Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young, are among the star names being added to next year’s Gate To Southwell Festival in rural Nottinghamshire (June 6th to 9th). Joining an already eclectic international line-up that includes Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, Skipinnish, Nancy Kerr, Blue Rose Code, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys and many more brilliant folk roots and acoustic music artists, Los Pacaminos and Steve Harley will headline the festival on Thursday and Friday respectively.
Paul Young, one of the UK’s best-loved vocalists (‘Wherever I Lay My Hat’, Love Of The Common People’, ‘Every Time You Go Away’) has been the charismatic front-man and guitarist of the highly-entertaining Tex-Mex show band Los Pacaminos since 1993: “It’s real bar room stuff: foot stompers, not too many slow songs – a real party atmosphere”. Steve Harley - famous for worldwide hits such as ‘Judy Teen’, ‘Mr Soft’, ‘Sebastian’ and ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)’ - has been performing for almost 50 years, producing a series of great albums such as Cockney Rebel’s ‘The Human Menagerie’ and ‘The Psychomodo’. ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)’ was a global Number One in 1975. Both artists will be playing Southwell for the first time.
The increasingly-popular four day music festival at Southwell Racecourse will welcome back folk singer and activist Grace Petrie, California blues rocker Joshua Cook, trad supergroup The Tweed Project, the bluegrass-meets-country-soul-meets-punk sounds of Louisiana’s Truckstop Honeymoon, and the multi-instrumental virtuosity of Ranagri. Plus BBC Young Folk Award winners Josie Duncan & Pablo Lafuente, fantastic dance band Blackbeard’s Tea Party, famous punk veterans Otway & Barrett, Nottingham’s own gypsy jazz hot clubbers Maniere Des Bohemiens, world-fusion crowd favourites The Activators, the highly-acclaimed Bird In The Belly folk collective, the rich harmonies of Norwich’s Alden Patterson & Dashwood and the sweetly addictive songs of pop rockers Morrissey & Marshall.
In the great Southwell tradition of celebratory events such as Dylan@75 and the Summer Of Love, there’ll be a Woodstock@50 concert on the Saturday afternoon followed by Sunjay’s Tribute To Buddy Holly on the Sunday. Plus there’s a special Continental event featuring diverse European acts such as brilliant Spanish Basque folk dance band Korrontzi, the beautiful Dutch harmonies of SYA (Suddenly Years Align) and French-born festival favourite Flossie Malavialle.
Alongside all this there’ll be a family-friendly, something-for-everyone mix of pub gigs, ceilidhs, fine food stalls, dance displays, music workshops, beer and cider festivals and top class children’s entertainment (including the return of genius juggler Dan The Hat).
Bargain priced Tier One tickets are now on sale from www.gtsf.uk. Plan ahead for summer 2019 and grab yourself a festive bargain.
