After 3 and a half years and 35 shows – Folking Live is going prime time!
February 18th 2012 will see South Hill Park’s folk, roots and acoustic showcase event become a permanent fixture in
the weekend calendar, and the move is a massive endorsement to the show, which has grown from being very much a ‘let’s see how it goes’ affair, to a show that is now attracting some of the best talent on the UK folk and roots scene.
Thursday 24th April 2008 was the first show we ever staged. With some experience of promoting at The Maltings in Farnham, the emphasis for Folking Live Bracknell was to put an event on that showcased the huge array of talent on the folk and roots scene that maybe wasn’t getting the exposure it deserved. We wanted to put on a show that was respected
and enjoyed by both the audience and the artists, and to create a platform for artists that had made a conscious decision to perform in the folk, roots and acoustic music genre.
The fantastic Anna and the Odd Socks headlined our first show. Their set was brilliant and fitted perfectly the direction we wanted to go. Support on that first night came from wonderful singer Naama Hillman from London, Bluesman Mark Buck, and a new folk singer on the scene – Anthea Neads (who may hold the record for the most Folking Live performances with 4).
Since that brilliant start we have had the pleasure to host some of the best artists making a name for themselves on the circuit – every one of them loving the venue, the format and mostly, the superb listening audience.
To name just a few acts that have played Folking Live over the last 3 and a half years that we’ve particularly enjoyed include:
Lewis Garland & The Kett Rebellion (still my all time favourite I think)
Chris Ricketts
Paul Liddell
Nathan Ball
Hannah Scott
Matthew and the Atlas (who have gone on to support Mumford and Sons – you heard them here first!)
Kiss the Mistress
Lou Brown
Emily Maguire
Rory Ellis
Tinderbox
Laveer
Black Peak
Phoebe Wright
The list goes on – and it really does. We have had so many fantastic artists pass through the Folking Live doors that it would be some event if we could bring them all together for a festival!
And as stated – it is the audience that they all comment on. We are and will always be so grateful to the folks that give us the benefit of the doubt and come out to our events. These are artists in the most part that people will be unfamiliar with, and it’s an honour and a privilege to be able to showcase these great acts to such a brilliant audience – who give every act their full attention and award them with a warm reception. A show is only a success if there is an audience to enjoy it.
And so we move to Saturday nights. The main aim for this is to try and convert some of the now and again audience who may have work commitments etc to worry about during the week, in to regular punters. It’s also a massive boost for folk music in the area. As gigging roots musicians ourselves, we know that Saturday night shows are few and far between – especially specialised folk, roots and acoustic nights. It will be a really interesting change to see how far we can take this event.
There are some very exciting plans in the pot, which will hopefully come to fruition over the coming months, however for the time being, we’re just looking forward to bringing Folking Live to the weekends. Everyone can enjoy a couple of beers, a meeting with like minded people, and of course always a great night of folk and roots music – in one of the very best venues for acoustic music anywhere in the country.
See you there!
