Were you at Gate to Southwell Folk Festival?

If not, you missed a real treat! It’s easy to see why regulars return to this gem of a festival nestled in the green fields of Nottinghamshire.  Now in its 16th year, Gate to Southwell’s family friendly folk music festival ticks all the boxes -  easy access to a well signposted (important!) and organised site with loads of space in the camping fields for tents, vans, motorhomes and cars of all shapes and sizes.  Friendly and helpful volunteer marshals many of whom have worked at the festival since its inception, all add to the vibrant community spirit and enthusiasm!  And with artists like Seth Lakeman, Kris Drever and Raghu Dixit Project, what’s not to like!

Thursday evening got off to a cracking start at the Folk Stage with a Folk Club medley of artists.  Who could fail to be mesmerised by the haunting, almost medieval harmonies of Helian? Flute, harp, cello and guitar – pure magic!

Emerging artists Reuben and the Bridge were a delightful surprise – strong vocals and guitar from Reuben well synchronised with Bridget’s warm vocals and passionate fiddle playing. A duo to watch out for!

Over on the Lake Stage Martin Harley Band’s soulful roots blues did not fail to deliver, as did festival favourites Nine Below Zero’s superb rhythm and blues set.

The Caistorways had us all foot tapping and singing along at The Big Sing late on the Folk Stage with their energetic and charismatic sea shanties! 

Friday morning and time to check out the rest of the site – plenty to eat and drink, children well catered for with their own stage and craft activities. Local artists popping up to jam in the corner of the Barleycorn bar, a great way to chill out with drinks and enjoy quality music! And the toilets - (we can’t forget them!) were clean and replenished throughout the whole weekend.  As festival veterans, we can honestly say these were the best toilets ever!  Small details like the blackboards at each stage to show the running order and any amendments made all the difference.  All credit to the organisers and volunteers’ hard work!

The high standard of the music was just incredible, we were blown away by the variety and sheer professionalism of all the artists.  Sound quality throughout the weekend was superb too, well done to all the techies involved!   It was difficult to fit in everyone we wanted to see but the beauty of the programme meant many artists appeared more than once at different venues.  This was something we hadn’t come across very often at other festivals and was very welcome.

Friday’s music was another day to remember, impossible to mention all artists but again, we thoroughly enjoyed all that was on offer, from John Smith’s trio, Lauren South , Thorpe & Morrison and Gaelforce to the haunting tunes of Robert Hickman’s ocarina, to name but a few.  If you had any energy left by 10.30pm it was time to put on your dancing shoes for Ceilidh with Lasair at the Folk Stage and then to stop by (or stumble!) at the Campfire on your weary way to your bed!

Saturday  it was time to hop on the shuttle bus for a trip into Southwell, just 15 mins away for the dance procession and Morris dancing.  The dancers later regrouped back at the festival, no less than 6 different ‘sides’ as well as a Rapper Sword team and Appalachian Dance Team who entertained us with boundless energy for the rest of the day!

Saturday also saw the start of various interesting workshops in the Steeples tent, Frontier Stage and Children’s & Dance Area – songwriting, Tuneworks beginners & improvers, Poets Spoken Word and children’s band workshop.  Something for anyone to try their hand at!

The Frontier Stage saw Veronica and Max, an Italian duo, expertly showcase a repertoire of American Roots to reach into your very soul;  followed later by Cabaret & Comedy  – Keith Donnelly’s hilarious Ritz cracker stand-up really fired up the children in front of the stage! 

In the meantime talented singer/songwriter Martyn Joseph took to the Folk Stage with his exciting set full of emotional energy; Michell, Pfeiffer & Kulesh followed with their wonderful eclectic mix of languages and harmony, three very different artists just bouncing off each other in a perfect marriage; then just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the mellow acoustic tones from the multi-talented Brothers Gillespie left you wanting more!

The Lake Stage rounded of the evening with the brilliant Raghu Dixit Project.  Wow, what a set from Raghu and his band – warm heartfelt sentiments and an infectious, thumping good mixture of Indian tradition merged with folk-rock -just wow!”

Sunday  - dog day!  The sun returned briefly in the morning which seemed to bring out all the dogs needing a walk! How good to see the well-behaved dogs (and owners!) strolling around the festival site. It’s not often you see dogs allowed at festivals but at Southwell it works and just highlights the wonderful community spirit that is surely the bones (!) of this festival.

The Steeples tent hosted an Acoustic Concert for a second day with some wonderful tunes and vocals from talented artists and their guitars, fiddles, and ocarinas.  Followed by songwriter’s and musical workshops.

Great sets too today from Donnelly and South, a hugely entertaining couple who had the audience in stitches with their clever blend of comedy and music;  Louise Rogan’s lilting melodies like a breath of fresh air, simply captivating; Kris Drever’s band and solo set – hugely popular singer/songwriter from the Orkney islands and rightly so, his expert blend of traditional folk with contemporary influences had you not wanting it to end.                   

Seth Lakeman needed no introduction, a true folk legend and stalwart of many festivals – hailing from the West Country and proud of it! Seth’s music embraces West Country folklore and culture fused with contemporary sounds.  An amazing set to delight the audience including his recent single Higher We Aspire.  Such awe-inspiring fiddling on his grandmother’s fiddle leaves you breathless indeed.

Could they possibly get any more people onto the stage?  Conservatoire Folk Ensemble –A 50-strong band of singers and musicians packed onto the stage exuded so much energy it was a wonder the stage could take the strain!  Talented and with enthusiasm in spades!

We couldn’t fail to mention The Activators – the crazy band from Lincoln to close the festival.  Impossible not to be caught up in their sheer energy and mayhem on the Frontier Stage!  From an audience of a mere 4 people to start with, it soon became a few hundred who couldn’t stop themselves from dancing in the dark!

It’s always sad when a festival comes to an end after such a fantastic weekend.   In the words of Martin Joseph’s song “Walk Another Mile With You”  -  Gate to Southwell, you certainly did that……..!

Save the Date! Next year´s Gate to Southwell - 4-7 July 2024

www.gtsf.uk

Review by Teresa and Marc Bowden