Ivan will be doing Running Set followed by a short break during which Jeremy will take any willing callers through how to call a patter chorus. There will then be more square dancing during which callers can try out their patter calling skills. Music by The Linda Game Trio. W £14

Shooting Roots Theatre. See Monday for details. W £6

Dance Spectacular with Alton Morris, Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris, Makeney Morris, Oakenyouth, Rivington Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper, Windsor Morris. MC. Graham Lee. Collection

Lindy Hop Workshop with Hannah Moore & Andy Wright. Lindy Hop: The swinging social dance of the 20s, 30s and 40s, the music is joyful and this dance is all about energy, connection and playfulness between partners. Participatory. Beginners/Improvers. Wear shoes you can turn in. W £12

Choir Workshop: Out Of The Horse’s Mouth with Paul Sartin. See Monday for details. W £12

Themed Singaround. Lucky Dip. Pick two cards from a bag. Each card has one word (e.g. Soldier, Animal). Sing a song related to the word on one of the cards. Be imaginative. Card swapping permitted. Hosted by Colin and Sonja Andrews. Collection

Music and Song Session hosted by Mrs Midnights with Bill Crawford. All welcome. Collection

Afternoons At The Anchor with Jacob & Drinkwater. Collection

fRoots Presents A Cellar Full Of Folkadelia with Mama’s Broke and The Kimberleys. Introduced by Steve Hunt. Supported by fRoots £12 (£6)

In The Tradition Concert with Harbour Lights Trio, Chris Ormston, Bill Murray. MC. Barry Lister. Supported by Upper Crust Bakery £12 (£6)

Sounds Of Modern Scotland with Iona Fyfe, Kim Carnie, Sheena Wellington, Arthur Coates with Kerran Cotterell, Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail. MC. Bob Walton. £14 (£7)

Concert with Martin Simpson and Rachael McShane & The Cartographers. MC. Kevin Sheils. Supported by Hobgoblin Music £20 (£10)


Shooting Roots – Dance. See Monday for details. W £6


Early Dance Workshop 2. Try your feet at a second set of dances from the 15th and 16th centuries. No partner required. No prior knowledge assumed. Led by Helen Richards, music from Andy Richards and Fayre Play. Players from the music workshops may add to the band. W £12

Folk Dances from The Balkans Workshop with Cathy Meunier, Chris Edmunds, Tim Heming and Dave McKeown. See Tuesday. W £12

Melodeon Masterclass with Saul Rose. See Monday. W £12

Intermediate D/G Melodeon Workshop with Mel Biggs. See Tuesday for details. W £12

Accordion Left Hand Workshop with John Kirkpatrick. Second of two linked workshops on how to play interesting stuff on regular (“Stradella”) accordion basses. Not suitable for melodeons. This second session is suitable for experienced players. W £12

Song Arrangement Workshop. Nancy Kerr and James Fagan explore how to give traditional and original songs that extra edge for performance. Perhaps you have a song and feel that your current arrangement needs some tweaks? Bring it along! W £12


646 2:15- 3:35 pm The Music Room: Sidholme Hotel














660 3:30-4:15 pm Kingswood & Devoran Hotel, Kingswood Room 661 3:45-5:00 pm Arts Centre









page 32


Wednesday 7th August

page 33

20th Century Folksong Arrangements with Peter Wilton. 20th-century folksong arrange-ments mainly with piano accompaniment. Including some of Cecil Sharp’s more elaborate arrangements. W £12

Afternoon Ceilidh with The Gloworms. Caller Fee Lock. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Dance Display with Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris, Makeney Morris, Oakenyouth. Collection

Motley Mummers Rehearsal. See Monday 5pm for details. Free


Ballad Session hosted by Sheila Miller with Moira Craig with Brian Peters. £6 (£3)

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Rivington Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper. Collection

Talk: 25 Years Of Abc Notation. The de-facto text-based folk music notation system was released 25 years ago and has since spread far and wide. In this illustrated talk, Chris Walshaw, who formalised and named it, will give a gentle introduction to its principles & practice and a whistle- stop tour of some highlights. W £12

Shooting Roots Open Mic (12-17 Years). Individual feedback and the chance to perform in our week-ending Showcase are on offer at our friendly, relaxed Open Mics. Visit Shooting Roots in the Arts Centre between 11 and 5 Sun-Wed to sign up. You can also turn up on the day, but signing up is recommended to ensure a place. Free

Family Puppet Show. The Mystery of Memory Lane with Hand to Mouth Theatre. MC. Ian France. £10 (£5) F £15

Morris Wednesday. Windsor Morris presents Super Sidmouth. Bring your inner Superhero to fight crime and save the Folk Festival! From 7:00pm fancy dress fun with games, challenges and competitions in the world of Superheroes. From 8:00pm, enjoy heroic spots from super teams including your hosts. Then from 9:00pm ceilidh dance with Faustus. MC and caller Emma Wooders. £12 (£6)

Evenings At The Anchor with Folklaw, Vincent Tyrell, Jacquelyn Hynes & Martin Vogwell. Collection

American Dance. Ivan Aitken leads a great evening of American dance, contras and squares. Come and have fun. Wild Ride providing the music. £12 (£6)

The Festival Dance Club. A fun mix of social dance every evening. Come and join in. Mic Spenceley is MC, supported by meg’n’mor. £12 (£6)

The 18th Century Assembly. Stuart Marsden leads a glorious event featuring English dances from the late 18th century and the early 19th century; dances taught during the workshops and perhaps others. With fair Boldwood. £14 (£7)

An Hour Or So with Burd Ellen. Burd Ellen is the solo project of Debbie Armour. Join her for a specially curated, unamplified set of material from ‘Silver Came’ and some of her favourite ballads. Introduced by Barry Lister. £10 (£5)

Odysseus Dreaming. The ultimate adventure, the ultimate story. Presented by Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs. Powerful storytelling and breathtakingly beautiful music. Introduced by Simon Diegan. Supported by The Mocha Group £16 (£8)

The Rugby Club Sessions: Music session led by musicians from Shooting Roots, Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail and National Youth Folk Ensemble with Arthur Coates with Kerran Cotterell and a song spot from Stream of Sound. All welcome. £6 (£3)

Concert with Rachael McShane & The Cartographers, Kim Carnie, Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham. MC. Louisa Davies-Foley. Supported by Bedford Hotel £12 (£6)

Concert with Le Vent du Nord plus Mama’s Broke. MC. Jo Freya. Supported by Wickwar Wessex Brewing Company £22/£18 (£11/£9)

Traditional Night Out hosted by Dan Quinn with Bill Murray, Chris Ormston, Debs Newbold, Jeff Warner, Harbour Lights Trio, Mary Humphreys & Anahata, Alice Jones. Supported by Woodlands Hotel £12 (£6) Concert@Kennaway with Iona Fyfe, Granny’s Attic, Harri Endersby. MC. Tim Chipping. £12 (£6)

Music and Song Session with The Ship Band. All welcome. Collection


















686 8:00-10:30 pm Rugby Club


688 8:00-10:30 pm The Ham





Wednesday 7th AugustBulverton Big Night Out with Seth Lakeman (9.15pm) plus Jacob & Drinkwater (8.15pm). MC. Simon Care. Preceded at 7pm by Shooting Roots Open Mic in Betsy’s Lounge. Big Gig Ticket available £32. Supported by Sidmouth Hotels £26 (£13) Late Night Extra Ceilidh with The Committee Band. Caller Nick Walden. Performance by Rivington Morris. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £32 £12


Talk: As I Walked Out, Sabine Baring-Gould and the Songs of the West. Presented by Martin Graebe. Martin’s’s award-winning book is the first serious study of the pioneering folk song collector. Martin will explain how Baring-Gould formed relationships with singers and other collectors to recover, publish, and promote the old songs of Devon and Cornwall. W £12

Festival Concert Band Workshop. John Kirkpatrick leads a progressive series of five sessions playing from written arrangements of four or five tunes. See Monday for full details. W £12

Border Morris Workshop with Alton Morris. Starting off with the basics of stepping and sticking, learn to dance one or two simple Border Morris dances. Bring own sticks if possible. All welcome. W £12

Shape-note Singing Workshop with Canaan’s Land. New Songs, New Challenges. The workshops are participatory and progressive. Loaner books provided. Limit 65. W £12



Sidmouth Percusstra with Jo May. See Wednesday for more details. Beginners. W £12


Cotswold Morris Workshop with Windsor Morris. Learn ‘Windsor-on-Thames’, Windsor’s ‘new’ tradition – suitable for all levels. Bring hankies if possible. W £12

American Dance Workshop with Diane Silver. Diane has a special touch – dances that have something just a little bit different. Wild Ride grooving now. W £14


Balkan Instrumental Music Workshop. Join Chris Edmunds, Dave Hiscock and Dave McKeown as they prepare for the Balkan Social Dance on Friday. All instruments welcome to come and ex-plore these fascinating modes and rhythms. Sheet music provided. W £12


Dance Display with Five Rivers Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Rivington Morris. Collection

Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Earlsdon Morris Men, Makeney Morris, Oakenyouth. Collection


Sounds Of Modern Scotland. An Hour or So with Iona Fyfe. Winner of Scots Singer of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2018. Introduced by Bob Walton. £12 (£6) Rapper Dance Workshop. Star and Shadow Rapper will be teaching traditional and adapted figures, looking at stepping and sword handling and putting them together into a dance. Progressive 2 of 3. W £12

Cotswold Jig Workshop with Moulton Morris. Bampton jigs – learn how to make the dance and music become a complete performance – and become a potential Jig Competition winner. W £12





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Thursday 8th August

page 34


Thursday 8th August

page 35

EFDSS Presents. A Showcase of EFDSS Bursary recipients featuring Ben Walker & Rob Harbron, Thom Ashworth and Grace Smith. MC. Katy Spicer. £10 (£5)

Stellar A Capella with Stream of Sound. See Monday for more details. 13-21 years. W £6



Short, Sharp Shanties. Presentation, talk and demonstration on John Short’s shanties with Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham. W £12

Intermediate Fiddle Workshop. “Limousin Mazurka”– Learning a new dance tune and explor-ing accompaniment. Sarah Matthews will teach a traditional French mazurka. Music will be taught by ear, and notes handed out after the workshop. Bring your own fiddle etc. W £12

Advanced Whistle Workshop with Jacquelyn Hynes. Ornamentation – learn how to play more advanced ornaments in the context of a traditional tune. Bring a high D whistle. W £12


Living By The Sea. Building on its popular debut last year, this feast of words and music re-unites storyteller Matthew Crampton and musical director Paul Sartin with the band Faustus and a choir of festival goers and townsfolk. MC. Kevin Sheils. Supported by Swan Inn £14 (£7)

The Ballad Trail with Sheena Wellington. The Trail will trace a ballad from its earliest extant version through its journey across Europe, its many variants in the British Isles and on to the Americas. Though Child Ballad 12 is the focus, others may be used for illustration. W £12


Ceilidh with The Jigalots. Caller Fee Lock. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Shooting Roots Funky World Band Rehearsal. Final Band Rehearsal before the Showcase. Don’t miss it. 12-17 years. £4

European Dance Workshop. Mountain Dances with Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt & Chris Walshaw. A selection of lively dances from mountainous regions, including the Rigadon from the French Alps and Lo Sbrando from Piedmont region of Italy. Mixed Level. W £12

A Chance To Meet Five Rivers Morris and Makeney Morris – the battle of the hankies! Which team can stick the fastest? Who has the highest split caper? Whose kit has more sartorial swagger? Find out the answer to these questions and suggest your own challenges for the teams at this Cotswold derby! MC. Chris Rose. £8 (£4)

An Hour Or So with Granny’s Attic. Introduced by Keith Rusby. £10 (£5)

Guitar Open Tunings Workshop with Terry Mann. An exploration of various open tunings for the guitar for tunes and song accompaniment. Participatory. Improvers / Advanced. Please bring a steel-string guitar with new strings. W £12

Shooting Roots Theatre Rehearsal. Final Theatre rehearsal before the Showcase. Don’t miss it! 12-17 years. £4


FolkTED Workshop. Bringing the dialogue about our folk heritage into the C21st. Would you like to be involved in a Folk related TED Talks type event? This is a workshop to develop a Podcast folk event for future festivals. If you have appropriate skills or knowledge, or an inquiring mind then come along and be part of an exciting new development. W £8

Birds & Botany In Traditional Song with Mary Humphreys & Anahata. An opportunity to sing, discuss and listen to traditional songs which include a theme of flowers, trees and birds. Bring a song that you would like to talk about. There is a wealth of imagery and symbolism in English songs. Together we might discover some hidden meanings. W £12

Slow Airs Workshop with Kirsty Cotter. Make your slow airs sing – looking at how to make your slow airs musical and beautiful. Improving beginners/ intermediate or for musicians that are new to playing folk music. Taught by ear, but music will be available if required. W £12

Ukulele Workshop with Rusty Wright. See Tuesday for details. W £12




724 11:30-1:00 pm Rugby Club



727 11:30-1:00 pm Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom728 11:30-1:00 pm Royal Glen Hotel

729 12:00-1:30 pm The Ham
















Thursday 8th AugustIrish Set Dance Workshop led by Maggie Daniel, music from The Perfect Cure. Practice of the steps and moves in a complete Irish set dance. Suitable for beginners and experienced dancers, no need to have attended earlier workshops. W £12

Dartmoor Stepping Workshop “Making it your own” with Jenny Read and members of Instep. Intermediate and above. W £12

Scandinavian Dance Workshop with Megan Hatto and Chris Dyer. See Saturday for details. W £12

The Big Square Thing with Ivan Aitken and Jeremy Child. A linked series of workshops. Today Ivan will teach and walk through Sets in Order Part 2 (1950 to 1970) followed by Jeremy developing the moves and concepts used by Ivan, including some full patter squares. Music by The Linda Game Trio. W £14

Procession of invited teams along Esplanade, then into Blackmore Gardens, followed by dance display in the Blackmore Gardens Marquee. All teams assemble at the west (Connaught Gardens) end of the seafront at 2.15pm. Collection

Themed Singaround. Time and Tide. Any song involving a clock, specific time or date or related to the sea. Hosted by Colin and Sonja Andrews. Collection

Music and Song Session with Alan Austen & Linda Smith and Out of Hand. Collection

Shooting Roots Showcase Rehearsal. How are all these little things you’ve been working on throughout the week going to come together in the Showcase? If you want to perform in the Showcase then this is the chance to put it all together for the fantastic final performance.

Afternoons At The Anchor with Cracknakeel. Collection

Two By Two Concert with Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs, Annie Winter & Paul Downes, Bob and Gill Berry. MC. Bill Crawford. £12 (£6)

Concert@Kennaway with Harbottle & Jonas and Kirsty Merryn. Introduced by Steve Hunt. £12 (£6)

A Dash Of Dartmoor. Jim Causley and Bill Murray will entertain you with traditional songs, tunes & dialect of Dartmoor and Devon. Introduced by Barry Lister. £12 (£6)

Dance Spectacular with Alton Morris, Crooked Moon, Earlsdon Morris Men, Moulton Morris, Oakenyouth, Rivington Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper, Windsor Morris. MC. Graham Lee. £8 (£4)

Concert with Nancy Kerr and James Fagan and Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith. MC. Tim Chipping. Supported by Hobgoblin Music £18 (£9)


Playing For Early Dance Music 3. The previous music workshop is not a prerequisite but see previous entry for requirements and music. Led by Andy Richards with Helen Richards & Eglamore and Fayre Play. Confident players can progress to the dance event. W £12

Folk Dances From The Balkans Workshop with Cathy Meunier, Chris Edmunds, Tim Heming and Dave McKeown. See Tuesday. W £12

The Grand Tea Dance Beginners. A dance to finish the beginner’s week. All welcome to enjoy all the styles of dance from the workshops. Led by Amy Burton with meg’n’mor. £10 (£5)

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Makeney Morris, Windsor Morris. Collection

Intermediate D/G Melodeon Workshop with Mel Biggs. See Tuesday for details. W £12

Northumbrian Smallpipes Workshop with Chris Ormston. A participatory workshop for Northumbrian pipers to develop their repertoire and playing technique, with reference to the music and traditions of the last 200 years. Observers welcome. W £12

Dissecting Leveret. Leveret demonstrate and discuss the process and methodology that allows them to create spontaneous settings of tunes as they are playing them. They will dissect their ensemble playing, explore the individual elements and show how these can be used when playing in a small group or session. For all instrumentalists (non-participatory). W £12

Dance Display with Moulton Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. Collection





748 2:30-3:00 pm Esplanade to Blackmore Gardens




752 3:00- 4:00 pm Anchor Garden















page 36

Thursday 8th August

page 37


Shooting Roots and Stream Of Sound Showcase. Come and show your family and friends all the fun you’ve been having and the skills you’ve been learning this week with a showcase for everyone to watch, to celebrate 25 years of Shooting Roots workshops and 22 years of Stream of Sound inspiring the next generation of folkies. Collection

Talk: Jollyboys and Limberjacks. “The jig doll in the British Isles and North America.” An illus-trated talk and demonstration presented by Jeff Warner and Katie Howson (one of the authors of “The Brightest of Entertainers” published in 2018). W £12

Gregorian Chant Workshop with Peter Wilton. A 10th-Century service using the notation from the Swiss Hartker Antiphoner from Sankt-Gallen, when chant was still an oral tradition. W £12

Ceilidh with HiJinx Ceilidh Band. Caller Nick Walden. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection

Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Oakenyouth, Star and Shadow Rapper. Collection


Ballad Session. Hosted by Sheila Miller and Moira Craig with their guest Iona Fyfe. All welcome. £6 (£3)

Dance Display with Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris, Rivington Morris. Collection

Motley Mummers invite you to enjoy a traditional English Mummers play. Collection

The Best Of Well Known Tunes At A Steady Pace. Our Greatest Hits led by Bob Ellis and Jannette Stewart. Primarily for those who have attended one or more of the earlier structured tune sessions. Others are welcome provided they are happy to play at a slower tempo than normal. Bring acoustic instruments of choice. £6 (£3)

Motley Mummers invite you to enjoy a traditional English Mummers play. Collection

Young Performers’ Showcase with Arthur Coates with Kerran Cotterell, Missing Richard, Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell. MC. Hannah Cumming. Free

Evenings At The Anchor with Count to Fire, Keith Smart with Adrian Hillier, Under The Covers. Collection

Irish Dance. Maggie Daniel leads the Irish set dance ceili where the dances learnt earlier in the week will be danced, together with a selection of popular dances from around Ireland. All dances will be called, so suitable for beginners and experienced dancers alike. Music from The Perfect Cure. £12 (£6)

The Festival Dance Club is a fun mix of social dance every evening. Come and join in. Mic Spenceley is MC, supported by meg’n’mor. £12 (£6)

The Early Dance Ball led by Helen Richards & Eglamore, with music by Andy Richards and Fayre Play. Theme “Courtly Countryfolk”– Renaissance Shepherdess, Shepherd and Sheep costumes encouraged! Dancing and playing the Early Dances learned this week. A brief reminder of each dance and strut your stuff in dance or music. Small prize for the best costume. £14 (£7)

Stomping Ceilidh with the Sidmouth Seaside Stompers, calling by Nick Walden and appearances from Exmouth Shanty Men and Oakenyouth. £10 (£5) F £15

Hey In The Hay. An original show by Adrian Williams, specially developed for Sidmouth, bringing to life through music, words, song and dance the rural lives depicted in the famous 18th century painting of the ‘Dixton Haymakers.’ Featuring John Kirkpatrick, Barry Goodman, Stephen Rowley, Molly Pipe and dancers from Fools Gambit Morris. Preceded by dance performances from Crooked Moon and Star & Shadow Rapper, and music from Ben Moss and Laurel Swift. MC. Chris Rose. Supported by The Mocha Group £14 (£7)

The Rugby Club Sessions – Steppin’ Time. With Jo and Simon Harmer and members of Instep, Jigfoot. Clogs, taps and shoes welcome. £6 (£3)

Concert with Granny’s Attic, Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones, Harbottle & Jonas. MC. Louisa Davies-Foley. Supported by Bedford Hotel £12 (£6)

Concert with Richard Thompson (Solo Acoustic). Plus Kirsty Merryn. MC. Derek Schofield. Sidmouth Town Council Civic Night £34/£29 (£17/£15) Traditional Night Out hosted by John Howson with Bill Murray, Grace Smith, Jim Causley, Iona Fyfe, Chris Ormston, Katie Howson, Sheena Wellington, Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham. Supported by Woodlands Hotel £12 (£6)










776 6:00- Esplanade: York Steps


778 6:30- Port Royal






C724 7:30-10:30 pm Blackmore Gardens Marquee


785 8:00-10:30 pm Rugby Club


787 8:00-10:30 pm The Ham



Thursday 8th AugustFolk Arts Acoustic. If you like to play and sing truly acoustically, come along to the Kingswood Room. Folk club style event with guests Annie Winter & Paul Downes and Bill Crawford and lots of opportunies to perform. Bob and Gill Berry are your hosts. £8 (£4)

Concert@Kennaway with Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith, Ben Walker, Moirai. MC. Kevin Sheils. £12 (£6)

Music and Song Session hosted by The Harbour Inn Crowd. All welcome. Collection

Blackbeard’s Tea Party’s Ten Year Anniversary Celebration! To mark ten years of folk-rock mayhem Blackbeard’s will be taking over The Bulverton. The theme is Kids TV Characters! Band on stage 9.10pm preceded by Thom Ashworth at 8.15pm. MC. Simon Care. Doors and Young Performers’ Showcase in Betsy’s Lounge at 7pm. Stay on for Blackbeard’s L.N.E.Ceilidh with a Bulverton Big Gig Ticket £28. Supported by Sidmouth Hotels £22 (£11)


Late Night Extra Ceilidh with Blackbeard’s Tea Party. Caller Gordon Potts. Performance by Star and Shadow Rapper. Bulverton Big Gig Ticket available £28. £12


Cornish Music Workshop with Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs. Cornwall has a little known and fascinating repertoire. Learn some new tunes and learn a little of the unique history of Cornish music. Music provided. Suitable for all instrumentalists and interested listeners. W £12

Festival Concert Band Workshop. John Kirkpatrick leads a progressive series of five ses-sions playing from written arrangements of four or five tunes. See Monday for full details. W £12

Border Dance Workshop with Alton Morris. Following on from Wednesday’s initial workshop, we’ll progress to more complicated stepping and sticking patterns. Bring own sticks if possible. W £12



Sidmouth Percusstra with Jo May. See Wednesday for more details. W £12

Beginner’s Tin Whistle Workshop with Pat Brennan. Progressive series. See Monday for details. W £12

Clog Dance Workshop. Oakenyouth teach a dance in the Lancashire Toe/Heel style: Pat Tracey’s Old Lancs A Routine. Continuation from Wednesday. Suggest hard soled shoes or clogs. W £12

American Dance Workshop with Diane Silver. Diane’s final workshop. A Grab Bag – recap of the week; revisit ideas that warrant more time; enjoy the mix. English Contra Dance Band in the mix. W £14

Shape-note Singing Workshop. The culmination of Canaan’s Land shape-note workshop week, open singing where the participants choose the songs and lead them if they wish. Loaner booklets provided. W £12


Bones Workshop. Improvers with Louisa Davies-Foley. Aimed at bones players with some experience or those that have previously attended one of Louisa’s beginners’ workshops. Explore varying the pitch, playing double-handed and playing to music of different time signatures. Bones provided, but please bring your own if you have them. W £12










803 9:30-11:00 am Rugby Club












Friday 9th August

page 38


Friday 9th August

page 39

Dance Display with Earlsdon Morris Men, Moulton Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. Collection

Dance Display Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Five Rivers Morris, Makeney Morris, Rivington Morris. Collection


Shooting Roots Dance Rehearsal. Final Dance rehearsal before our Dance Out on the seafront – don’t miss it! 12-17 years. W £4

Album Showcase: Many A Thousand. Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith focus on their latest album “Many A Thousand”. Songlines ‘Top of the World’ 5* Album. Introduced by Keith Rusby. £10 (£5)

Rapper Dance Workshop. Star and Shadow Rapper will be teaching traditional and adapted figures, looking at stepping and sword handling and putting them together into a dance. Progressive 3 of 3. W £12

Cotswold Morris Workshop with Windsor Morris. Learn the athletic style and fluid dynamic of the under-danced ‘Badby’ traditon. Suitable for dancers who can confidently double step. Bring hankies if possible. W £12

Last Chance To Hear Stream Of Sound. Introduced by Bob Walton. All welcome. £8 (£4)



New Roots Plus. Showcasing some of this year’s finalists of the New Roots Competition with Burdock, Missing Richard and Molly Pipe. Plus one or two of the stars of this week’s Open Mic. MC. Gail Duff. £8 (£4)

Tunes Arranging Workshop with John Adams (Village Music Project). Some of the old man-uscripts written down by 18thC/19thC musicians had tunes with a second part. This workshop will use some of these as a starting point and maybe add some new parts. Music provided. Participatory. Intermediate / Advanced. W £12

Traditional Silver And Wood Flute Workshop for all kinds of flutes with Jacquelyn Hynes. Learn how to adapt traditional music for the silver flute, and how to use ornamentation on the wooden flute. If you have both, bring them! W £12

Grand Workshop Showcase. A chance to see the fruits of some of the week’s workshop series including John Kirkpatrick’s Festival Concert Band, Sandra Kerr’s Festival Choir, Jo May’s Percusstra, Louisa Davies-Foley’s Bones group, Paul Sartin’s Choir and Ilse Pedler’s Poets. MC. Barry Goodman. Collection


Lunchtime Ceilidh with Mrs. Midnight’s. Caller Mike Boston. Supported by Anchor Inn Collection Shooting Roots Dance Out. Shooting Roots participants have been working hard this week learning dances from different traditional styles. Come and watch to support the next generation of young folk dancers and to enjoy our new take on tradition! Collection

European Dance Workshop with Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt & Chris Walshaw. Re-cap of the classic Bal dances such as mazurka, waltz, bourrée and schottische, and variations we have worked on over the week. Mixed level. W £12

A Chance To Meet Crooked Moon. Find out about the origins, dances and music of this Brighton-based Appalachian dance team. MC. Chris Rose. £8 (£4)

Telling The Song Workshop with Jeff Warner. Exploring effective singing using traditional singers as models; participatory workshop for all singing levels. W £12

Dance Display with Moulton Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. Collection

Banjo Workshop with Paul Downes. Trying to make the 5-string banjo sound English/British. Discussing avoiding American styles (e.g. failing, bluegrass) and using the 5-string banjo as an accompanying instrument for British folk songs. W £12



816 11:00-12:00 pm Port Royal








824 11:30-1:00 pm Rugby Club




828 12:00-1:30 pm The Ham











Friday 9th AugustUkulele Workshop with Rusty Wright. See Tuesday for details. W £12

The Last Afternoon Dance. Ivan Aitken wraps up the week with a mixed selection of his favourite dances. Music from meg’n’mor. £12 (£6)

Dance Spectacular with Alton Morris, Crooked Moon, Earlsdon Morris Men, Five Rivers Morris, Makeney Morris, Moulton Morris, Oakenyouth, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Rivington Morris, Star and Shadow Rapper, Windsor Morris. MCs Chris Rose and Graham Lee. Collection

Themed Singaround. Heads or Tails: Any song about heads (body, state, etc) or tails, or about dilemma, chance, luck or gambling. Hosted by Colin and Sonja Andrews. Collection

Music and Song Session hosted by Jon Shapley with The Old Chapel Band. All welcome. Collection

Afternoons At The Anchor with Keltia. Collection

Sidmouth Folkweek 2019. Come and have your say about this year’s festival and suggest what you’d like to see in the future.

Album Showcase: Namer Of Clouds. with Kitty Macfarlane. Gathering inspiration from the sky to the seabed, Kitty’s lyrics touch on intervention and rewilding, climate change and migra-tion. Introduced by Tim Chipping. £10 (£5)

Concert with Granny’s Attic, Chris Ormston, Intarsia. MC. Barry Lister. £12 (£6)

Balkan Social Dance with Cathy Meunier, Chris Edmunds, Dave Hiscock, Dave McKeown, Ffiona Eaves, Chris Planel. £10 (£5)

A Village Concert with Harbour Lights Trio and Friends. Hosted by Derek Simpson. £10 (£5)

Concert with The Shee and Amythyst Kiah. MC. Jo Freya. Supported by Hobgoblin Music £18 (£9)

Shooting Roots Anniversary Adult Band. For one year only, Shooting Roots is opening its doors to the rest of the festival! To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we’re holding a one-off Band workshop for anyone over 18. Come along to learn a tune and some funky arrangements, Shooting Roots style. All abilities welcome, just bring yourself, your instrument and enthusiasm! W £12

Advanced Harmony Singing Workshop for expert singers with Mike Bailey. Unaccompanied glees from the 18th century glee clubs, in 3 to 5 parts for SATB voices in various combinations. Participants should be confident sight-singers who can hold a part independently. W £12

Big Band Ceilidh led by Nick and Mary Barber. Caller Martyn Harvey. Collection

Dance Display with Five Rivers Morris, Oakenyouth, Star and Shadow Rapper. Collection

Dance Display with Alton Morris, Moulton Morris, Rivington Morris, Windsor Morris. Collection

Ballad Session. Hosted by Sheila Miller and Moira Craig and their guest Jeff Warner. All welcome. £6 (£3)


Dance Display with Crooked Moon, Makeney Morris, Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. Collection

Last Chance to Euro Dance with Kerry Fletcher, Chris Dyer, Megan Hatto, Jamie Huddleston, Frances Watt & Chris Walshaw. £12 (£6)

Celebration Contra. A final dance to say goodbye. Mainly fun contras. Diane Silver calls, music from members of Wild Ride and English Contra Dance Band. £12 (£6)

Evenings At The Anchor with Marnie, The McSmiths, Blue Honey. Collection

Tall Ships and Tavern Tales. Voyage in song from the high seas to a dockside alehouse with Exmouth Shanty Men. Introduced by Simon Diegan. Supported by Middle Bar Singers & The Mocha Group £12 (£6) Folk Arts Acoustic. If you like to play and sing truly acoustically, come along to the Kingswood Room. Last chance to perform. Bob & Gill Berry are your hosts. £6 (£3)

Final Concert with Belshazzar’s Feast and Granny’s Attic. MC. Kevin Sheils. (No additional charge for Week and Day Ticket holders.) Supported by The Dairy Shop £20/£16 (£10/£8)


























863 7:30-10:00 pm The Ham

page 40


Friday 9th August

page 41

Traditional Farewell hosted by Dan Quinn, with Chris Ormston, Harbour Lights Trio, Jeff Warner, Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs, Annie Winter & Paul Downes, Mary Humphreys & Anahata. Supported by Woodlands Hotel £12 (£6) Music and Song Session with Jigfoot. All welcome. Collection

Torchlight Procession from Glen Road to the Lifeboat Station.The procession leads along the Esplanade onto the beach, followed by the traditional Firework Display. (Participants please assemble in Glen Road by 9.45pm at the latest). Collection

Late Night Extra Ceilidh with Kirkophany. Caller Barry Goodman. Performance by Earlsdon Morris Men. Doors and bar 9.30pm. £12



866 10:00-10:30 pm Esplanade


See you next year – 31st July to 7th Aug 2020

(The Sidmouth Folk Festival always includes the 1st Monday in August)


All Saints Hall The venue for afternoon dance workshops and evening Family Shows. All Saints Road. Access: level access.

Anchor Inn & Garden The Garden is located to the left of the pub building. Ceilidhs lunchtimes and late afternoon, with bands and singers through to late evening. Fringe events upstairs and inside the pub. Old Fore Street. Access to Garden: level access, mainly tarmacked but with some steep or rough areas. Access to upstairs: access via steep staircase.

Arts Centre Morning and early evening Talks. Daily Shooting Roots and Stream of Sound events. Access: flat access from side path or two steps and sloped front path. The side path is located on an inclined road.

Bedford Hotel Concerts in the dining room. Programmed Afternoon Sessions in Pyne’s Bar. Located on the Esplanade at the junction with Station Road. Access: three steps at entrance, wheelchair ramp available from hotel reception. Please note that the ramp is very steep and may not be suitable for some electric wheelchair users.

Blackmore Gardens Home to the Children’s Festival, the Blackmore Gardens Marquee (for Folk Dance workshops, dance displays and ceilidhs – and a bar), the Music Fair (for instruments, books and DVDs) and Festival Catering stalls serving all day. Open-air stage in the Gardens. Enter from Blackmore Drive or through parish churchyard. Access: access is over grass and trackway to venue spaces, small curbs from pavement to grass.

The Bulverton & Betsy’s Lounge The Bulverton hosts concerts, ceilidhs and workshops. Food and a bar with Early Bird Specials. Betsy’s Lounge hosts Sessions, Open Mics Show-cases and is a late night space for relaxation, playing and singing. Secure instrument store. Access: based on farmland, the field where The Bulverton is located has two entrances. There is one from opposite the Festival Car Park and one by foot from Station Road opposite the Campsite. There is blue badge holder parking available adjacent to the venue. There is flat access over trackway to the venue from the paved entrance next to the Festival Car Park. The entrance for patrons walking from Station Road is a steep walk over a grass field. This is officially a standing venue, but there are a limited number of chairs around the edge and back of the venue space. There is seating in the adjacent Betsy’s Lounge but no sightlines to the stage.

Cellar Bar, Kennaway House Used for late morning, afternoon and evening con-certs. Located on the Triangle, Coburg Road.Access: access for all patrons to the Cellar Bar is at the side of the building. Level access available through same entrance via a lift.

Dukes The hotel’s seafront forecourt is a venue for live music. Esplanade. Access: flat access at entrance nearest to the building.

Esplanade: Bedford Steps & York Steps Two performance spaces on the Esplanade. Dance teams are programmed throughout the day with opportunities for visiting dance groups and acoustic musicians. See A Boards on site for available times. Access: flat access at various points along the Esplanade.

Festival Box Office Next to the swimming pool and Tourist Information Centre. Access: level access.

Festival Campsite See separate section on p. 56.

Festival Car Park Please note that the Festival Car Park is not suitable for people who cannot traverse uneven, sometimes muddy, grassed ground.

The Ham Three major concert daily. End of Port Royal. Access: level in and around the area, over grass to Ham venue and Catering outlets, slight curbs at edge of grass and some trackway. Spaces for wheelchair users within the venue.

The Kingswood Room – Kingswood & Devoran Hotel Used for instrumental workshops and “folk club” style evenings. Esplanade. Access: is from the hotel terrace, through the hotel and down a few steps. Level access to the Kingswood Room is at the rear of the Hotel.

Manor Pavilion Afternoon and evening concerts and morning workshops. Corner of Manor Road and Station Road. Access: level access at entrance, spaces for wheelchair users in auditorium. The Manor Pavilion is on an inclined road.

Methodist Church The Church is used for daytime workshops and some evening concerts. The Methodist Church Hall is used for folk dances and workshops. The Lower Methodist Hall is used for workshops. High Street, close to Blackmore Drive. Access to Lower Hall: short flight of stairs from front entrance with stair lift. Access to Church: via lift or steps from front entrance. Access to Church Hall: level access via side entrance.

Peacock Lawn Home of the Official Craft Village, next door to Blackmore Gardens. Craft stands and a café. Access: pathways around the Lawn, over grass and trackway to craft stalls, small curbs from pathways to grass. Stalls are raised from trackway.

Port Royal Pedestrianised area. Access: pedestrianised area with public toilets, including an accessible unit secured by RADAR key.

Sidholme Hotel Afternoon instrumental and song workshops in The Richmond Room and afternoon dance workshops and evening Folk Dances in The Music Room. Follow signs from Vicarage Road. Hotel will be serving teas, coffees, cakes and light lunches. Access: level access via hotel front entrance.

Rugby Club First floor room used for a variety of workshops and sessions. Heydon’s Lane. Access: via stairs which have a stair lift.

Sidmouth C of E Primary SchoolUsed for Dance and Music workshops in the School Hall and Instrumental and Song workshops in the Classroom. Access: level access for all patrons through the sign-posted entrance. Access to the school is via an inclined driveway so may not be suitable for some patrons.

St Teresa’s Church Hall Used for dance events, workshops and evening folk dances. It is on Vicarage Road, north of the Radway Cinema. Access: level access via the main entrance at the rear of the hall.

Unitarian Hall Used for Children’s Festival workshops. Corner of All Saints Road and High Street. Access: step down through the door and narrow doorways.

Volunteer Inn Lunchtime informal “in the tradition” events. Afternoon and evening entertainment arranged by the pub. Temple Street. Access: level access.

Woodlands Hotel The Conservatory is used for storytelling, workshops and traditional informal concerts. Station Road, opposite All Saints Road. Use the main entrance and follow the signs. Access: access is via one step. There is a ramp available from hotel management to provide level access.

Venues and Directions

page 42

Please note that access to any festival space that involves grass is subject to the prevailing weather conditions.

If you have any questions relating to accessibility please email:[email protected]


page 43

Venues and Directions

page 44

page 45

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Taking Part Please see the daily listings for details and levels of ability required.

Dance18th Century English Dance Stuart Marsden Methodist Church Hall 9:30-12:30 pm Tue-Fri Absolute Beginners Dance Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt and Chris Walshaw St Teresa’s Church Hall 4:30-6:00 pm Fri 2American Dance Diane Silver Blackmore Gardens Marquee 9:30-12:30 pm Sat-FriAppalachian - beginners Crooked Moon The Bulverton 9:30-10:45am Sat Appalachian - beginners Crooked Moon The Bulverton 11:15-12:45 pm MonBeginners’ Dance Amy Burton & meg’n’mor Methodist Church Hall 3:50-5:10 pm Sat-Wed (Sun : Music Room: Sidholme Hotel) Bhangra Dance Avtar Indian Dance Music Room: Sidholme Hotel 2:15-3:35 pm Sat & SunBorder Dance - Progressive Alton Morris St Teresa’s Church Hall 9:30-11:00 am Thu & Fri 9Clog Dance - Progressive Oakenyouth The Bulverton 9:30-11:00 am Wed & Fri 9Cotswold Jig Moulton Morris The Bulverton 11:15-12:45 pm ThuCotswold Morris - all levels Windsor Morris The Bulverton 9:30-11:00 am ThuCotswold Morris - all levels Makeney Morris St Teresa’s Church Hall 11:15-12:45 pm TueCotswold Morris - all levels Moulton Morris The Bulverton 9:15-10:45 am SunCotswold Morris - Beginners / Intermediate Five Rivers Morris St Teresa’s Church Hall 11:00-12:30 pm Sat Cotswold Morris - Intermediate Windsor Morris The Bulverton 11:15-12:45 pm Fri 9Cotswold Morris - Intermediate / Advanced Five Rivers Morris St Teresa’s Church Hall 11:15-12:45 pm MonCotswold Morris - Intermediate / Advanced Makeney Morris St Teresa’s Church Hall 9:30-11:00 am WedDartmoor Stepdance Tradition Lisa Sture and Thomas White All Saints Church Hall 2:15 -3:35 pm WedDartmoor Stepping - Intermediate + Jenny Read and members of Instep All Saints Church Hall 2:15-3:35 pm ThuEarly Dance Helen Richards & Eglamore, Andy Richards and Fayre PlayMusic Room: Sidholme Hotel 3:50-5:10 pm Mon & WedEnglish Dance Victoria Yeomans & Mollie and Dave Methodist Church Hall 9:30-12:30 pm Sat & MonEnglish Dance Victoria Yeomans & Mollie and Dave St Teresa’s Church Hall 11:15-2:00 pm SunEuropean Dance (Morvan) - mixed level Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt and Chris Walshaw All Saints Church Hall 3:50-5:15 pm MonEuropean Dance - mixed level Kerry Fletcher, Frances Watt and Chris Walshaw All Saints Church Hall 12:30-1:50 pm Mon-Fri 9Flatfooting Crooked Moon The Bulverton 11:15-12:45 pm TueFolk Dances From The Balkans - all levels Cathy Meunier All Saints Church Hall 3:50-5:20 pm Tue-ThuIrish Set Dance - mixed level Maggie Daniel Methodist Church Hall 2:15-3:35 pm Sat, Mon-WedLancashire Clog Melanie Barber, Ruth Bibby and Mike Adamson All Saints Church Hall 2:15-3:35 pm MonLindy Hop - Beginners/Improvers Hannah Moore & Andy Wright Blackmore Gardens Marquee 2:30-4:00 pm WedMolly Dance Ouse Washes St Teresa’s Church Hall 9:30-11:00 am Mon & TueNorth West Morris Earlsdon Morris Men The Bulverton 11:00-12:30 pm Sat North West Morris Earlsdon Morris Men The Bulverton 9:30-11:00 am MonNorth West Morris Rivington Morris The Bulverton 9:30-11:00 am TueNorth West Morris Rivington Morris The Bulverton 11:15-12:45 pm WedRapper Dance - Progressive Star and Shadow Rappper St Teresa’s Church Hall 11:15-12:45 pm Wed-FriRapper Dance - all levels Black Swan Rapper St Teresa’s Church Hall 9:30-10:45 am Sat & SunSalsa: Rueda - Beginners Hannah Moore & Andy Wright Blackmore Gardens Marquee 2:30-4:00 pm MonScandinavian Dance - all levels Megan Hatto & Chris Dyer Music Room: Sidholme Hotel 3:50-5:10 pm Sat, Mon-ThuSquare Dance Ivan Aitken and Jeremy Child & The Linda Game Trio St Teresa’s Church Hall 2:15-5:10 pm Sat-ThuStepping Simon and Jo Harmer, Janet Keet Black All Saints Church Hall 2:15-3:35 pm Tue

InstrumentalD/G Melodeon - Absolute Beginners Ed Rennie Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 3:30-4:15 pm Sun-ThuD/G Melodeon - Absolute Beginners Ed Rennie Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 4:30-5:15 pm Sun-ThuAccordion Left Hand - All levels John Kirkpatrick Lower Methodist Church Hall 4:00-5:30 pm MonAccordion Left Hand - Experienced John Kirkpatrick Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 4:00-5:30 pm WedAnglo Concertina - intermediate Brian Peters Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 4:00-5:30 pm MonBalkan Instrumental Music Chris Edmunds, Dave Hiscock and Dave McKeown Lower Methodist Church Hall 10:00-11:30 am Tue & ThuBanjo Paul Downes Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 1:30-3:00 pm Fri 9Bones - Beginners Louisa Davies-Foley Lower Methodist Church Hall 10:00-11:30 am WedBones - Improvers Louisa Davies-Foley Lower Methodist Church Hall 10:00-11:30 am Fri 9Cornish Music Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs Arts Centre 9:30-11:00 am Fri 9D/G Melodeon - Intermediate Mel Biggs Lower Methodist Church Hall 4:00-5:30 pm Tue-ThuEnglish Concertina Song Accompaniment Jeff Warner Lower Methodist Church Hall 2:00-3:30 pm WedFestival Concert Band - progressive John Kirkpatrick Rugby Club 9:30-11:00 am Mon-FriFiddle - Improvers/ Advanced. John Dipper Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 11:30-1:00 pm Sat & SunFiddle - Intermediate Sarah Matthews Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 11:30-1:00 pm Tue-WedFiddle Masterclass John Dipper Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 11:30-1:00 pm MonFiddle - Beginner And Beyond Kitty Greenwood Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 9:30-11:00 am Mon-FriGuitar - Beginners Steve McEleney-Smith Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 1:30-3:00 pm Mon & TueHow To Learn Tunes By Ear Bob Ellis Rugby Club 9:30-11:00 am SunJigs - Improving beginners - intermediate Kirsty Cotter Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 2:00-3:30 pm WedMedieval Music For Folk Musicians Emily Askew Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 2:00-3:30 pm MonMelodeon - Relative Beginners Bob Ellis Rugby Club 4:30-6:00 pm Sat & SunMelodeon Masterclass Saul Rose Rugby Club 4:00-5:30 pm Mon-WedMountain Dulcimer Nonsuch Dulcimer Club Sidmouth C of E Primary School Hall 11:30-1:00 pm Mon-WedMusic For Cotswold Morris Stephen Rowley, Andy Richards, Alex Merry Lower Methodist Church Hall 12:00-1:30 pm Wed

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Taking Part Please see the daily listings for details and levels of ability required.

Northumbrian Smallpipe Chris Ormston Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 4:00-5:30 pm ThuPercusstra Jo May Sidmouth C of E Primary School Hall 9:30-11:00 am Wed-FriPipe And Tabor - Beginners Terry Mann Lower Methodist Church Hall 10:00-11:30 am MonPlaying For Early Dance Music Andy Richards, Fayre Play and Helen Richards & Eglamore Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 4:00-5:30 pm Sat Playing For Early Dance Music Andy Richards, Fayre Play and Helen Richards & Eglamore The Music Room: Sidholme Hotel 3:50-5:10 pm Tue & ThuPlaying Reels - intermediate - Progressive Kirsty Cotter Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 2:00-3:30 pm Mon & TueRecorder (and Whistle) – intermediate+ Finn Collinson Lower Methodist Church Hall 2:00-3:30 pm MonShakers Jo May Sidmouth C of E Primary School Hall 9:30-11:00 am SunShooting Roots Anniversary Adult Band Shooting Roots Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 4:00-5:30 pm Fri 9Sidmouth Big Band Nick and Mary Barber Rugby Club 11:30-1:00 pm Sun-FriSlide Guitar Matt Price Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 1:30-3:00 pm WedSlow Airs - intermediate Kirsty Cotter Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 2:00-3:30 pm ThuSong Accompaniment On The Melodeon Hazel Askew Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 2:00-3:30 pm SunSwedish Bagpipes: An Introduction Terry Mann Lower Methodist Church Hall 12:00-1:30 pm TueTin Whistle - Beginners Pat Brennan Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 9:30-11:00 am Mon-FriTraditional Silver and Wood Flute Jacquelyn Hynes Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 11:30-1:00 pm Fri 9Tune Learning - intermediate John Adams Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 9:30-11:00 am SunTunes Arranging - intermediate/ Advanced John Adams Kingswood & Devoran Hotel 11:30-1:00 pm Fri 9Ukulele - all levels Rusty Wright Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 2:00-3:30 pm Tue-FriWell Known Tunes At A Steady Pace Bob Ellis and Jannette Stewart Rugby Club 1:30-3:30 pm Mon-WedWhistle - Advanced Jacquelyn Hynes Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 11:30-1:00 pm Thu Whistle - Intermediate Jacquelyn Hynes Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 11:30-1:00 pm WedWest Gallery Music Mike Bailey and the West Gallery Music Association Manor Pavilion 11:30-1:00 pm Sun-Fri

SongA Round Of Rounds Stream of Sound Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 4:00-5:30 pm MonBirds & Botany In Traditional Song Mary Humphreys & Anahata Lower Methodist Church Hall 2:00-3:30 pm ThuChoir - Progressive Paul Sartin Methodist Church 2:30-4:00 pm Mon-WedCommunity Songs Peter Wilton and Mike Bailey Methodist Church 4:30-6:00 pm Mon & TueExplore Your Voice - all levels Tim Eriksen Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 4:00-5:30 pm SunGregorian Chant Peter Wilton Methodist Church 4:30-6:00 pm ThuHarmony - All levels Ragged Trousers Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 2:00-3:30 pm SunHarmony Singing - Advanced Mike Bailey Methodist Church 4:30-6:00 pm Fri 9Shape-Note Singing - Progressive Canaan’s Land Methodist Church 9:30-11:00 am Mon-ThuShape-Note Singing - Progressive Canaan’s Land Methodist Church 9:30-12:30 pm Fri 9Shape-Note Singing - Beginners Canaan’s Land Sidmouth C of E Primary School Hall 11:30-1:00 pm SunSidmouth Festival Choir Sandra Kerr Manor Pavilion 9:30-11:00 am Sun-FriSing Like A Bloke The Spooky Men’s Chorale The Bulverton 2:00-3:30 pm Sat Song Arrangement Nancy Kerr and James Fagan Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 4:00-5:30 pm WedSongwriting Broom Bezzums Lower Methodist Church Hall 2:00-3:30 pm TueTelling The Song - all levels Jeff Warner Woodlands Hotel 1:15-2:45 pm Fri 9The Stream Of Sound Sound Stream of Sound Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 4:00-5:30 pm Tue20th Century Folksong Arrangements Peter Wilton Methodist Church 4:30-6:00 pm Wed

StorytellingEpic Storytelling Mike O’Connor Woodlands Hotel 1:00-2:30 pm SunMummers Skills Stephen Rowley Sidmouth C of E Primary School Hall 4:00-5:00 pm MonStorytelling “How to learn a story to tell” Janet Dowling Woodlands Hotel 11:30-1:00 pm SatStorytelling “How to learn a story to tell” Janet Dowling Woodlands Hotel 11:15-12:45 pm SunTalk & Tales: Collecting Devon Ghost Tales Janet Dowling Woodlands Hotel 11:15-12:45 pm MonTalk & Tales: Lust And Revenge Janet Dowling Arts Centre 5:30-7:00 pm Sat The Music in The Words Mike O’Connor & Barbara Griggs Sidmouth C of E Primary School Classroom 11:30-1:00 pm Tue

Talks & moreDissecting Leveret Leveret Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 4:00-5:30 pm ThuFilm Show: The Dartmoor Entertainers Bill Murray Arts Centre 9:30-11:00 am MonFolkTED Stephen Rowley Rugby Club 2:00-3:30 pm ThuDiscussion. Step Dance Competitions Chris Metherell and others Arts Centre 5:30-7:00 pm MonPodcasts Stephen Rowley Lower Methodist Church Hall 12:00-1:30 pm MonPoetry for All Ilse Pedler Royal Glen Hotel 11:30-1:00pm Sun-ThursRun The Film Backwards Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham Woodlands Hotel 11:30-1:00 pm WedShort, Sharp Shanties Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham Woodlands Hotel 11:30-1:00 pm ThuTalk- Cotswold Morris Music Stephen Rowley Arts Centre 9:30-11:00 am TueTalk: 25 Years Of Abc Notation Chris Walshaw Arts Centre 5:30-6:45 pm WedTalk: As I Walked Out, Sabine Baring-Gould Martin Graebe Arts Centre 9:30-11:00 am ThuTalk: Cecil Sharp: Saint or Sinner? Brian Peters Arts Centre 9:30-11:00 am WedTalk: Folk On Foot Matthew Bannister Arts Centre 5:30-6:45 pm SunTalk: Jollyboys And Limberjacks Jeff Warner and Katie Howson Arts Centre 4:30-6:00 pm ThuTalk: Morris From The Archives Jameson Wooders Arts Centre 5:30-6:30 pm TueThe Ballad Trail with Sheena Wellington Sheena Wellington Lower Methodist Church Hall 12:00-1:30 pm ThuThe Life And Songs Of Robert Burns Sheena Wellington Richmond Room Sidholme Hotel 2:00-3:30 pm Sat

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Folk Festival Fringe

Festival FringeSidmouth’s “Festival Fringe” is a part of the Folk Festival experience, complementing the main Festival but not organised by it, so not responsible for what takes place – but many enjoy participating, or just taking in the atmos-phere. All Fringe events are free – but make a collection for the Festival. If you are having a good time, please drop a pound coin or two into the Collection tin now and then. Here is a rough guide of what goes on, plus places where things could happen:

Song sessionsMiddle Bar Singers: Upstairs at the Anchor to drink, laugh and sing. Unaccompanied singarounds are from 12.30-3pm and 8-11pm each day, starting on Thursday, the day before the Festival officially starts. Tuesday evening is usually a shanty fundraiser for Sidmouth Lifeboat and Thursday pm the singers jump into the sea and carry on singing: opposite the Bedford Hotel at 3pm.

Royal York and Faulkner: Morning singarounds with Kitty Vernon and Tim Edwards and evening sessions with a variety of hosts now appear in the main programme schedules. The Gloom, Doom and Despondency Competition is on Thursday at 4.30pm.

Esplanade Shelter: West Gallery Music sessions from Sunday to Friday, 2-3pm. Opposite Bedford Lawn Car Park. Now in main programme schedules.

Music sessionsAnchor Inn: In the main bar (street level).Bedford Hotel Pynes Bar: Afternoon sessions are now programmed by the main festival. See programme pages.Swan Inn: Music sessions all day.Radway Inn: English music session lunchtimes and evenings, starting Friday.

DanceOn the Esplanade outside the Royal York and Faulkner Hotel. Wild Thyme Border Morris (with Sue White) is for all, including complete beginners: 11am-

from Collections Office in the Festival Centre, Sidmouth C of E Primary School, vicarage Road just above the Radway cinema, on the opposite side of the road. Tins or buckets can be collected and returned between the hours of 9.30am and 6pm, or up to 7.30pm by special arrangement with the Collections Office. Please make sure that all tins are returned by 6pm on the last Friday evening, prior to the Torchlight Procession.

Special Arrangements for the Torchlight ProcessionPlease collect buckets for the Torchlight Procession from the Collections Office by 7pm. After the procession please return the buckets to the rendezvous point on Bedford Lawn car park.

The Bill Rutter Collections AwardsBill Rutter, Sidmouth Festival Director from 1961-79, encouraged everyone to participate and become part of the Festival team. The Festival has a long tradition of busking from all kinds of musicians, dancers, singers and artists. The award is presented to the dance team which collects the highest amount during the festival and is keenly contested. In addition, a second award is made to the group of musicians, singers or storytellers who collect the most during the week. The presentations will take place during LNE at The Bulverton around midnight on the final Friday.

noon starting Monday. Now included in the main programme.

This is the 20th year that Herbaceous Border (with Kurt Sauter) has run Border Morris workshops on the Esplanade out-side the Royal York and Faulkner Hotel. If you’re a dancer or musician without a side at Sidmouth, join us 6pm to 7pm, preferably in kit, each evening starting Sunday when we’ll celebrate with a picnic at 4pm in Blackmore Gardens.

Street PerformersPlease note that licensing arrangements and street closures for the folk festival limit use of the Market Square in particu-lar, and unprogrammed performers could be moved on.

to perform?There are two large Festival Performance spaces on the Esplanade at York Steps and opposite the Bedford Hotel. Apart from scheduled sessions by Festival dance teams, if you play acoustically, sing or dance, please make use of the opportunity these spaces provide. Dukes has Open Mic sessions from 3pm-6pm.

CollectionsSidmouth FolkWeek Ltd (Registered Charity 1111958) has obtained the street licence from East Devon District Council to collect in Sidmouth during the festival. Street collections from performances are an important part of the festival’s income.

If you are busking as musicians, singers or a dance team, please register your name and collect an official tin or bucket

VolunteersVolunteers are an integral part of The Sidmouth Folk Festival and we massively value their contribution before, during and after the main week of festivities.Volunteering roles include staffing the box offices, venues, charity collecting, the Children’s Festival, Campsite, Workshops, Processions, Merchandise to name but a few.In return for 5 hours a day, volunteers will receive a day pass or Week Ticket if working 35 hours or over, plus free camping, food discounts, subsidised Festival bus travel and without a doubt, make new friends and have a fabulous experience.We are always on the lookout for new volunteers and if you are interested in helping for one or two days, or for the whole festival, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch.Either visit our website, email [email protected] or pop in to the volunteer office between Wednesday 31st July-9th Aug and chat with Sue and her team.Volunteers are based at: Sidmouth Primary School, Vicarage Road, Sidmouth, EX10 8UG

Looking for somewhere


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Workshops

Over 270 workshops! More workshops than ever this year; some are progressive courses, some are one off tasters.

There’s plenty for Beginners to get you started in Folk Dance, Melodeon, Fiddle, Tin Whistle, Ukulele, Bones, Morris and more.

Musicians will find series at different levels in melodeon, fiddle and whistle and the chance to join the Big Band playing for Ceilidh or the Concert Band. There’s West Gallery, Balkan and Medie-val music and workshops on Concertina, Guitar, Accordion, Mountain Dulcimer, Northumbrian Smallpipes, Percussion, Banjo, Flute and a chance to dissect the music of Leveret!

Singers can join the choirs with Sandra Kerr and Paul Sartin and try Shape-note, Rounds, Gregorian Chant or a variety of one offs including Harmony Singing, Sing Like a Bloke with the Spooky Men’s Chorale and Song Arrangement with Nancy Kerr and James Fagan.

Lots for Dancers too. New this year are Indian Dance, Lindy Hop and Salsa, whilst you can enjoy European, Scandinavian, Balkan, Squares and

Contras, Early Dance, 18th Century English Dance, Clog, Dartmoor Stepping, Flatfooting and more.

Then there’s Storytelling, Mummers, Poetry and lots of Talks and Discussions covering FolkTed, Podcasts, Morris Archives, Jig Dolls, Song Collectors, Robert Burns and more.

Workshop Tickets

Workshops are included in All in One, Week, Weekend and Day tickets. Admission on the door is usually £12, (£14 for some longer workshops and £10 for some shorter workshops). A book of 6 workshop passes offers great savings and can be bought either from the Festival Box Office or at the door of workshop venues.

The pass costs £50 for 6 workshops (of any length/ price) and can be “traded in” at all workshops marked with a W in the event listings.

Workshop Showcases

Several of the workshop series lead to a Showcase event at the end of the week. This is clarified in the individual programme entries.

A quarter of a century ago, in August 1995, Shooting Roots was born. This year, for the 25th year, we will be back for another year of fun, friends, and folk, and we hope you’ll be able to join us! If you are new to Shooting Roots you will have the opportunity to meet the tutors, try out the workshops, and start making new friends at our Give it a Go Session on Saturday. In this workshop we welcome anyone of any ability aged 12-14, and our enthusiastic, talented tutors ensure that lots of fun is had, new skills learnt, and great friendships formed. For those of you coming back for another year, we have plenty on offer too! Get ready for a party atmosphere in Theatre, some stomping big tunes in Funky World Band, and the chance to try out new styles of dance in our Dance workshops. The sumptuous Stream of Sound are also back again with an exciting week of Song workshops and concerts, or drop into our Craft Day on Sunday to discover a new craft skill. And if you are looking for some tips and tricks to improve your performance skills, don’t miss our Young Performers workshops and Open Mics which give you invaluable personal feedback and experience. We couldn’t let this special year go by without doing something to commemorate it, so make sure you come along to celebrate in style at our Betsy’s Bash: Anniversary Party on Sunday! Also keep your eyes peeled for a special Meet the Artist event, competi-tions, and more surprises! And, for one year only, we’re opening our doors to the rest of the festival! Our one-off Anniver-sary Adult Band workshop is a chance for over 18s to come and experience all the excitement of a Shooting Roots workshop. Encourage your parents to come along and see the kinds of things you get up to all week! Join us to cele-brate 25 years of inspiring young folkies and to look forward to another fantastic 25 years and more!

Youth Workshops at the Sidmouth Folk Festival:Shooting RootsFor everyone aged 12-17

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Children’s Festival

A taster of children’s events from the Children’s Programme

A warm welcome awaits all children and families who join in the events at the Children’s Festival. Don’t forget a high-lighter pen to mark off favourites for the week! The Children’s Festival programme offers fantastic opportunities to embark on music and dance journeys of discovery, plus there are great things to make in the craft workshops, activities to join in with and shows to watch. The evening family shows are renowned for providing brilliant entertainment. This year we are delighted to kick the evening events off with a Family Ceilidh, and then everyone can look forward to a Circus Show, Story Evening, Special Family Concert, an enchanting Puppet Show and the Stomping Ceilidh finale on Thursday evening. During the week there is a huge range of activities on offer for young people to enjoy and the most cost effective way is to buy a Children’s Festival Season Ticket, which gives priority access to all events in the Children’s Programme (space permitting).

Have a great fun-filled family week.

Ray and Bev Langton, Children’s Festival Producers

The Children’s Programme provides some-thing special for each dedicated age group. Three stars *** indicate that the workshops are progressive, building on the previous days’ activities and culminating in a special showcase opportunity.

For 4 years and under, little ones can start their Musical Journey by enjoying: Little Songstars Music, Action Songs and Percussion and Songs. For those who want to Dance and Move, there are opportunities to try out Yoga, Dancing around the Maypole and Reflexology for Little Ones. Everyone loves to make things so there are some special Creative Craft Workshops for Children. Oh, and don’t forget the famous Teddies Hospital, where teddies, dollies and an assortment of soft toys can be bandaged to cure all of their aliments. This year we also welcome a special show for little ones: Crabby, offering an opportunity to try out some Edwardian seaside activities.

For 5–7 year olds with musical interests, there is a chance to make lots of noise in Percussion and Songs, to sing in the special choir for younger ones – The Sidmouth Mini Singers***. The Minims Beginners’ Band caters for all instruments and provides an opportunity to play and perform together on the Garden Stage. Active youngsters can flex, stretch and have fun in Yoga or learn their first ceilidh dance moves in the Ceilidh Dance Workshop. Crafty young people can make things and sing songs around the theme “The Herring Is The King Of The Sea” in Crazy Crafts, be part of an Edwardian Seaside Story with songs and puppets in Crabby, make something to take home in the Pottery Workshop, or make Gargoyles and Windsocks to put up outside their tent or bedroom.

For 8 years and over, the musical journey includes an opportunity to try out Body Percussion, make unique junk musical instruments in Non-Messy Music, learn

a tune or two to perform in the final Show-case event with the Ukulele Workshop ***, spend time singing some wonderful songs to perform with the Sidmouth Songswell Choir ***. For those who can already play a few tunes with confidence, bring instruments along and join the famous Sidmouth Seaside Stompers Ceilidh Band Workshop.***. There are also some special opportunities to try out Appalachian Step Dancing *** along with learning Cotswold Morris Dancing ***. For hands-on creatives, there is the famous Craft Carousel where special festival mementos can be made to take away. How about making a rocket and firing it from the Garden Stage in the Stomp Rockets Workshop? Or have a go at activities and exercises, stories and arts in Robin Hood Drama and make a fabulous dancing doll in Jack-in-the-Green-Jig- Doll Workshop ***.

A highlight for many families is spending afternoons in the Children’s Festival Torchlight Processional Build Work-shop. This year everyone will be working towards creating a musical processional extraordinaire by making fantastical illumi-nated headdresses, simple costumes and learning great noisy percussive rhythms, ensuring that no one will miss the Children’s Festival in the final Friday

DAILY ENTERTAINMENT IN BLACKMORE GARDENSEvery day there will be performances on the Garden Stage featuring stunning Young Performers. The Gardens will also feature dance displays, walkabout and pop up entertainment. There will be family ceilidh dancing and face painting. Seek out the brand new Threads, Strings and Yarns area and there is even an opportu-nity for young people to perform at the new

BUSKIT spot.

evening Torchlight Procession.

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Children’s Festival

SATURDAY Family Ceilidh with Ray Langton and Adam Courthold, calling by Barry Goodman plus performances by Jeff Warner and Star and Shadow Rapper. All Saint’s Church Hall

SUNDAYFamily Story Show with Dave Tong, The Yarnsmith of Norwich. The performance promises a compelling mix of humorous and re-vealing tales, interwoven with crafty and relevant riddles. Tale telling that brings the long past into the here and now. The Unitarian Hall

MONDAYFamily Circus Show – Big Tops and Tiny Tots with Solid State Circus. Walking a tightrope between circus and education, Big Tops and Tiny Tots is a non-stop whirlwind of plate spinning, hula hooping and unicycling fun. All Saint’s Church Hall

TUESDAYFamily Show – I Am The Song featuring the poems of Charles Causley set to music with a mix of nonsense, history, tradition and songs about real places by Jim Causley, Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham. All Saint’s Church Hall

WEDNESDAYFamily Puppet Show – The Mystery of Memory Lane. Hand To Mouth Theatre’s warm and nostalgic show based around a Bric-a-Brac market stall where Mr Shabby and Mrs Chic try to teach a new dog old tricks in an attempt to

solve the Mystery of Memory Lane. Help them find where puppet dog Toby belongs, as they tell stories and sing songs using tin toys, hand carved wooden marionettes, seaside Punch and Judy puppets and vin-tage musical instruments. All Saints Church Hall

THURSDAYA Steamy Stomping Ceilidh! with the Seaside Stompers led by Ray Langton and Team STOMPIT!, calling by Nick Walden plus appearances from The Exmouth Shanty Men and Oakenyouth. We’re going green for tonight’s ceilidh so look out your green outfits and head on down to Blackmore Gardens Marquee for an evening of fabulous ceilidh dancing. Blackmore Gardens Marquee

Ticketing for Family Evening Shows.

Evening Family FunAdults £10 Child £5 Family ticket £15. Season ticket priority applies. A “family” is 2 adults and up to 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children (babes in arms are free).Adults who are accompanied by children have priority over those who are not.

A Children’s Week Season ticket is £56 which gives priority entrance to all Children’s/Family events, space permitting.

Children’s Festival Workshops can be paid for on the door at the prices shown in the Children’s Festival Programme. Children 4 years and under whose parent/carer has purchased the appropriate adult season ticket have free entry to events for the under 4s.

Folk Festival Children’s Festival events are supported by Sidmouth Town Council. Sidmouth

Town Council


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Tickets

Collection of pre-booked tickets All-In-One, All-In-One Weekend, Bulverton-In-One, Week, Weekend, Day and Camping ticket purchasers will be sent a receipt which is then exchanged for tickets on arrival in Sidmouth. The receipt shows which collection point you have chosen: Festival Box Office or Campsite. On the day of arrival, if the appropriate Box Office is closed, a Season Ticket receipt itself can be used to gain access to events.

If requested, Advance Event Tickets purchased before 15th July will have been posted to the address you gave when booking; otherwise they will be held at the Festival Box Office, or Campsite Reception, as per your selection when booking. From 15th July onwards, they will be held for collection at the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) until 4.00pm on 28th July, and from 29th July at the Festival Box Office. Event tickets pur-chased online from 15th July onwards can be collected from the Festival Box Office from 29th July. Tickets not collected up to 1 hour before the event can be collected at the venue. (The collection point for The Ham events is the Festival Box Office).

All-In-One Tickets give admission to all Festival events including The Ham Evening Concerts. They do not give entry to the Pre-Festival shows on Thursday 1st or Friday 2nd August, but you can get a discount. Priority entry to all events (just arrive at least 10 minutes before the event start) subject to capacity. Separate campsite charges apply.

All-In-One Weekend Tickets have the same conditions, for the relevant days, as the All-In-One Tickets above. The Weekend Ticket covers Friday to Sunday.

Bulverton-In-One (18-25 & 25+) give admission to all Bulverton events and also include full week’s Camping. They do not give access to other venues and shows but discounts are available.

Week Tickets give admission to all Festival events, except The Ham Evening Concerts and Pre-Festival shows, but you can get a discount. Priority entry to all events (just arrive at least 10 minutes before the event start ) subject to capacity. Separate campsite charges apply.

Day and Weekend Tickets have the same conditions, for the relevant days, as the Week Tickets above. The Week-end Ticket covers Friday to Sunday. Ticket holders can purchase camping for the weekend or for the night before and/or the night of the relevant Day ticket, as appropriate.

Advance Event Tickets give admissionto specific events at The Ham, Manor Pavilion, Sidholme Hotel and TheBulverton. The number of advance tickets available is limited.

Event Tickets will be available at the door of almost all events, subject to space after Season and Advance ticket holders have been let in.

Pre-Festival shows: These shows are planned particularly for people from the region, local residents and early Festival arrivals and so are separately ticketed. All-in-One, Bulverton-In-One, Week and Weekend Festival Season ticket holders can buy these tickets for these shows at a discount – the 2nd price shown. All events will take place at The Ham.

Event Tickets for Children are half the full adult price unless otherwise shown in brackets. Children 5 and under free,

unless they occupy a separate seat. Children under 12 (16 at LNE) must be accompanied by an adult. (See ‘Requirements for Care of Minors’ opposite).

‘Advance Tickets No Longer Available’ for any specific event means that tickets will then only be on sale at the door from about 10 minutes before the event starts, depending upon space.Seats are not pre-allocated and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The number of tickets available overall has been limited to ensure that All-In-One, All-In-One Weekend, Week, Weekend and Day Ticket holders can gain access to an alternative event should their first choice be full.

Workshop Tickets are mainly priced at £12 and are available on the door for individual workshops. Alternatively, a book of 6 workshop passes can be bought either from the Festival Box Office or at the door. The book costs £50 for 6 workshops and can be used at all workshops marked with ‘W’ in the events listing.

Bulverton Extended Hours: The Bulverton evening events usually begin at 7.00pm and LNE will finish at 1.15am. This gives you the chance to make an evening of it with a meal and a drink at the bar, both at reduced Early Evening Special prices from 7.00pm to 8.15pm.

Bulverton Late Night Extra (LNE) tickets are available from the Festival Box Office until 7.00pm each day. After 7.00pm tickets for that night’s LNE will be available at The Bulverton entrance.

Big Gig Tickets are combined, discount-price tickets for the Bulverton evening and LNE events. These are available in advance from the Festival Box Office until 7.00pm, or on the door, subject to space.


TicketsChildren’s Festival – Child Season tickets are good value and give the child priority entry to all Children’s Festival events. The Family Ticket Offer allows you to buy an Adult ticket and one youth/Child ticket and then get the next Child ticket FREE. You can also Pay on the Door for individual events, if space is available. For full details and prices, see the Children’s Festival programme.

Family Concerts – there are reduced price Family Tickets for these early evening concerts for 2 adults and up to 2 children or 1 adult and up to 3 children.

Requirements for Care of Minors • Children 5 and under must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. See the Children’s Festival Programme for information regarding specific Children’s workshops. • Children under 12 years old must be accompanied by a responsible adult to performance events. • Under 16s must be accompanied by a responsible adult at any event that is programmed to run after midnight.

Queues at some events will be inevitable. Doors cannot be opened until soundchecks have been completed and venue management are ready to receive the audience. Please be patient and co-operate with our stewards, who will let you in as soon as they can. At some venues, stewards may ask you to form two queues; for instance, for ticket holders and non-ticket holders. Holders of tickets will be let in first, then tickets will be sold at the door, subject to space being available.

Dogs Please note that dogs are not permitted in any Festival venues except for recognised assistance dogs. Dogs are permitted on the Festival campsite if kept on leads.

REFUNDS Sorry, we are not able to give refunds on any tickets, and any lost tickets cannot be replaced. Please refer to the full buying terms and conditions available at: www.sidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk

Box OfficesSidmouth Tourist Information Centre Box Office Open until Sunday 28th July at 4pm. Ham Lane, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 8XR. Tel: 01395 577952, open 10am–5pm (4pm Sundays). By post, phone or in person.

Festival Box Office Open from Monday 29th July to Friday 9th August. Sited outside the Swimming Pool and Tourist Information Centre. Tel: 01395 577952 or in person; 12noon to 8pm 29th July, 9am to 8pm 30th July to 8th August, 9am to 6pm 9th August. We will accept telephone bookings for event tickets until 5pm on the day of the event for evening shows with advance tickets, and 1pm for Ham afternoon shows.

Online www.sidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk Tickets can be bought online as follows: Weekend – until Thursday 1st August at midnight All-In-One, Bulverton-In-One and Week – until Saturday 3rd August at midnight Day and Event – until midnight on the day before the event or day concerned

Key to Ticket Prices Children’s prices are half the full adult price, unless otherwise shown in brackets, e.g. (£5). For The Ham Evening Concerts, two prices are shown, e.g. £20/16, the 2nd being the discount price for Week, Weekend, Day Ticket holders and Residents. W Workshops at which the book of workshop passes can be used or entry paid for at the door. F Family prices for Family Concerts and Evening Ceilidhs are for 2 adults and up to 2 children, or for 1 adult and up to 3 children. Note: At Family Concerts, priority will be given to children and people with children. Ticket prices include VAT at 20%.

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WherePostcode: EX10 9DW Located on the B3176, Bulverton Road. 1.5 miles from the centre of Sidmouth.

Available to –All-In-One, Bulverton-In-One, Week, Weekend and Day Ticket holders for the appropriate night(s) and people who have bought advance event tickets, for the night before and night of the event. Sepa-rate charges for Caravan / Motorhomes / Live-in-Vehicles apply.Camping is also available to Non-Ticket Holders at a premium price as indicated.

Opening TimesWednesday 31st July, 12.00, to Saturday 10th August, 12.00 On Arrival, follow the instructions from the Campsite volunteers. All campers must complete a registration sheet. Cars are allowed on site for unloading / loading. For the full Sidmouth Folk Festival Campsite Guide, please see the website, or collect a copy of the guide when you arrive.

CarsCars are allowed on the campsite. How-ever, once parked no vehicle may move until it leaves the festival. If you would like move your car during the festival, please use the free Festival Car Park on top of Bulverton Hill. Cars must be parked as indicated by the Campsite Stewarding team.

Family AreaThere is a designated quieter Family Camping area – please keep the noise here to a minimum after 10:30pm.

Accessibility AreaThere is a dedicated area for people with mobility requirements.

Waste DisposalRubbish and recycling bins are at the top of the campsite, by the entrance and between the two fields. Please keep this area tidy.

DogsDogs are permitted on site if kept on a lead and under control at all times. Please exercise your dogs away from the camping areas and clean up after them. Please note that dogs are not permitted in any venue, except for recognised assistance dogs.

Festival Car ParkThe Festival Car Park is located off the B3176 Bulverton Road and accessible via one-way system from Broadway and Bickwell Lane. It is in a grass field behind the Bulverton Marquee. To access the town from the car park, walk past the Bulverton Marquee, down the hill to the bus stop just opposite the Campsite entrance (see Bus Timetable).

Parking costs: Per day – £4 per car (arrival before 5.30pm) Evening – £2 per car (arrival after 5.30pm) Parking in the Festival Car Park is free to All In One, Bulverton In One, Week, Week-end and Day Ticket holders. Access: the Festival Car Park is based on farmland that is sloped and undulating and is not suitable for people who cannot traverse uneven, sometimes muddy, grassed ground. The Festival Car Park is not suitable for large vans/motor homes due to width restrictions.

Campfires & BBQCampfires and ground-level barbeques are strictly prohibited. Barbecue units are only allowed with the agreement of the Campsite Manager, so please check before buying food.

Motorhomes, Caravans &Live-In-VehiclesA separate area from tents is provided with limited availability. Book in advance. Must remain in situ for the week once parked.

FacilitiesToilets including accessible facilities. Showers – Cubicles including one acces-sible unit for wheelchair users. Keys for the accessible shower available from the campsite box office. Drinking Water – Various taps around the campsite. Hot water washing up facilities. Two Elsan points. Milk – Available from campsite shop. Main walkways are lit by fairy lights. Lockable storage – operated during Campsite Box Office opening hours only. Available to all campers. Please note that all items left must be available for search-ing prior to depositing. Storage is locked overnight and is secure. (Free) Access: the campsite is based on farmland that is at times sloping and undulating.

CateringWakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey return to serve great breakfasts and tasty evening meals. The Campsite Shop by Woolbrook News has increased its range of basics, papers, camping gear this year, so please support them.

There are no parking concessions in any of the town car parks for Festival ticket holders, traders or stallholders. We advise you to use public transport or the Festival Bus wherever possible, thereby reducing the environmental impact and improving safety.

Sidmouth Cricket, Tennis & Croquet Clubs (main festival supporter) and Sidmouth Rugby Club (Diamond Folk Festival Sponsor): Each club operates a car park during the Folk Festival. Follow the signs on the B3176 (Station Road) before reaching the Esplanade.

Bedford Lawn car park (Folk Festival Donor): Opposite Bedford Hotel. Pay as you enter.

The Ham East, Ham West and Rox-burgh short stay car parks (EDDC): Charging 8am to 6pm daily. 3 hours max stay, no return within 1 hour.

Manor Road car park (EDDC): Western end of Manor Road. Charging 24 hours daily. 24 hours max stay: no return within 1 hour.

Festival Campsite and Car Park

Car parking in the town


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Sidmouth Folk Festival 2019 Bus Service

Depart

Depart

Depart

08.00

08.10

08.00 09.00

08.30

08.20 02.00

02.10

21.00

every 20 minutes (or when buses are full) to

every 20 minutes (or when buses are full) to

every 60 minutes

2nd to 9th August 2019

Campsite to Triangle

Town Circular Route

Additional service 31st July and 1st August

Additional service 10th August

Bulverton Campsite – Triangle

Triangle – Bulverton Campsite

Campsite – Triangle – All Saints Road – Radway – Sidmouth Primary School – Woolbrook – Waitrose – Campsite

A cut-down service in both directions between the Bulverton Campsite and the Triangle is in operation from Wednesday 31st July, 12:00 until midnight and on Thursday 1st August, from 08:00 until midnight.

On the morning of the 10th August a single coach will operate between 08.00 to 10.00hrs between the Campsite and the Triangle.

This route provides for venues: All Saints Church, Sidmouth Primary School (Vicarage Road) and Sidholme Hotel.

Craft Village

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Craft VillageCome and browse......................................

24 stalls with over 40 traders in an English Garden setting.Fantastic on-site Cafe open

throughout the day.Open late on Friday and Saturday

until 8pm.Easily found right next door to Blackmore Gardens on Peacock Lawn in the centre of town.

Undercover and open air seating across the lawn with LIVE entertainment and displays.Come and browse our stalls in an English Garden setting with traders selling everything from Jewellery, Artwork, Glass Carvings, Clothing and much more!

Cafe Dish will be in its usual place offering a great selection of cakes, lunches and refreshments throughout the day with plenty of seating!

NEW FOR 2019 – We are pleased to announce entertainment and workshops as well as demon-strations from many of our traders, locals and festival friends. Come and see the new traders as well as visiting your old favourites and even shop for longer on Friday and Saturday with late opening until 8pm!

If you are interested in being part of the Craft Village in 2020,please email:[email protected] for more details.

Out Of The Doldrums

Offering a wide range of high quality ethnic clothing alongside silk batik paintings and scarves by Denise and sculptured leaded-glass insects, spiders and webs by Hugh.

WildWoodLove FluteEach flute is unique and lovingly hand-crafted to provide you with something that sings with a sound as beautiful as the natural wood it is crafted from.

Samphire JewelleryBeautiful jewels handmade in Devon. Semi-precious, freshwater pearls, silver and gold hand-stamped.

CraftExeFused glass handmade in Exeter.

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We are here!

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Craft Village

Grandma Bees Natural SkincareHandmade in Monmouthshire with only pure natural ingredients.

TexturaUnusual and distinctive clothing made from natural fibres, specialising in clothes made from nettles and hemp.

BeaujanglesHomemade jewellery and children’s paintings.

Glitzy VintageBeautiful antique and vintage jewellery at affordable prices. Every piece is different and could be Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco or from the 50’s or 60’s.

Kyle Baker PhotographyOfficial festival photographer selling Sidmouth prints and more!

Hare Raising Designs & Zara Emily Designer High Quality, limited edition prints, cards, clothing and homeware with a gothic feel.

Jane Williams SilksHand painted silk scarves inspired by nature and the stunning landscape of North Devon.

Uniquely Suzy BHand spun and weaved clothing and accessories made with vegan yarn.

Matneys ShedHandmade furniture and sculptures made from recycled and reclaimed items.

Starfish StudiosQuick portraits of people and animals in charcoal, pencil or pastel as well as prints and cards.

Handmade by HollyHandmade jewellery, accessories and homeware using fabric and polymer clay.

Unique BoutiqueShowcasing some of the best emerging indie makers in the south west.

Made with Love by MazzHandmade and upcycled handmade, personalised gifts that can be made to order.

JewelsangelHandmade copper and Cornish tin art, jewellery and accessories.

ALSO – Palm reading, hand & foot massages, art classesand much more!

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Music Fair

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Hobgoblin

Instruments, accessories, books and CDs. 0845 1309500

The Music Room Acoustica & Oakwood Instruments Instruments, accessories, books, CDs and starter kits. 01274 879768

Devon Strings Workshop Violin makers and restorers offering a range of fiddles, bows, cases, strings and accessories. 01392 433748

New Premises in Exeter @ 3 Guinea Street, EX1 1BS

P J MusicAn eclectic range of instruments for sale. 07968 687011

Our highly respected music fair returns for 2019 in its usual Blackmore Gardens position.

Come and meet the makers, try their instruments and enjoy the relaxed and creative atmosphere.

With seating, food and drink available right outside in the gardens, it is a unique setting for this kind of fair in the UK.

If you are interested in being part of the Music Fair in 2020, please email:

[email protected] for more details.

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Merchandise

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SidmouthRFCwww.sidmouthrfc.co.uk

Town centre parking,right next to

Blackmore Gardens

Delighted to be Diamond sponsorsof Sidmouth Folk Festival

Follow the signs off Station Road

Food available on site,including all day breakfast

at The Hamand in Blackmore Gardens

Festival Artists CD sales:at The HamArtists’ CDs will be on sale at the Ham Merchandise stall.(CDs also sold at venues where artists appear.)

Festival SouvenirShops

Something for everyone as souvenirs of the 65th Festival: new, special 65th David Owen designs. Card payments now available.Look out for “Sing a Song of Sidmouth” competition

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HighlightsSpecial news this year at The Ham for Foodies There is a very fine restaurant in Ottery St Mary, The Rusty Pig, with a stellar and growing reputation around the South West for fine food at home and at events.

STOP PRESS: THE RUSTY HAS LANDED at The Sidmouth Folk Festival as our new main Ham caterer. (Recommended to us by previous incumbent, Tom’s Kitchen/Pies).

Expect a great menu from Rusty presenting their own take on the best food at ANY festival. Super variety with loads of interesting dishes, plus, for you devotees, Tom’s pies from Rusty.

Bulverton News: loads more choice from 2 excellent caterers for the whole evening and late for the Betsy’s Loungers – details below.

It promises to be a fine year for food at the Festival with all the caterers looking to create something special to celebrate the 65th.

Been a great year for our brewery sponsor Wickwar Brewing Company. Look out for a superb new IPA to meet demand for this increasing popular light ale. From the rugged heartlands of Devon, the true home of cider, Sandford Orchards bring us deli-cious craft and fruit varieties for discerning cider drinkers.

At The HamRusty Pig at the Festival: A hearty welcome to the Rusty Pig from Ottery using fresh, local and sustainable produce to produce the highest standards of cooking, which shows through in their lovely and varied dishes. They are also bringing the famous Tom’s Pies back with them.

Exe Coffee Roasters: Superb coffees, plus a wide variety of teas and cakes. Ask for the special Festival coffee blend.

Goodness Gracious Healthy Foods: For more than a quarter of a century, the UK’s leading vegetarian event caterers and “Healthiest Food” award winners. Unbeat-able quality.

Salcombe Dairy’s Ice Cream Parlour: Salcombe’s delicious handmade ice creams are made with real Devon Double Cream. That’s why they win awards! Available on the Ham and inside the Theatre space.

Crazy Crepes: The Crazy gang have delivered a great range of sweet and savoury crepes, both tasty and authentic.

Ham Bar: The Anchors Away Ham team will be there with an excellent range of Wickwar craft ales, Sandford Orchards ciders and all manner of wines, spirits and soft drinks.

The BulvertonNEW: 1: Bush Farm, Exmouth: Healthy, naturally reared, low fat bison and venison plus beef burgers, chilli nachos, bacon and egg rolls and chips – all you need to get through a serious Bulverton night out.

NEW: 2: The Big Kebabski, Starcross, Exeter: Vegan kebabs – delicious, healthy and honestly homemade! Proud at making everything from scratch, from pickling chillies to fermenting Kimchi, Luke and Justa are passionate and fully dedicated to get your taste buds going! Their kebabs come in freshly cooked flatbreads and are served with their signature dips and sauces.

Early Bird Bar and Food Special: From 7.00 to 8.15 pm, we invite you to take advantage of the Early Bird food and bar deals, before the main entertainment kicks in. Why not eat and drink at Bulverton and make it a great night?

Bulverton Bar: The Anchors Away Bulverton team will be serving you fast with Wickwar craft ales, Sandford Orchards ciders and all manner of cocktails, wines, spirits and soft drinks. The Bar stays open to serve those going into Betsy’s Lounge.

Blackmore Gardens & Peacock LawnLemon Jelli: The Jelli Babies sped up from Newton Abbot in their classy French coffee van on a mission. They have promised to deliver pasties, pies and sandwiches, delicious coffees/teas, drinks, cakes and cream teas to make your day!

Sapeur Crepes: Never seen such scrumptious crepes, both savoury and sweet. Plenty of choice – too many to get through in a week. But have a go!

Salcombe Dairy’s Ice Cream Parlour: Delicious ices for small and big children in the Blackmore Gardens.

Blackmore Marquee: the Blackmore Volunteer Bar: These highly-tuned, bar- minding athletes do a great job hosting all visitors to the Blackmore Marquee, including the Display Dance contingent who call it “Home from Home”. Impenetrable and pithy West Country humour aside, they do have a “must try” range of unique beers, ciders and skinny cocktails.

Café Dish on Peacock Lawn: Kara’s Café Dish nestles in the official Festival Craft Village on Peacock Lawn, just over the wall from Blackmore Gardens. A hidden gem, just waiting for you to find them, offering truly wondrous cakes, delicious vegan food and loads of other food and drinks, like nothing else at the Festival.

Festival CampsiteWakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey: Apart from having the most outrageous name and coming from Sidmouth, they do superb breakfasts plus an excellent variety of early evening meals with good vegetarian options. All that remains is for hungry campers to get down there in their droves.

Campsite Shop by Woolbrook News: From a base less than a mile away, Teresa’s team will be on site for the Festival doing newspapers, basics like eggs & milk, sand-wiches, household provisions, toiletries, camping equipment and even an ice block freezing service.

Street TradingEast Devon District Council administers street trading on The Esplanade. Pitches for this year have normally been sold before the Festival. Enquiries for future Festivals should be directed to East Devon District Council: application forms and guidance notes are available from www.eastdevon.gov.uk or the Licensing Office on 01395 517410.

Food and Drink

Sponsorship, Grants and Donations

Sidmouth Town Council has again renewed its significant and long term support for the Festival, demonstrating the importance of this internationally renowned event to the town as a resort and to its businesses. Town Council support has enabled us to develop the Children’s and Youth Festivals, our Social Dance offering and our main venue programmes. All areas of the Festival benefit from this support, including the Festival’s organisational structure and Marketing, particularly our rapidly growing Social media coverage, with a reach of over 2m during festival week.

We are grateful to our Devon County Council Member Stuart Hughes’s Locality fund for its support of the Festival, which is a major West Country event and particu-larly important to Devon. County support helps us strengthen our main concert programme and provide for new Young People’s initiatives.

During the year, a number of events take place which raise funds for the Festival, in particular the Middle Bar Singers Reunion Weekend in February, not forgetting to mention their collections during the Festival. Many thanks to the singers and their supporters and to all other individuals and organisations making donations to Sidmouth Folk festival.

Following the Torchlight Procession on Friday 9th August, there will be the traditional spectacular Firework Display. The funding for the fireworks comes from a variety of Sidmouth businesses, kindly co-ordinated by Colin Pyne of The Bedford Hotel. We are most grateful to Colin for his hard work, and to the generous support of local businesses. A full list of these supporters will be published in the Sidmouth Herald.

East Devon District Council gives assistance in support services and facilities, enabling the complex task of running this large Festival to be undertaken more effectively. EDDC departments also give advice and support and we are grateful to the Council leaders, members, Executive and their support staff for this.

We are grateful to Creative Scotland for their support of our Sounds of Modern Scotland programme strand, showcasing emerging young Scottish artists.

The English Folk Dance and Song Society curate a series of “EFDSS Presents” concerts, Open Mics, a Showcase at Betsy’s Lounge and a Show-case of EFDSS Bursary recipients.

Halsway Manor, the National Centre for the Folk Arts, showcase the Halsway Young Folk participants in concerts and sessions.


East Devon District Council

Creative Scotland

EFDSS

fROOTS

Halsway Manor

Firework Display

Devon County Council

Middle BarSingers’ ReunionWeekend


Our media sponsors return with Cellar Full of Folkadelia in the Cellar Bar at Kennaway House.

Friends of SidmouthFolk Festival

Your Support Really Counts For over sixty years, the Folk Festival in Sidmouth has been a vibrant and innovative event in the cultural life of the town, and in the national folk music and dance calendar.

The town-based festival has an array of events reflecting the diversity of the folk arts, including dance, song, music and story-telling. The continuation of the tradition has always been a priority for the Folk Festival and this is reflected in the huge variety of workshops for both adults and children.

By becoming a member of the Friends of the Sidmouth Folk Festival, you would help to make a contribution to the continued existence of the Festival and towards its future development. Alternatively, you can support the Festival by making a one-off donation. The money raised is put into a fund administered by Sidmouth FolkWeekLimited, a registered charity (no. 1111958).

How To Contribute For more details, please pick up a leaflet from the Box Office or from a festival venue. Application forms can also be downloaded from www.sidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk under the Friends page under Information. Whether you are becoming a member or making a donation, please tick the Gift Aid box if you are a UK tax payer. This will signifi-cantly increase the value of your contribution.

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New Roots

New Roots is an annual event for singers and musicians under 25. Look out for New Roots finalists Burdock, Molly Pipe, Missing Richard and Arthur Coates.Thanks to Alison Macfarlane.www.new-roots.org.uk

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Sponsorship, Grants and Donations

Sponsorship Programme for Sidmouth Businesses and Organisations

The Festival greatly benefits town and local area businesses and organisations, which recognise that significant sponsorship is needed to sustain the event. The Festival Sponsorship programme has 5 bands from Bronze to Platinum, providing graded packages of advertising and promotional opportunities at the Festival for businesses to reach thousands of festival

goers, town visitors and Festival marketing recipients. Festival sponsors and advertisers are identified by posters on display at their premises and are listed below. Please support only these businesses when- ever you are able. We now also have a Business Supporter scheme for organisations which benefit indirectly from the Festival and would like to see it flourish. We are pleased to welcome the following businesses and organisations as members of the Sponsorship Programme and as Business Supporters.

Platinum Sponsors Anchor Inn – supporting ceilidhs in the Anchor Garden, daily at noon and 4:30pm The Bedford Hotel – supporting evening concerts in the Bedford Hotel The Mocha Group (The Mocha Restaurant, Ice Cream Paradise, The Prospect, The Donuterrie and the All Seasons Shop) – supporting evening concerts in the Manor Pavilion Sidmouth Hotels (Dukes, Hotel Elizabeth and The Kingswood & Devoran Hotel) – supporting evening events at the Bulverton

Diamond Sponsors Sidmouth Rugby Club – supporting event 002Hobgoblin Music – supporting after-noon Ham concerts on the Hobgoblin stage

Gold Sponsor Kia Cars, Exeter – supporting event 587 The White Horse Café – supporting event 103

DonorsSidmouth Cricket, Tennis & Croquet Clubs – supporting event 221 Bedford Lawn Car Park The Friends of Sidmouth Folk Festival – supporting event 492

Media SponsorfRoots magazine – supporting A Cellar Full of Folkadelia afternoon events at Kennaway House

Official Brewers and Cider MakersWickwar Wessex Brewing Company – supporting event 688 Sandford Orchards Ciders Business SupportersHall & Scott Estate Agents01395 578791 Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce01395 514011

Silver Sponsors The Royal York & Faulkner Hotel – supporting event 110 Churches Together In Sidmouth – supporting event 213 The Dairy Shop – supporting event 863 The Woodlands Hotel – supporting evening events at Woodlands Hotel

Bronze Sponsors Branscombe Brewery – supporting event 489 The Hunter’s Moon Hotel – supporting event 629 The Royal Glen Hotel – supporting event 528 The Swan Inn – supporting event 729 Sweetcombe Cottages – supporting event 327 Upper Crust Bakery – supporting event 657 Vinnicombes Bakery – supporting event 347 Middle Bar Singers – supporting event 861

Future SponsorshipIf you or your business would like to become involved with future Sidmouth Folk Festivals, or if you would like more information about sponsorship or advertising opportunities, or feel you would like to make a donation, please contact one of the following:

Colin Trussell [email protected] 07976 351324 John Braithwaite [email protected] 07831 873958

Or visit our website www.sidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk


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Mailing List and Emails to customers We do two postal mailshots a year – a leaflet in February and the Taster Programme in May – and a number of email newsletters throughout the year. If you would like to receive these, please send us your contact details for the postal and emailing list via the website – www.sidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk by clicking on any button around the site labelled ‘Join the Mailing List’. To add an email address, if we currently only have your postal address, use the same procedure. If you would like to only receive leaflets and programmes by post, please complete the form available in the Festival Box Office or write to the General Manager at the Registered Office of Sidmouth FolkWeek Produc-tions Ltd shown below. If you change your address or email, don’t forget to tell us! Your contact details will not be passed on to anyone else.

351324, and if you would like to offer accommodation for next year then email – [email protected]

Sidmouth Folk Festival Management Team Festival Director: John Braithwaite Artistic and Marketing: Alan Bearman Event Production: John Radford General Management, Administration and Finance: Jason Knight Commercial Support: John Heydon Advisors: Colin Trussell and Mike Norris

Festival ProgrammePrepared by Alan Bearman Music Designed by Raymond Greenoaken Photography by Kyle Baker and Derek Schofield

Flash PhotographyFor the enjoyment of all Festival goers, please refrain from using flash photography in seated concerts.

Beach at Port RoyalThe cliff beyond Port Royal is unstable and subject to rock falls. The Police and local councils strongly advise people NOT to go on the beach beyond Port Royal.

Local Volunteer NetworkDo you live locally and if so, are you able to help the Festival throughout the year? We have been building up a network of local Festival enthusiasts to provide assistance with some of the vital tasks through the year, including help with fundraising, publicity, programme and publicity posting and generally acting as local ambassadors for the Festival. We are also looking for artist accommodation, particularly in the town. If you would like to join the group, please contact Colin Trussell on 07976

Follow The Sidmouth Folk Festival on Twitter @sidmouthfolk to keep up with news during the week and throughout the year.

Mission Statement

The Sidmouth Folk Festival stimulates and cele-brates awareness, interest and involvement in traditional and folk arts from the United Kingdom and beyond, through accessible and inclusive performance, participation, learning opportunities and other activities.

Sidmouth Folk Festival is organised by Sidmouth FolkWeek Productions Ltd which is a non-distributing trading company under the chairmanship of John Braithwaite. Registered Office: 27 Eastwood Close, Hayling Island PO11 9DY. Company registered in England and Wales No. 5610997.

Sidmouth FolkWeek Ltd is a charity and company limited by guarantee, under the chairmanship of Barry Lister. Registered Office: 3 Fairleigh, Manor Road, Sidmouth Devon EX10 8RR. Company registered in England and Wales No. 5564884. Charity registered with The Charity Commission No. 1111958.

Sidmouth FolkWeek Productions Ltd can give no guarantee that any events will take place, or any artists perform at any particular time, or at all. We will, however, make every effort to carry out the programme as advertised. Sidmouth FolkWeek Productions Ltd.VAT Reg: 878 4532 77

Sidmouth Church Services during Folk Festival

Sunday 10.30am – Folk Festival Service in Connaught Gardens Sunday 6pm – Folk Festival Songs of Praise

in the Parish church Sid Valley Mission Community

www.sidvalley.org.uk

Sidmouth Parish Church, Church Street EX10 8LG Sunday: Holy Communion 8am Choral Eucharist 10am

All Saints Church, All Saints Road EX10 8ES Sunday: Morning Service 11.15am

St Francis of Assisi, Woolbrook Road EX10 9XH Sunday: Sung Eucharist 9.30am Taize Service 6pm

Roman Catholic Church, Radway EX10 8TW www.churchofthemostpreciousbloodsidmouth.co.uk Tel 513340

Sunday: Folk Mass 10:30am

Primley United Reform Church, Primley Road EX10 9LB [email protected]

Sunday 10.30am

Emmanuel Baptist Church, Manstone Lane EX10 9TU www.emmanuelbaptistchurch.org.uk

Sunday: 10.30am & 6pm

Sidmouth Methodist Church, High Street EX10 8LE www.sidmouth-methodist.org

Sunday: 10.30am

Sidmouth Quakers, Twyford House EX10 8NF www.emmanuelbaptistchurch.org.uk

Sunday: 10.30am & 6pm

Sidmouth Salvation Army, Youth Centre, Manstone Lane EX 10 9TU www.facebook.com/sidmouthsalvos/

Monday: 3.30pm – Monday Church

Living Stones www.living-stones-sidmouth.co.uk Tel 07772 801613

Christian house church meets weekly; all ages and abilities welcome

Simon Drew Bomb CosmeticsSilver Tag Teddy Bears Jewellery Dragons

Souvenirs & Gifts

Find us onOld Fore Street

10% off every purchase on productionof this advert Aug 2nd - 9th

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ArtistsAdam Sweet Band play classic rock and blues at The Anchor. 367

Adrian Williams is a highly accomplished Morris performer, and is bringing a fascinating new show to Sidmouth animating the world of the Dixton haymaking painting. 784

Alan Austen & Linda Smith write and perform songs in traditional style about Kentish folklore and history. 112, 591, 750

Alice Jones is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and dancer from Ripponden, whose background is deeply rooted in the English folk tradition. Alice sings mostly traditional songs accompanying herself on the piano or harmonium, tenor guitar and sometimes only with foot percussion. 111, 256, 322, 375, 629, 689, 786

Alton Morris are a lively mixed border side from Alton in Hampshire. Although regular visitors to Sidmouth, this is their first year for many years as full Festival team. 113, 206, 218, 225, 234, 243, 314, 341, 369, 514, 557, 575, C520, 615, 650, 676, 704, 748, 756, 762, 804, 840, 854, 866

Alvar Smith is an unaccompanied solo Suffolk singer, who plays harmonica, banjo and bouzouki with Harbour Lights Trio. A retired gamekeeper whose songs are entertaining and authentic. 588

Amy Burton is our youngest caller this year. She is already a regular caller at local dance clubs, writes dances, and loves to dance. 236, 354, 463, 563, 662, 761

Amythyst Kiah is a Southern Gothic, alt-country blues singer/songwriter based out of Johnson City, TN. Her commanding stage presence and powerful vocals, alongside her scholarship of African-American roots music, inform a moving, hypnotic sound, with accompaniment on banjo and acoustic guitar. 849

Andy Richards will merrily wield his pipe and tabor, directing music for fun and magical early dances led by Helen Richards & Eglamore. 239, 464, 564, 630, 663, 759, 783

Anna Hamill is a popular performer on the Devon music circuit: bold soulful and raw, playing at The Anchor. 578

Annie Winter & Paul Downes are a unique collaboration between the popular folk club singer from the Chichester Folk Song Club and accomplished acoustic guitarist, banjo player and singer, bringing a new dimension to traditional songs. 219, 256, 455, 753, 789, 864

Arthur Coates is a talented young multi-instrumentalist from rural Aberdeenshire who has been playing fiddle since the age of 7. 2019 saw the release of his new album and show featuring just fiddle, vocals and foot percussion with guitar accompaniment from Kerran Cotterell. 579, 658, 686, 779

The Askew Sisters are two of the foremost performers and interpreters of English folk music. Their live performances brim with depth and connection, reworking and reinterpreting songs and balladry and, as skilled multi-instrumentalists and expert players of dance music, using fiddles,

Bill Murray has been singing songs from the northern slopes of Dartmoor for over fifty years: songs about country life, most of them humorous, learnt from older generations of singers at get- togethers in village halls, fairs and inns. 114, 258, 375, 402, 489, 588, 657, 689, 755, 788

Black Swan Rapper are a male rapper team from Leeds. Formed in the early 2000s, the team has earned a reputation for its fast, acrobatic style. 201, 218, 225, 234, 243, 304, 330, 362, 380, 414, 436, 449, 476

Blackbeard’s Tea Party celebrate their 10th birthday at Sidmouth. Expect a revitalised sound for the band, with a heftier rhythm section than ever before with a new double-drum set up. Traditional songs and tunes are given a heavy rock edge with earth-shattering riffs, playful arrange-ments and driving dance rhythms. 792, 794

Blue Honey are a popular local trio fronted by Joan Jules performing unusual covers in a bluesy way at The Anchor. 860

Bob and Gill Berry, who have run Chippenham Folk Festival for many years, are our regular hosts of Folk Arts Acoustic, in the Kingswood Room. Both are established singers of traditional and contemporary folk songs. 259, 376, 494, 589, 753, 789, 862

Bob Ellis is a melodeon player and workshop leader who runs Melodeons in Wensleydale and plays in Les Panards Dansants, Crook Morris and the Loose Knit Band. Jannette Stewart joins him to run the Well-Known Tunes At A Steady Pace. 241, 303, 357, 439, 539, 639, 777

Bob Walton is a long-standing Sidmouth MC, singer and fRoots contributor. 111, 231, 316, 429, 519, 590, 658, 718, 822

Boldwood play English folk music from the 17th and 18th century. Making no attempt at authentic performance, but instead focusing on the energy and joyful nature of the tunes. 488, 511, 612, 683, 712, 812

The Boxwood Chessmen are a semi-acoustic, four piece band raiding a musical pantry stocked with folk, Americana, Angliana, hokum and a light dusting of swing all delivered with panache and fun, playing at The Anchor. 102

Brian Peters is an English folk singer and mus-ician, performing traditional songs and ballads with concertina, melodeon and guitar. Brian believes strongly in the power and relevance of the old songs, specialising particularly in the great ballads of the British Isles, riveting stories set in music. 371, 470, 491, 555, 588, 602, 675

Broom Bezzums are an award-winning, powerful live acoustic duo comprising talents and striking stage presence of Andrew Cadie and Mark Bloomer. 455, 495, 542, 592

The Brothers Gillespie are a Northumbrian duo who sing traditional and original songs with lyrical and visionary intensity, rich with sounds of soaring sibling harmony, guitars, flute, fiddle and mandolin. 231, 260, 322, 376

melodeons, concertina and cello, bringing old dance music to life. 110, 212

Avtar Indian Dance Avtar Singh Panesar is from the Punjab region of India, home of Bhangra dance and song, traditionally linked to harvest festival, bringing dance workshops to Sidmouth which will offer insights to India’s rich and diverse culture and great fun. 223, 339

Bad Cat are a café swing quintet, featuring guitar, bass, accordion, trumpet, and vocals, play-ing at the Anchor. 248

Banter are all about having a great night of traditional English dance tunes and songs, played with a cheeky twist, incorporating influences of pop, jazz, soul and big band sounds, featuring Simon Care on squeezeboxes, Nina Zella on piano and vocals and Tim Walker on percussion and cornet. 113, 264, 349 Barry Goodman has worked as a caller with many of the finest ceilidh bands in the country. His clear but relaxed style of calling has made him a popular choice at folk festivals and ceilidhs nationwide. 108, 213, C218, 374, 459, 528, 571, 632, 784, 828, 867 Barry Lister is a long-time friend of the festival, stalwart of local theatre, fine unaccompanied singer and previously member of acclaimed groups including The Songwainers, Isca Fayre and The Claque. 219, 347, 374, 455, 586, 657, 684, 755, 846

The Bashful Boys are Dan Quinn and Matthew Crampton performing music hall songs, mono-logues and mayhem. 346

Belshazzar’s Feast – Paul Hutchinson (accor-dion) and Paul Sartin (oboe, violin and vocals), both prolific and renowned performers, bring their amazing musicianship coupled with wry humour to the Sidmouth stage. 863

Ben Moss launches his debut album, Lost Lands at Sidmouth. Well-versed in the folk traditions of England, and of his home county of Devon, he sings traditional songs and original compositions addressing contemporary challenges. 457

Ben Moss & Laurel Swift offer rich vocal harmonies and punchy arrangements of traditional and original songs with three fiddles, two voices, one melodeon and a pair of clogs. 784

Ben Walker, a sought-after multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, well-known for his award-winning work with Josienne Clarke, was recently hailed as one of ‘the best acoustic guitar-ists in the world right now.’ His new CD Echo has just been released. 790

Ben Walker & Rob Harbron sees these two versatile instrumentalists bring their ‘Lost Tunes’ set of traditional and original music to the stage, one of the four projects awarded Creative Bur-saries by EFDSS this year. 721

Bill Crawford is a singer actively involved in the folk traditions of the South West and is a regular MC at the festival. 211, 375, 491, 554, 654, 753, 789

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ArtistsBryony Griffith is a highly accomplished English fiddle player and singer from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire with a rich repertoire of English dance tunes and song. Bryony’s down-to-earth and relaxed style of teaching and performing is much in demand. 493, C406, C506, C607, 786, C706, C806, C810 Burd Ellen is a new project from Debbie Armour featuring Gayle Brogan and Lucy Duncan. The group uses traditional song to explore and evoke dark landscapes and deep stories. Innovative instrumentation, drone and sound-wash support detailed vocal work to create a unique sonic atmosphere. 556, 588, 684

Burdock are an exciting young trio who were finalists in this year’s New Roots Competition in St Albans. 579, 825

Canaan’s Land sing and teach American psalm-ody of the 18th century to the present day: vibrant, rhythmic, vigorous, hard-edged unaccompanied shape note singing and exciting harmonies. In 2019, Canaan’s Land are Steve Fletcher, Richard Percival, Zuzanna Forster and Toby Goss. 226, 324, 405, 505, 605, 705, 811

Cathy Meunier leads Balkan Dance workshops. Attracted by the exciting rhythms of the music and the captivating melodies, her main expertise is dances from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, but she also regularly takes part in English folk dance events. 565, 664, 760, 847

Chris Dyer is a fiddle and nyckelharpa player and MC of the London Scandi Session. She’s a regular performer and workshop leader at UK festivals and dance clubs. 237, 446, 547, 583, 646, 746, 858

Chris Edmunds, Dave Hiscock and Dave McKeown are musicians for the Balkan instru-mental workshops. 512, 565, 664, 713, 760, 847

Chris Hoban is one of the leading songwriters in the folk tradition in the South West and is enjoying a growing reputation as a solo performer and multi-instrumentalist, accompanying himself on guitar, piano accordion, mandocello or cello. 353

Chris Metherell is an authority on clog dance, involved in the social stepping series with Instep Research Team. 481

Chris Ormston is an award-winning Northum-brian Piper. Early in his piping career he acquired a taste for the classic repertoire of the pipes with its associated ‘detached’ fingering style and he has continued to hone his understanding of that approach ever since. 588, 657, 689, 764, 788, 846, 864 Chris Rose is a Sidmouth regular, MC-ing for dance displays and morris events throughout the week. 234, 349, 434, 449, 634, 735, 784, 833, 840

Chris Walshaw (see Kerry Fletcher) 677

Çigdem Aslan & Tahir Palali are the combi-nation of sublime Istanbul-born singer (in many languages and regional styles including Turkish, Kurdish, Greek, Roma and beyond) and talented instrumentalist, on Anatolian three-stringed Tembur/Dede Sazi from eastern Turkey. Aslan also accompanies their music on frame drums. 348

Devonbird are singer/songwriter Kath Bird, Sophia Colkin on violin and Andy Clarke on guitar and bouzouki, combining foot-stomping jigs and reels with haunting ballads and songs, often with origins in old Devonshire folklore and dialect. 578

Diane Silver is one of the most sought-after dance callers in the United States: a diehard contra dancer, swing dancer, and kitchen flat- footer for over 20 years. With a penchant for hot modern contras and squares, she loves sharing high-energy dancing that allows everyone to “play” with the band. 107, 204, 308, 410, 485, 510, 611, 711, 810, 859

The Dillyboys are an energetic folk band, bringing to life original and traditional songs and tunes, using guitars, banjo, accordion, mandolin, and carefully constructed harmonies. Their debut EP is a fine example of a sound they have coined ‘Shanty Chic’, drawing on the traditions of folk music from around the globe, with strong influences of blues and cabaret. 106

Don’t Feed The Peacocks are graduates of the National Youth Folk Ensemble, a skilled and ener-getic young six piece collective. 579, C611, C710 Earlsdon Morris Men are a North West clog side from Coventry. Their repertoire includes traditional dances from Lancashire and Cheshire, and similar style dances of their own. 210, 218, 225, 234, 246, 326, 342, 359, 409, 434, 449, 480, 615, 637, 650, 672, 716, 748, 756, 775, 815, 840, 866, 867

Ed Rennie, former member of The Bismarks, returns to lead Absolute Beginners Melodeon workshops. 351, 356, 460, 472, 558, 569, 660, 669, 758, 767

Eileen O’Brien & Conor Keane bring together the talents of O’Brien, from a long lineage of traditional musicians, following in her family steps playing in the North Tipperary style on fiddle, piano as well as ballad singing and superb button accordion player Keane. 213, 258, 347, 375, 493, 555, 588

Emily Askew (see Askew Sisters) 443

Emily Portman & Rob Harbron are two of the finest and most distinctive performers on the British folk scene. With multiple accolades for their years of work in different collaborations, now they have formed an inspired new collaboration. Together they create a boldly stripped-back and intricately woven sound, exploring traditional song alongside new writing. 459, 491

Emma Wooders is a caller drawing her dances from a wide range of sources reflecting her variety of dance interests from Playford to Contra and everything in betweeen. 679

English Contra Dance Band, one of the best-known contra bands in the UK, is Linda Game on fiddle and Gareth Kiddier on piano. 107, 204, 510, 580, 810, 859

English Rebellion offer up a heady brew of high energy English ceilidh dance music. 378, 475

Exmouth Shanty Men: Devon’s “original buoy band” hail from Sidmouth’s nearest port but can also be found in ports across Northern Europe,

The Cleverly Brothers tempt fate at their 13th show at the Anchor. Ridiculous songs, audience participation and a lot of laughs. 454

Colin and Sonja Andrews, Devon folk stalwarts, run themed workshops in new venue, Royal Glen Hotel. 343, 452, 551, 653, 749, 841

The Committee Band first formed in January 1985, bringing a wealth of dance-band ex-perience to ensure a great night of dancing with a repertoire of fantastic tunes from across the British Isles and Europe. 369, 531, 693

Conor Keane (see Eileen O’Brien & Conor Keane) 555

Count To Fire are an English alt-country band from Exeter playing at The Anchor. 780

Cracknakeel are a new band of mature souls playing a mix of original songs, new interpretations of traditional British and American folk tunes as well as covers. 752

Crooked Moon are a dynamic, energetic Appalachian clogging team based in Brighton, incorporating traditional styles and steps with contemporary choreography. 113, 202, 218, 225, 234, 246, 313, 342, 359, 419, 449, 466, 518, 540, 557, 572, 593, 716, 748, 756, 772, 784, 816, 833, 840, 857, 866

Damien Barber celebrates 30 years in folk this year. Raised in Norfolk and heavily influenced by singers like Walter Pardon and Peter Bellamy, Damien is a distinctive singer, a cappella or accompanied on guitar or concertina. Acclaimedfor his work with ‘The Demon Barbers XL’ and ‘The Lock In’, Damien is now returning to the traditional songs of East Anglia that ignited his passion in folk music. 114, 233, 258, 347, 375

Dan Quinn is host of the Traditional Nights Out, as well as appearing as one half of The Bashful Boys with Matthew Crampton. 258, 346, 689, 864

The Dartmoor Entertainers revisits the legacy of the thriving Dartmoor traditional music scene captured in a late 70s BBC TV documentary. An eight-piece line-up bring the full flavour of a traditional night of merrymaking on the moor with songs, tunes and step-dancing. 489

Debs Newbold is an award-winning storyteller whose powerful performances bring together the poetic and the irreverent, the ancient and the defiantly modern. Her fresh, playful work gets deep under the skin, and has helped redefine the art of contemporary storytelling. 554, 584, 647, 689

Derek Schofield, a regular Sidmouth MC, wrote the festival’s history for the 50th in 2004. He is a former editor of English Dance & Song magazine, and continues to write for a variety of periodicals. He is currently researching the history of the folk dance and song revival. 002, 103, 235, 327, 492, 629, 787

Derek Simpson is a member of the Harbour Lights Trio, and runs sessions in Suffolk. Playing melodeon, concertina and guitar, he was a mem-ber of Ticklers Jam and has a fine line in Music Hall songs. 372, 437, 552, 848


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Artistsfurthering awareness of the region’s traditional sea songs. C724, 861

Faustus are three of the leading lights of their generation: Benji Kirkpatrick, Saul Rose and Paul Sartin appear in two different roles this year, playing for dancing at the Wednesday night Morris party and as part of the Living By The Sea show at The Ham. 679, 729

Fayre Play is a trio from Cheshire, consisting of Dave Armitage, Chris Hocking and Joan Rogers. They play a wide range of European folk and dance music dating from the 12th century onwards, on a variety of period-style instruments. 239, 464, 564, 663, 759, 783

Fee Lock is a popular caller on the ceilidh circuit with a ride repertoire of English dances. 105, 358, 380, 593, 671, 732

Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail, back by popular demand, are outstanding young musicians from across Scotland. The young people are between 16 and 25 and many of them are studying at some of the country’s leading music schools, including the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 491, 553, 590, 658, 686

Fi Fraser plays fiddle and shares the calling in Token Women. 432, 486 Finn Collinson is a recorder player and folk musician from East Anglia. Barely in his twenties, Finn is already gaining a reputation as one of the foremost exponents of the recorder on the English folk scene. As well as recorder, Finn plays guitar, mandolin, bouzouki and whistle. 327, 424, 441, 484

Five Rivers Morris are a Cotswold Morris side from Sheffield. Formed in 2008, they aspire to dance in a traditional style with energy, vigour and enthusiasm. 209, 218, 225, 234, 243, 251, 313, 417, 449, 466, 480, 615, 637, 650, 672, 715, 735, 748, 775, C719, 816, 840, 853, 866

Flook are a virtuosic quartet who continue to inspire and enchant audiences. With their new album Ancora, Flook hold fast to their reputation as major musical innovators in Irish and English music. With trademark flutes, frets and skins sound, they weave and spin traditionally-rooted tunes over precise acoustic grooves in a rare blend of fiery technical brilliance. 587

Folklaw perform songs with earthy lyrics and vocals accompanied by Celtic fiddle and distinctive vocal harmonies at The Anchor. 680

The Fountaineers is a co-operative of people who play mainly traditional Irish music, across Devon, Somerset and Dorset. 229

Gail Duff is an all-round folk performer, events organiser and folk educator from Kent and MCs at the festival. 353, 484, 579, 647, 825

George Frampton is a Sidmouth regular and host of the lunchtime traditional sessions at The Volunteer. 216, 328, 431, 530, 631, 731, 829

Glorious Rascals are a four-piece band playing an eclectic mix of feel-good folk and modern blues from Exeter playing at the Anchor. 367

her status as a rising talent has been further consolidated by her Scots Singer of the Year nomination at the 2017 Scots Trad Music Awards and feature as ‘One to Watch in 2018’ in The Scotsman. 231, 257, 316, 373

Harbottle & Jonas are a dynamic Devon duo currently touring with their fourth album, The Sea Is My Brother. Combining a love of the richness of traditional folk with their own original songwriting, the album’s maritime theme is maintained across political, historical, and personal stories and songs. 754, 786

The Harbour Inn Crowd comprise musicians and singers from The Harbour Inn sessions, Southwold. 372, 496, 791

Harbour Lights Trio – Alvar Smith, Derek Simpson and Rob Neal – play Suffolk traditional songs and tunes, music hall and a few more recent gems with an emphasis on entertainment and audience participation. 258, 372, 437, 494, 552, 657, 689, 848, 864

Harri Endersby blurs the lines of the folk genre, acoustic to electronic, drawing inspiration from both contemporary and traditional music, as well as her native landscape of County Durham. Harri is joined by husband Rich, who also plays guitar and percussion. 623, 690

Hazel Askew (see Askew Sisters) 337

Helen Richards & Eglamore lead fun and magical early dances, with music with just the right dance speed and emphasis led by Andy Richards, Fiz Markham, and Fayre Play. 239, 464, 564, 663, 759, 783

HiJinx Ceilidh Band is a trio led by fiddle player Kitty Greenwood with whistle player Moira Bracknall and Garry Wiseman on guitar. 771

Ian A Anderson: veteran deathfolk, blues, psych-fi, traditional and world twangist & singer mixes a huge variety of songs from his 50+ year career with fascinating anecdotery. 377

Ilse Pedler is an experienced poet and workshop leader. After the success of the poetry workshops in last year’s festival, she is back to run them again and also host Sidmouth’s first ever Poetry Open Mic. 325, 427, 527, 574, 628, 728, 828

Instep Research Team are a group interested in researching, sharing and encouraging participa-tion in clog and step dance. 481, 490, 745, 785

Intarsia is a new duo featuring Jo May and Sarah Matthews. 846

Iona Fyfe has become one of Scotland’s finest young ballad singers, rooted deeply in the singing traditions of the North East of Scotland. She is a two-time nominee for Scots Singer of the Year at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards 2017/18 and has been described as “one of the best Scotland has to offer.” 658, 690, 718, 774, 788

Ivan Aitken, from Reading in Berkshire, is a caller with many years’ experience. He calls at many local clubs’ dance weekends and festivals. Ivan is noted for his wide and interesting reper-toire which he always delivers with care, humour

The Gloworms play thumpy English music with metropolitan sophistication, swing and 100% commitment to dance rhythm. Laurel Swift, Jon Brenner and Colin Cotter create a layered texture of driving rhythms and counter-melodies on fiddle, accordion, banjo and stompbox. 581, 671

Gordon Potts took up calling by mistake whilst foreman of Hammersmith Morris, played guitar in the Committee Band, and now with Panjandrum. A popular and enthusiastic caller, he has also made up some great new dances. 115, 217, 251, 499, 794 Grace Smith is a fiddle player and clog dancer from Teesside. An experienced performer, she plays solo and with several bands including Monster Ceilidh Band and The Rachel Hamer Band. 721, 788

Graham Lee shares MC duties for dance displays with Chris Rose. 234, 330, 449, 533, 557, 650, 756, 840

Granny’s Attic – Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, George Sansome and Lewis Wood – play with verve, energy and their own inimitable style. Exceptional musicians and fine singers playing English traditional and original music, expect lively performances and maturity beyond their years. 623, 690, 736, 786, 846, 863

Great Western Morris, a local Exeter-based side with connections to Sidmouth going back to their formation in the late 1960s, put on a good show every year at the Welcome To Sidmouth in the Market Square. 001

Gwenifer Raymond, a superb finger-style guitarist, combines punk sensibilities with pre-war blues, Appalachian folk and American Primitive guitar stylings. She released her debut LP You Never Were Much Of A Dancer on Tompkins Square earlier this year to rapturous response. 348

Halsway Young Folk developed from the popular Hothouse project, a week-long music residential for young musicians and singers designed as an intensive but fun introduction to British folk traditions. 213, 230, 249

Hannah Cumming is a member of The Ship Band playing in the Royal York sessions and MCs the Young Performers’ Showcase in Betsy’s Lounge. 779

Hannah James & Toby Kuhn is a brand new duo featuring the award-winning musician, dancer and composer with outstanding French cellist. 260

Hannah James’ JigDoll Ensemble weaves a multi-layered soundscape (using looping technol-ogy and vocal, accordion and composition skill) as the backdrop for James’ spellbinding fusion of traditional and original dance. 235

Hannah Moore is a caller for ceilidhs, barn dan-ces and Playford balls. She is joined by Andy Wright for salsa and swing workshops. 450, 531, 651

Hannah Rarity is one of Scotland’s foremost young singers. Winner of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2018,


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Artistsand attention to detail. 224, 250, 340, 447, 548, 648, 681, 747, 839

Jacob & Drinkwater, UK alt-folk duo, have been called ‘stand out new Folk’ by BBC6 Music and ‘inventive and thrilling’ by R2 Magazine. 655, 692

Jacquelyn Hynes is an inventive flautist who runs whistle/ flute workshops across the levels. She is joined by Martin Vogwell on guitar for a spot in the Anchor and is also part of Folklaw. 627, 680, 727, 827

The Jam and Crumpet Band offer fantastic musicianship and a highly danceable repertoire for ceilidhs. 105

Jameson Wooders is a longstanding Morris dancer now sharing his research into Morris Archives. 576

Jamie Huddleston is a travelled multi-instrumentalist performing English and Scandinavian tunes. 583, 858

Jan Dean is a popular local poet who guests in our new Poetry Open Mic. 554, 574

Jane Bird calls traditional English dances and modern ceilidh classics with a clear, confident style, enthusiasm, humour and a real love for sharing dances with everyone. 242

Janet Dowling is a Sidmouth-resident storyteller, passionate about getting others to tell stories themselves and encouraging the community to become a storytelling hub! 214, 247, 317, 418

Janet Keet-Black from East Sussex is an author writing on the Gypsy Traveller community. She joins us for step dancing sessions. 546, 618 Jeff Warner sings traditional American folk songs. From Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he has made Britain his second musical home, playing at festivals and clubs each year since 2004. He plays banjo, English concertina and several “pocket instruments.” His songs and stories bring us the latest news from the distant past. 111, 231, C218, 334, 375, 493, 528, 589, 641, 689, 769, 834, 855, 864

Jenny Read is a versatile step-dancer, teacher and choreographer. 481, 745

Jeremy Child is a dancer and caller who runs the Exeter Contra and Exeter ceilidh dance series. His enthusiastic style and ability to talk people through complicated dances make him a much sought-after caller. 224, 340, 368, 447, 548, 580, 648, 747

The Jigalots offer up dance vibes and grooves from a glorious instrument mix of melodeon, concertina, pipe and tabor, hurdy gurdy, fiddles, keyboard and clarinets. 732

Jigfoot play music for dancing. They approach traditional dance tunes with energy, inventiveness and, above all, swing. Music that defies you to stay still! 242, 344, 490, 571, 618, 785, 865

Jim Causley is a Devon singer with a rich, warm vocal style, and charismatic stage presence, along with a wide-ranging repertoire – from traditional and self-penned songs. He appears at Sidmouth

Julie Fowlis is a multi-award winning Gaelic singer, deeply influenced by her early upbringing in the Outer Hebridean island of North Uist and a quiet torchbearer for the tradition. Known as a presenter as well as a performer, she is much in demand – touring with the world-class Transatlan-tic Sessions, her own sell-out shows throughout the UK. 492

Katie Howson is a traditional musician (on melo-deons and harmonica), tutor and animateur based in Suffolk. 375, 481, 555, 588, 769, 788

Katy Spicer is CEO of the EFDSS, and returns to MC the EFDSS series showcasing the next generation of talent. 322, 424, 523, 623, 721

Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham perform English traditional and contemporary songs in striking (frequently acapella) harmony or accom-panied on concertina (English, Anglo and Duet). Hailing from Derbyshire, they are proud musicians for the Winster Morris Dancers. 361, 376, 453, 493, 555, C524, 624, 687, 725, 788

Keith Rusby, a Sidmouth regular and a well-known face in the London-based folk community, returns as MC. 336, 416, 516, 618, 736, 819

Keith Smart with Adrian Hillier play a set of Ronnie Lane songs, plus a few of Keith’s own, with Hillier will be joining him on second guitar. 780

Keltia brings together the talents of six experi-enced musicians in a fusion of Celtic and World Music. 843

Kerry Fletcher is a festival favourite, noted as an experienced dance workshop leader and accomplished performer in many styles. Frances Watt and Chris Walshaw on flutes, whistles, bagpipes & sax breathe life into traditional tunes from all over Europe, at Kerry’s workshops and the Friday night bal. 104, 433, 465, 497, 532, 633, 734, 832, 858

Kevin Sheils, from London, Resonance FM DJ and Walthamstow Folk Club stalwart, returns to Sidmouth to MC a number of events. 212, 257, 350, 458, 561, 659, 729, 790, 863

The Kimberleys, from Blackheath, have a traditional repertoire drawn from the British Isles. Beautiful familial harmonies are supported by Isobel playing guitar, harp, ukulele, shruti box and Jim playing guitar. 656

Kim Carnie, Gaelic singer, is the voice of THQ Nordic’s ‘Black Mirror’ and with soundtrack and on-screen appearances in Netflix’s ‘Outlaw King’ has a ‘velvet-voiced authority’ which has been marked as one to watch by The Scotsman. 519, 586, 658, 687

Kim Lowings is a British folk singer and song-writer who uses the piano, guitar and trademark mountain dulcimer to accompany songs of love, loss and rebellion: tales old and new with a modern twist and a purpose. 424, 495

Kirkophany sees John Kirkpatrick marshalling his family into a joyful force for English ceilidh dancing. John calls the dances and leads the charge on button accordion, with his four sons in full flight behind him backing him to the hilt –

as part of the Dartmoor Entertainers Show. 489, C524, 755, 788

Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith are one of the most celebrated duos to have emerged onto the British folk and acoustic scene in recent years. Their combination of outstanding vocal work, sensitive instrumentation, and a powerful social conscience has brought them widespread critical acclaim. 757, 790, 819

Jo and Simon Harmer run step dancing ses-sions and workshops this week. As members of the Instep Research Team, they have been come involved in learning and recording step dances from the south coast, and have been instrumental in reviving step dancing in the area. 490, 546, 618, 785

Jo Freya is one of the folk scene’s most prolific and active musicians, with a key role in a number of seminal bands. A multi-talented singer and musician (saxophone, clarinet, whistle, piano), she appears with Token Women this week, as well as in a duo with Kathryn Locke and with trio Moirai. 110, 260, 432, 486, 688, 849

Jo Freya & Kathryn Locke, a much-anticipated reunion of avant-garde cellist Locke, and multi- instrumentalist and singer Freya. 377

Jo May, a member of Token Women as well as a new duo Intarsia with Sarah Matthews, runs percussion workshops this week. 307, 608, 708, 807, 828

John Adams is an established and revered player of English dance music, as well as being a traditional arts researcher and activist. He was awarded the EFDSS gold badge in 2017. 306, 826

John Dipper is a well-respected performer, composer, teacher and instrument maker who runs fiddle workshops this week. He currently performs in a plethora of musical innovators including Methera, Dipper Malkin, Alma, Emily Askew Band, Purcell’s Polyphonic Party and more. 215, 323, 426

John Howson will be MC-ing traditional events during the week. He is a musician, researcher, founder of the Veteran recording label as well as being recognised as a leading specialist in the traditional music and song of Suffolk. 258, 375, 493, 588, 788

John Kirkpatrick has been dancing, singing, and playing his way round the English folk scene for sixty years. John runs his ever-popular Festival Concert Band workshops this week and plays with Kirkophany as well as some solo concert spots. 403, 469, 503, 560, 603, 667, 703, 784, 803, 828

Jon Shapley is a Dartmoor singer who is hosting some of the new sessions in Pyne’s Bar (Bedford Hotel.) 114, 227, 344, 842

Jon Wilks’ live shows are an amusing mix of folk song performance and conversation, throwing in titbits of weird and wonderful information about the original singers and collectors that he has come across during his writing research. 232, 262, 377, 456

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ArtistsJobie on bass guitar, Benji on guitar, bouzouki, or banjo, George on melodeon, mouth organ, and selected percussion, and Fergus on drums. 867

Kirsty Cotter is best known as a fiddle teacher, playing Scottish folk music with influences from English and European traditions. 442, 543, 642, 742

Kirsty Merryn is one of the most arresting and unconventional young singer songwriters on the UK folk roots scene, with a style uniquely her own, combining emphatic piano-based songs with sharply observed lyrics, and delivered with crystal clear, assured vocals. 754, 787

Kitty Greenwood is an acclaimed teacher, folk-fiddle specialist and director of ‘WiseWood Folk’ workshops for musicians. Kitty’s ‘Play It By Ear’ method and recordings have established her reputation for tuition excellence. 407, 507, 607, 707, 806

Kitty Macfarlane, Somerset singer songwriter, brings us her trademark poetic and sharply observed narrative songs, as featured on her new release Namer Of Clouds. 103, 232, 845

Kitty Vernon (with Tim Edwards) has been sing-ing, and welcoming and entertaining performers and audiences, in friendly morning song sessions for many years, latterly in the Royal York and Faulkner Hotel. 312, 413, 513, 614, 714, 814

Lady Maisery offer a unique approach to harmony singing, with intelligent and thoughtful arrangements of both traditional repertoire and original compositions, Hazel Askew, Hannah James and Rowan Rheingans harness and cele-brate their united voice. 110

Le Vent Du Nord is a leading force in Quebec’s progressive francophone folk movement. The group’s vast repertoire draws from both tradi-tional sources and original compositions, while enhancing its hard-driving soulful music (rooted in the Celtic diaspora) with a broad range of global influences. 688

Leveret, a unique collaboration between three of England’s finest folk musicians (Andy Cutting, Sam Sweeney and Rob Harbron) join us for a workshop session. 765

The Leylines are a West-country collective established in 2013, with a genre-defying, eclectic sound that ranges from traditional folk to full blown festival rock. 483

The Linda Game Trio were formed by Linda Game (Token Women, English Contra Dance Band, The Fold) in 2015 to play at Sidmouth. 224, 340, 368, 447, 548, 648, 747

Lindisfarne are legendary 70s folk-rock pioneers, returning to form here with a classic five-piece line up of long-time members fronted by original founder-member Rod Clements. With a repertoire of unforgettable songs (Meet Me On The Corner, Fog On The Tyne, Lady Eleanor, Run For Home) their power to galvanise audiences remains undimmed. 002

Martyn Harvey is an experienced caller who offers clear explanations coupled with a sense of fun. He has a whole crop of new dance gems to stimulate the novice and the ceilidh aficionados equally. 475, C405, C505, C524, C606, C705, 852, C805

Mary Humphreys & Anahata perform traditional English songs and tunes mainly from Cambridgeshire and East Anglian counties. They are best known for their interesting arrangements of traditional tunes for squeeze-boxes. 219, 259, 586, 689, 741, 864

Matt Price is a Whapweasel member and Stream Of Sound tutor, who leads a slide guitar workshop. 638

Matthew Bannister is a well-known broadcaster, whose Folk On Foot podcasts have seen him walking with a leading folk musician in a land-scape that has inspired them, as they sing and play on location. 363

Matthew Byrne is a traditional singer, storyteller, and guitar player from Newfoundland with a reper-toire shaped by his musical lineage. He supports his tradition with powerful vocals, polished guitar work, and a presence that fills the room. Byrne has inherited a unique repertoire as well as a fascination with unearthing and reimagining traditional songs. 492, 516

Matthew Crampton is a storyteller/singer, who appears at Sidmouth this year as half of The Bashful Boys as well as revisiting his popular Living By The Sea show for the Ham. 346, 729

The McSmiths play original music written by Steve McEleney-Smith and arranged by the band, a mixture of folk and blues, at The Anchor. 106, 860

Megan Hatto lived in Sweden for a period of nine years during which she trained in both folk music and dance. She leads sessions on Scandinavian styles as part of the Folk Dance programme. 237, 446, 547, 583, 646, 746, 858

meg’n’mor bring their love of dancing to the rhythm and energy of their dance music. Featuring Meg Winters on guitar, Heather Bexon on accordion and Jane Harrison, on fiddle, playing for the Pat Shaw Centenary workshops. 109, 236, 252, 354, 370, 463, 487, 563, 582, 662, 682, 761, 782, 839

Mel Biggs is a musician and melodeon teacher based in South Derbyshire. Mel is one third of trio Moirai with Jo Freya and Sarah Matthews, and plays for the vibrant Harlequin Morris. 567, 666, 763

Melanie Barber is a member of Rivington Morris and an authority on clog dance. 445, 481

Merry Hell is an agit-folk rock band, founded on songs which came before them with words and music forged from their own experiences. The band, borne out of the Tansads, play both a set of energized folk rock at The Bulverton and a pared-down acoustic set at The Ham. 262, 350

Lisa O’Neill is one in a million… as a singer, writer and performer. Described by Dexy’s Kevin Rowland as“… a true Artist – totally uncompro-mising with an almost naive attitude to what she does, which makes for some of the purest music I’ve heard.” Her recent first album for Rough Trade imprint River Lea is an outstanding collection of traditional material interspersed with her own. 556, 587

Lisa Sture is a traditional fiddler, tune-writer, Dartmoor step dancer and ceilidh caller. 481, 645

Louisa Davies-Foley is the daughter of the late Len Davies ‘the Bonesman’ and has been running workshops teaching his method for nearly 20 years. She also MCs at the festival and is an accomplished fiddle player and singer. 256, 373, C417, 613, 687, 786, 813, 828

Ma Polaine’s Great Decline have been des-cribed as “like a young Billie Holiday gatecrashing a Tom Waits’ Swordfishtrombones recording session”. The duo continue to build a reputation as an intriguing and hard to pigeon-hole act with influences in folk, blues, jazz and country. 456

Maggie Daniel first tried Irish Set Dancing at Bromyard Folk Festival in 1996. This was followed by her first trip to Ireland in 1998 where she was really bitten by the bug! She leads workshop and dances at festivals and venues up and down the UK. 222, 444, 545, 644, 744, 781

Makeney Morris are a young Cotswold morris side from Derbyshire who pride themselves on en-ergetic performances that capture the audience’s attention while still upholding tradition. 428, 449, 486, 517, 540, 557, 572, 604, 650, 672, C621, 716, 735, 748, 762, 816, 840, 857, 866

Mama’s Broke is a powerful Nova Scotian folk duo whose original – and often dark – compo-sitions push the boundaries of tradition and the constraints of genre. Their two strong voices blend to create haunting harmonies, while they artfully juggle fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin, and incorporate traditional dance and foot percussion into their performance. 656, 688

Marnie play an infusion of acoustic rock, funk and blues on The Anchor Stage. With live vocal loops and harmonies, driving guitars, mandolin, percussion, memorable melodies, Marnie often create the sound of a full band. 860

Martin Carthy, festival patron, has been one of English folk’s most-loved performers for the past four decades. A ballad singer, a groundbreaking guitarist and an authoritative interpreter of tradi-tional material, he is unrelentingly driven by an insatiable musical curiosity. 493, 560, 586

Martin Graebe is a researcher and writer, best known for his study of the life and work of Sabine Baring-Gould. He and his wife, Shan, perform traditional songs together in harmony. 702

Martin Simpson is one of the finest acoustic and slide guitar players in the world: his interpre-tations of traditional songs are masterpieces of storytelling. His solo shows are intense, eclectic, spellbinding and deeply moving. His excellent new album Rooted is out this summer. 560, 659 Keep an eye on social media for Special

Offers through the Festival Week!

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ArtistsMic Spenceley calls at all the major festivals and has built up a large repertoire of dances and styles called with clarity and humour. 109, 252, 370, 487, 582, 682, 782

Michael Catovsky is a Dorset based caller who has been the driving force behind the New Callers Showcase at Blackmore Gardens. 113, 262, C216, 581

Mike Bailey is well known in the West Gallery world as the leader of The Madding Crowd in Hampshire for nearly 40 years. Coming to Sidmouth since the 1970s, he leads workshops in West Gallery Music. 226, 320, 422, 474, 521, 570, 621, 723, 823, 851

Mike Boston is Great Western Morris’ fool as well as an established and popular caller of dances. 001, 101, 830

Mike Norris, presenter of the Classic Folk pro-gramme on EFDSS radio, will MC some traditional events this week. 233, 346, 457, 535

Mike O’Connor and Barbara Griggs are celebrated for their beautiful stories, lyrical songs and atmospheric Cornish instrumental music on fiddles, harp and concertina. Theirs is the authen-tic historical music for Poldark. Their Odysseus Dreaming show is a mixture of powerful oral storytelling and beautiful music and song. 256, 331, 374, 494, 526, 685, 753, 802, 864

Miranda Sykes, best known for her work with Show of Hands, builds on the success of her Borrowed Places tour, with a new project: Behind The Wall. 002

Missing Richard are Harri Barton and Tom Evans, a young accordion/violin duo who were finalists in this year’s New Roots Competition in St Albans and are heavily involved in Shooting Roots. 484, 779, 825

Mo Keast tells stories and sings songs from Cornwall. Mo is a Bard of the Cornish Gorseth. 203, 244, 259, 305, 360, 406, 478, 506, 573, 606, 674, 706, 773, 805, 856

Moira Craig is an acclaimed Scottish singer, best known for her work with Craig:Morgan:Robson. She joins Sheila Miller in hosting daily ballads sessions. 245, 361, 479, 675, 774, 855

Moirai are Jo Freya, Melanie Biggs and and Sarah Matthews who manage to create an orch- estra and a choir of sounds. Meaning ‘Spinners of Destiny’, the trio weave instrumental talents with haunting vocals. 790

Mollie and Dave are Mollie Koenigsberger (violin) and Dave Yeomans (accordion) joining together to play music for dance, including contemporary tunes for newly created dances. 205, 253, 318, 411

Molly Pipe is a Future of Young Folk Award winner and New Roots Finalist. Her repertoire ranges from the romantic to the comic, and is characterised by her expressive, inventive delivery. 579, 784, 825

Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, from the flooded fenland bogs, proudly perform the traditional molly dances of The Fens with vigour, panache and humour. 115, 207, 218, 225, 234, 243, 314, 341, C319, 404, 449, 476, 504, 537, 557, 575, 715, 748, 766, 815, 835, 840, 857, 866

The Old Chapel Band brings together melodeon, fiddle, clarinet, and tenor sax in an English traditional dance band that plays with zest, lift and skill for a great dancing experience. 255, 358, 632, 842

Out of Hand are one of the most danceable, young and vibrant bands on the ceilidh circuit right now. They mix folk rock with elements of jazz and swing to make a stomping ceilidh and have just released their debut album Too Young To Drive The Bus. 217, 483, 593, 750

Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell met as members of EFDSS’ National Youth Folk Ensemble, and play instrumental folk music which reflects their diverse musical backgrounds. 484, 523, C611, 779, C710

Owl Light Trio are Jim Penny on concertina, Jane Griffiths on fiddle and viola and Colin Fletcher on guitar. All three have deep roots in traditional music, share a passion for tunes from Ireland, the UK and Brittany, and draw upon their combined influences to create compelling, heartfelt arrangements. 456

Pat Brennan is an experienced multi-instrumen-talist based in Birmingham, leading Beginners’ whistle workshops this week. 408, 508, 609, 709, 808

Paul Downes (see Annie Winter and Paul Downes) 374, 836 Paul Sartin is a singer, oboist, violinist, composer and arranger, working with English music, and in particular songs and tunes of Hampshire. A member of the late Bellowhead, he continues to work with Belshazzar’s Feast and Faustus, and is Director of the Andover Museum Loft Singers. 451, 550, 652, 729, 828

Peatbog Faeries, from the Isle of Skye, are the figurehead trailblazers of the Celtic Dance Music renaissance. Drawing upon a dazzling myriad of influences from traditional jigs and reels through jazz, hip hop, reggae and more, they take traditional Scottish music and bring it fresh-faced and breathless into the 21st century. 379

The Perfect Cure is a trio of talented musicians, working mainly in Bristol and the South West, specialising in lively music for dancing. As keen dancers themselves, the band has a special affinity with its audience, carefully choosing the best music to suit the genre. 222, 444, 545, 644, 744, 781

Pete Coe, Laura Smyth, Brian Peters’ ‘The Road to Peterloo’ tells the story of one of the most notorious incidents in British labour history – the ‘Peterloo Massacre’ in Manchester in 1819 – through some of the many broadside ballads that were printed around the time of the event. 371

Moulton Morris, from Northamptonshire, perform traditional English Morris dances authentically and energetically. They specialise in local dances from their own area. 206, 218, 225, 234, 246, C211, 301, 326, 428, 449, 476, 499, 514, 537, 557, 575, 720, 748, 756, 766, 815, 835, 840, 854, 866

Mrs. Midnight’s from Exeter, is a compulsively move-your-feet band, playing traditional English dance tunes with acoustic instruments. 001, 101, 654, 830

Nancy Kerr and James Fagan are one of the best-known and most experienced folk duos on the British circuit today. Outstanding musicianship, a lifelong grounding in traditional singing and instrumental playing, acclaimed original compo-sitions and a visceral chemistry, their latest live album captures it all. 560, 590, 668, 757

National Youth Folk Ensemble celebrate excellence in youth folk music, bringing together talented young folk musicians from across England to create and perform inspiring new arrangements of folk music and work with leading folk artists. 327, 421

Newtown Roots Band is a 30-piece group that make a big lush sound! They play a variety of folk tunes from around the world with exciting arrangements, energy and fun. 345

Nick and Mary Barber return to Sidmouth with their popular Big Band workshops and playing at the Anchor with English Rebellion. 321, 423, 522, 622, 724, 824, 852 Nick Hart is a singer and multi-instrumentalist specialising in English traditional music. As well as being a solo performer, he has played in the band Oss with Tom Moore and John Dipper and has featured on several recordings by other artists. 350, 373, 416, 495

Nick Walden is a popular Sidmouth regular, talking ceilidh dancers through their paces and much in demand by the big name bands. 264, 329, 369, 693, 771, C724

Nicola Beazley is a Sheffield based traditional fiddle player, showcasing her EFDSS Creative Seed funded composition and performance project looking at new English dance tunes, influenced by other traditional English music forms. 523

The Nonsuch Dulcimer Club is a UK-based organisation for anyone interested in hammered or mountain dulcimers. 425, 525, 626

Oakenyouth are a young dance team from Littleborough, specialising in clog and rapper dancing. 113, 207, 218, 225, 234, 240, 326, 341, 359, 414, 436, 449, 480, 610, 634, 650, 672, 716, 748, 756, 772, C724, 809, 840, 853, 866

OBT (Oakes, Thorpe, Bews) is a Scottish trio consisting of Tom Oakes on guitars and wooden flute, Jon Bews on 5-string fiddle and Daniel Thorpe on fiddle. Though traditional in essence the music is full of contemporary arrangements and surprises drawing on the music of Scotland combined with world influences. 260, 347, 379, 429


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ArtistsPeter Ingram is a Romany storyteller joining us as part of the Hither Side of the Hedge show. 618

Peter Wilton is an acclaimed music researcher. He will be leading workshops on Community Song and Vaughan Williams hymn tunes/arrangements.226, 474, 570, 670, 770

Rachael McShane & The Cartographers are led by singer, cellist, fiddle and viola player based in the North East of England, best known as an original member of Bellowhead. Rachael’s latest album When All Is Still (on Topic Records) sees her reworking traditional songs with a new band. 659, 687

Ragged Trousers are a vocal trio from the Mer-seyside area, singing folk songs, work songs and shanties. 111, 211, 245, 258, 338, 373, 455, 493

Ralph McTell, one of the great storytellers, is a great favourite at Sidmouth. Known for his virtuoso guitar style, he is primarily a prolific and gifted songwriter. With a style that invites you into a unique world, he weaves a narrative that is both significant and poignant. 103

Richard Thompson performs a special solo acoustic set at Sidmouth. Expect fleet-fingered fretwork and poetic lyricism. His genre-defying mastery of the guitar along with dizzying energy and onstage wit, make him one of the most dis-tinctive virtuosos and engaging performers in folk rock history. 787

Rivington Morris are North West morris dancers, founded in Bolton in 1977. Regular festival-goers, their costumes assist in providing a bright colourful display. 206, 218, 225, 234, 240, 313, 342, 362, 509, 533, 557, 572, 619, 636, 650, 676, 693, 715, 748, 756, 775, 816, 840, 854, 866

Rob Harbron is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and workshop leader, and the country’s leading player of the English concertina, described by The Guardian as a “concertina wizard’. He showcases his long-awaited solo CD Meanders. 421, 535, 588

Robb Johnson, widely recognised as one of the finest songwriters working in the UK today, brings us ‘Ordinary Giants’, a song suite based on the life and times of his father, Ron Johnson. It’s a moving family history of the 1930s, the Second World War and the Welfare State. 458, 560, 590 Ross Couper & Tom Oakes are a duo of the Shetland fiddler and Devonian guitarist, deeply rooted in the traditions of Scotland and Ireland but with a vital modernity that chronicles their many musical journeys so far. 429

Rowan Rheingans brings us her debut solo show Dispatches on The Red Dress – an intimate concert showcasing brand new solo material inspired by her own family history. It is an adventurous and multi-layered musical exploration of identity, mem-ory, horror, beauty and trauma-recovery through story, poetry, music and song. 254

Rusty Wright runs a series of Ukulele workshops. Rusty teaches across the north of England and beyond, encouraging people to play, sing, start their own groups and take music into their communities. 544, 643, 743, 838

Shooting Roots is a well-established youth project, created for Sidmouth 25 years ago. 208, 228, 238, 309, 332, 352, 366, 435, 448, 461, 462, 482, 534, 549, 559, 562, 577, 635, 649, 661, 678, 686, 733, 738, 751, 768, 818, 831, 850

Sid Vale Folk are a Sidmouth based community non audition singing group joining us for the Opening Concert. 213

Sidmouth Steppers are the local side, dancing in the North West Tradition. 001

Sidmouth Town Band are a prize-winning band performing during the summer in the Connaught Gardens. They will play at Saturday’s Opening Concert and join Chris Hoban and Steve Knight-ley’s main stage concerts. 213, 353, 374

Sidmouth Traditional Mummers bring their perennially popular Mummers’ play to the streets this week. Watch out for pirates roaming the town!001

Sidmouth Ukulele Band are a group of all ages who have fun by meeting and playing ukuleles together. 553

Simon Care is a busy man this week as a mem-ber of Banter and Moulton Morris Men, as well as MC-ing at the Bulverton. 592, 692, 792

Simon Diegan is a regular MC at Sidmouth Folk Week, DJ and plays in local folk rock band Celtic Heartbeat and acoustic trio Reunion Lane. 254, 371, 489, 584, 685, 861

SkillicorneMAX is led by Paul Burgess on piano and Alistair Gillies on saxophones, playing a lively mixture of tunes from all over the place including England, Scotland & Ireland, Nova Scotia, New England and beyond. 227, 329, 585

Spin 2 perform songs and instrumentals written with flavours of folk, bossa, eastern, jazz on The Anchor Stage. 483

The Spooky Men’s Chorale are back. Bran-dishing a shiny brand new CD Welcome To The Second Half, that magnificent, craggy ensemblage of heavenly singing male bodies, are ever more comfortable with their whimsical humour and musical breadth – an audience-winning repertoire of Georgian songs, pindrop-beautiful ballads, highly inappropriate covers, and immaculate man anthems. 221, 257, 319

Star and Shadow Rapper are a women’s rapper and clog team from Newcastle, performing traditional and modern rapper dances – spot us by our turquoise sashes and glasses of gin. 207, 213, 218, 225, 234, C218, 330, 359, 514, 537, 557, 572, 617, 636, 650, 676, 719, 756, 772, 784, 794, 820, 840, 853, 866

Stephen Rowley is an authority on mumming, morris and other traditional folk arts. 333, 430, 467, 477, 502, 630, 673, 740, 776, 778, 784

Steve Hunt is the booker at Bodmin FC, fRoots reviews editor, Sidmouth press officer, MC and musician. 348, 656, 754

Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys are led by award- winning Bristol-based singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. The Lost Boys enlists the talents of Ciaran Algar, Graham Coe, Toby Shaer and Archie Churchill-Moss. With a mix of youthful exuberance and instrumental virtuosity, they breathe new life into traditional music, letting it rub shoulders with contemporary originals. 592, 629 Sam Sweeney, a veteran of Bellowhead, artistic director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble, member of acclaimed trio Leveret, and a superb instrumentalist at the forefront of the revival in English traditional music, has recently released his first solo album, The Unfinished Violin (Island Records) – a poignant expansion and development of his Sam Sweeney’s Fiddle: Made In The Great War. 421, 459, 577

Sandra Kerr is an EFDSS Gold Badge-wearing tradition bearer, is one of Sidmouth’s most in-demand artists. She runs the Festival Choir, celebrating 25 years in 2019, as well as being an accomplished singer and player of concertina, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp. 302, 401, 493, 501, 560, 601, 701, 801, 828

Sarah Matthews is a folk musician and singer living in Derby, teaching and performing. She plays the fiddle, viola, tenor guitar and plays in a new duo with Jo May. 524, 625, 726

Saul Rose is a melodeon maestro and singer, who has played with many leading folk bands, including Faustus. 468, 566, 665

Scott Phillips, from Honiton, is former lead singer and guitarist with folk rockers Sweet Black Angels. He plays solo at The Anchor. 106

Seth Lakeman is a real Sidmouth hit! The West Country folk singer, songwriter and multi-instru-mentalist has successfully steered English folk into the mainstream with high-energy performances and a series of best-selling albums. He performs material from his latest, The Well Worn Path, with a no-nonsense, organic, classic folk-rock approach plus trademark foot-stomping, fiddle bow-shredding and soaring vocals. 692

The Shee are an exceptional all-female band of Cross-Border folk multi-instrumentalists. Powerful and emotional vocal performances and virtuoso musical prowess. Expect slow airs, Gaelic ballads, original songs, high-energy tunes, hypnotic riffs. 849

Sheena Wellington is one of Scotland’s finest traditional singers. She has a warm clear voice and sings ballads, Burns, bawdry and the best of contemporary songwriting, usually unaccompa-nied. 220, 258, 375, 479, 493, 554, 589, 658, 730, 788

Sheila Miller is a retired journalist who also runs the Cellar Upstairs, London’s longest-running folk club, and has co-run the ballad sessions at Sidmouth with Moira Craig for many years. 245, 361, 479, 675, 774, 855

The Ship Band musicians, including Hannah-Cumming, Jon Loomes, Adam Beresford-Brown and Sam Mabbett, are hosting sessions in The Royal York & Faulkner. 261, 691

Friday 2 August - SKY LIZARDSaturday 3 August - STONEFOX

Sunday 4 August - ROCK THE NIGHTMonday 5 August - EXTRACTOR

Tuesday 6 August - FURIOUS PUSSIESWednesday 7 August - WHITE SPIRIT

Thursday 8 August - RANDOM 45Friday 9 August - RED SKY

Saturday 10 August - THE DOCKNEYS

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ArtistsSteve Knightley And Friends, our patron, multi-award winning singer-songwriter/musician and founder member of widely acclaimed acoustic roots trail-blazers Show of Hands, and some very special friends, bring us a very personal show, Fifty Shades Of Sidmouth, conveying Steve’s longstanding involvement with and emotional attachment to this very special festival! 374

Steve McEleney-Smith is a local music teacher and member of The McSmiths, who leads two beginners’ guitar workshops this week. 438, 538

Stream of Sound are a talented young Somerset choir who present all sorts of concerts: from tiny churches to great Town Halls, and from Folk Clubs to Festivals. They are an integral part of the youth harmony sessions at Sidmouth. 332, 420, 471, 484, 520, 568, 620, 686, 722, 751, 768, 822

Stuart Marsden is a dancer and teacher special-ising in historical dance, especially social dancing of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. 488, 511, 612, 683, 712, 812

Sweet Black Angels are a local indie/folk-rock band playing on the Anchor Stage. 578

Swing’it Dixieband, led by locally-based Jonah Hitchens, take us across the Atlantic to 1920s New Orleans! 248

Tamar are a West Country folk duo combining slide guitar and fiddle with stomping rhythms. 248

Tautas Roks are a young and energetic band playing music from a range of genres…including lively ceilidhs. 115

Terry Mann is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and instrument maker. He is running a workshop for Beginners’ Pipe and Tabor; a “have-a-go” Introduction to the Swedish Bagpipe and guitar open tunings for intermediate/advanced. 412, 529, 737

Thom Ashworth, English folk singer & bassist “is in the vanguard of a new generation of protest singers” –Folk Radio UK. Equal parts interpreter of traditional song and insightful political songwriter, Thom’s inventive musicality and powerful tenor voice shine through. 721, 792

Thomas White is a Dartmoor musician accompanying steppers at sessions and workshops. 645

Threepenny Bit are an example of how traditional dance music and contemporary sounds can be blended into a fresh interpretation of folk music. This dynamic eight-piece band combines a group of diehard folkies with some of the finest young jazz and classical musicians in the south. 108, 499

Victoria Yeomans is a dancer, caller and mus-ician. Her reputation as a caller is international but she also calls at local clubs. She believes that good dancing increases the enjoyment for all and this can only really be accomplished with good calling. 205, 253, 318, 411

Vincent Tyrell is a popular local singer/guitarist appearing on the Anchor Stage. 680

West Gallery Music Association is an informal group of singers, instrumentalists and scholars, sharing an interest in the sacred music, psalmody and hymnody. 226, 320, 335, 422, 440, 521, 541, 621, 640, 723, 739, 823, 837, C517, C618, C176

Whapweasel have been delighting and exhausting the folk dance enthusiasts for the last 20 years. The solid eight-piece folk rock dance band have over that time notched up 6 albums of enthralling, turbo-charged dance music attracting rave reviews and packed dance floors. 251, 380

The Weatherbury Quire is made up of West Gallery Music Association members from around the country and comes together specifically for Sidmouth. The MD is Mike Bailey who leads the West Gallery workshop at the festival. 226

Wild Ride features fiddles, piano, mandolin, banjo and guitar in a sound combining the groove and drive of American contra music with infectious tunes from the American, Scottish, Irish traditions and, when the dancing demands, the English tradition and the elegant strains of the Playford and pre-Playford canon. 250, 308, 410, 485, 611, 681, 711, 859

Windsor Morris return to Sidmouth with their high-leaping, high-quality brand of Cotswold Morris, bringing energy, enthusiasm and an as-tonishingly white kit for a super week of dancing. 113, 207, 218, 225, 234, 240, 264, 314, 414, 436, 476, C420, 615, 636, 650, 679, 710, 748, 756, 762, 821, 840, 854, 866

The Young ’Uns, three time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners, present a new and unique piece of modern folk theatre, The Ballad of Johnny Long-staff. With their trademark harmony, honesty and humour the Teesside trio bring together songs, spoken word, imagery to tell a remarkable human story oozing with modern relevance. 561

NoteYou are Wolf was advertised in much of the festival’s publicity. Kerry Andrew is unable to appear at this year’s festival due to illness. We wish her well. Her place has been taken in Cellar Full of Folkadelia by Kitty Macfarlane.

Tim Chipping is an fRoots’ columnist, label manager for River Lea and regular Sidmouth MC. 232, 379, 495, 556, 587, 690, 757, 845

Tim Edwards is a longstanding Sidmouth regular and host of all-welcoming morning singarounds at The Royal York & Faulkner with Kitty Vernon. 312, 413, 513, 614, 714, 814

Tim Eriksen is acclaimed for transforming American tradition with his startling interpretations of old ballads, love songs, shape-note gospel and dance tunes from New England and Southern Appalachia. 355, 377

Toby Bennett is a dancer and dance teacher specialising in English step dancing particularly the rich traditions of English Step Clog. 234, 246, 362, 481, 514, 557

Token Women celebrate 30 years in the business of making joyful music to dance to, in a one-off gathering of current and former members. Their music is a smorgasbord of tunes from around Europe with influences beyond, and unusual and inspiring arrangements. 432, 486, 528

Tom Goodale is a storyteller with a large reper-toire of stories, including ancient Greek myths, Celtic legends, Medieval romances and Grimm’s fairy tales, running the gamut from fables to epics. He hosts storyrounds and Late Night Story ses-sions. 203, 244, 263, 305, 360, 406, 478, 498, 506, 573, 606, 674, 706, 773, 793, 805, 856

Tony Hall is a legendary melodeon player and singer considered widely as a master of his art. Since his solo debut in 1979, Hall has contributed to albums by Nic Jones (Penguin Eggs) and Maddy Prior and June Tabor (Silly Sisters) as well as having a notable solo career. 233, 258, 336, 372

Topette!! are a must see band, for anyone interested in traditional European dance music, for folk fans, French dancers and discerning listeners alike. With “sublime musicianship and a thumping set of tunes” (fRoots), leading players Andy Cutting, Tania Buisse, James Delarre, Julien Cartonnet and Barnaby Strading, play irresistible and innovative dance music. 497

Under The Covers are Lucy Dory and Andrew Torjussen, performing original songs and (not so common) covers on the Anchor Stage. 780

Velvet & Stone’s indie-folk combines haunting soundscapes with catchy pop hooks and great songs, offering a fresh and original take on a traditional genre. 367

See you next year – 31st July to 7th Aug 2020

(The Sidmouth Folk Festival always includes the 1st Monday in August)


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FolkWeek festival goers are remarkably loyal when it comes to patronising town shops and businesses, many of which support the Festival through sponsorship and advertising. These businesses display a Sponsor or Business Supporter poster in their windows and so are easily identified as supporters. They really appreciate your trade. Please do support them, as well as Official Festival Traders (displaying the Festival Trader poster) on our sites such as Peacock Lawn and Blackmore Gardens.

Festival Supporters

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Documents

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME - The Sidmouth Folk Festivalsidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Festival-Programme-2019-Final.pdfChoir workshop also celebrates 25 years. The one