Posts Tagged ‘bellowhead’

There was lots going on in London on Sunday – 9/11 memorials, the Thames Festival, the Klezmer in the Park festival in Regents Park and Radio 2′s Live in Hyde Park concert which is where I was. Billed as a ‘Festival in a Day,’ the weather certainly lived up to what we’ve come to expect from a typical English summer festival (i.e wind and rain interspersed with fleeting moments of sun). The line-up was also what you’d expect from a Radio 2 playlist (a right old mixed bag) with artists ranging from headliner Gary Barlow, Imelda May, Lenny Kravitz, James Blunt and Chic. So why, you may be wondering, was I there? Well, besides the fact that Hyde Park is practically my back garden, there was one gem amongst the otherwise seriously middle-of-the road line-up and that was Bellowhead. OK, so I’m not exactly impartial to the brilliance of a Bellowhead live show as they were winners of our Best Group award this year. It wasn’t ever going to be the easiest of gigs, being only the second act on after Jools Holland and his orchestra, plus they were given a ridiculously short set time of just 15 minutes. But at least the sun shone during their three songs and they got the crowd singing along to ‘London Town’ and ‘New York Girls.’ And after Jon Boden’s introduction to ‘Cold Blows the Wind,’ a few Radio 2 listeners are now fully aware of “the dangers of dating dead people.”

You can check out Bellowhead’s performance, plus video clips from all the other acts on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0140qt1#clips

Tags: bellowhead, Chic, Gary Barlow, hyde park, Imelda May, James Blunt, john boden, Lenny Kravitz, live in hyde park, radio 2.

Nestled between pop stars including Will Young, James Blunt, Lenny Kravitz and Imelda May – Songlines’ favourite folk big band, Bellowhead, will take to the Radio 2 stage in Hyde Park this weekend to showcase some of their biggest hits, including – we hope – ‘New York Girls’ and ‘Yarmouth Town’.

Radio 2 Live In Hyde Park is a festival in a day to celebrate the best of the station’s music with one special day of live performances from a starry array of top UK and international artists at Hyde Park in London on Sunday 11th September 2011.

Also performing are disco legends Chic, Beverley Knight, Dutch jazz star Caro Emerald, Irish vocalist and musician Imelda May, US sisters The Pierces, and Jonathan Jeremiah. Jools Holland and his band will also join the line-up with special guests Sandie Shaw and Ruby Turner.

The event will be hosted by Chris Evans with other Radio 2 presenters.

Tags: bellowhead, Beverley Knight, Caro Emerald, Chic, chris evans, hyde park, Imelda May, James Blunt, Jonathan Jermiah, jools holland, Lenny Kravitz, live in hyde park, Pierces, radio 2, ruby turner, sandie shaw, Will Young.

Only two days till we head up the M5 to Shrewsbury for their annual Folk shindig. We’re all busy doing sun dances here at Songlines HQ, and praying for fine weather, but sadly the forecast doesn’t look too bright. Never mind, at least there’s plenty of wonderful music on over the weekend to keep us smiling even if we do get rained on.

Here are just a few things I’m particularly looking forward to seeing:

Cecil Sharp Project – saw this at Cecil Sharp House back in March and the album has been a constant on the Songlines office stereo, so I can’t wait to see them again. I’m also looking forward to all of the Project’s members’ individual sets, so Steve Knightley with Show of Hands, Caroline Herring (the lady has a voice that is guaranteed to warm up a chilly Shropshire evening), Kathryn with her husband Sean Lakeman; Patsy with Breabach; Andy who’s playing with Chris Wood; Leonard with his new Duhks offshoot band, the Turtle Duhks and last but not least, siblings Jim Moray and Jackie Oates. You can read all about the Project in the current issue and hear a track on the covermount CD.

Bellowhead – well, it’s no secret that the Songlines team are all Bellowhead groupies, especially after their fabulous opening gig at WOMAD. I hope they’ll be bringing along their Songlines award along as a mascot (or maybe Pete Flood has incorporated it into his percussion kit!).

17 Hippies – my favourite German big band.

Walsh & Pound – we featured them in Songlines a couple of issues back (#76) and I’m rather partial to a bit of harmonica and banjo, so keen to check these guys out.

Lots more great stuff to check out. If you’re going, then come along to the CD Artists signing tent, where you’ll find some of the Songlines crew (Jo, Alex, Sophie and Chris).

Right, now where are my wellies…?

Jo

Tags: 17 hippies, bellowhead, breabach, caroline herring, cecil sharp, Chris Wood, jackie oates, jim moray, seth lakeman, show of hands, shrewsbury, shrewsbury festival, shrewsbury folk festival, steve knightley, walsh & pound.

Also taking place this weekend is the mighty Cambridge Folk Festival at Cherry Hinton Hall Grounds, Cambridge.

The festival, which first took place in autumn 1964, is renowned for its eclectic mix of music and a wide definition of what might be considered ‘folk’. The best traditional folk artists from the UK and Ireland rub shoulders with more contemporary acts, the finest American country, blues and roots artists, acclaimed singer-songwriters and even the odd pop star. Bluegrass, gospel, cajun, zydeco, jazz, world, klezmer and a ceilidh are also regular features. The line-up has reflected the many changes in the music scene from the 60s to the present and is always a hotbed mix of the old and the new. The list of performers who have appeared reads like a who’s who and the festival has been a launching pad for many now well-known artists.

This year’s eclectic line-up includes: The Robert Cray Band, Frank Turner, Pentangle, Penguin Cafe, Femi Kuti And The Postive force, The Fisherman’s Friends, Chris Wood, The Secret Sisters, Newton Faulkner, Bellowhead, Richard Thompson, Kate Rusby, Raul Malo, Laura Marling, and Mary Chapin Carpenter Rumer, James Vincent McMorrow, Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs, Danú, Justin Townes Earle, Orkestra del Sol, Saltfishforty, Tickled Pink, Bedlam, The Peatbog Faeries featuring The Wayward Boys, Frankie Gavin & De Dannan, Spiers & Boden, Anxo Lorenzo Band, Jim Moray’s Silent Ceilidh, The Spooky Men’s Chorale, Admiral Fallow, The Peatbog Faeries featuring The Wayward Boys, Home Service, Villagers, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, Caitlin Rose, Abigail Washburn & The Village, Damien O’Kane, Moore Moss Rutter, and more.

Tags: Abigail Washburn & The Village, Admiral Fallow, and Mary Chapin Carpenter Rumer, Anxo Lorenzo Band, Bedlam, bellowhead, Caitlin Rose, cambridge folk festival, Chris Wood, Damien O'Kane, Danú, Femi Kuti And The Postive force, Frank Turner, Frankie Gavin & De Dannan, Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs, Home Service, James Vincent McMorrow, Jim Moray's Silent Ceilidh, Justin Townes Earle, Kate Rusby, Laura Marling, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, Moore Moss Rutter, Newton Faulkner, Orkestra del Sol, Penguin Cafe, Pentangle, Raul Malo, richard thompson, Saltfishforty, Spiers & Boden, The Fisherman's Friends, The Peatbog Faeries featuring The Wayward Boys, The Robert Cray Band, The Secret Sisters, The Spooky Men's Chorale, Tickled Pink, Villagers.