27th Shetland Folk Festival Announces Line Up
In its 27th year, running from the 4th to 6th of May, the UK's most northerly folk festival is regarded a prestigious event for performers, locals and visitors alike. The festival's "sessions" are amongst the best in the world and visiting artistes are regularly dumbfounded by the quantity and
quality of local musicians that these remote isles have to offer.
This year, the organising committee are thrilled to announce a line up that includes Mary Black - a legend in her homeland of Ireland and who has long held the attention of followers of Irish Music
as one of the finest female vocalists in the world. Mary will be gracing the stage at the festival's largest concert venue on Saturday 5th but will also participate in the "Festival Foy" events on Sunday 6th. These "Foy" concerts are unique to Shetland and give audiences an opportunity of seeing all visiting acts in one evening.
Held over three venues in Shetland's capital, Lerwick, the visiting artistes are shuffled between halls by mini bus and perform in each venue for around 15 minutes. It's crazy but it works!
Most visiting musicians will be in Shetland for the festival's duration, playing at different venues throughout the isles alongside fantastic local acts such as Fiddlers' Bid and Hom Bru.
Also on the bill from Ireland are the infamous Four Men and a Dog (appearing on Friday 4th only) and fiddle and accordion player Sharon Shannon who is yet another household name.
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean to put in an appearance at this unique festival are five musically diverse outfits. Hailing from Boston, USA, are Crooked Still - a young hot alternative bluegrass group who are on a mission to bend the boundaries of traditional music. Also from Boston is Canadian born Ray Bonneville - the Juno Award winning blues musician who sings and plays guitar & harmonica.
Also crossing the Atlantic are the modern roots band The McDades who are current Juno Award nominees and winners of two Canadian folk music awards in 2006.
Completing the Canadian contingent are Mauvais Sort from Quebec and the young multi-talented musician from Cape Bretton -Troy MacGillivray. What a treat!!!
With slightly reduced travel distances to the Festival are 5 UK based acts. From Scotland are Bodega who won the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award in 2006 and Orkney band Lazy Boy Chair,
winners of the Danny Kyle Open Stage at this year's Celtic Connections (and who are certain to get us dancing our socks off at the Festival Club!)
Joining them are the riotous Baghdaddies, who pump out a diverse fusion of rhythms and melodies plucked from around the world.
Also from the England are The Toy Hearts, a 6-piece family, traditional and contemporary bluegrass band and gypsy swing jazz group Shine.
As if this wasn't enough, the festival organisers have also booked two European bands. Critically acclaimed Slovenian band Terrafolk will be playing their usual mind boggling assortment of folk styles whereas
A Cadiera Coixa will be focusing on the more traditional music of the Aragón region of north-eastern Spain. A truly international line-up!
So, if you're tempted to make your way up to the most far-flung folk festival in the UK, you may be interested in knowing that its unofficial opening is on Thursday the 3rd of May, on an overnight ferry somewhere in the middle of the North Sea.
An event in itself! For more information on this festival see www.shetlandfolkfestival.com or telephone 01595 694757.