UK Trad Festivals and sessions

Subject: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Ana
Date: 30 Jul 15 - 07:05 PM

Ok - request for advice from me and mine in the Antipodes, please!
If you had a couple of months to meander through the UK, to small festivals and sessions where trad music (especially singing) predominates, what would your trail / itinerary be?
This is 'intelligence' gathering and forward planning for next year.
We enjoy both listening and opportunities to participate (sessions). Any advice and insights really appreciated! Cheers

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 06:24 AM

What time of the year would you be looking at?

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 06:27 AM

UK Festival Info

Here you go !

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Hesk
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 07:32 AM

Clicked on the above, and immediately found that The White Horse Folk Festival at Grove in August is missing. This is a small festival with an emphasis on singing, traditional dance and music. They have a very good website.
www.whitehorsefolkfestival.co.uk

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 07:47 AM

Yes Hesk, Froots is not as informative as it once was.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 09:59 AM

Not only are there festivals missing, but I found the site difficult to negotiate and weighed down with big "headline act" events.

If Ana is looking for festivals where the emphasis is on traditional music and song, in terms of performance as well as material, then they tend to be few, far between and small.

Which is why I think we'd be better off knowing when Ana and her partner are coming over and working from there.

CTTI, some idea of what she means by "traditional" might help.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 10:29 AM

Whitby FF jumps out under such description. It is far from being a small festival, but it's held in a small, beautiful place, and you can dip in and out of the wall to wall music whenever you want to.

Unfortunately most small festivals are more concerned with bums on seats rather than singarounds and sessions. The few that cater mainly for traditional music soon get booked up.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 10:36 AM

Whitby definitely jumps out as one of the larger festivals, with a good intimate atmosphere, and plenty of traditional songs and music. However, unless Ana and partner are planning to be here in late August, it won't be much use to them.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 12:09 PM

I am sure that Ana was able to use Google and find the two main festival lists for herself. What is being asked for is RECOMMENDATIONS. They will all say that they have "sessions" but you need to know the festival to know if that means a solid day singing or a lunchtime of fast and furious irish instrumentals.

Whitby has my vote, for trad performers in concert and instrumental sessions at that time of year I would also suggest the Traditional Music Day in Stowmarket but opportunities for singing are limited.

It is not a fault of fRoots/Spiral Earth or EFDSS if their lists omit a particular festival, it is down to the festival organsiers to submit their listings.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Infrequent but always polite guest
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 01:14 PM

Whitby's fairly folkie outside festival times too, especially in the summer when visitors often swell the numbers.

http://www.coblersmonday.co.uk/page13.html

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Infrequent but always polite guest
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 01:17 PM

The area around Worcester is also fairly fruitful for traditional music sessions and clubs, and has its own crop of festivals (Upton being especially well-known).

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/worcesterfolk/Home.htm

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Infrequent but always polite guest
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 01:21 PM

I noticed a bunch of visitable regular music sessions and clubs on the English Riviera too recently. Flaxey Green even has two handy maps.

http://www.flaxey-green.co.uk/Pages/Folk_song_and_dance_clubs_map.html

http://www.flaxey-green.co.uk/Pages/Sessions_map.html

And Sidmouth is just around the corner.

(Sorry for the spam but I'm done now.)

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 03:25 PM

Hull Folk Festival (and Maritime) has a strong traditional core whilst encouraging youngsters playing almost anything. It has the mid August slot now starting this year, so it will be the weekend before the start of Whitby. There are wall to wall singarounds in the Minerva led by Mudcat's very own Les Fromull and Maggie, and sessions all over the place. Sessions and concerts on the historic ships. There are ticketed evening concerts on the Friday and Saturday but all other events are free.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Ana
Date: 31 Jul 15 - 11:23 PM

Thanks so much for your thoughts and comments! I really appreciate your insights as these will be informed by your experiences. Though checking them out, reading a website only provides pieces of information and often misses the 'heart'.
We don't have a set time planned yet - we'd work our travel dates around what is on. Fred wondered about my definition of 'trad' - I'm particularly drawn to the old English and Scots songs, though don't exclude Irish. Likewise, though some Irish sessions ('mad and furious') are great, they are not what I'm after. Whitehorse, Whitby and Hull sound great, just my cuppa tea in fact. I think the way for us to plan, is to identify the festivals that would be right for us, and bounce around sessions/folk clubs as we travel.
Cheers!

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Ged Fox
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 04:06 AM

For "predominantly singing" with participation look for "Song & Ale" rather than "festival."

Whittlebury S&A (late September, Northamptonshire) is all join-in DIY singing, (and a bit of join-in cooking & cleaning, which is good for making friends);
Wareham Wail (late August, Dorset) is all join-in DIY singing, (with some quaint, verging on weird, English home-entertainment.)
Pennymoor S&A (late May, early June, Devon) is mostly join-in DIY singing, with a couple of instrumental sessions;
Boarhunt S&A (late June, Hampshire) is mostly join-in singing or playing, with an instrumental session and a workshop & concert from a nationally notable performer.

All the above are week-end events with camping available.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Ana
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 04:25 AM

Excellent. Thanks Ged

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 04:31 AM

Despite several detractors here, Sidmouth (1st week in August) is worth a visit (if you can afford it!), particularly if this is a once in a lifetime visit to the UK. Apart from the big name acts, there's plenty of singing/music in the pubs as well as buskers and dancing in the streets all the time. Immediately after Sidmouth, (2nd weekend in August) and only about 20 miles away is the Dartmoor Festival with step dance and broom dance competitions as well as singarounds. At the end of August there's a festival in Wadebridge (Cornwall).

If you come in late July/August you've probably got a choice of festivals every week although, being the holiday season, they're also quite busy.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 04:49 AM

Ana, the two BIG festivals, that is week long one's, are Sidmouth as mentioned above and Whitby. Whitby falls the week before our August Bank Holiday and thus the dates change each year.

However it is a massive festival that more or less takes over the whole town. The difficulty is not finding music the difficulty is avoiding it if you want some quiet time! For the festival proper there are about 20 venues hosting over 600 events lasting over 1100 hours. It is predominantly a traditional festival celebrating mainly English and Scottish music with a liberal application of Irish and Welsh thrown in. There may be a little music from elsewhere to boot.

THEN there is the fringe which in some ways in bigger than the festival. Numerous sessions are held in many pubs after the "organised" event and some pubs not used by the festival have all day (and part of the night) sessions. In these you are likely to hear every variety of folk (and other styles) that your little heart could desire.

Whitby really is very good!!

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 05:22 AM

Wow!

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 06:49 AM

Ana, from what you say, I suspect you'd love Fifesing, which is held in Falkland in May on the weekend following the second Wednesday in May. Be warned though. It's an extremely small festival, so I'd get a ticket early.

Also, Halsway Manor, just outside Taunton, Somerset, hosts a moveable annual weekend of traditional singing. Next year it's in March. Again, it's a small event and it may already be sold out. So you might want to hurry.

If you're particularly after traditional singing, I'd avoid Rothbury Traditional Music Festival in mid July. No disrespect, but the festival is much reduced from what it was, with very few formal events. There were some excellent music sessions in the pubs, but hardly any songs. Some bloody good highland piping though.

There's a couple of festivals which have been highly recommended to me, but which I haven't got to yet, namely Girvan, early May, and The Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering, the weekend after Easter.

If you're planning to stretch your visit to Ireland, that would make a whole research topic in itself. I'm hopelessly out of touch with what goes on over there these days, but I do know there are heaps of small music festivals, plus a fair number of song weekends.

Finally, I agree with everyone who's singled out Whitby. If you haven't finalised your tour dates yet, I'd definitely build it around that. Lovely town. Lovely people. And so much going on that you couldn't fail to strike lucky.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Andrez
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 09:12 AM

Hi folks, as another antipodean about to visit the UK between mid September and mid October, travelling from London to visit in-laws in Yorkshire and then rels in Newcastle through to Edinburgh and then over to Dublin on my way to the Cork Folk festival, I'd also be interested in knowing about recommendations for musical whats on happenings (large or small).

While I know I can google info, pointers and suggestions from other 'catters' would be much appreciated to help separate the wheat from the chaff.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and info.

Cheers,

Andrez

PS: I was last in the UK in the mid 70's so I'm guessing a few things have changed since then :-)

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Ana
Date: 01 Aug 15 - 10:38 PM

Thanks Fred - yes! Fifesing looks exactly what I'm after. Appreciate your thoughts
Best
Ana

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Aug 15 - 11:06 AM

Saltburn is also an option - a small intimate festival in a picturesque North east victorian seaside town. Lots of singarounds and free events as well as brilliant concerts. Vin Garbutt, Jez Lowe and the Wilson family are regular performers as they are all local to the area. This is also the Weekend before Whitby. Later in the year - the new Hartlepool Folk Festival takes place. This (Teesside) is an area where you can attend at least one club or open mike session on every night of the week.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Andrez
Date: 05 Aug 15 - 05:43 AM

Hi folks, just refreshing to see if anyone can give me a few pointers to music in the UK as noted above.

Cheers,

Andrez

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,OldNicKilby
Date: 05 Aug 15 - 07:41 AM

The Yorkshire Song Weekend at Drax might be to your taste,just singing in many different Trad styles, probably my favourite. This is in late June.Verwood / Wareham Wail is good also. There are some excellent House Concert type singing sessions that are difficult to access. You could ask Margaret Walters for advice as well if you are in Sydney

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Aug 15 - 05:47 AM

there's a singing weekend at Tranmire,near Whitby usually first weekend in September, Ugthorpe Lodge is near if you're not into camping, any money raised goes to Charity, think more details on the White Hart Folk Club website. My friend Lyn Briggs from Brisbane called Whitby Folkies Paradise and that's only about the fringe events!!

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 06 Aug 15 - 10:27 AM

Word of warning on Whitby. It's a relatively small place and during the Folk Week accommodation is at a premium as you can see from other threads, so if you can't book well in advance (a year) you need to consider very expensive B&Bs or camping or staying somewhere nearby and driving/bussing in.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 06 Aug 15 - 10:27 AM

Word of warning on Whitby. It's a relatively small place and during the Folk Week accommodation is at a premium as you can see from other threads, so if you can't book well in advance (a year) you need to consider very expensive BBs or camping or staying somewhere nearby and driving/bussing in.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 06 Aug 15 - 10:27 AM

Word of warning on Whitby. It's a relatively small place and during the Folk Week accommodation is at a premium as you can see from other threads, so if you can't book well in advance (a year) you need to consider very expensive B&Bs or camping or staying somewhere nearby and driving/bussing in.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 06 Aug 15 - 10:27 AM

Word of warning on Whitby. It's a relatively small place and during the Folk Week accommodation is at a premium as you can see from other threads, so if you can't book well in advance (a year) you need to consider very expensive B&Bs or camping or staying somewhere nearby and driving/bussing in.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 06 Aug 15 - 10:29 AM

That's lots of warnings. Not my fault!

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 06 Aug 15 - 04:01 PM

As I don't think it has been mentioned on mudcat for a while... to save some of your gogling for the festivals above you might find some on one page : UK and world Foolk Music Map.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Andrez
Date: 06 Aug 15 - 07:44 PM

Thanks for that pointer to the folk map Freddy, it does seem a bit hard to navigate though to get just the UK events. That said the Whitby event looks great but our dates are mid Sept to mid Oct so I think we'll miss out on that one in August. It may be that we'll just have to keep our eyes and ears peeled and take pot luck. Many thanks anyway.

Cheers,

Andrez

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 07 Aug 15 - 09:36 AM

Stuttering Steve Gardham ~ lol

Technical stuff no doubt


Ray

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 07 Aug 15 - 01:42 PM

Andrez, with the Folk Music Map use the search box on the map* to type in the name of a town you might be going to then click the town in the lower section of the drop down menu. Then zoom out till you spot a club/festival.
But you're right to try to get personal recommendations really. I was thinking of the OP as I see most of the venues mentioned are on the map.

*maybe it depends on what browser you have, I'm using chrome.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 07 Aug 15 - 02:37 PM

R-R-R-R-Ray,
If the post doesn't go up right away I end up hitting the submit button about twenty times before anything happens. Quite often it doesn't go up at all and I give up. Very occasionally I catch the hiccups and then oops!

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 07 Aug 15 - 02:38 PM

I ought to add that 95% of the time the post goes up right away as the above did.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festicompaniedvals and sessions
From: GUEST,Liberty Boy (sans cookie)
Date: 07 Aug 15 - 04:56 PM

Just to mention that the Frank Harte Festival will be on in Dublin from the 25th to the 27th September inclusive if you're interested in unaccompanied traditional singing. There's a thread with all of the details on it somewhere!

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Ana
Date: 08 Aug 15 - 12:48 AM

Thanks so much to all of you (especially Steve - it's good to be well-warned). Tranmire . . Drax . . Saltburn - fantastic! Cheers

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 08 Aug 15 - 07:29 AM

I am at Saltburn ff organising the Fred Jordan song competition and Whitby week

Ray

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Aug 15 - 09:01 AM

Another one for Ana, closer in time to Sidmouth and Whitby if not geographically, and similar in many ways to the Falkland weekend in May, is Cullerlie Traditional Singing weekend in Aberdeenshire. Held towards the end of July, on a farm site, so there is camping (tents and caravans/motorhomes. It's not too far from Aberdeen where there are some budget hotels and B & Bs. At both Falkland and Cullerlie there are guest artists, talks and sessions, guests usually representing Scottish, English and Irish traditions, and sometimes from USA or Canada. Nearly all unaccompanied singing, and at Cullerlie, there's a chance to try your hand at some rural crafts.

For Andrez, it might be that Linlithgow Folk Festival, Sept 9th-13th fits with your dates? Full info at www.linlithgowfolk.com linlithgow is about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and on the train line between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: sleepyjon
Date: 08 Aug 15 - 09:39 AM

I'd like to endorse GedFox's recommendation (above, 1 August) of the Whitlebury Song & Ale - for details see its website - for £25 you get singing sessions totalling about 22 Hours (if you can stand the pace) and IMHO some of the best sessions in the country.

SJ

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Tootler who cba to login
Date: 08 Aug 15 - 06:23 PM

The Tranmire weekend is called the Black Bull Bender and this year is on 4, 5 & 6 September. On the same weekend there's a folk festival at Sedgefield, not far away in Co. Durham - another small festival though more concert orientated but there are singaround/sessions.

On November 6, 7 & 8 there's a singing weekend at Ugthorpe Lodge on the N York Moors, (not far from Tranmire). There's some accomodation in the Lodge itself and there are B & B's nearby as well.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Andrez
Date: 08 Aug 15 - 07:48 PM

Thanks for the heads up folks! I've been away for a couple of days and just got back. Will recheck the map, Freddy and will check the timing for Linlithgow as well. WOuld there be a club or two in Edinburgh worth visiting if our time is limited?

Oh and by the way will be in London for a few days as well. Last time I was there it was the mid 70's, I'm guessing the folk venues might have changed somewhat in the meantime. Are there any 'must go to' venues there these days as well?

Cheers,

Andrez

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Aug 15 - 08:03 PM

Clubs and pubs in Edinburgh: several.
The pubs that have folk music every night are The Royal Oak, Infirmary Street, Captain's Bar in S College Street,and Sandy Bell's in Forrest Row: all quite close to each other, so you can drift between. Others have maybe one night a week, or a varying programme throughout the week, so try to pick up a copy of the "Gig List" in any music bar you go to.
I think Edinburgh Folk Club kicks off again after summer break in mid-Sept (?16th) -every Wednesday, and Newtongrange Folk Club is every Thursday - a bit further out of town, but on a bus route! Singers' night in No 1 on The Royal Mile also on Thursday evenings, and varying styles of music in the Whiski Bar on the Royal Mile each night if the week. Also sessions in The Antiquary on St Stephen's St, Stockbridge on Thursdays.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 08 Aug 15 - 09:05 PM

The Drax event is not exclusive but relies on word of mouth so is not accessible online.

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Andrez
Date: 09 Aug 15 - 02:22 AM

Yay thanks for that info TattieB! That should enough to keep me busy for the time I'm in Edinburgh, doing the touristy things during the day and chilling out with a pint and some good music at night. What could be better?

Cheers,

Andrez

Subject: RE: UK Trad Festivals and sessions
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 09 Aug 15 - 04:16 AM

For Ana, more Scottish festivals which have a strong trad element, if not exclusively traditional:
Girvan (early May in S Ayrshire) - as mentioned by Fred: I go every year and can recommend it.
Keith ( mid-June, between Aberdenn and Inverness)
Stonehaven (2nd weekend of July, on the coast 15 miles S of Aberdeen)
Innerleithen (3rd weekend of August - Scottish Borders between Peebles and Galashiels - overlaps start of Whitby)
Kirriemuir (1st weekend of September - in Angus, a bit NW of Dundee)