September 6th to 8th 2019
Aylsham Festival of Dance Music and Song
This year’s A-Fest – Aylsham Festival of Dance, Music and Song – will have a strong East Anglian flavour.
As well as free morris and other dance displays in the market place and other parts of the town there will be a full programme of concerts, informal music and song events … and more.
Topping the bill of the weekend festival, from 6-8 September, will be singer and concertina player Damien Barber who grew up in North Walsham.
Damien has enjoyed 30 years success on the national folk scene as a solo performer, in a duo with Mike Wilson and especially with his award-winning band The Demon Barbers and the folk and hip-hop stage shows Time Gentlemen Please and The Lock-in.
Other concert acts booked for the Town Hall over the weekend include singer-guitarist Gemma Khawaja, Chanter’s Jigge (ex-Norwich Waits), Rattlebox and Threescore.
There will also be a special appearance by local singer, melodeon player and cartoonist Tony Hall, well-respected on the national folk scene, who is the festival patron.
The Rock the Lobster Roadshow, as well as dance displays will return to Bure Valley Railway along with craft stalls.
Other events over the weekend will include a folk archive film show, featuring traditional Norfolk singers, in the Heritage Centre, dance workshops in the Drill Hall, a beginners’ ukulele workshop in the library, and informal concerts in local cafes and tearooms.
Tickets covering all the Saturday events are £16 and tickets for individual events will also be available.
Song and tune sessions – including one in memory of Aylsham singer and squeezebox player Percy Brown, will be held in the Unicorn pub.
A special event planned on the Sunday will be a Norfolk and Suffolk song, stepdance and music afternoon.
On Wednesday 11 September the library will continue its New Leaf Season with a musical
talk “Norfolk Hero – The Songs of Lord Nelson, The Victory and Trafalgar”.
Talks are still underway to book other weekend guest artists and there are hopes of a record fair offering folk, Americana, singer-songwriter and rock/pop vinyl and CDs.
To join the festival mailing list contact gaudetbrianr@gmail.com
Regular festival updates will be posted on this website.
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