Headliners announced for Baring-Gould Folk Weekend
Weekend of ‘up close and personal’ live music is promised as first bands are announced for Baring-Gould Folk Festival
The headliners have been announced for this year’s Baring-Gould Folk Weekend in Devon and they include a mixture of nationally-acclaimed acts and well-known names from the South West’s thriving traditional music scene.
Folk harmony group Lady Maisery kick off the festival, which takes place at various locations in Okehampton over the weekend of 23-25 October 2015. The trio head up the opening concert at Charter Hall on the Friday evening and will also be playing an intimate afternoon concert at Fairplace Church on Saturday afternoon.
Scottish folk legend Janet Russell and guitarist and folk singer Chris Foster have also been announced, while Geoff Lakeman will be following in the footsteps of his son Sean, who appeared at last year’s festival with his wife Kathryn in their duo, Sean Lakeman and Kathryn Roberts.
There’s also an international flavour with Folk Dance troupe, Dandari, visiting from Latvia.
The event, now in its 17th year, is organised by Devon-based charity, Wren Music. With the full programme yet to be finalised, Nick Wyke from Wren says they’re delighted with the names they’ve signed up so far: “We’re really pleased – the weekend is starting to come together nicely with a blend of acts and events that will draw in families as well as followers of folk music.
“To have Lady Maisery on the opening evening is a brilliant way to start the festival. They’ve been making a lot of waves nationally with what they’ve been doing and they’ve been appearing at festivals across Europe. They’ll bring a big audience with them.”
Lady Maisery – Hazel Askew, Hannah James and Rowan Rheingans – got their big break in 2011 with the release of their debut album, Weave and Spin. It led to them being nominated in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards’ Horizon category for best newcomers in 2012 and their songs are often heard on the station and on BBC Radio 3.
“They’re all recognised musicians in their own right,” said Nick. “And the way they interpret traditional songs in a brand new way is very exciting. They will go down really well at the festival.”
Lady Maisery are renowned for their sumptuous harmonies and musicianship – between them they play several instruments. Londoner Hazel, who plays harp and concertina for the trio, said: “The folk tradition is very strong in Devon and it’s somewhere we love to visit. We’re looking forward to playing at the festival, which is a perfect setting for what we do.”
Last year’s headliners were local folk heroes Sean Lakeman and Kathryn Roberts; this year it’s Geoff’s turn to take centre stage. Geoff, who has seen his sons Sean, Sam and Seth become stars of the UK’s folk music revival, pronounced “now it’s my turn” when he launched a series of solo dates last year.
Cornishman Geoff, a former Fleet Street journalist who’s lived in West Devon for almost 40 years, has played folk music since the early 1970s. It was Geoff and his wife Joy – herself a violinist and singer – who inspired the boys’ interest in traditional music when they played together in the family band.
Geoff is a leading exponent of the rare Crane Duet concertina and also performs 1920s and 1930s jazz pieces. Festival-goers can expect a mixture of self-written and West Country songs as well as folk music from further afield when he plays one of the Saturday afternoon concerts at Fairplace Church.
Dandari took part in Wren's Youth in Action exchange in 2014 and Nick says they’ll be a hit at the festival: “They bring a repertoire of dances and games from different regions of Latvia and they give us an added international flavour this year.”
Nick says the ‘up close and personal’ nature of the venues always makes for an exciting weekend of music and dance and this year will be no different: “It’s what really makes the festival such great fun. We’ll have pub sessions and concerts in intimate settings so it’s a chance to come and meet the performers and be part of the occasion.”
Visit the Baring-Gould Folk Weekend website for the latest information and details of tickets, including weekend and family deals.
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