Pioneering folk rock band Steeleye Span is to headline the annual Shepley Spring Festival in May.
The iconic band, which rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as Gaudete and All Around My Hat, will play on the opening day (Friday, May 15) of the weekend festival. Maddie Prior, one of the founders of the band, is in the line-up alongside bass player Rick Kemp, another of Steeleye’s early members.
Nikki Hampson, director, says the fact that one of the giants of folk music is coming to Shepley proves that the festival, launched back in 2007, has become a national event.
She explained: “The festival is in Shepley but it’s not just for Shepley people, it’s for everybody. We’ve got national and international artists coming and people travel from all over the country to be here.”
Steeleye Span is celebrating almost four decades in the music business and will be playing old favourites as well as new songs from the latest album Wintersmith, which was written in collaboration with author Sir Terry Pratchett and is based on his novel of the same name.
Nikki, a retired teacher, is part of a small group of folk music and Morris dancing enthusiasts who organise the Shepley festival. “It takes all year to plan,” she says, “I’ve just been to the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow to look for potential artists for 2016.”
However, this year’s line-up includes Canadian bluegrass and roots band Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys; Skelmanthorpe band The Demon Barbers, past winners of the BBC 2 Radio Folk Awards and Glastonbury and Edinburgh Fringe performers; and more local talent in the shape of Shepley’s Jack Rutter and his trio, Moore, Moss and Rutter, winners of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2011. The Shepley Singers, a local choir founded in the first year of the festival, will also be performing.
The festival’s showground, at a field site off Marsh Lane in Shepley, promises to be much more than just a musical event. Alongside gigs and music workshops, the organisers are bringing in childrens’ entertainers and craft activities. There will be an entire marquee devoted to woollen crafts and knitting workshops.
Around 100 hours of music is planned for the weekend, with 30 concerts. Last year more than 2,000 people attended the festival.
Nikki described what visitors can expect: “We have quite a lot of young performers - we get people right at the beginning of their careers – and there’s quite a family atmosphere, with lots for children to do. We’re having singalong sessions and a singer/songwriter competition.”
Entry is now open for the competition, which will be a heat of the John Birmingham Cup, a national competition for a cappella singing and songwriting. “We need more entrants in the under 25s section,” said Nikki, “you can get someone else to sing your song if you don’t want to perform.” Visit www.shepleyspringfestival.co.uk/john-birmingham-cup-singing-competition for details.
Tickets for the festival are available from the website and cost £90 for the entire weekend.
However, many gigs are just £5 and it will be £5 to get into the showground and activities with events starting at 3pm on the 15th. Accompanied children under 16 go free.
