News appears here as it happens!
2010
SATURDAY 28 AUGUST
- the festival is listed in The Independent today as one of "TEN BEST GIGS":
"PURBECK FOLK FESTIVAL - One of Dorset's spectacular stretches of Jurassic coast is the host for this gem of a festival, with Megson, Martha Tilston and Dogan Mehmet on the bill at lovely Langton Matravers."
Friday 27 August
- SALLY TAYLOR SHOW
Catherine Burke, one of the festival directors, is being interviewed on the Sally Taylor Show tomorrow Saturday morning on BBC Radio Solent. Listen in!
- ARTISTS UPDATE
New good news is that FEARNE play the Long Barn on Sunday afternoon and ELLA JANES (duo) performs in the Long Barn Friday evening. Sadly the great Andy Stone has had to pull out of the line-up.
- Boyd & Wain who open on the High Barn on Saturday afternoon played a stunning gig of original americana-style material at Centre Stage in Bournemouth on Thursday. Look out for their brand new album!
- CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES
There is lots for kids to do at the festival with parents: Singing Workshop each morning, Craft Den open most of the time, Fossil Fun, Games Room, Wishing Tree ... and on Sunday there is a Youth Music Workshop with fiddler Charlie Heys and singer-guitarist Jack McNeill - all instruments welcome.
- FRINGE ACTIVITIES
include on Sunday, a Jurassic Jaunt , a guide walk down along the coast and along the Ridgeway; Workshops for Samba and Community Singing; and Stone-carving. There is also an Open Mic Stage run by Oxjam. Can I call a church service a fringe event? Well anyway there is one on Sunday.
- SEATING
Don't forget that seating is not provided so please bring your own.
- DISABLED CAMPING or PARKING
Please would anyone needing to use the very limited designated area for disabled camping please email us to book the space.
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Wednesday 18 August
The Forum has some great comments about GADARENE, and in particular about mandolin player MATT NORMAN. Nick Wyke (fiddle) has put together an exciting band with Matt, dancer-bassist Laurel Swift and drummer Si Paull. They play Friday night from about 9pm on the High Barn.
NEWSLETTER 17 August
Only 17 days to go to the festival!
ARTISTS and BANDS
We have updated the festival website with pen pics of all the artists and bands booked for the festival.
Continuing the dripfeed about artists, in addition to the some excellent young songwriters playing the afternoon sessions on the High Barn Stage:
- Lizzie Nunnery (with Vidar Nordahl) is a great writer and performer. Check out vid on Spiral Earth internet magazine.
- Kim Edgar from Edinburgh is a brilliant young singer-pianist who appears solo at the festival. During Karine Polwart's recent time-out, Kim used her band.
- Emily Maguire, sometime resident in Australia, sometime with family in Worth Matravers, has become enormously popular through radio play in UK. She performs with bassist Christian Dunham.
- Also among the headliners is the superb band 6 DAY RIOT. This not-so-riotous band plays Saturday night. Their music features poetic lyrics and fascinating global rhythms.
BARN STAGES
There are two music barn stages - High Barn and Long Barn: The High Barn is larger and on a slight incline. However the Long Barn also has a full and structured schedule of good music. It houses the ceilidh early on Saturday night and features touring headline duos: acoustic blues from Fran McGillivray and Mike Burke from London and English traditional music from Black Peak. Local greats like Alex Roberts, Thirstyman and Bob Whitley & Frank Boyle also play Long Barn on Saturday.
OPEN MIC
We are pleased to say that Oxjam is involved with the festival. They are looking after the open mic music in the small L-shaped barn in the farm courtyard they are and running some additional kids events.
SEATING
the festival has very limited seating (mostly in the bar / cafe area). You are invited to bring your own collapsible seats.
SATURDAY TICKETS
All adult tickets for Saturday are £30. We have had some local enquiries about possibility of cheap tickets for the Saturday night. ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE!
FARM SHOP
The farm has a shop on site. It sells its own produce: milk, meat etc. Check out the Farm's website.
NICE PIECE IN R2
R2 magazine (Rock n Reel) has TWO nice pieces about the festival on their website.FORUM
Keep using the forum!The farm is looking good. The music is going to be great. Lots for the kids to do. Tickets are selling well. Life is good ... and I don't even mind if it rains - the barns will keep us dry!
Newsletter 5 August 2010
Continuing the drip-feed of updates about some of the artists and about the location.
MEGSON headline Friday evening in the Long Barn (main stage). Megson are a duo with a repertoire of brilliant songs. Debbie Palmer Hanna has a fabulous voice, Stu Hanna sings and plays bouzouki and guitar. The harmonies are perfect, the energy and fullness of their pure acoustic sound is awe-inspiring. They seem to be ever-present at BBC Folk Awards and, though still very young, are among the greatest of the current British folk scene.
GADARENE - Also in the Long Barn on the Friday evening is Gadarene, a new four piece band which is fronted by the renowned English fiddler Nick Wyke from Devon and features the charismatic dancer-bassist Laurel Swift. Gadarene is producing some excellent acoustic music in traditional style.
STONE--CARVING
Last year stone-carving was a popular activity. This year stone-carving will go on throughout the weekend.
NO SMOKING IN THE BARNS
Please co-operate with Stewards who will be asked to ensure there is no smoking in the barns. As there are hay bales in all the barns, smoking would be extremely dangerous. There is an open area close to the barns for smokers.SATELLITE VIEW OF FESTIVAL FARM
Did you know you can see the actual barns at Wilkswood Farm on the PFF website?
Go to the Location page; click on the Getting There link; click on Satellite. You can then home in on the farm.
You should see an A marking the location of the farm. In fact it is pointing straight at the farmers' house. The 3 large barns are pictured close by to the left. In between you should see an L- shaped barn in the farm courtyard. This barn will house the workshops, kids events and an open mic stage. Most of the stalls will be in the farm courtyard.
As you look at the satellite map of the farm, the campsite is to the right of the farmhouse.
GROUP WALKS
Andy Pedrick of Jurrasic Jaunts is offering group walks from the farm along the coastal area late mornings.
FOOD
The middle barn will be the bar and food area. You can expect a good range of both vegetarian and non-veg food inc curries and pasta bakes. The roast dinners on Sunday were a nice surprise and the haggis was popular... (but not for me!). There will be a wide selection of real ales. The farmer has a butcher's shop on site selling free-range meats if you are cooking your own food.
CAMPFIRES
The farmer has said there is no objection to small controllable campfires on the campsite.
OPEN MIC
will be held in the L-shaped Barn in the farm courtyard. Musicians can put their names down at the festival - information will be in the programmes available when you arrive.
Don't hestitate to go on the Forum if you have any questions, comments or items to discuss. We also welcome questions directly to the festival team by email.
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Sunday 1 August
Great news is that Andy Pedrick of Jurassic Jaunts is offering a morning group walk from the festival site along the Jurassic coast. More details here later or in the festival programme.
------Saturday 31 July
Tickets are selling very briskly. However we have extended the early bird ticket deadline to Tuesday midnight (3 August) as we have had some pleas from people whose monthly salary does not come through in time. Our plan is to keep this a small festival. For 2010 our licence is for up to 1000 people. Last year we had 550 people at the busiest time. If we get near to sellout capacity, we will retain the intimacy of last year's event.About a couple of headliners
- MARTHA TILSTON and the Woods (four piece) headline the Sunday afternoon session on the main stage. We were determined to book her initially from hearing her brilliant album "Of Milkmaids and Architects".
- ".... a captivating performer, an enchanting singer-songwriter blessed with a gloriously clear and seductively beautiful voice. Weaving her magic spell over listeners wherever she plays - from the concert hall to the campfire, from folk clubs to main festival stages - she is a rare gem who has the power to draw an audience into her world and create an intimate space where her words and music dance and delight, leaving all those present with a smile, a warm feeling inside, and a few issues to ponder, too."
More about Martha on her website: www.marthatilston.co.uk
- MONSTER CEILIDH BAND - just back from gigging in the Rainforest, the Monsters are out of this world.
Check out their recent youtube from a gig in Moscow
What are the band blogging about these days? "Yes, it is a monstrously fine day today. What's that? What have the Monsters been doing? Well ... those fine Monsters have been stretching their arms, claws, tentacles, and creeping out of hibernation because it's time to start the summer long party. CHOMP."
Sounds promising! Can't wait!
The Monsters play from 7.00 - 9.00pm on the Saturday night.More about the Monster Ceilidh Band: http://www.monsterceilidhband.co.uk/-----
Monday 26 July
Early bird tickets are available up to 31 July - so this week is your last chance to purchase tickets at the early bird price of £50 for weekend ticket inc camping. This is amazing value - the normal price from 1 August is cheap enough at £55. Booking is easy via Paypal. Details of how to purchase tickets by post are also on the tickets page of the festival website.
The line-up this year is more exciting than ever with several top young folk stars appearing: fiddle-singer DOGAN MEHMET (fusing English and Turkish music traditions with his rocky 7 piece band the Deerhunters); the fabulous MARTHA TILSTON with her band; global acoustic rhythms over poetic songwriting from 6 DAY RIOT; the cultured traditional 4-piece GADARENE (which includes dancer-bassist Laurel Swift and fiddler Nick Wyke); and, habitual nominees at BBC Folk Awards, the brilliant duo MEGSON.
On the afternoon sessions on main stage watch out for: on Sunday, KIM EDGAR, an Edinburgh-based songwriter (a protegee of Karine Polwart) and, on Saturday, Bath-based 5 piece band URUSEN. After Urusen's stunning performances at Larmer Tree, I was bombarded with requests from festival-goers to book them for Purbeck. These are just two of a superb line-up. Check out the full line-up and schedule on the website. This is a festival over-brimming with exciting music from across the British folk scene and the best of local folk performers.We want to make it a beautiful festival for you! An intimate festival with excellent music all weekend on barn stages; and the lovely setting of the farm for your camping; all this and good cheap food and drink between the two stages!
Purbeck Folk Festival at Wilkswood Farm - perfect relaxation for early September!--------
Monday 19 July 2010
Continuing the drip-feed of information about this year's festival, here is some news about Seating, the Festival Area, Kids Events.
FESTIVAL AREA - This is very compact with 3 large barns in close proximity and only a few yards from an open farm courtyard with an L-shaped barn. Children's events will be based here. There is also a friendly intimate music area for musicians' open stage and workshops.
KIDS EVENTS - There will be arts and crafts activities for children throughout the day. A children's singing workshop is scheduled. Games will also be available.
WORKSHOPS - we have to date arranged fiddle and community singing workshops. We may be adding more workshops.
OPEN MIC - During the festival, performers can book an open mic playing slot on the day. Information about open mic will be in the festival programme.
SEATING (Concert areas) - We will not be providing seating in the concert barns for this year's festival. You may wish to bring your own collapsible chairs, blankets / groundsheets for the stage areas. There will be seating provided in the bar / food barn from where you will be be able to see and hear main stage music at a distance.
DOGS - apart from guide dogs, dogs are not allowed in the festival music areas or bar/food areas.
CEILIDH on the Saturday night between 7.00-9.00pm on the second stage. This should be fantastic as the band is Newcastle-based The Monster Ceilidh Band, probably the most popular young ceilidh band in England. Click on the link to see them on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfpjo-qunKw.
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Wednesday 16 June
- LOCATION
The festival site is WILKSWOOD FARM, which is on Valley Road, Langton Matravers BH19 3DU. It is not only a beautiful place but it has also won conservation awards. We are delighted to have such a fabulous location for the festival.
- DISABLED CAMPING
An area has now been designated for disabled camping quite close to the hub of the festival. We are asking anyone who will need to use this area, to book space when purchasing tickets. It is unlikely that there will be unbooked space in this area once the festival begins.
- THE BARNS
The three main barns are larger than we had in 2009 and are all covered (ie we won't be rained on as we listen to the music!).
- OPEN STAGE
We are now sure that we will be able to have an open stage during the weekend in addition to the two barn stages.
- STEWARDS
The festival will need more stewards than in 2009. If you are interested in being a steward, contact cath@purbeckfolk.co.uk
Wednesday 9 June
The flyers have been ordered and will be around during Wimborne Folk Festival this weekend. We hope they give a good impression of the festival.
If you know the village of Langton Matravers, you will have been able to work out from the map on the 'Location' webpage that the festival is taking place at Wilkswood Farm which you get to from Valley Road. It is located between Corfe Castle and Swanage. Beautiful!
Monday 17 May
The main stage PA engineer, John Maggs, came to the farm last week. He was well-pleased with the barns. The two concert barns are larger than last year and far enough apart.
Tickets went on sale last Friday via the website and we have had a good few sales already.
The website is being developed all the time. Please bear with us as we gradually put the artists and location information up.
Above is the courtyard at the festival farm.
In front of the dry-stone wall, stone carvings are displayed.
The L-shaped barn is where the workshops and the kids events will be held.
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Thursday 29 April
from Paul Burke
We are there!
- We have the agreement in place now. I visited the farm yesterday and it is brilliant - quite similar to last year's venue in most respects. There are three barns which are all located together in one area (two for music and one for the bar / restaurant. There is a further small barn quite nearby which we will use for workshops and kids' events. The camping field has the most stunning views across the Purbeck Hills. So I'm sure you want to know exactly where it is? Really sorry but - for diplomatic reasons - we can't divulge that just yet but it is between Wareham and Swanage.
- Tickets will be on sale via the website from Friday 14 May 2010.
- People keep asking about campfires. The farmer will allow 'cooking fires' - ie small campfires on the campsite.
-
So who is on the line-up? Once again it is a mostly high-profile young bands. So far, and subject to contract, there's the sensational DOGAN MEHMET and the Deerhunters (7 piece anglo-turkish fusion), BBC Folk Award nominees MEGSON, GADARENE (from 'Looking For A New England'), MARTHA TILSTON, LIZZIE NUNNERY, KIM EDGAR and global rhythms from 6 DAY RIOT.
- The wild MONSTER CEILIDH BAND come down from Newcastle for our first ceilidh on the Satuday night.
There are lots more but we can't list everyone here in the News section of the website.
The Purbeck Folk Festival should be fantastic this year.
Best, Paul
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Monday 29 March 2010
from Paul Burke
We are one step closer!
The farm is agreed in principle. Having said that, it is lambing season so we'll be waiting a couple of weeks before the farmer has time to finalise the details with us. Suffice it to say for now, the festival concerts will be in barns on a lovely farm not far from Wareham.
Now for the licence - and Phil is on to it - while Cath and I are finalising the line-up.
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Sunday 14 March 2010
Hi Folks!
If you are waiting for news of Purbeck Folk Festival 2010 (the weekend 3-5 September), it is best to join the email list.
There will be a message sent out very shortly.
Apologies for the unavoidable delay!
Paul
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Sunday 7 February 2010
UPDATE 3 February 2010 There are planning delays re Purbeck Folk Festival 2010 so tickets will not be going on sale just yet.
The Festival directors are 100% committed to running the festival in 2010 as planned but a few weeks back we received the disappointing news that Steeple Leaze Farm is no longer available to the festival. Apparently this is for reasons which have nothing to do with the festival. As the Steeple Parish Council had given their approval, the news came as a surprise.
We have been looking for a suitable alternative site for the festival but as yet we have not firmed up any agreements. Bear in mind that last year's successful festival was first thought of in mid-April, our team is confident that we have time to organise another good event this year.
Please bear with us! Best wishes, Folk on!
Best, Paul
2009
Tuesday 1 September
It's all going beautifully. We have sold a good number of tickets but we are unlikely to sell out. Well, we planned for a capacity of 500 and we now have licences for more than that. This means Day Tickets and Weekend Tickets will be on sale at the festival ticket office over the weekend. We don't do credit cards so bring the right money!!!
The evening sessions on Friday and Saturday begin at 7pm and the afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday at 1pm. All music has to finish by 7pm Sunday evening. You have access to the festival and camp site from 12 noon on Friday.
Friday 28 August
It's not really news but we have just we realised we forgot to mention torches in the festival information section. The lighting for the festival area will not reach the far parts of the camping fields so do bring a torch.
Tuesday 25 August
- People are asking if there are DAY TICKETS still available. Yes - there are for all three days of the festival. You can buy them on the Tickets page of this website.
- Wendy and Patrick Morrow (voices, harp, guitar, flute) have now been added to the Friday night schedule on the Long Barn Stage. Sarah Griffin Band has been re-scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
- We have been asked about washing facilities. Apart from the brick-built wash-rooms which have sinks and toilets, we are bringing in showers (£2 pershower) and temporary loos.
- We still have a few vacancies for stewards, email Cath@purbeckfolk.co.uk
EMAILOUT no.2 - 22 August 2009
- LINE-UP
There are some additions to the line-up: Dorchester-based JAMES FINDLAY, traditional young fiddle-singer and guitarist (with much Nic Jones influence) is playing the Friday night with his band on the High Barn Stage (main stage). Also we have the funky IOTA BAND will play the late night danceable set on the Long Barn Stage after the headline concert (JIM MORAY) has finished in the High Barn. Sorry to say Frankie Milner, who was to play and M/C Sunday afternoon, has pulled out through illness.
- NO MINIBUS SHUTTLE SERVICE
We considered providing a shuttle minibus service between Wareham Rail Station and the festival site but it seems there would be very little take-up. We have decided not to go ahead with it. Taxis have quoted £14 for the 5-mile trip.
- GUIDED WALKS in the Purbecks are being offered for the mornings. More information soon.
Thursday 20 August
Congratulations to Cathie Owen who won a competition set by PROPER RECORDS for two free tickets for the festival. We are pleased to be associated with Proper Records - whose compilations of Folk Rising has helped raise the profile of many younger folk artists and bands.
Wednesday 19 August
We need to know if it's worthwhile putting on a SHUTTLE MINIBUS service between Wareham Rail Station and the festival site. Check out the Getting There page.
Wednesday 12 August
We still need a few more stewards. Contact Cath: cath@purbeckfolk.co.uk
Saturday 8 August
Sorry to say that the Woodlarks have pulled out of the festival. Well actually they have disbanded. We will let you know shortly how we will be replacing them for the Friday evening concert.
July 30 - from Paul
EMAILOUT no1
Hi - to Purbeck Folk Festival email list
Thanks for signing up to our email list! I always address email list messages to Cath (bcc blind copy so as not give your email address away).
A few thoughts to share with you in our first email ...
- The festival planning is going well. Ticket sales have picked up nicely. The line-up is complete.
HEADLINERS
You will have seen that some real stars of the younger folk scene are booked for the festival. Jim Moray is headlining the Saturday night main stage. He is regarded as the most innovative folk musician to emerge for a generation. Uiscedwr (Sunday)and Mawkin:Causley (Friday) are both brilliant musically and high energy entrertainment.
Rosie Doonan, Jack McNeill & Charlie Heys and Sam Carter have all been featured on 'Folk Rising', Proper Records celebration of Britain's emeging folk talent.
SOUND:
I am delighted to tell you that we have superb PA provision. John Maggs is operating the main stage and Andy Stone the second stage. Both have a fantastic track record. John's company is well-known for quality of equipment and he is an outstanding engineer. Andy of course is the highly-repected sound engineer for the Bournemouth Folk Club. Forgive the superlatives above but they are justified.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
We were asked on the Forum (on the festival website) about public transport and we are trying to get an idea as to whether it is advisable (and viable!) to provide a shuttle service between Wareham Railway Station and the Festival site.
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES
Cath is working on the programme for children. Next emailout will update you about the programme.
THE FARM
Steeple Leaze Farm is wonderfully remote. At the festival do take a good walk across the farm campsite to enjoy the fabulous views of sea and hillside. Mobile phones probably won't work unless you walk up on the Ridgeway at the edge of the campsite. Shops are 5 miles away in Wareham. The stages are in large barns. On warm evenings I suggest insect repellent.
FORUM
Please do keep an eye on the website and the forum. We need your questions and your guidance to make the festival best it can be.
Thursday 23 July - from Cath:
SAMBATASTIC! Dave Brooks and his team (and all their drums) have agreed to come to Purbeck Folk Festival to run a Samba workshop. YAY!! You may recognise them from the Larmer Tree Festival (and others) over the last few years. This will be a great opportunity for you to get involved and make some noise. Get your Samba shoes on!!
Wednesday 8 July - from Paul:
EMILY BARKER and the RED CLAY HALO BAND has been added to the Sunday afternoon schedule.
Emily Barker, award-winning folk-country songwriter, originally from Western Australia, plays the festival with the Red Clay Halo Band. Recently she toured and sang with UK Americana heroes ‘The Arlenes’ on their UK tour, as well as commenceing work on her debut solo album: ‘Photos.Fires.Fables.’ The album is an eclectic tapestry of old-timey narratives weaving gothic stories of fire, tragedy, love and hard lessons. It received much critical acclaim when it was released in 2007…
Emily then gathered some of the album’s musicians together to accompany her songs for live performances. ‘The Red Clay Halo,’ an all-female trio consisting of Anna Jenkins, Jo Silverston and Gill Sandell who play violin, cello, accordion and flute respectively. They also all do backing vocals creating mesmerising 4-part harmonies.
http://www.myspace.com/emilybarker
Tuesday 7 July - from Cath:
Great news.... We can confirm today that we've managed to book Jack McNeill and Charlie Heys! Jack and Charlie were finalists in the Radio 2 Young Folk Awards last year and were featured on "Folk Rising" compilation CD (Proper Records) along with Mawkin:Cawsley, Rosie Doonan and Sam Carter. Jack and Charlie play original and traditional songs with guitar and fiddle. Radio 2 said "Emotionally-charged, intelligent lyrics, a deftly melodic guitar style and empathic fiddle accompaniment". Sounds good to me! They'll be playing on Friday night and throughout the weekend. You can check them out beforehand at http://www.myspace.com/jackmcneillandcharlieheys