from the Festival Director - Sidmouth Folk week

Artists
Simon Ritchie 256, 370, 690
Simon Loake is a musician and caller
in Lebedek. 467
Sisters Unlimited are an established
collective of strong women singers
featuring Peta Webb, Sandra Kerr, Rosie
Davis and Sandra Kerr. This week they
launching their new CD No Change Of
Heart. 585, 624, 686, 710, 755, 787
Skylark & Artforge are a group from
the Karelia region of Russia performing
traditional music, song and dance. 001,
106, 204, 303, 329, 340, 361
Sokobauno Puppet Theatre, with
Alasdair Roberts, present Galsohins, a
mummer’s play from the Scottish
Borders and Central Belt – a story of
combat, death and resurrection incorp -
orating live music, puppetry, shadow
theatre an ancient Scottish wonder tale
and carnivalesque laughter. 685
Somerset Young Folk Musicians at
Halsway Manor have taken part in a
residential music course at Halsway
Manor the week before the Festival. 213
Sound of the Sirens are a vocal trio
from Exeter. 492
Spiers and Boden have played
together as a duo for over 10 years now
with a winning combination of fiddle,
guitar, assorted squeezebox instruments,
a stomp box and song – ‘a combination
which sounds like a two-man-one-manband!’
589, 693
Spin 2 are a contemporary folk band
appearing at The Dukes. 116
Stanchester Quire are a community
folk choir from Somerset created and
nurtured by Folk South West under the
musical direction of Eddie Upton. 784,
C721
State of Undress are a rocky rootsy
fiddlesome band from Dorset. 790
Stephen Taberner is known to most as
the musical director of The Spooky
Men’s Chorale. Aside from that, he’s
pretty much just your average
Melbourne-based singing/songwriting/
page 76
double bass playing choirleader with a
passion for keyboards, drum kit, pygmy
jam sessions, flash mobs, and
pointlessly grandiose male singing
projects. 438, 536, 591, 637, 740, 790, 830
Steve Hunt is a member of Corncrow
and MC this week.488, 557, 657, 774,
823, 860
Steven Johnston from Clitheroe plays
uilleann pipes with Donal Maguire and
Sean Corcoran. 491, 590, 648, 786, 863
Stick the Fiddle is a folk-dance band
with a repertoire including English, Irish,
Scottish, American, Contra, Playford &
Classical music. 333, 461, 502, 581, 602,
615, 661, 701, 714, 782, 802, 814, 826
Stream of Sound, based in
Stourbridge, perform harmonies from
around the world, from African gospel,
haunting Balkan harmonies, ancient
Georgian polyphony and traditional
English Songs. 212, 249, C201, 318, 420,
C421, 520, 619, C622, 716, 763, 783
Strike a Match Laurel Swift leads a
cross-genre pilot-project with young
artists creating performances to be
showcased across the festival. 528, 547,
575, 586, 627
Stygiens are a dynamic young Italian
traditional music band, playing for
dancing, who made a big impact at
Towersey Village Festival in 2008. 245,
361
Sue Coe is a step dancer and workshop
leader who is MCing concerts this week
and leading longsword workshops for
children. 251, C205, 339, 471, 484, C407,
585, C507, 646, C607, 777, C707, C807
Telling The Bees are an innovative
acoustic band making a unique and
original music they call darkly crafted
folk. Taking their inspiration from
folklore, landscape, psychedelia,
paganism, and the politics of protest,
Telling the Bees mix driving songs and
tune-sets with haunting ballads. 756,
778
Tickled Pink pride themselves on
providing the ‘perfect antidote to the
stiff-starchy country-dance bands’.
Playing traditional English music that
rocks, they remain one of the most
sought after bands on the UK festival
circuit.109, 215, 259
Tim Edey, winner of this year’s BBC
Radio Two Folk Award’s Musician Of The
Year award, is undoubtedly one of the
finest Celtic multi-instrumentalists of his
generation – both a dextrous guitarist
and box player. Technically brilliant and
charismatic with it, Tim has recently
toured as guitarist with the Chieftains.
113
Tim Laycock is a West Country
performer of mainly traditional songs,
accompanied on duet concertina and
melodeon. This year he sings solo and
performs his new show Benjamin’s Book
with Colin Thompson. 440, 484, 551, 584,
676, 688, 784, C720
Tom Goodale has gazed deeply into the
mysteries of the universe and cyber -
space and travelled all over the world,
His eclectic collection of stories bears
testimony to this. As well as storytelling,
Tom runs workshops in storytelling and
creativity skills. 205, 240, 306, 353, 408,
472, C413, 508, 572, 608, 673, 708, 771,
C712, 808, 831, 852
Treacherous Orchestra are an ‘undefinable
collective force fusing people,
concepts, styles and influences, shaping
a musical supergroup’ that create a
mighty Celtic wall of sound played with
ferocity, verve and passion. 578
Tyde, finalists in the BBC Radio 2 Young
Folk Awards, are a fresh new band
drawing on influences from every corner
of the British Isles and beyond. 787, 844,
859
Valerie Romanin creator of barefoot
flamenco (Flamenco Descalzo) is a
graceful and innovative dancer who
reveals the roots of flamenco dance.
521, 547, 579, 620, 634, 670, 721
The Voice Squad features the singing
talents of Irish traditional singers Phil
Callery, Fran McPhail and Gerry Cullen.
Here, they sing in unique harmony – not
a style of singing that is part of the Irish
singing tradition. 255, 365