NGV May/June 2022

global sounds for summer family festival...
by GTSF
International folk, roots and acoustic artists
from the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia will
grace the stages of this summer’s 15th Gate To
Southwell Festival in Nottinghamshire (from
Thursday July 14 to Sunday July 17).
While last September’s event was a great success
– named “the best live event of 2021” by the
prestigious RnR music magazine - everyone felt
the absence of global acts due to pandemic travel
restrictions. But now leading French Canadian band,
Le Vent Du Nord (who were a big hit at the festival
in both 2012 and 2017) will return to perform again
while celebrating 20 years on the road. Oregon’s
finest contemporary folk duo Fellow Pynins will also
be appearing, and Southwell warmly welcomes back
the much-loved American banjo and doghouse bass
marital combo of Truckstop Honeymoon.
Katherine Priddy (pictured above), one of the rising
stars of the thriving British folk music scene, is
among the latest names added to this year’s line-up
in July, alongside two of the best bands currently
on the live circuit – eight-strong folk rockers Merry
Hell and Celtic punkers Black Water County. They’ll
join headliners including the celebrated West Coast
Scots trio, Peat & Diesel, Irish legends Dervish, top
bluesman Ian Siegal and Australian vocal tour-deforce
The Spooky Men’s Chorale.
Kicking off the festival on July 14th, Thursday will
definitely be Blues Night, headlined by “national
treasure” singer, songwriter and star guitarist Ian
Siegel. He’s a nine-times British Blues Awards
winner, a three-times European Blues Awards
winner, and he’s twice won Mojo’s blues album of the
year - the magazine branded Siegal “the cleverest
writer and most magnetic performer of Blues in
the UK”. Alongside Siegel, Southwell welcomes the
Daniel Smith Blues Band led by one of the UK’s best
boogie woogie and blues pianists.
With more acts still to be announced, from closer
to home there’ll be the footstompin’ fiddle-driven
rhythms of Noble Jacks, with top singer songwriters
such as folk roots veteran Pete Morton and
Humberside star Katie Spencer (promoting her
poetic new album ‘The Edge Of The Land’). Plus
there’s the folk Americana of Fritillaries (formerly
Rainy Day Woman) who made such an impact at
GTSF last September, Helian (the new five piece
from the Leeds Conservatoire) and also Huson-
Whyte, Southwell’s own talented duo, who’ll be
among the class acts performing on four live music
stages over four days.
Building on last year’s success, there’ll be four live
music stages, plus on-site camping, glamping, street
theatre, poetry, comedy, artisan food, great traders,
cask ales, campfire sessions, morris dancing and
ceilidhs.
As always, the Gate To Southwell Festival promises
to be a fantastic event for the whole family with
advanced plans for a fun-packed Kids Area featuring
Storytelling, White Post Farm, Forest School, Kids
Crafts, Toddle Bops, Baby Bops, Out of the Chicken
Shed, Circus Skills, Face Painting, Soul Sensory,
Giant Bubbles and much more!
Set in beautiful rural countryside at Kirklington near
Southwell (NG22 8NX) - just off the A617 linking
the A1 and M1 from Newark to Mansfield – day
and weekend tickets for this much acclaimed “little
festival with the big heart” are available now from
www.gtsf.uk.
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