The 2010 Flyer

For those of you who don't receive these through the post, here's a chance to download a PDF of the full 2010 flyer.



Click here to download the flyer.

Afro Celt Sound System

It's been a badly kept secret, but we've had to wait until the band were ready to announce the whole tour.

A pioneering and thrilling live band, Afro Celt Sound System return to live
action this summer for the first time in five years.
Twice Grammy-nominated
and multi-million album selling, the band play summer festivals throughout
Europe. Shrewsbury Folk Festival is very proud to be one of a select few
festivals in the UK presenting the Afro Celt Sound System in 2010.
A career-spanning survey double CD release of the bands best work
on Realworld will be announced soon.

"It's like a hurricane let loose... the spontaneity, the mix of ancient and
modern, the black and white, the fluidity and breathless glee" Q Magazine

Jon Boden solo slot confirmed for Monday

Just a quick update to let you know that Jon Boden 'solo' has been confirmed for the festival on Monday afternoon.

Not sure of the exact timings yet, but it will be early afternoon as Bellowhead are finishing the festival on Monday.

The line-up is now complete, we'll list all the artists for you early next week.

Hatch Show Print

As many of you may know, we use Hatch Show Print to print fantastic posters that we make available at the festival - there's nowhere else in the world that makes posters like this and we have them shipped over from Nashville.

This year Alan & Sandra visited the print shop on their way home from Folk Alliance - and our posters are on display in the 'unique' print room.

Here are few images from the shop - including one of Alan helping you find the poster!

The image from the window shows our 2008 poster, it's obviously been in the window since then, and has been mangled by the Hatch Show Print Cat!

We'll be back to Hatch again this year for another poster - and will post details of it as and when we have them here.

Folk Alliance

Since last Wednesday Alan, Sandra & Neil have been at Folk Alliance in Memphis. We first went in 2008, but this time were ready and knew what to expect......

Wall to wall music from both big names and upcoming artists all in one huge hotel (the Marriott in Memphis); there were panels, sessions and chances to meet artists, agents, folk arts professionals and fellow festival organisers from all over the world.

It was good to meet some old friends of the festival including Leonard from the Duhks, as well as seeing people for the first time - I confess that I had to travel to the US for my first chance to see Martyn Joseph (he played about a half a dozen showcases and was excellent)

We saw lots more showcases including Michelle Shocked, Po Girl and John Gorka, but the overall highlight was the Sweetback Sisters who put in an amazing concert. We talked to countless artists, and spent time in a city that is very quiet during the day but comes alive at night.

We spent some time on Beale St and met a genuine blues legend in Clyde Hopkins, had a memorable beer in a Beale St bar quite unlike anything you've ever seen, took the l-o-n-g walk to Sun Studios, where the tour was much better than you could expect (they take tours during the day, and then bands record there in the evening), took in a basketball game at the FedEx Arena on Saturday night, and even had time to see the Peabody Ducks

Great restaurants, including a fantastic meal at Rendevous Ribs where we were memorably served by Robert Snr who's been there 46 years!

I came home today (Monday), but Alan & Sandra are touring for an extra week including a trip to Graceland and then to spend some time in Nashville.

Hopefully, by the time they get back we'll be able to announce the headline act!

Who is on When

We've now booked ALL the acts for 2010, and here's the full* line-up along with days performing. This is the first time the list along with artists for all the stages and venues have been released, so have a look through as there are people we've not announced before here......

* all acts are booked, but we can't release the headliner just yet, as it's part of a world tour and everything has to be announced together...we'll be able to do this in March. What we can let you know is that they'll be performing on Sunday night, just after Billy Bragg.

Here we go, in alphabetical order

FRIDAY 27th
Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds
Adrienne Young
Andy Wall
Fairfield
Jackie Oates
Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts
Kimber’s Men
Koshka
Lucy Kaplansky
Michael McGoldrick Big Band
Mick Ryan & Paul Downes
OK Brandy
Penny Priest
Richard Shindell
The Kittiwakes
The Young’uns
Toothless Mary with Fee Lock

SATURDAY 28th
Adrienne Young
Andy Wall
Cara Dillon
Chuck Brodsky
Dartmoor Pixie Band with Sarah Bazeley
Dave Young & Dave Bordewey
Dervish & Guests
DJ ceilidh with Pete Rees & Phil Bassingdale
Drever, McCusker, Woomble with Heidi Talbot and Boo Hewerdine
Fairfield
Heidi Talbot & Boo Hewerdine
Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts
Kimber’s Men
Koshka
Lucy Kaplansky
Mick Ryan & Paul Downes
OK Brandy
Penny Priest
Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell & Lucy Kaplansky
The Kittiwakes
The Navvy’s Wife
The Old Dance School
The Tom McConville Band
The Young’uns
The Wilsons
Whiskey River Boys
Winter Wilson

SUNDAY 29th
Billy Bragg
Calan
Chuck Brodsky
Dartmoor Pixie Band with Sarah Bazeley
Genticoram
Tim Judson & Julia Disney
Kerr, Fagan & Harbron
Kimber’s Men
Kristina Olsen & Peter Grayling
Nancy Kerr & James Fagan
Lucy Ward
Sam Carter
The Fay Hield Trio
The Old Dance School
The Wilsons
The Young’uns
Tickled Pink with Martyn Harvey
Tom Kitchin & Gren Bartley

MONDAY 30th
Bellowhead
Belshazzar’s Feast
Calan
Chuck Brodsky
Hans Theessink
John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett
Kerfuffle
Kristina Olsen & Peter Grayling
Majorstuen
Mawkin:Causley
May Contain Nuts
The Old Dance School
The Wilsons
Tom Kitchin & Gren Bartley

Festival Showreel Part 2

The second part of our 2009 festival showreel includes highlights from Show of Hands, Eric Bibb, Spooky Men's Chorale and The Proclaimers



We have all the footage from the main stage performances, if you'd like to see a particular song/clip then let us know and we'll upload it to youtube in the coming weeks.....

The Line-Up and The Art of Virtue

For the last few weeks, we've been waiting on the confirmation of one more act that will complete our main stage line-up....

It's a space on Sunday night, it's a big band and it's quite complicated.

We're confident it will work out, but patience is a virtue and this time we're going to give it time to fall into place!

In the meantime, here's a more complete look at parts of the line-up (an even more complete list is on our website)

Bellowhead
Cara Dillon
Dervish & special guests
Billy Bragg
Michael McGoldrick Big Band
Ade Edmondson & the Bad Shepherds
Richard Shindell
Lucy Kaplansky
Heidi Talbot & Boo Hewerdine (with Drever McCusker & Woomble)
Genticorum
Jackie Oates Band
Hans Theesink
John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett
Nancy Kerr & James Fagan
Chuck Brodsky
Mawkin:Causley
Adrienne Young
Fay Hield Trio
Kristina Olsen & Peter Grayling
Belshazzar's Feast
Kerfuffle
Kerr Fagan Harbron
Lucy Ward
Tom McConville

..and a few more

We're almost ready to announce our full line-up(honestly!), but while you're all waiting......

Every year we like to bring some North American artists to the festival who you may have heard of, but almost certainly haven't seen. In 2007 we brought Richard Shindell over for his first visit to the UK in ten years, and since then we've had Crooked Still, Mark Erelli, Ollabelle, Eilen Jewell, Krista Detor and more.

This year is no exception and as well as having both Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky with us in August, we have a couple artists to add to the line-up -Chuck Brodsky and Adrienne Young (and her band)

There will be full bios in on our website (and in the programme), but here's a quick clip of Chuck

Chuck Brodsky

Happy New Year, plus a few more names

Well it's a little late, but we have an excuse! I had intended to post this on Monday 4th, but a gas explosion in Shrewsbury (BBC News), took out my phone lines and broadband until today.

We're just waiting on our headliners to confirm and then we'll make a 'formal' line-up announcement, but in the meantime here are a few more names from the festival for 2010

Bellowhead

Jackie Oates (and band)

Nancy & James

a few more names for you...

Dervish + Special Guests (can't say who yet, but it looks exciting!)

Heidi Talbot & Boo Hewerdine with Drever, McCusker and Woomble

Mawkin/Causley

Full line announcement due in a couple of days.......

more of the line-up....

The festival starts on Friday night with Adrian Edmondson & the Bad Shepherds opening on the main stage.

and later in the weekend we welcome back

Genticorum
Kristina Olsen & Peter Grayling

Genticorum played the very first Shrewsbury FF at the Quarry, and Kristina & Peter played at the festival when it was held in Bridgnorth - it's great to have them both back.

Emily Smith - Caledonia. SFF 2009

There are lots of hits on the blog at the moment with people looking for line-up information - we WILL announce a few more names this week, but in the meantime here's a fantastic video of Emily Smith from August.

Emily Smith Band - Caledonia.
Main Stage, Saturday 29th August

Richard Shindell & Lucy Kaplansky

We're also bringing Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky over to the 2010 festival.

They will both play individual sets over the weekend, but will play a special one-off duo show for us on Saturday.

....and we're off!

We're going to officially announce the full line-up in January, but we're ready to go with ticket sales right now.

2010 Tickets

But we can't expect you to buy tickets without a little flavour of who will be performing in 2010.

So, as promised here are three names plucked from the 2010 line-up

Billy Bragg
Cara Dillon
Michael McGoldrick Big Band

We'll put a few more names from the line-up on the blog ahead of the announcement of the line-up so far in early January.

Almost there......

We're just putting the finishing touches to the line-up for 2010, and all the slots for the 2 main marquees all just about all booked and ready to go.

As you'd expect there are big names, some old favourites, but also some fantastic new names to the festival including two acts on the main stage who've never even played in the UK before!

We looked at all the suggestions from you on the blog and facebook and it certainly had an impact on some of artists we booked...thanks!

Tickets will be on sale in early Jan, and we'll announce the full line-up then...but for those who follow the blog, twitter and Facebook we'll let a few names out of the bag just before Christmas and in the run up to the New Year.

Mark Erelli - Crying

At the Chris Wood show in Shrewsbury last Friday, 3 people asked me for this video to be uploaded.....

Mark Erelli - Crying.
Main Stage Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Friday 28th August 2009

Spooky Mens Chorale - Dancing Queen

The Spookies from the main stage on Sunday.....

Karine Polwart - Follow the Heron

Follow the Heron from Karine's Monday afternoon set

Seth Lakeman - Solomon Browne

Solomon Browne from Seth's fantastic set at the festival on Saturday 29th August.