Cornish Guardian (St. Austell & Fowey)
Stirring songs and sounds from bygone days of seafaring will feature as festival returns
Reporter Maxine Denton looks forward to next month’s Saltash Songs and Shanties Festival
AFESTIVAL dedicated to songs and shanties is to make a comeback this summer. The Saltash Songs and Shanties Festival this June will showcase a variety of musical genres including folk, rock, blues and choral music from Cornwall and the Tamar Valley.
The event will take place in various historic venues across the town between June 15 and 24.
Headline acts include Wurlitza, the Martha Tilston Trio, the Diabel Cissokho Band, Bagas Fellyon, Barrett’s Privateers and Haunt The Woods.
Wurlitza, hailing from St Germans, are known for performances in which they provide live soundtracks to classic silent films.
On June 20 they will be accompanying the 1920 comedy One Week, featuring Buster Keaton, and the suspenseful A Cottage On Dartmoor (1929), which involves an escaped convict, a love triangle and hairdressing.
Cornish musician Martha Tilston has garnered a large global following for both her live performances and critically acclaimed albums, and was nominated for the title of best newcomer at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. She will be performing alongside long-term collaborators Matt Kelly and Matt Tweed on June 21 at the church of St Nicholas and St Faith, with support from the Saltash Shanty Singers.
Saltash’s own international musician Diabel Cissokho, from Senegal, is set to perform alongside fellow players from West and North Africa and St Neot’s Canoryon Lowen choir on June 22.
His work blends traditional music with elements of blues, Afrobeat and more, and he has appeared at Womad, Glastonbury, Africa Oye and the Barbican and collaborated with renowned musicians such as Baaba Maal, Youssou N’dour and
Paul Mccartney.
On June 23 Bagas Fellyon and Barrett’s Privateers will take the stage.
“Bagas Fellyon are redefining Cornish traditional music, blending drums, bass, saxophone, fiddle, accordion and hammered dulcimer to create hypnotic rhythms and textures”, a spokesperson said.
“They combine ancient and modern melodies for a traditional Cornish Nos Lowen evening filled with dancing and fun.
“Barrett’s Privateers, led by their captain, Gideon Barrett, are well known for their love of seafaring songs, shanties and traditional folk
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Saltash’s own international musician Diabel Cissokho, from Senegal, is set to perform alongside fellow players from West and North Africa
music. Their performances, enriched by a mix of voices, are always hugely entertaining”.
The festival also offers a range of workshops, from shanty singing to samba drumming.
The festival begins on June 15 with a Saturday Scratch Band event in collaboration with Livewire Youth Music. Designed for young people learning guitar, bass, drums or singing who want to gain experience of playing in a band, it will conclude with the new scratch band supporting Livewire alumni The Other Woman and Haunt The Woods for an evening gig.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, including music for pre-schoolers in the library, tango, tea and cake with Tango Sonoro at the Social Club, a pop-up piano session on the Waterside and an acapella harmony workshop with Grace Notes.
Events also include an afternoon of community music by the River Tamar on June 19, folk group Tipil performing in the historic Mary Newman’s Cottage and the awardwinning Saltash Town Band playing in Victoria Gardens on June 22.
Event tickets will again be sold with a pay-whatt-you-feel option with the aim of making the event accessible to everyone. For more information and tickets see www. songsandshanties.co.uk