All evening performances will take place at Bettws-y-Crwyn Parish Hall

Evening performance line-up for 2024

Friday 14th June                                                                                                                                                                                                  JON WILKS

Jon Wilks: is an English writer, folk singer, and guitarist, known for his work in the traditional folk music scene. He has gained recognition for his authentic interpretations of traditional English folk songs, as well as his own original compositions. Roots magazine has described him as "one of the best of the New Wave Of Folk Blokes". Explaining his love for traditional music, Wilks told The Guardian, "Most people have an affair or buy a sports car for their midlife crisis. I fell for traditional music, then fell down the rabbit hole." Jon will provide an entertaining evening for us with songs and tunes, peppered in between with stories.                      

Saturday 15th June                                                                                                                                                                                               RUTH ANGELL and LIZ BERRY

Ruth Angell:  Ruth Angell is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter who has performed with people such as Ashley Hutchings and Rufus Wainwright.  Not before time she’s released her début solo album, Hlywing, and it is wonderful and nine of the ten tracks are written by Ruth, with the final one being Joni Mitchell’s ‘Magdalene Laundries’.  Ruth has a beautiful pure voice which will captivate you. Ruth will be singing and playing the violin and fiddle at an evening performance at this year's festival........and whats more she will be bringing her friend Liz Berry, the poet with her.

Liz Berry:  is an award-winning poet and author of the critically acclaimed collections Black Country (Chatto, 2014); The Republic of Motherhood (Chatto, 2018); The Dereliction (Hercules Editions, 2021), a collaboration with artist Tom Hicks; and most recently The Home Child (Chatto, 2023), a novel in verse. Liz’s work, described as “a sooty soaring hymn to her native West Midlands” (Guardian), celebrates the landscape, history and dialect of the region. Liz has received the Somerset Maugham Award, Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and Forward Prizes.

Sunday 16th June
JOHN KIRKPATRICK MBE and SUE HARRIS, supported by BENJI KIRKPATRICK    

John Kirkpatrick: John Kirkpatrick has been dancing, singing, and playing his way around the English folk scene since 1959. He plays the melodeon, the button accordion, and the Anglo concertina and has been fully professional since 1970, when he was performing with Sue Harris. He has had vast amounts of solo appearances and also played with Steeleye Span, The Albion Band, Trans Europe Diatonique, in a long term duo with Roy Bailey, Band of Hope, lengthy stints with Richard Thompson’s Band, The Sultans of Squeeze, and Brass Monkey....and even more.

Sue Harris: Sue is a community choir leader and Natural Voice practitioner with over 25 years’ experience. She sources music from around the globe, arranges traditional songs and writes music inspired by the wonders of nature. She runs 3 choirs in Shropshire/ Welsh Borders, Castle Voices, Clun Singers and Whitton Voices. She is a virtuoso on the Hammered Dulcimer and plays this along with Bandamania. Sue is bringing to this festival a personal history of music and songs dating for the 70's. Please join her with John.

Benji Kirkpatrick: John and Sue will be supported by one of their sons Benji Kirkpatrick. Benji is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who works with Seth Lakeman and Bellowhead. He was previously a member of Faustus and Steeleye Span. We are delighted to have him support John and Sue.