Irregular Folks’ Summer Session is not a folk festival, it’s an all-day adult-only festival for lovers of the irregular. A festival for folks (noun meaning: people) doing something different and thinking independently. It’s a boundary-breaking Arts Council funded programme of great, unique music and other art forms to tantalise the ears and eyes, including art, comedy, poetry and film.
This summer Irregular Folks’ Summer Session takes over the stunning riverside grounds of The Victoria Arms, Old Marston, Oxfordshire. As always there will be the Music Tent, hosted by Paul Foot and boasting the best line-up yet, with performances from the likes of: Yorkston Thorne & Khan, GO DARK, Rozi Plain, Laura J Martin, Oly Ralfe, Dead Rat Orchestra, Jack Cheshire and Hannah Bruce. It’s a line-up so strong, they’ve carried on their tradition of giving every artist equal billing – they don’t do headliners. Listen to their playlist below:
The much-loved oddity that is the Odditorium tent also makes a welcome return. Created by Dr David Bramwell (SONY silver winner with Radio 3’s The Haunted Moustache, Sing-Along-A-Wickerman) it is a Victorian-parlour style tent, delivering talks by enthusiasts, polymaths and eccentrics. Consider it a very British celebration of all that is unusual, challenging or on the fringes of culture, with no topic being out of bounds. Explore the world of animal vaginas (yes, really) courtesy of Jules Howard, through to a talk on the history of cross-dressing highwaymen – from Carry-On Dick to Adam Ant – hosted by author John Higgs (KLF, Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned A Million Pounds).
Brand new this year is the short film cinema tent, or Mini Movie Island as they like to call it, given its on its own little island. It’ll host films from the most innovative, creative and at times bonkers filmmakers around, including Tim Hope (award winning music video director incl. REM, Coldplay and cuttingly funny short filmmaker and stand-up comedian); Adam Buxton (Comedian, presenter, actor and filmmaker); Funki Porcini (Musician, Installation artist and short film experimenter) and Jordan O’Shea (local filmmaker, vintage camera expert and coffee guru).
This year also sees the introducing of Drunken Drawing (the name probably says it all), which will happen all over the festival and can be done individually or in groups. It’s about relaxing and playing with creating images. They’re bringing back creativity and art for art’s sake. (Thanks to The White Rabbit’s monthly Tuesday night for giving us the idea).
Food and drink will be available from The Victoria Arms pub.
Find out more here: http://www.irregularfolk.co.uk/
