Saturday 22nd March 2014 – day festival: 2pm til late

Tickets £9 (£6) Under 5’s free

Our Potbelly special day festival is returning this Spring!

It will see a great new line-up with talent drawn from across the country – lots more quality folk music, great beers, wonderful people and an atmospheric venue.

We are delighted to be working with Kontra Roots who will be programming this event with their fantastic connections and know-how, to bring you the best quality acts and a varied and interesting line-up we possibly  can.

There will be a return of the very popular children’s arts activities and the cafe in the church rooms as well as very reasonably priced concessions tickets and under 5’s go free!

So bring all the family along for a music and arts festival day which won’t be affected by the weather!

Tickets are just £9 (£6 concessions & children) available from our usual vendors and wegottickets or on the door. The ticket enables you to come and go all day.

Line up as follows:

• KESTON COBBLERS’ CLUB

• “Keston Cobblers’ Club. What a fantastic discovery.” (Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2)

• “Where did this band come from? One of the best new discoveries I’ve made.” (Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music)

• “This is a band set for huge things.” (The 405 Single of the Week)

• The band is based on the folklore of the old, penniless cobbler of Keston. His business was struggling and he would cheer himself up by throwing barn dances for the villagers. The rip-roaring dancing would wear out the soles of the villagers’ shoes, and so the cobbler was never short of work again! Keston Cobblers’ Club have brought back the old Cobbler’s club and everything it stands for: the music making, the collaboration and even the raucous barn dances! “One, For Words”, their debut album, is a celebration of this. With a strong theme of nostalgia and letter writing, it is filled to the brim with 13 splendid songs.

• Keston Cobblers’ Club have not only established a great reputation for their professional, yet completely DIY approach to music making, they have also established themselves as one of the very best barnstorming live acts of the UK folk roots world.

• GRAHAM ROBINS

• Graham is regarded by many as one of the very finest songwriters and performers in the East Midlands, a passionate, soulful musician and a truly great singer who plays an eclectic mix of original rootsy songs with soul, blues, country and gospel influences. He has written, recorded and worked alongside some of the finest musicians in the UK, and with over 40 years of performing experience, his enthusiasm for his craft, and his workload and commitment to live work remains undimmed. It is testament to his great and enduring musical talent that his last album, “The Shipping News”, was a career best and won him wide media acclaim.

• “One of our top ten albums of the year!’ (Net Rhythms)

• “Royal recognition should be the minimum that he receives for this stonking effort.” (Four Star Review from Maverick Magazine)

• KIM LOWINGS & THE GREENWOOD

• Hugely talented folk singer and songwriter, Kim Lowings, fronts this top notch collective of musicians based round Stourbridge in the West Midlands. Playing a mix of contemporary, original and traditional folk songs, they’ve been garnering some brilliant reviews since their debut in 2012, and supported major acts such as Johnny Coppin & Mike Silver, Faustus, and Belshazzar’s Feast.

• “Confident and engaging delivery, showing a maturity beyond her years. Her storytelling, backed by sensitive and imaginative ensemble playing, held the audiences in thrall – expect great things to come!” (Paul Sartin, Bellowhead) “Packed with promise aplenty that will all but ensure she commands a prominent future in the folk scene.” (Mike Wilson)

• “Polished, accomplished, haunting, tuneful, rhythmic are all words I associate with the performance of Kim and the Greenwood.” (Pete Brown, Woodman Folk Club)

• “A real breath of fresh air.” (Acoustic Magazine)

• “Someone very special… simply captivating. The world should know about Kim Lowings.” (Paul Smith, Festival Director & Promoter)

• THE ABRAHAMS

• Consistently voted the best young acoustic band in the Kettering area, The Abrahams describe themselves as a “a progressive acoustic folk rock skiffle beat harmony combo”, and if you’ve seen them before you’d have to agree that was a pretty accurate description! What it doesn’t suggest though is the delicacy of their playing, the subtlety of their arrangements and harmonies, and the originality of their clever yet unpretentious songs. However you describe their music though, these are terrific young musicians who are beginning to make waves not only on the local scene but nationally too.

• ANNE JANELLE & JAMES HILL

• Throughout her years of classical training, this Canadian cellist/singer maintained a love of popular, jazz and folk genres with the result that she now moves between classical and contemporary styles so gracefully that it seems entirely natural. Since 2006 Anne has performed widely with ukulelist/songwriter James Hill, and their acclaimed collaboration “True Love Don’t Weep” won Traditional Album of the Year at the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards. The Folk Diary calls Anne “absolutely brilliant on the cello,” but it’s her songwriting that these days takes centre stage. “Beauty Remains”, her debut solo album, exhibits songs that teem with complexity and candour, offering a special blend of influences that range from Mozart to Feist to Nick Drake to John Zorn. Whether stripped-bare or richly orchestrated, her musical mélange swirls with emotion, honesty and sparkle. In every song, the listener is privy to Anne’s secret life as expressed through compelling imagery, diverse orchestration and her captivatingly sweet voice.

• DOUGHBOY ZYDECAJUN

• This offshoot of Ock ‘n’ Dough (the county’s most versatile and long-lived folk band) concentrate on the Cajun / Zydeco end of their extensive repertoire to extremely entertaining effect. Well known and hugely popular on the Northants folk scene, Janis, Bob, Dace, Jo and Robin play a vast array of instruments, including guitar, squeezbox, percussion, clarinet, tenor saxophone, fiddle, and above all piano accordion to create their famed wall of sound.

• PHOEBE LOUISE

• An enormously talented young local musician who, still only 16, is rapidly becoming one of the most lauded young singer-songwriters in the county. Possessing a pure, spellbinding voice, and with a maturity to her songwriting that belies her age, Phoebe has the rare ability to completely mesmerize an audience.

• CARRIE PATERSON & JAMES DENNESS

• A top class young local acoustic duo, James’s deft guitar work is the perfect complement for Carrie’s fantastic vocals on a wide range of folk influenced covers and original songs. 

• KEVIN BUXTON

• As well known these days as a promoter and harmonica player, Kevin began his musical career as a singer-songwriter back in the folk and acoustic clubs of London in the 1990s, performing a powerful blend of folk and blues, and supporting legendary acts such Bert jansch, Wizz Jones and Davey Graham. A dynamic, entertaining live performer, who seamlessly mixes his own beautifully crafted songs with a fascinating variety of covers, he is an excellent acoustic roots musician with a wide appeal.