Following the huge success of ‘Home Made’ Towersey in the summer, the team behind Towersey Festival has put together another great online event this weekend in the form of ‘Festiv-All‘ which begins this Friday evening at 8pm (18 Dec) with the mighty McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle followed by a fun-filled Saturday including workshops, lantern building, storytelling and the Big Gig, headlined by Peter Knight’s Gigspanner Big Band and supported by Jim Moray and Edwina Hayes.
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle
Events kick off this Friday evening, 18th December with McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Christmas at Home
Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle have recorded a very special Christmas show to be streamed into the homes of people the length and breadth of the UK. Linking with venues and festivals from the Highlands of Scotland across the sea to Belfast and on to the far south of England, the trio will bring Christmas cheer directly to audiences in their own homes.
The trio are delighted to present their inaugural Christmas concert featuring a diverse mix of classic Christmas melodies, traditional and contemporary songs and tunes. Whether performing material such as the medieval based song Curoo Curoo, John Shehan’s hauntingly beautiful melody Christchurch or the majestic O Holy Night, their decades of renowned musical expertise creates a magical and lasting impression.
Best known for their work with Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler and BBC Transatlantic Sessions as well as artists including Solas, Capercaillie and Kate Rusby, the multi award winning trio have recorded a 45 minute set full of Christmas tunes as well as some firm favourites.
Each show is different and at the end, questions submitted from the audiences of each venue and festival make for some unique moments. All ticket buyers will be given the opportunity to submit a question for their own unique event.
Michael McGoldrick explained “We felt we wanted to connect with people at this time of year and had been looking for a way to do this. This November we were supposed to be performing in Switzerland and the Czech Republic and John Doyle had flown over from his home in the US. The tour was cancelled at short notice and so we thought, this is our chance to use the time to record something special”
Ticket sales will be split between the artists and the venue you purchase a ticket for so please do join us on the 18th and support Towersey Festival along with McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle. Link for more details at end of post.
Festival-All continues on Saturday 19th December with a full festival programme of workshops, music, dance, food and circus. From starting the day with a Yoga session to partying with Hope and Social at their lunchtime gig, you can escape to a festival, even if it just for a day! Join the Ukulele Jam, bake some Gingerbread, create a Christmas Lantern, sing with the Choir and then finish the day with CoCo and the Butterfields.
All FREE to access with the festival asking for donations to support the artists involved if you can. Sounds like a great way to start Christmas!
The Big Gig
The BIG GIG is a proper Towersey style concert with 3 hours of music recorded live in high definition with full production and with your host, Simon Care. This is not your average streamed gig!
Shot on 5 high-definition cameras, the sound was recorded direct from the desk and it was shot live in a full production studio. This will be as close to seeing a gig in the flesh as you can get right now. Think LIVE with Jools Holland but Towersey style
Peter Knight’s Gigspanner Big Band headline with their high-energy, virtuosic performances appealing equally to traditionalists and to those looking for something more experimental. Their latest album ‘Natural Invention’ was released earier this year (reviewed here) and Thomas Blake referred to them as”
“a group of musicians intent on making some of the most important and exhilarating art ever to sit under the banner of folk music.”
Beginning life as a trio with legendary Steeleye Span fiddle player Peter Knight being joined by percussionist Sacha Trochet and guitarist Roger Flack – the line-up has been expanded to form the Gigspanner Big Band, with acclaimed multi-instrumental duo Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin – BBC Folk Awards ‘Best Duo‘) and Bellowhead co-founder and melodeon player extraordinaire, John Spiers, joining the fray.
As collaborations go, it doesn’t get much more mouth-watering than this.
In support is Jim Moray, who is amongst England’s finest interpreters of traditional song. His relentlessly innovative recordings can truly be said to have changed the sound of folk music since the early 2000s, and he has won fans and admirers far outside of the folk scene without ever betraying his traditional roots. A five-time BBC Folk Award winner, his songs have been featured in a season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, he has appeared on-screen singing a specially composed song for Dr Who spin-off Class as aliens attack the earth, and he has presented documentaries on traditional music for BBC Radio 3.
The line-up is completed by Manière des Bohémiens who play improvised Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli influenced Gypsy Jazz and Eastern European swing. They are the most debauched, ecstatic and downright amazing live band you will have seen for a long while.
And Edwina Hayes, who’s beautifully written songs, charming stage presence and voice of an angel have won her a reputation as a true natural talent of gentle folk-Americana. She has opened numerous shows for Jools Holland and Van Morrison as well as her own gigs playing stages everywhere from Glastonbury Festival to The Royal Albert Hall.
The BIG GIG will be available to watch from 7PM on Saturday 19th December with a Digital Access Ticket and then available to ticket holders through to the end of January 2020.
Festiv-All promises to be another great day of Digital Towersey Festival magic, bringing some much- needed joy into our homes this Winter and the chance to see some of the best music on the scene from the comfort of your own home.
Without Government support, Towersey Festival continues to strive to deliver the best music and arts and keep the spirit of the festival alive through these difficult times while supporting artists at the same time.
All ticket sales for these events goes to supporting the artists involved and the future of the festival. So please donate if you can and book tickets for the BIG GIG now.
Click here for the full lineup
Web: www.towerseyfestival.com/festiv-all
Christmas at Home details and ticket links: https://www.towerseyfestival.com/project/christmas-at-home/
Big Gig Tickets – https://www.gigantic.com/towersey-festival-tickets/worldwide-live-stream/2020-12-19-19-00