Bury’s Homegrown Festival is once again bringing together an eclectic bandwagon of England’s finest contemporary and traditional folk artists for its fifth year.
Steeleye Span, Turin Brakes and Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain will headline in a series of concerts, taking place over three days at The Castle Armoury Drill Hall, The Elizabethan Suite and The Fusilier Museum in Bury.
Joining them in the line up will be a mix of traditional and contemporary artists including influential singer-violinist Nancy Kerr, multi-instrumentalists Moulettes, duo O’Hooley & Tidow, award-winning singer-songwriter Megan Henwood, uilleann pipes maestro Michael McGoldrick, gypsy folk’n’roll band Holy Moly & The Crackers, Marry Waterson & David A Jaycock and new duo James Delarre & Saul Rose.
Homegrown will also welcoming a trio of folk acts from guest nation, Belgium. Hailing from the Flanders region will be Surpluz and WÖR, both create modern folk music from traditional folksongs and Trio Dhoore who interpret stories collected from fascinating people through upbeat melodies.
Homegrown is organised by The Met, in partnership with The English Folk Expo and is part of an international folk festival circuit that brings an audience of more than 3,000 people to Bury from around the UK. 150 live music industry professionals also travel to the town from around the world, who come to seek out up and coming talent at the only English folk showcase of its kind.
David Agnew says:
“Homegrown is inspired by the world’s interest in an invigorated English folk scene and is probably the most diverse folk festival around. From traditional to contemporary folk music, audiences can explore a vibrant mix of emerging and established artists. Having Turin Brakes alongside Steeleye Span and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain really shows how varied the folk scene is, and just goes to show that folk isn’t always as traditional as people think. ”
Leading the non-traditional set is Turin Brakes on Thursday 13th October. One of the finest indie bands of the last decade they have sold over 1 million records to date, producing fresh new music on each step of their journey. Their seventh studio album Lost Property stormed into the UK Top 40 album charts on its release.
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, is world-renowned. Their live shows are permeated with an indefinable magic and atmosphere of good humour, light heartedness, well-being and joy.
Steeleye Span closes the festival in traditional folk style. As pioneers of folk-rock and one of the most influential names on the British folk scene, Steeleye Span changed the face of folk music forever, taking it out of small clubs and into the world of gold discs and international tours. They have remained at the forefront of the genre they helped to define, becoming an institution in British music.
The festival runs 13, 14, 15 October 2016
