Steve Harley, the original Cockney Rebel, tours frequently with his Acoustic Trio, playing an intimate, unique and atmospheric show. The performance promises subtle lyricism, mingled with great improvisation and rocky rhythms. Close-Up Culture: “An intimate night in the presence of a great musician. An individual whose passion for live performance and perfection (it shows in his face) remains undiminished.” Harley received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Acoustic Music from the Acoustic Festival of Britain in June 2018. Steve will be accompanied by his Cockney Rebel band-mates of long-standing, Barry Wickens [violin & guitar] and James Lascelles [piano and percussion]. The set will be built around tracks from any or all 13 of Steve’s original albums and will include all-time favourites like Mr Soft, Judy Teen, Mr Raffles, Sebastian, and of course the world-wide classic hit, Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me), all blending in with more recent tracks from critically-acclaimed albums The Quality Of Mercy and Stranger Comes To Town. “Playing the songs in an acoustic format gives me time and space to enjoy every second. And we improvise, which is always a big excitement for any musician. We can loosen off the arrangements and really explore. It gets pretty exciting during the acoustic sets,” says Steve Harley. Steve Harley Acoustic Trio perform a set which is an unmissable chance for fans to connect with the man Rod Stewart has described as “One of the finest lyricists Britain has ever produced”, in a special setting. MOJO said simply, “Harley creates rock songs that are proud, lyrical and full of yearning.” Steve has also been described as “A consummate performer at the top of his game,” and this show will bear that out. Most recently, Close-Up Culture described Harley’s acoustic performance as “Achingly beautiful”

One of the better British progressive bands of the early ’70s, the Strawbs differed from their more successful compatriots — the Moody Blues, King Crimson, Pink Floyd — principally in that their sound originated in English folk music rather than rock. Founded in 1967 as a bluegrass-based trio called the Strawberry Hill Boys by singer/guitarist Dave Cousins, the group at that time consisted of Cousins, guitarist/singer Tony Hooper, and mandolinist Arthur Phillips, who was replaced in 1968 by Ron Chesterman on bass. That same year, the group — now rechristened the Strawbs, and doing repertory well beyond the bounds of bluegrass music — briefly became a quartet with the temporary addition of Sandy Denny, who stayed long enough to record a relative handful of tracks with the group on the Hallmark label before joining Fairport Convention. In 1969, the Strawbswere signed to A&M Records, and cut their first album, the acoustic-textured Strawbs, that same year. For their second album, Dragonfly, recorded and released the following year, the group broadened their sound with the presence of a group of session musicians, including piano/organist Rick Wakeman. Soon after the release of this record, the group became a full-fledged band with the addition not only of Wakeman but also Richard Hudson and John Ford, on drums and bass, respectively. These changes, coupled with Cousins‘ increasing dexterity on electric guitar, gave the Strawbs a much more powerful sound that was showcased on their next album. The live Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios (1970) sold well, and was followed up the next year with From the Witchwood. In 1971, Wakeman left the Strawbs in order to join Yes; he was replaced by Blue Weaver formerly of the Amen Corner. Grave New World (1972) showed the band entering its strongest period, with Cousins‘ songwriting augmented by the new prowess of the composing team of Hudson and Ford. The record became their best-selling album to date. Unfortunately, its release also heralded the exit of Tony Hooper. He was replaced by Dave Lambert, a more aggressive, rock-oriented guitarist, and his addition brought the group into its peak period. The Strawbs’ 1973 album, Bursting at the Seams, featured two Top Ten U.K. hits, “Lay Down” and “Part of the Union,” and one album track, “Down by the Sea,” racked up substantial airplay on American FM radio. It was all too good to last, and it didn’t. Blue Weaver left after one more tour, while Hudson and Ford exited to form Hudson-Ford, also signed to A&M. The Strawbs regrouped in 1974 with Hero and Heroine, recorded with a new lineup consisting of Cousins, Lambert, keyboardist John Hawken, bassist Chas Cronk, and drummer Rod Coombes. The new album was a critical and commercial failure in England, but proved popular in America. Their next two albums, Ghosts(1975) and Nomadness (1976), both did better in the U.S. than they did in the U.K. None of this was enough to sustain the group, however, which continued to lose members and also left A&M Records. Two more albums on the Oyster label were poorly distributed and received, and one album for Arista, Deadlines (1978), was a failure, while a second record for the label was never released. The group ceased to exist at the end of the 1970s, and Cousins embarked on some solo projects in association with guitarist Brian Willoughby that attracted the interest of die-hard fans but few others. That might have been the end of the group’s history, if it hadn’t been for an invitation to play the 1983 Cambridge Folk Festival. The Strawbs responded, in the guise of Cousins, Hooper, Hudson, Ford, Weaver, and Willoughby, and the response was so favorable that a tour was scheduled, which, in turn, led to their return to America in the mid-’80s. The group followed this up with two new studio albums released in Canada. In 1993, they released their own retrospective concert album, Greatest Hits Live!, which summed up many of the high points of their history. The group continued to play throughout the decade and into the following century, issuing a slew of live efforts and studio albums. The original lineup from the Hero and Heroine era returned to the studio in 2008 to record The Broken Hearted Bride, a return-to-form effort that solidified the band’s staying power. In 2009, the group released Dancing to the Devil’s Beat, while 2011’s Hero & Heroine in Ascencia found Cousins and his bandmates revisiting the material from 1974’s Hero and Heroine. After several years of touring in both acoustic and electric lineups, in 2017 the Strawbs released The Ferryman’s Curse, their first studio album of original material in eight years.

Contemporary folk/acoustic duo Gilmore & Roberts combine award-winning songwriting with astounding musicianship and their trademark harmonies to create a powerful wall of sound. Nominated three times at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Katriona Gilmore (fiddle, mandolin) and Jamie Roberts (guitar) met while studying at Leeds College of Music and released their debut album in 2008. Since then, the duo have toured Canada and mainland Europe, played some of the UK’s biggest acoustic festivals, toured with folk rock legends Fairport Convention and won countless accolades for their genre-spanning work. 2015 saw the release of their fourth album, Conflict Tourism, which appeared on several end-of-year Best Album lists and received national airplay on both BBC Radio 2 & BBC 6music. Produced by Mark Tucker and featuring Matt Downer (Jamie Smith’s Mabon), Phil Henry (Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin) and James ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (Bonnie Raitt), Conflict Tourism packs a considered punch from start to finish. In 2016, the duo marked a decade of performing together with their first live album and summer 2018 will see the release of a new studio album.

Soaring, passionate vocals and a superb catalogue of original songs by Carolyn and Mark Evans lies at the heart of the Red Shoes success story, one which has seen them become a live favourite on the Folk Club and Festival circuit. Add to this the support of such legendary folk musicians as Dave Pegg, Dave Swarbrick, Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie, all of whom have guested on the two critically acclaimed albums by Red Shoes. Dave Pegg produced their debut album “Ring Around the Land” and went on to record his version of “Celtic Moon” for the Fairport Convention album “Festival Bell”. The duo’s second album “All The Good Friends” was produced by Mick Dolan (Show of Hands, Traffic, Fisherman’s Friends). “It Isn’t Over Yet” released in September 2017 is a double CD. One set of songs in full band format featuring guests Dave Pegg, Ric Sanders and Joe Brown. The second disc a pared back acoustic recording, highlighting the talents of Carolyn, Mark and long-time guitarist Nigel King. These brand new songs are currently featuring in the live set. FolkWords have made it their “Band Album of the Year” and it has gained great critical acclaim in the press. Carolyn and Mark were recently commissioned by Worcester Council to write two songs about the nostalgic recollections of local townsfolk in both Stourport and Droitwich, for the “Lending An Ear” project. The songs have become favourites at the exhibition held at The Hive in Worcester. The band have shared stages with and supported amongst others: The Strawbs; Fotheringay; Iain Matthews; Pentangle; Show of Hands, The Hut People, Mabon, plus have headlined at numerous venues around the UK.

"Sandy Denny-era Fairports and the contemporary American country-folk of Lucinda Williams sewn together neatly in these well crafted songs" - SHINDIG

"The Angels want to hear these Red Shoes" - Maverick

www.redshoes-music.com www.facebook.com/redshoessongs

Katy Hurt has rapidly become a leading light on the UK Country/Americana scene and all without having released a full length studio album. 2018 has seen her nominated for “Best Country/Folk Act” at the Unsigned Music Awards as well as performing festival slots at Country 2 Country, BlackDeer, Rhythmtree, Cornbury and many more. Katy spent the beginning of the year in Winnipeg, Canada, recording her upcoming “Unfinished Business” EP with Juno award winning producer Murray Pulver. The first single from the EP “See Ya Later” which was released on July 30th, has received airplay on over 30 radio stations and has had over 100,000 streams on Spotify.

The Salts 4th and final performance at the Tall Ships Regatta. Come and listen to them as the Ships sail down the Thames and out to sea

Serious Child is indie folk musician and vocalist Alan Young who lives in the ancient oak and beech woods of West Sussex. His new album, Time in the Trees, is released on the Spring Equinox in 2020, and is the result of a deep connection to the forest. The music is earthy and undeniably modern, mixing ancient instruments and acoustic guitar with occasional electronics.

As a live band, Alan is joined by long term collaborators folk singer Carla March and multi-instrumentalist Steve Welch, as well as other friends on accordion, drums and string instruments. Their lively performances always include a range of stories, moods and musical influences.

His 2018 debut “Empty Nest” drew strong critical reviews with references to Richard Thompson & Scott Walker. His latest single, Brambles, a collaboration with forensic botanist, Dr Mark Spencer, has just been released.

“Taking acoustic rock to new levels” **** Maverick Magazine, **** RnR

“Funky, florid folk. Fantastic” Nigel Lowndes Music