Club Tent and Open Mic Sessions

Entry to the Club Tent and Open Mic Sessions is free as part of our 'free festival' and all musicians play for free as a contribution to the festival.

The quality of the music in the Club Tent is very high and wide ranging - it's an essential part of the festival.

Spotlight concerts - on Saturday and Sunday afternoons

Open Mic sessions are on Friday and Saturday evenings and are run by local folk clubs - come and sign up at 7pm on both evenings.  

The Friday Open Mic Session in the club tent will be hosted by Richard Frapwell, Glastonbury Folk Club and on Saturday will be hosted by Nicki Davey and Johnny Francis, Wookey Hole Acoustic Club.

Some of the artists appearing in the Club Tent this year:

Nicky Johns

Nicky Johns is a singer-songwriter.  After several years honing her craft on the Bristol folk and acoustic scene she released her first album, It's the quiet ones you have to watch,  in 2009.  Her songs have been described as wry, rueful, thoughtful, touching and "very English".  Richard Riley will be joining Nicky on guitar.

Emil Brynge (Sweden)

23 year old Emil Brynge was born and raised in a house out on the fields in south Sweden. As a teenager he skipped school to listen to psych/folk vinyls all day long in his room. This is now shown strongly in his music, as well as in his lack of math skills.His lyrics reflect his everyday life out on the Swedish fields. The music is strongly influenced by British and Swedish folk, and Indian classical music.   Among his past gigs is two Moseley Folk Festivals, Priddy Folk Festival 2008, support for Simone White, Robin Williamson, Mariee Sioux, Wizz Jones and First Aid Kit. He has also played sitar for psych/folk legend Mark Fry. In 2010 he will release a new EP, before doing a five week tour of USA and Canada.

www.myspace.com/emilbrynge

‘Your music is extraordinary!’ - Tom Robinson, BBC6 Music

“A mere 21 years old, yet he already has a confidence about him that belies his years. A breath of fresh air!” – Folking About, UK

Rosie Eade

Rosie Eade plays lively and evocative life inspired songs of her own, interspersed with carefully chosen traditional songs, all arranged around her love of folk, rock and thrashing her old nylon strung guitar. In the past she has supported the likes of Julie Fowlis, Martin Carthy, and Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, to high acclaim. Last year you may have seen her at Rochester Sweeps, Glastonbury Festival, Beautiful Days andBurnham On Sea Folk Festival, and in 2010 Rosie has a packed festival schedule including a return to Glastonbury.

"Rosie Eade, one of the finest new voices on the acoustic scene", Burnham-On-Sea Folk Festival.

"Rosie's own songs... played alongside traditional folk ... are infused with a sense of urgency. A balance of powerful yearning and personal reflection.” Scrumpy 'n' Western. www.rosieeade.co.uk www.myspace.com/rosieeade

The Portraits

“The Portraits…is one of the most unique and haunting acts [who] write pop songs that are intelligent, multi-faceted and inordinately above the pop throng.” WILDY HASKELL, WILDY’S WORLD

"Overflowing with...promise and passion" GISELLE NGUYEN, SHAKESPEAR'S SISTER, DAILY VAULT
 
The Portraits are Lorraine (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Jeremy (piano, vocals) Millington. Based between London, the West Country and France, their simple observations of adult life from the perspective of those that have loved, lost, travelled, had children and laughed about it all, make for a cosy brand of acoustic pop with beautiful harmonies and folk and world music tinges. 2009 brought many great opportunities, including gigs from the Tobacco Factory in Bristol to the Roisin Dubh in Galway via some high-profile appearances in London. They opened the main stage at the Vale Earth Festival in Guernsey and turned promoters for a successful stage at 2009’s Fete de La Musique in La Rochelle, France at which they also headlined. 2010 has already seen them signed up for a number of important festivals and events in the UK and Europe, including a festival for Burma in London in October supporting some big name acts. The duo’s new CD, The Blushing of a World In White, a collection of 12 heartfelt tales of the world, its ironies and its downfalls, which is picking up some lovely reviews from its pre-release promo, is set for release a fortnight before Priddy 2010, and the Portraits will be using the new album to promote awareness of the appalling situation in Burma and raise funds through CD sales for an amazing school there.

Martin Messent

Singer songwriter Martin Messent takes in elements of folk, alt. country and fingerstyle playing, uniting these with a love of jazz and Americana and a lyrical, freewheeling approach to songwriting wedding classic form to experimentation. He has released an EP (2004) and three self-produced albums: Saw The Sun (2007), Blues For Plankton (2008) and new CD Angels and Jackals (2010). ‘Ever On’ was played on BBC Radio 6 Music Introducing… on August 31st 2008.

He has also played several live sessions for BBC Southern Counties Radio, Juice 107.2 FM and Radio Reverb, as well as appearing at Bestival and Glastonbury festivals and numerous acoustic venues throughout the UK including The Greys, Brighton, 12 Bar Club and Green Note, London and The Verge, Hyde.

Influences include Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Davy Graham and Danny Schmidt.

Amanda Boyd and Emma Wilkinson

'Cecil Sharp collected many wonderful traditional folk songs from local people in Somerset including the Mendips over a hundred years ago. Emma and Amanda will perform songs from his Mendip and Priddy collection in the club tent, July 10th.'

Graham, Sandy, Tim & Sue

Graham & Sandy Ball

Sandy & Graham are well known for running the very successful Folk at the Oak club in Corsham, Wilt’s and also the Club Tent at Priddy. Both great singers and musicians, drawing from both traditional & contemporary  sources. More at  www.finemusicworks.com

Tim Brine and Sue Franklin

Well known on the acoustic circuit ,Tim and Sue perform traditional , contemporary
and self penned songs that express their ideals and emotions.They accompany themselves on guitar ,mandolin, Cello, whistles and bazooki and captivate an audience
with their intimate performance.

Jim Causley

Young Devon folk singer Jim Causley became involved with traditional music from an early age via his family, the local folk scene and an historical tradition of wassailing in his home village of Whimple, East Devon.

After studying Jazz & Popular Music at Exeter College he went on to study Traditional Music at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. During this time he became involved in the wider folk scene and gained great interest as a solo performer in folk clubs throughout the country.

His recording debut came in 2005 as part of Martyn Wyndham-Read’s Song Links project (Fellside) which linked English Traditional songs with their American variants. Later that year he recorded the first of two solo albums with WildGoose Records and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Causley also received great acclaim for his work as part of a cappella trio; The Devil’s Interval whose album ‘Blood & Honey’ (WildGoose) also received another Folk Award nomination in 2007.

He has toured with Waterson:Carthy for six consecutive years as part of their annual Frost & Fire Christmas show and joined them in the studio for on their most recent album ‘Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man’ (Topic).

He also has a strong involvement in his native Devon where he performs regularly with the Dartmoor Pixie Band, gives talks for local WI’s, takes the readings at the annual Jan Stewer Night in Puddington every May as well as helping to uphold his village wassail tradition every old twelvey night!

Causley has become renowned for his warm, rich and mature singing voice (quoted as being akin to the fruitiest of real ales!) his natural gift for interpreting song and his wry and cheeky stage presence. Most recently he has been collaborating with Essex instrumental quartet Mawkin as Mawkin:Causley, touring with Scottish Musician John McCusker as part of the Celtic Connections/Cambridge Folk Festival commissioned project; Under One Sky and recording with Kathryn Williams and David Rotheray of Beautiful South fame.

Mendip String Band

From the heart of the Somerset Levels come this melting pot of Western Swing, Country Boogie and hot Blues Rags,   so prevalent in the early pioneers of the west country flatland dwellers of the early thirties and forties,  Peat Bog Boogies,  Tortured ballads of catastrophic crop failures and devastating floods give this band a highly unique repertoire that is taking the west country by storm

Kevin Brown  Lap steel/slide guitar, Joff Lowson   guitar, John Boston  Fiddle/mandolin, Bill Crampton  Upright Bass.

Appalachia  -   “Fusion String Band”

 “To make you good folks smile “

Appalachia combine blues, bluegrass, and American roots music, based on tight 4 part harmonies and strong, rhythmic arrangements to provide a real foot-stomping, feel-good sound. They are a four piece band (guitars, banjo, mandolin, double bass and  vocals), and have created a real stir on the Bristol and Somerset acoustic music scene as well as going down a storm at Priddy Folk festival and Didmarton Bluegrass festival last year. They were recently featured as artist of the month on Glastonbury fm and are currently going from strength to strength. Here’s what has been written about them:  

Appalachia went down a storm here at Brewery Arts centre, in Cirencester  on Friday night. They have won many new fans. There performance did us proud and what a nice bunch of people. We look forward to having them back in September to headline in our  'American Roots' show. John Drummond Brewery Arts Director 

Heather Bristow

Raised in North Carolina, since moving to the UK some years ago singer/songwriter Heather Bristow has performed with a variety of musical associates (including Appalachia's James Slater as the duo High Lonesome). She released her well-received debut cd of entirely self-penned songs, Hope on the Vine, in 2009, and was a finalist in the 2009 UK Songwriting Contest. She regularly performs solo and with the acoustic trio Three Corbies, with Colin Sillence and Dave Scott, and will also be performing this summer with one of the UK and Europe's favourite bluegrass bands, The New Essex Bluegrass Band. www.myspace.com/heatherbristow

Rough Street Jug Band

 GOOD TIME MUSIC 

 “ Disgusting ” – Classic FM Magazine

“ A cultural experience beyond belief ” – Horse & Hound

“ Wish they’d stop “ – Royal Crescent Neighbourhood Watch

Having played their first gig at a twinning event in France, which was quite successful, the Rough Street Jug Band decided this was not such a bad thing, so thought why not carry on here at home in Wiltshire ?

The band’s main inspiration is very much the black American jug band music of the 1920s:- The Memphis Jug Band, Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers, The Mississippi Sheiks etc - a foot tapping mix of blues, jazz, and ragtime with the odd suggestive lyric: all good entertainment.

Instruments ?  Well, you name it really:- jug (of course), washboard & drums, kazoo, stroh viol, stand-up bass, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, swanee whistle, ocarina, ukulele, guitar …..  mainly a vocal band with a lot of nonsense going on as well; happy to play unplugged or amplified:- town & village fetes, pub gigs, weddings, private parties, whatever. Good fun guaranteed. !   www.myspace.com/roughstreetjugband

Roger Tarry

"Bittersweet melancholy over fingerpicked guitar, interspersed with violin. Tender vocals, effortlessly delivered with gossamer touch. Influences range from Fairport, Martyn, Drake, Low, Elliot Smith, Damien Rice etc..."

Bag of Rats

Scurrying from the Somerset and Dorset area of the West Country comes a flurry of rats; in fact, the edgy Bag of Rats. All four members have played in various kinds of bands over the years and came together in 2005 with a view to forming a band which could combine their individual musical experience. The result is a rich brew of Traditional English, Blues, Irish, Jazz and Country; a smidgeon of pigeon Ska, a hint of alternative and a peppering of psychedelic skiffle; in a nutshell, Verminous Folk! Bag of Rats have spread their “verminous folk” with astounding ebullience at Burnham-on-Sea Folk Fest, Minehead Beer Festival, Wessex Folk Festival, Glastonbury 2007, Lapstock Festival, Goldhill Fair, Wimborne Folk Festival (The White Hart), Watchet Carnival and knawed and nibbled at the dancing and cheering crowds at many pubs. Bag of Rats had a triumphant return to the places that saw them over the last three years with lots of new venues requesting their entertainment. They always prove to be popular with audiences they entertain and are continuing to do so.

Bag of Rats have supported 3 Daft Monkeys on a number of occasions in 2008 and Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs and are due to support Hayseed Dixie on July 8th 2010. The fabulous CD ‘Abbey Rodent’, has eight scrummy examples of the Rat sound; this is on sale at gigs or online. The next album “Ratify Yourself" is being worked on and should be ready for later on this year!!! You can listen to Bag of Rats or find out where they’re playing on their website and My Space pages. Please contact Mary Rat for festivals, gigs, support slots, interviews, record deals etc etc