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Despite restrictions on live shows, FolkEast, the UK’s Eastern Folk Festival, is scheduled to welcome audiences to Suffolk for a live occasion this month, the occasion of root music has officially been postponed until next year.
In April, like many other popular festivals in 2020, husband-and-wife administrators John and Becky Marshall-Potter reluctantly postponed their incredibly popular event until August 20 and 22, 2021, following the COVID-19 outbreak. However, in order not to be defeated, we decided to organize anything that brings folkEast flavor to the county on the scheduled festival weekend this year.
Backed by more than 300 sponsors who have donated nearly 33,000 euros to crowdfunding to ensure the long term of the festival, Becky said: “During the months of blocking, inspiring virtual occasions have attracted others online and watching a screen. It will never be the same as physically going to a place or sitting in a box with other festival-goers. They proved to be very popular.
“People have been stuck behind closed doors for so long and musicians haven’t been able to play for months. We try to bring artists and the audience together and give everyone a special touch: a festival solution.”
To this end, the organizers announce Virtually FolkEast, a live occasion, which will be held on FolkEast’s online page and on Facebook on Saturday, August 22 from 3 p.m. At nine o’clock at night it will be a four-hour “real-time” mini-festival in front of a live audience of up to two hundred people most streamed from a meadow near the Glemham Hall festival site.
FolkEast has been authorized to move on with the concert, giving other people the chance to buy a socially remote picnic spot to accommodate up to six other people and see a variety of artists.
Out of inimitable and award-winning buyers of FolkEast’s The Young’ uns, the assignment will also include performances through festival favorite Sam Kelly (with Evan Carson and Tothrough Shaer of his band Lost Boys), the brilliant John Spiers (Bellowhead, Knight and Spires, Gigspanner Big Band); instrumental duo The Hut People (Sam Pirt and Gary Hammond), new folk singer-songwriter Katherine Priddy and local duo Suffolk Honey – The Bear (Jon and Lucy Hart).
The legendary Peter Knight (from his home in France), Mary-Anne Kennedy of Scotland and Daoiri Farrell of Ireland are some of those who make a contribution from afar to a song. John Spiers will also host “Gardeners” Cornered”- FolkEast’s reaction to “Question Time” Radio 4’s Gardeners – to answer questions about horticulture.
The same live programming will also take place the next day on a “Sunday Picnic” occasion in the same place. This will be transmitted but will allow even more families and friends to receive their dose of the festival.
In just seven years, FolkEast, an independent circle of relatives held in Glemham Hall Park, near Saxmundham, has forged a distinct character and boasts one of the most popular festivals on the British circuit.
Becky said: “We are grateful to the East Suffolk Council for licensing us to host those two live concerts and look forward. We would like to thank all the artists and the team who have agreed to participate. This is a new territory for all, but we want all appropriate measures to be taken to ensure that the COVID opportunity is safe.
Tickets to be part of the socially remote audience are already sold out. The online audience over the weekend will be to donate to the “Secure FolkEast” campaign in 2021 and beyond.
BBC Radio Suffolk will also be the occasion with a three-hour FolkEast special on the night of Friday 22 August, presented through Jon Wright: a set of favorite songs, interviews and highlights from past FolkEast festivals.
The festival has shown that most of this year’s programming will be on board in 2021, adding Young’uns, Afro Celt Sound System, Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita, the Drever trio, McCusker, Woomble, Gigspanner Big Band, The Shee, Cato Trails and Elephant Sessions.
Can live stream on FolkEast’s website (http://folkeast.co.uk/)
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