Following a later-scheduled festival last year, Walton Folk Festival is returning to its usual May bank holiday slot for 2022. Wildwood Kin will be headlining a music-packed day with the best folk, roots and acoustic music, including Polly Paulusma and rising star Angeline Morrison (Rowan/Morrison, We Are Muffy). She recently featured on Folk Radio’s KLOF Episode 11 mix featuring a demo song from her forthcoming project, The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience.
The festival takes place at the Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, on Sunday, 1 May 2021. The last three festivals have built a reputation for showcasing the best of British folk music, and all have sold out – so early booking is recommended.
Wildwood Kin were due to headline the festival in 2020, which was cancelled due to the lockdown. So the festival team are delighted to finally welcome the Devonshire-based trio made up of sisters Beth Key and Emillie Whiteside and their cousin Meghann Loney. They will be performing a mix of originals and covers; The Sunday Times described their sound as “Fleetwood Mac-like harmonies, hints of Fleet Foxes’ desolate, spectral acoustica, echoes of Ben Howard’s richly textured but ramshackle sparseness…”
Alongside Wildwood Kin in the evening is Polly Paulusma, the critically acclaimed English singer-songwriter. In recent years, Paulusma has toured with Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Gary Jules, Joseph Arthur, and Marianne Faithfull. Last year she released Invisible Music: folk songs that influenced Angela Carter (a terrific traditional folk album and a fascinating insight into Carter’s creative process…Mike Davies, Folk Radio). As noted in Mike Davies’ Folk Radio review here, Polly had just completed a PhD on Angela Carter. The late novelist, who specialised in feminist, magical realism storytelling, is best known as the author of The Bloody Chamber, an anthology of ten stories that reworked traditional folk or fairytales, among them The Company of Wolves. Perhaps less well known is that she started her career as a folk singer in 60s Bristol, co-founding her own club, and published an essay titled Now Is The Time For Singing which explored the cultural importance of folk songs. Paulusma’s album drew on that background to celebrate Carter’s musicality and the songs that influenced her writings.
The afternoon lineup includes Angeline Morrison, a Birmingham-born, Cornwall-based singer, songwriter and arranger whose music spans wyrd folk, traditional folk, soul and 60s beat pop. Her star is rising, and 2022 promises to be a breakthrough year with a second solo album due to be released. Not to be missed!
Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, and Cape Breton, The Outside Track return to Walton Folk after their stunning performance at the 2019 festival. Its five members share a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music. They blend fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, whistle, step-dance and vocals with breathtaking vitality. Neil McFadyen described their 2018 Rise Up album as “a magnificent album that puts The Outside Track firmly back in the spotlight, as one of the most accomplished bands on the international folk scene.”
Also performing is singer songwriter Ellie Gowers, who has made a big impression over the last year. Her songs are built from a childhood love of literature and traditional folk song and touch on the more modern narratives of the present day. Her music embeds a fierce energy that echoes the 60’s folk revival.
And lastly, the team are delighted to welcome a great friend of the festival, Plymouth-based guitarist, singer-songwriter and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Nominee, Jack Cookson. Peter Shaw described his Chamfer EP as a mini-masterpiece that rewards multiple listens.
Tickets for the festival are available from the Riverhouse Barn website: £39 for the full day tickets. The festival will end at 10.30pm – in good time to catch the train home from the nearby Walton station.
Alongside the ticketed Sunday festival at the Riverhouse, there will be a free day of acoustic and roots music in Walton-on-Thames High Street the day before, Saturday 31 April. This will showcase the vibrant music scene in Surrey and West London. More details and the full lineup will be confirmed soon.