Festival where folk can join in the fun and the performance.THE region is alive with talent this month. With the likes of the Late Shows and the Evolution Festival, one event not to be missed is the Hexham Gathering. Considered one of the country's leading festivals aimed at providing performance opportunities, Hexham Gathering returns this year with a jam-packed line-up. Taking place from Wednesday, May 20, to Sunday, May 24, the annual event consists of hundreds of performers, providing a vibrant kaleidoscope of music and spectacle throughout the town centre. Unique for its pairing of top folk and traditional performers it has some of the brightest rising stars in the new generation of folk musicians. This year's main attraction takes the form of Mercury Prize nominee Eliza Carthy and Canadian Aidan Curran. Winner of several BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British radio station BBC Radio 2. , Eliza is a must see for fans of traditional, rootsy bluegrass bluegrass, any species of the large and widely distributed genus Poa, chiefly range and pasture grasses of economic importance in temperate and cool regions. In general, bluegrasses are perennial with fine-leaved foliage that is bluish green in some species. and fiddle tunes and songs. Visitors can also see all-female bands The Shee and The Askew a·skew adv. & adj. To one side; awry: rugs lying askew. [Probably a-2 + skew. Sisters. The concert is at Queen's Hall Arts Centre on Saturday, May 23, at 7pm, with tickets pounds 12/pounds 10 concession, pounds 5 for stu- dents and under-18s. Hexham Gathering also gives schools and youth groups from Tynedale and beyond the opportunity of performing in the leading festival. Those participating this year include Broomley First School, Bellingham Middle School and the Stocksfield Stompers Stompers were first created in 1980 by Schaper Toys. These toys were battery-powered vehicles that ran on a single AA battery and featured all-wheel drive. They were driven by a single motor that turned both axles. . A highlight of the event will be the ceilidh cei·lidh n. An Irish or Scottish social gathering with traditional music, dancing, and storytelling. [Irish Gaelic céilidhe, from Old Irish célide, visit, from céle, at the bandstand on Saturday, between 12.30pm and 2pm. With the addition of the Wooler Steel Pans, visitors should definitely make space for it in the day's busy schedule. Providing plenty of room, they invite you to come listen, dance, bring your picnic and join in the fun. The festival closes with Gig in the Park, a free open-air concert beside the bandstand. Starting on Sunday at 2.30pm the line-up includes Mothers Ruin, The Anna Massie Band and The Young 'Uns. Hexham Gathering offers a musical feast of banjos, fiddles, pianos, Northumbrian pipes, guitars and much more. It most definitely is the place to be for folk music lovers. For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.queenshall.co.uk Pearl Cullen |
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