When: 27th – 30th July 2017
Where: Cherry Hinton Hall, Cambridge
In a little over a fortnight, Cherry Hinton Hall in Cambridge will once more open its gates to the annual Cambridge Folk Festival. It will be back for a quite astonishing 53rd time of asking, making it one of the most enduring and prestigious folk festivals in the world today. One of the keys to its longevity and continuing success is its ability to slowly extend its musical reach whilst staying true to its traditional folk heart. This much is reflected in yet another excellent bill that captures all that is good in the wider spheres of roots, blues, country, and Americana as well as folk music itself.
Perhaps best known as the former lead singer of acclaimed English folk band Bellowhead, Jon Boden will perform over the Festival weekend with The Remnant Kings as well as guest curating elements of this year’s line-up. It is a line-up headed by the renowned Nottingham singer-songwriter Jake Bugg who will close out the festival on Sunday night with a special acoustic set; Saturday night’s top-of-the-bill, the redoubtable Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls; iconic Grammy Award-winning folk rock music American duo, Indigo Girls; and returning once more to the ornate grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall, the venerable American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III.
Other highlights will undoubtedly include the reappearance of Shirley Collins, the classic voice of English folk music in the 1960s and who for 30 years did not sing at all; fellow Englishwomen and twin-sister country duo Ward Thomas whose rise to fame has been nothing short of stratospheric since they last appeared here on the small Den stage two years ago; as well as other Festival favourites who will be making the most welcome of returns, Sharon Shannon and Cara Dillon
But Cambridge Folk Festival is not just about the more established names as the Club Tent Showcases will firmly attest. Awarded to perhaps lesser-known names and artists that the Festival sees as stars of the future, it will join with The Den and The Hub to play host to Ruarri Joseph’s new rock-focused project William The Conqueror; Liverpool based blues and country music singer-songwriter, Robert Vincent; the four-piece contemporary Scottish folk band Tannara; and amongst many others Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, the troubadour from Calgary, Alberta.
For full details of this year’s Cambridge Folk Festival, please go HERE
