The first ever Bungay Folk Festival takes place this weekend, promising star names, free events, workshops and more. Organisers Pete Sewell and Vicky Lambert explain how it has all come together
Who are you both and what do you do?
We are Vicky Lambert and Pete Sewell. Vicky works for Hodmedod a funky local company which works with local farmers to promote British pulses and beans and sustainable farming. Pete works as an artisan baker and uses Hodmedod flour.
When did your love of folk music begin?
Vicky first encountered folk music whilst working on Organic Farms (WOOF) and bought herself a whistle and hasn’t looked back. Pete had an urge to play trad Irish music in his late twenties and started by going to a folk fiddle class in Leeds before progressing to sessions.
When did you first have the idea for a Folk Festival for Bungay?
The idea was born of a desire to bring something new to a town we had only just made our home. We had been here a year and love the creative vibe and exciting people we have met. There is, already, a strong classical music focus and we felt a folk slant would add to this.
Is there a strong folk music scene there – and do you both have strong links with the town?
We started a European folk tune session last September which regularly gets 25 musicians along and, more recently with other members of the festival committee, an acoustic sing around. Coincidentally a folk orchestra also meets once a month in the town as well, so it feels like lots of crucial elements with the festival bringing it all together. We live in the town and have felt very much part of the local events and festivities such as the recent Black Shuck festival.
Who will be performing and what else can people expect over the weekend?
We have Sam Kelly performing, who is also the festival patron, as well as Solana. The tickets for Sam Kelly and Solana have sold out already as they are evening concerts but most of the festival is about free music during the daytime with lots of local bands performing in a variety of venues – there is so much free music to choose from. A folk picnic next to the castle on Sunday 8th September in the afternoon, with The Shackleton Trio headlining, will be a great free event – bring a blanket and a picnic and enjoy the music (having just seen the Tour of Britain race through the town half an hour earlier at 11.40am).
What would your message be to people wanting to find out a bit more about folk music?
There will be plenty of workshops for people to get involved with. We have 19 different workshops taking place on Saturday 7th September. These cover everything from Apalachian Mountain dulcimer, guitar, bodhran, folk flute, song writing, banjo and mandolin to storytelling and singing. The workshops are only £5 for an hour of expert tuition. It’s a great place to start. Also just enjoy the different genres of music on offer and who knows you might just find a style or instrument that you want to find out more about. We have been very lucky to have received a considerable grant from East Suffolk Council as well as smaller grants from local organisations. This has enabled us to make most of the events free.
Bungay Folk Festival takes place from Friday September 6 to Sunday September 8 – promising three days of fine folk music, dance, workshops, food and drink. Visit bungayfolkfestival.co.uk.
Featured image of Pete Sewell and Vicky Lambert – by Harry Read.
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