MANFOLK TO RISE AGAIN IN OCTOBER 2022

MANFOLK TO RISE AGAIN IN OCTOBER 2022

Norman Warwick reads preview by English Folk Expo

Given where i was living at the time it is perhaps no surprise that Manchester England, England (across the Atlantic Sea) was my favoutite song in teh Hair, the first musical I ever saw. Now that I live here on Lanzarote, and Manchester, England, England Tom Besford and his colleagues at English Folk Expo I am delighted to be kept informed of what is going in my old stopming grounds and Sidetracks And Detours are absolutely thrilled to share with our readers the English Folk Expo press announcement about the  new wave of artists joining the line up for this year’s Manchester Folk Festival 13th – 15th October 2022!

All shows now on sale!

Want to get to know the artists? Check out our MFF 2022 Spotfiy Playlist

English Folk Expo strive to bring the very best in current folk and acoustic music, to present a rich mix of styles and artists who approach folk and storytelling from different perspectives. And we hope we’ve done just that!

Today we announcement a mix of traditional and contemporary artists including; Rachael Dadd, The Jackie Oates Trio, Douglas Dare, Fiona Bevan and clarinet/ piano ambient experimentalists, Group Listening plus David Gibb brings his sell-out family show Family Jukebox to International Anthony Burgess Foundation on the afternoon of Saturday 15th October.

In HOME’s Theatre 2 we welcome two brand-new projects – one using folk and storytelling to revisit stories of social change and one centred around global cultural collaboration.Reg Meuross’ Stolen From God is a song cycle unfolding the history of England’s involvement in the Transatlantic slave trade and new commission, Touchstone, brings together traditional English and Kashmiri songs and tunes.

 
Following on from the success of 2021, we once again bring our Festival Club to the first-floor restaurant in HOME. Starting on the Thursday night and running from 11pm – 1am each night of the festival, the bustling club atmosphere is the perfect way to finish off your night at Manchester Folk Festival whilst being treated to three of England’s up-and-coming folk artists.

The festival opens on Thursday 13 October with The Magpie Arc and Lady Maisery. Jim Ghedi is now joined by Joshua Burnell in HOME. In The Blues Kitchen, Grace Petrie’s show sees two fantastic support artists in Lucy Grubb and GUISE while Impossible Theatre welcomes Rachael Dadd launching her new album, ‘Kaleidoscope’. In International Anthony Burgess Foundation we welcome English songsmith, Douglas Dare and The Jackie Oates Trio (“one of England’s finest and most expressive traditional folk singers”– Tradfolk). Thursday’s Festival club will close day one with rising North-West soul-folk artist John Dhali and country-rock outfit Treetop Flyers.

 
Friday sees Thea Gilmore headline in HOME now joined by Flo Perlin and Clare Sands. Stolen From God in HOME Theatre 2 is a narrated song-cycle by Reg Meurossabout the South West of England’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade with Jali Fily Cissokho, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne and Jaz Gayle.

Reg Meuross is an artist we have featured many times on these pages. It is incredible to think it is thirty years since I interviewed him in a Lonbdon opub when he was then a member of the best of Hank Wangford´s various line-ups of The Lost Cowboys.

Reg Meuross (left with Stolen From God)  is an English singer and songwriter based in Somerset.

Meuross first emerged on the British acoustic music scene when he formed The Panic Brothers^[1] with comedian Richard Morton in 1986. Five years of touring and TV work followed their album In The Red, produced by Clive Gregson with the “Brothers” appearing regularly on TV, including Friday Night Live, and at Edinburgh, Sidmouth, Glastonbury and other festivals.

Following his work with The Panic Brothers, Meuross formed a roots band, The Flamingos, featuring ex-Graham Parker guitarist, Martin Belmont, Bob Loveday from the Penguin Café Orchestra & Bob Geldof‘s band and Alison Jones of The Barely Works. The Flamingos recorded the album Arrested in 1991.

Meuross toured until 2009 with Hank Wangford and The Lost Cowboys as a member of the band and also as a solo artist with Hank Wangford on the “No Hall Too Small” tour.

Meuross’s solo recording and touring career began in 1996. As a solo artist he has released 14 albums. In his review of December in 2016 Robin Denselow described Meuross in The Guardian as “..one of the more versatile, under-sung survivors of the English acoustic scene.”

Meuross co-wrote Seth Lakeman‘s first single release Divided We Will Fall from the album Well Worn Path released on the Cooking Vinyl label in November 2018.

Later in Theatre 2, Moxie bring their own sound of an Irish tradition inspired by global and contemporary cultures. Impossible Theatre, a brand new venue for the festival this year, hosts Hollie Rogers and “fusion upbeat danceable sounds” from Me and My Friends. In International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Lucy Farrell (“Splendidly atmospheric” – fRoots) and Fiona Bevan (“Startling Odysseys” – The Guardian) headline their own intimate shows. Friday closes in the vibrant festival club with sets from Jacob & Drinkwater, Will Page (Noble Jacks) and The Carrivick Sisters.

Saturday afternoon includes an Irish celebration in HOME as Daoirí Farrell Trio is joined by the “mesmeric” Dani Larkin. David Gibb hosts his Family Jukebox in International Anthony Burgess Foundation and in HOME’s Theatre 2 The Alliance of Kashmiri Arts premieres Touchstone – a commissioned project seeing Lala Qadeer collaborating with Dan Walsh and Alistair Anderson.

Saturday evening’s 02 Ritz show with Will Varley has escalated to what is guaranteed to be a legendary festival evening with the addition of innovative and fiery folk-rockers Holy Moly & The Crackers. In HOME’s Theatre 1, ‘Face Of The 2021 Sea Shanty Rrevival’,  The Longest Johns are joined by Ceitidh Mac (“transformative, progressive and mellow”) and Angeline Morrison. In Theatre 2 The Drystones (“big bad beats for badass barn dancing”) and string accompanied Hannah Moule and the Moulettes bring their contemporary approaches to folk and traditional music. Saturday evening in International Anthony Burgess Foundation welcomes new folk project Pedlar // Russell and clarinet and piano ambient exploration by Group Listening.

 
Audiences can make a day or weekend of it by taking advantage of 15% off tickets when buying for 4 or more concerts via HOME’s box office.
 
A very limited number Manchester Folk Festival passes are also still available to purchase. The pass gives you access to all Manchester Folk Festival gigs happening between 13^th & 15^th Oct (T&Cs apply).

Well if you actually read all of this and got to the end you deserve a treat! Go grab yourself a cuppa and biscuit to enjoy while you

book your tickets….

The organisers can´t wait to see you in October to shopw you what all their hard work on your behalf has achieved.! 

Rediscover one of life’s simplest joys – the sharing of live music in the glow of a campfire. Every summer, The Nest Collective gathers audiences in beautiful green spaces within cities to hear extraordinary music by artists from all over the world. In collaboration with The Nest Collective, English Folk Expo presents a July series of Campfire Clubs in Salford, Greater Manchester.  Find more details HERE.

Tickets cost £16.50 and are available via the links below:
Saturday 16th July @ 6.30pm – Tarren
Saturday 23rd July @ 6.30pm – Gasper Nali