Songlines Magazine is having its inaugral Songlines Encounters Festival at London’s Kings Place on June 23-25. The event is to be curated by Songlines editor in chief, Simon Broughton, who is also responsible for many numerous Rough Guide articles that introduce so many people to music ‘out there’.
The festival is being run in partnership with Ikon Arts Management. Eight concerts have been programmed featuring major artists (see below) that Songlines are pleased to be championing. Several are playing in London for the first time. For those that won’t be able to make it many of the concerts will be streamed live online, details of which will be released in due course from the Songlines site.
Line-up:
Songlines announced the following details today:
From Greece we have the UK debut of marvellous Cretan lyra player Stelios Petrakis in a new trio formation with guitarist Efrén López and Iranian percussionist Bijan Chemirani. June 23 7pm Hall One
From Portugal we have the UK debut of fado singer Carminho (as featured in issue 74’s cover story). There are also two opportunities to catch a screening of Mariza and the Story of Fado, the perfect complement to Carminho’s performance. Concert: June 24 7.45pm Hall One. Screenings: June 24 6.30pm & June 25 5pm
From Finland we’ve got the brilliant Sväng (with a feature and Top of the World album in the current issue) who will seduce you and blow your mind with four harmonicas. June 25 6.30pm Hall One
From Hungary we’ve got Söndörgő – hard to pronounce, but easy to listen to – playing intricate plucked tambura music (with a Top of the World album in #63). One of Hungary’s best-kept secrets. June 25 9pm Hall One
We’ve also got She’koyokh, the UK’s best Balkan and klezmer band – featured on last issue’s covermount CD. June 25 8pm St Pancras Room
And we’ve got Circle of Sound, a one-off South Asian concert featuring sarod player Soumik Datta, clarinettist Arun Ghosh, drummer Taalis plus projections. Virtuosic and unpredictable. June 24 9pm Hall One
Soumik Datta and Bernhard Schimpelsberger (Taalis):
In the regular Folk slot on Friday June 24 there’s Ewan McLennan, who just won the Horizon Award for best newcomer at the R2 Folk Awards, with guest singer Jackie Oates. And doing his superb Latin Jazz on Saturday June 25 is pianist Alex Wilson (his Mali Latino was a Top of the World in #72). He’ll play solo, with his trio and in a special Songlines collaboration.
During the afternoon on Saturday June 25 there are workshops in Bulgarian singing, Balkan and klezmer music and a chance to meet Söndörgő in conversation.