FolkeFest: Sam Brookes, Erin Mansfield & Dr Lucy Wright
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An evening of music and talk as part of FolkeFest: Folkestone Contemporary Folk Festival, featuring Sam Brookes, Erin Mansfield and Dr Lucy Wright.
Sam Brookes
Sam Brookes’ soaring, multi-octave voice – often compared to Tim Buckley – stands as one of the most expressive instruments in British music. Folk-meets-jazz twisting and turning at the outer reaches of the singer-songwriter role.
His music is confessional in the most explicit way. Sam’s new album ‘Black Feathers’ is as honest as it gets - he has been down into the depths, only to re-emerge with a firm fixation on the beauty and light that can be found in the everyday. He’s been pushed through grief, loss, and heartbreak, using music as a tool to piece himself back together, and to find a forward path.
“The guitar playing is exquisite, the vocals sublime. As a singer and songwriter, Sam Brookes is already entering the highest echelons. He is a national treasure.” Folk Radio
Erin Mansfield
As a trailblazer of contemporary tin whistle and pioneer of modern social folk dance, Erin is a bright new light, stamping her passion and originality onto everything she does. Erin is an accomplished musician, playing a variety of tin penny whistles, recorders and flutes; as well as the melodeon and vocals. She is also a folk dance caller and was invited to undertake a Traineeship in Country Dancing with the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
“Erin Mansfield encompasses all the vigour and exuberance of young Folk” Folk and Honey
Dr Lucy Wright (Talk)
The work of contemporary folk artist Lucy Wright highlights that customs and traditions continue to inform our sense of self and other, often with agonistic consequences. Traditions are not inherently malignant: they are also heartfelt vehicles of human sociability whose infinite adaptations and calls to action help us punctuate and make sense of time and place.
Some of Lucy’s projects interrogate the problematic relationships between folk, nationalism and colonialism. Others deal with the under-representation of women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities in the existing canon of English folk arts and the need for new, more inclusive traditions for our divided society.
Recently, Lucy has been thinking about the relationships between human and plant populations and the interspecies traditions of care required for living together on a dying planet.
FolkeFest is an exciting new contemporary folk festival that will run in Folkestone's Creative Quarter from 21 to 27 March, supported by the Festivals Fund and produced by Moving Being C.I.C. (Didier Rochard, Sarah Rennix and team). The festival encompasses live music, visual arts, dance, storytelling, workshops and talks. Golden threads include the acknowledgement of folk traditions and folklore; progressing, updating and queering folk; voice, song, storytelling and oral tradition.
Other FolkeFest events throughout the week are Pay What You Want on the door. The full programme is available at FolkeFest.
Age Restriction: Age 14+, 14 to 16 year olds must be accompanied by an adult.
Programme
6pm Doors
6:30pm Dr Lucy Wright (Talk)
7:30pm Erin Mansfield Duo (Live Music)
8:00pm Sam Brookes (Live Music)
9:00pm Live music finishes
9:30pm Bar closes
Duration: 2 and a half hours