Wolverton Folk & Blues Fair 2019
The ninth annual Wolverton Folk & Blues Fair will take place in the stunning grounds of Wolverton Manor, Shorwell, Isle of Wight on Saturday 11th May 2019. 11.30am to 8.00pm.
After a sell-out successful launch in 2011, the family friendly festival has been gaining momentum with fantastic bands/artists each year along with locally produced food, children’s activities, tea tent and not forgetting the Real Ale tent!
Alongside some of the Island’s top Folk & Blues Bands we are very pleased to announce our special guest artists at Wolverton Folk & Blues this year include:
Award winning UK blues band THE PRODUCERS.
Rising UK Folk stars of 2019 THE TRIALS OF CATO.
‘Cosmic’ Country-Blues of THE GOAT ROPER RODEO BAND.
Stomping blues/roots of GRIZZLY & THE GRASSHOPPERS.
The Producers
It was over 25 years and thirteen albums ago
that The Producers first appeared on the UK music scene and since then they
have gigged their version of the blues in clubs, theatres and on major festival
stages worldwide.
Original frontman Harry Skinner and bass player Dave Saunders are joined by Ray
Drury on organ/piano and Biff Smith on Drums and percussion
to complete the line up. Playing the freshest live blues in Britain today, The
Producers move effortlessly between their own well crafted material and
seriously reinvigorated classics stamped with their own characteristic
identity, playing sell-out club, theatre and festival dates having developed an
impressive reputation over 25 years that no one can ignore.
The new 25th Anniversary album has seen the band
revert back to the original 60s R’n’B sound. Recorded live in the studio, it
offers a response to the sophistication of London Blues and above all it
re-connects the band to its past.
The Trials of Cato
Having arrived fully formed and functioning from Beirut in the winter of 2016, they have since torn a shape very much their own into the canvas of the UK folk scene.
Originally from North Wales and Yorkshire, whilst living in Lebanon they spent a year boiling down the roots of their sound into a hybrid of traditional influences that intrigued Lebanese audiences in the country’s biggest venues.
They moved back to the UK and have since been performing tirelessly up and down the country, leading to BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe hailing them as “one of the real discoveries on the folk circuit in recent times.”
Their musical development in the run up to their debut album proper has been swift and sure, winning much praise for Hide and Hair and receiving repeated national airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music.
Praised for the diversity of their material and influences, The Trials of Cato live show “invariably stuns audience wherever they play.” Whether plying their trade busking, performing in front of thousands at festivals across Europe, or frequently selling out their own club shows, The Trials of Cato have the wind behind them.
The Goat Roper Rodeo Band
With just an upright
bass, two old guitars and a bucketful of aching harmony, THE GOAT ROPER RODEO
BAND are preaching ‘Cosmic Country Blues’ like you never heard. It’s up, it’s
down, it’s soft and loud, it’s dark and lonesome too, there’s hurt and shame
and some mean old pain but there’s love in what they do! There’s a hint of
Gram, a sniff of Dylan and a twist of Waylon’s
blues.
With an awe inspiring ‘live show’ that’s guaranteed
to raise the roof, swinging from the most tender heartfelt paean to the blues,
to the highest full throttle, barn storming, juke joint boogie stompers, theirs
is a show that’s wowing audiences across the land.
The Goat Ropers, Tom (Double Bass / Vocals), Jim (Lead Guitar / Vocals) and Sam (Rhythm Guitar / Vocals) are currently touring the UK with their third album, “Tall Grass”, produced by The Magic Numbers’ Michele Stodart.
Grizzly & The Grasshoppers
Features the gritty vocals and original music
of front man, `Grizzly Rhys` Morgan (acoustic guitar, lap slide and lap steel
guitars, Dobro, djembe, and harmonica); with Neil Shervell on drums, and bass
guitarist, Matt Brace.
The music is Roots and Blues at its foot-stomping best with a touch of Folk and
a hint of Traditional Blues! Whether playing a dark
and dirty tavern or a packed and muddy festival, they draw people in with their
energy and original style. Grizzly`s lap-slide performances, and the drum-offs
are particular crowd pleasers.
The band released its first album, `Seeds` in 2013,
followed by `Whiskey River` in 2015. Grizzly`s first solo album was released in
2018, and work has begun on the next album with the full band.
As well as the Main Stage, the popular ‘Beer Tent Acoustic Stage’ will make a welcome return this year providing a full and varied programme, featuring some of the best Folk & Blues musicians the Isle of Wight has to offer.
Other Bands/Artists confirmed include: The MoonShiners, Holly Kirby & The Great Outdoors, The Dance Preachers, Second Time Around, Coppersmith, Andy Roberts, The RUG Band, Red Sqwrl, The Bluesbury Group, Paul Armfield, Cajundaze, The Brighstone Barnacles and Moonshine Border Morris.
With an IW real ale beer tent, tea tent, bar-be-que, children’s activities, craft stalls, Circus Skills and Morris Dancing, The Wolverton Folk & Blues Fair looks set to be a great opportunity to enjoy top live music and great festival food, set against the backdrop of the beautiful West Wight scenery.
In aid of Leukaemia Research and Brighstone School.
Ticket Information: £8.00, (£10.00 on day). Children under 12, Free!
Advance tickets, available from:
Waterstones Bookshop, Newport.
The Village Shop, Brighstone.
Briddlesford Lodge Farm Shop, Wootton Bridge.
Brighstone School.
Shorwell Shop.
For more information or enquiries:
email: info@folkandblues.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WolvertonFolkandBlues