Issue 346 – FIRST FROME FOLK FESTIVAL IS READY TO ROLL!

FROME’S first ever Folk Festival is all set to kick off this weekend, with a huge number of artists, performers and workshops poised to make this a festival to remember.
Events throughout Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th of February will be split across the Cheese and Grain, Westway Cinema, Masonic Hall and the Round Tower.
Headlining the festival is folk legend Steve Knightley, hailed as one of England’s finest songwriters. Winners of ‘Best Duo’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards last week, Tim Edey and Brendan Power, will also be appearing in Frome.
They will be joined on the bill by Spiers and Boden, Al O’Kane, Bella Hardy, Eddie Martin, Pilgrims’ Way, Luke Jackson and many more.
Workshops, Morris dancing and a session put on by members of Frome Story Circle are also on the billing.
To top it all off, the festival will even have its own locally brewed “Folklore Ale”, courtesy of Milk Street Brewery.
Over 100 Morris dancers from across the country are due to flock to Frome for the festival, adding colour to the occasion.
The mass Morris meet will include members of Rag Morris (University of Bristol’s side); Somerset Morris; Hips and Haws, the Wiltshire ladies clog-dancing side; Bathampton Morris Men, Bristol’s City Clickers, Wiltshire’s White Horse Morris and Priston Jubilee Morris, a Cotswold men’s side – plus the quirkily-named Mr. Wilkins Shilling (a women’s Bath-based clog side) and the smallest side of all – Somerset’s Billy No Mates (one man and one musician!)
Tickets are £58 or £48 concessions for a weekend ticket, with day tickets available for £32 per adult and £30 concessions. A family ticket consisting of two adults and two children will be £190. For under 5s, entry is free.
TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE visit www, fromefolkfestival.co.uk for full details.
Cheese and Grain programme for Saturday 18th February:
9am – Welcome to Frome Folk Festival – The Morris Sides and merriment fill the main hall! Sign up here for workshops, see the full programme, plan your weekend whilst breakfast is served.
9.15am-10am: morning concert, with Dyer: Cummings; Cara Dillon introduces Winter Mountain and Jackie Oates & Band.
10.10-11am: Morris Dancing.
11.15am-12pm: Cara Dillon introduces Winter Mountain.
12.20pm-1.20pm: Jackie Oates Band.
2-4pm: Spiers & Boden Ceilidh.
4.30-5pm: Bathampton Morris.
5.10pm-5.45pm: Cole Stacey.
6pm-7pm: Chris Wood.
7.10pm-7.40pm: Rag Morris.
8.45pm-9.35pm: Jamie Smith’s Mabon.
9.45-11pm: Spiers & Boden.
Cheese and Grain programme for Sunday 19th of February:
9.15-10.45am: Elfynn Ceilidh.
11.30am-12.30pm: Tim Edey and Brendan Power.
12.45-1.15pm: Morris dancing.
1.30-2.20pm: Gren Bartley.
2.35-3.25pm: Pilgrims’ Way.
3.40-4.40pm: Miranda Sykes and Rex Preston.
4.40-5.20pm: Miranda Sykes and Rex Preston wine, meet and greet.
5.20-5.40pm: Street Bandits. Starting from Westway at 5.05pm.
5.50-6.50pm: Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman.
7-7.30pm: Morris dancing.
8-8.30pm: Luke Jackson.
8.45-9.30pm: Philip Henry and Hannah Martin.
9.45-11pm: Steve Knightley.
Westway Cinema programme for Saturday 18th of February:
10-10.40am: Jennifer Crook.
10.55-11.40am: Beth Porter and The Availables.
12.10-1pm: Eddie Martin.
1.30-2.15pm and 2.30-3.15pm: Belshazzar’s Feast.
3.40-4.10pm: Fallen Tide.
4.20pm-5.20pm: Elfynn.
7.15pm-7.45pm: Robert Bowden.
8pm-9pm: Bella Hardy and Ewan Macpherson.
Westway Cinema Programme for Sunday 19th of February:
10.15am-10.45am: Luke De-scisico.
11am-12pm: Jim Morray.
12.45pm-1.30pm: Nicky Swann and Katie Marie.
1.40pm-2.30pm: Sloe Jam.
2.40pm-3.10pm: Gaz Brookfield.
3.30pm-4.30pm: Special afternoon performance.
4.45pm-5.30pm: Mark Abis.
5.45pm-6.30pm: Frome poetry posse.
7pm-8pm: Jane Taylor.
Masonic Hall programme for Saturday 18th of February:
9.30am-10.20am: Jenna Witts.
10.30am-11am: Rivers of England.
11.15am-12.15pm: Dyer: Cummings Ceilidh workshop.
12.30pm-12.55pm: Reuben Tyghe.
1.05pm-1.30pm: Diana Johnstone and Ray Bradfield.
1.40pm-2pm: Hips and Haws.
2.15pm-3.45pm: Caroline Radcliffe singing workshop.
4pm-4.30pm: John Alderslade.
4.40pm-5.10pm: Barbara J Hunt.
5.20pm-5.50pm: J.Eoin.
6.50pm-7.20pm: The Daturas.
7.30pm-8.10pm: Sam Brookes.
8.20pm-9pm: Hot Feet.
Masonic Hall programme for Sunday 19th of February:
9.30am-10am; Lazibyrd
10.10am-10.35am; Phil Cooper.
11am-12.15pm: Open mic.
12.30pm-12.55pm: Nectarion.
1.05pm-1.35pm: Lady Nade.
1.45pm-2.15pm: City Clickers.
2.25pm-2.50pm: Al O’Kane.
3pm-3.30pm: Nick Wood.
3.45pm-5pm: Kathryn Roberts Vocal Workshop.
5.20pm-5.50pm: Jacquelyn Hynes and J.Eoin.
6.05pm-6.35pm: The Pigeons.
6.50pm-7.20pm: Furlined.
7.30pm-9pm: Open mic.
The Round Tower programme for Saturday 18th of February:
11.30am-12.30pm: Paul Sartin singing workshop.
12.45pm-2pm: Sessions.
2.15pm-3.45pm: Story telling.
4pm-5.15pm: Eddie Martin slide guitar workshop.
5.40pm-6.55pm: Jackie Oates fiddle workshop.
7.30pm-8.30pm: Paul Hutchinson multi-instrumental workshop.
The Round Tower programme for Sunday 19th of February:
9am-12pm: Sessions.
12.30pm-1.30pm: Rex Preston mandolin workshop.
2pm-3.30pm: Story telling.
4.30pm-5.30pm: Eddie Martin harmonica workshop.
6pm-7.30pm: Sessions.
Details of the Workshops are available through the festival website at www.fromefolkfestival.co.uk.