Music preview: Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival

The event rnns from tonight until Sunday. Music will be heard in various venues across town and the streets alive with dancing, busking and street performers. Other events include workshops, storytelling, spoken word and an indoor craft market.

Williams and Stodart are due to headline tonight’s gig at the Birchcliffe Centre with support from The Hayes Sisters. Jess Morgan will be performing at the same venue on the Saturday, alongside Grammy award winner Amy Wadge and Pete Riley, Plumhall, Roger Davies, Steve Tilston and Jez Lowe.

John Palmer Acoustic Band and Rory McLeod and The Familiar Strangers will be at the Trades Club on the Saturday evening plus Brian Toberman, Charlie Carr and Dave Nelson, Catfish Skillet plus many more will be performing in the daytime.

A Bluegrass Day on the Sunday at the Birchcliffe Centre features Dude Coopers, 309s, Backyard Burners, Grove Bluegrass Band, Catfish Skillet, Will Kaufman, Murston Bapchild and the Braxton Hicks. For the finale on Sunday evening at Machpelah Mill, former Seahorses frontman Chris Helme will play at a ‘Night of the Troubadours’ with special guests Terry Logan and Duende DJs at Machpelah Mill. The Real Cider Company will be providing a pop up bar and food from The Dosa.

The Hebden Fringe has grown in size with over 40 local performers sharing their musical talents in most of the venues around the town for your enjoyment, highlights include Des Horsfall’s Happy Valley Revival, The Cobblestones, Creedy, Brian Tobermann, Molly Tilston, and the band Free Sandwiches and more.

The Shaggy Dog Storytellers will be in the town to perform the many tales over the weekend, Keith Donnelly will bring his new family show ‘I Wish I Was a Monkey!’ with an animal mask making workshop afterwards at Machpelah Mill.

Other highlights include Can the Mountains Love the Sea?, a new adaptation of the Marriage of Njord and Skadi by British Award for Storytelling Excellence winner Tim Ralphs, supported by Peter Findlay with The Last Wish of Jonah Jones, featuring live music by Robert Orange.

‘The Word on the street’ is a literary stroll through the streets of Calderdale and beyond with award winning poets Terry Simpson and Winston Plowes plus special guest appearances. Beautiful voices can be heard at St James’ church, as seven local choirs; Three Valleys Gospel Choir, Sailah, The Hebden Bridge Georgian Folk Singing Ensemble, Satteli – Swiss Folk duo, Calder Valley Voices, Corista and Remingtons (Barber Shop Choir) come together to perform on Friday evening.

Street performances by The Peace Artistes plus ceilidhs by Mrs Porter’s Ensemble, a four-piece Dance Band with a Vintage flavour who perform Traditional Dance Music and Old-Time tunes on Sunday afternoon and Tenterhooks String band on Friday evening at the Town Hall.

There’s a chance to meet the Sheffield City Giants and Moaner Lisa, who are out and about on Saturday greeting our wonderful guests. All kinds of dancing will be happening in the town over the weekend, Hill Millies, Oakenhoof, Sowerby Bridge Morris and Thieving Magpies, Royal Preston, Stone the Crows and 400 Roses.

There will also be an impressive mix of arts, crafts and artisans showing their work at the Town Hall. All workshops can be found on the website, including Grammy award winner Amy Wadge, who co-writes with Ed Sheeran.

Full price tickets are now available – £40 for the three-day weekend. Visit http://www.hebdenfolkroots.org