Fairport Convention - Roots folks festival

Folk legends Fairport Convention, Ralph McTell and Seth Lakeman will be in Nantwich in May when they top the bill for a new folk, roots and Americana festival.

Called ‘Nantwich Roots’, the festival will run May 11-15 and has been organised Words and Music Festival team.

Director Nigel Stonier said it will be a “sister event” to the annual festival which takes place in October each year.

He said: “Nantwich has staged successful folk festivals dating right back to the 1970s, but has been without one for some time now.

“Having picked up the mantle, we’re thrilled with the acts we’ve managed to entice here for our inaugural year.”

Celebrating the best of folk, roots and Americana, Nantwich Roots sees live gigs at venues including the Civil Hall, Crown Ballroom, Ebenezer’s Craft Beer and Gin Bar and Applestump Records.

Three main headliners are:

Fairport Convention – the iconic band who changed the face of UK folk with their seminal release “Liege and Leaf” and penned classics like ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ and ‘Meet On The Ledge’. They will be appearing in Nantwich for the first time at the Civic Hall on Sunday May 15.

Ralph McTell - folk _Roots_ festival
Ralph McTell

Ralph McTell – writer of classic material including ‘Streets Of London,’ probably England’s most famous contemporary folk song, appearing at Nantwich Civil Hall Saturday May 14.

Seth Lakeman – virtuoso fiddle player, singer songwriter and contemporary folk superstar who sold out the Civic Hall on his last visit in 2017, making a welcome return on Friday May 13.

Also appearing on Saturday May 14 are Sheffield based Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, recipients of a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. Nancy is one of the most acclaimed fiddle players in the UK and James a multi-instrumentalist.

On Thursday May 12 fans of Americana music can enjoy Robert Vincent, winner of the AMA Best UK Americana Artist award, with his band, plus a special guest appearance by Louisiana born singer/songwriter Kate Ellis.

Seth Lakeman 2021 new press photo (c) Tom Griffiths (1)
Seth Lakeman – photo by Tom Griffiths

More acts will be announced with several free ‘fringe’ gigs scheduled around the town.

Event Team leader Ed Douglas said: “We’re always pleased that people travel from far and wide to attend Words and Music events, but equally important is the support and appreciation we get from the people of Nantwich itself.

“We’d also like to thank all of our sponsors, whose support makes these events possible and would love to hear from any other local businesses and organisations who may be interested in working with us in the future.”

Tickets for all events can be purchased at The Civic Hall (01270 628633) or via Wordsandmusicfestival.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website, to learn more please read our privacy policy.

*

Captcha * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.