Moonbeams Wold Top Festival
Established in 2007.. Moonbeams is a lovely relaxed night of lovely music.. dedicated to bringing the best acoustic, folk and roots music to East Yorkshire.
Moonbeams also has its own Festival.. Now in its 4th year, the festival is set in the grounds of the Wold Top Brewery, perched on top of the Yorkshire Wolds.
The festival provides the perfect weekend away to enjoy world class folk music and award winning ales in the most beautiful surroundings!
A weekend of good music, good company, award winning real ales and the happiest of vibes!
Moonbeams Wold Top Folk Festival is the perfect little festival…
“A little piece of heaven on the Wolds” – Adrian Edmondson
“One of the great small festivals” – John Jones
Tickets for the 2012 Moonbeams Wold Top Festival are now on sale! 
On the 13th & 14th July 2012.. It’s Moonbeams Summer festival at Wold Top Brewery
Tickets can be purchased by sending a Cheque & SAE to:
Moonbeams Folk Festival
The Lodge Cottage
Lowthorpe
Driffield
East Yorkshire
YO25 4AS
Basic camping is available on site… No showers but toilets and water… plus the finest views of the yorkshire wolds!
Camping space is limited and requires one camping pass PER vehicle.
Caravans, campers and tents welcome… 
Please note that we do allow dogs onto the camp site field but they must be on leads and well controlled. We do not allow dogs into the festival site itself.
For alternative accomodation take a look here..
http://www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com/
For all festival enquiries contact leila..moonbeamsacoustic@hotmail.com 07810 831317
>>Click here for the Facebook group link
ALSO, DON’T MISS….
Moonbeams Acoustic Nights are held at the Bell Hotel in Driffield and also at village halls in the surrounding area..
Established in 2007, Moonbeams is dedicated to bringing the best acoustic, folk and roots music to East Yorkshire..
A lovely night of live music!
Friday 20th April
Martin Simpson
with support from Edwina Hayes
@ The Bell Hotel, Driffield. 8pm
15th – 17th June
Moonbeams @ Beverley Folk Festival
www.beverleyfolkfestival.co.uk
Friday 12th October
Roddy Woomble
with support from Hayley Hutchinson
@ The Bell Hotel, Driffield. 8pm
Friday 23rd November
The Moonbeams Birthday Bash!
@ The Bell Hotel, Driffield. 8pm
Confirmed acts for the 2012 Moonbeams Wold Top Festival …
Show of Hands, Richard Digance, The Duncan McFarlane Band, The Young Un’s, Circus Envy, Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin, Sweet Dixie Dreams, Henry Priestman, Wilful Missing, The Whiskey Dogs Hoedown band, The Heathen Kings, The Alligators, Anna Shannon, Richard Stephenson… and as part of the TCT sessions.. The Tom Townsend Band, Farino, Plumhall and John Watterson ‘FAKE THACKRAY’
Show of Hands
Steve Knightley and Phil Beer are widely acknowledged as the finest acoustic roots duo in England. Knightley, who writes most of their inspired material and Beer, a dazzling multi instrumentalist, have built up a huge following which has seen them sell out the Royal Albert Hall three times, headline major festivals from Glastonbury to WOMAD and playing all over the world, from Europe to America, Australia and India. Voted Best Live Act by the public at the 2004 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, the jury is still out on just what kind of music they play. A genre defying mix of rock, roots, blues, country and trad, and often influenced by the music of other countries, it is played out on an array of instruments from slide guitar to fiddle, mandolin to South American cuatro.
At the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Steve and Phil received a prestigious double accolade when they were named ‘Best Duo’ and also clinched the‘Best Original Song’ award for Steve’s punchy ‘Arrogance Ignorance and Greed’ title track which has gone on to be one of the most acclaimed – and continually topical! – songs in the SoH repertoire.
Richard Digance
Richard Digance is known as one of the great folk entertainers of the 70s and 80s. His evergreen career has been acknowledged through numerous awards within both the music and entertainment industries, from a BAFTA Nomination as a TV entertainer to a Gold Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. He has supported Steve Martin in the USA, Robin Williams at The London Palladium and is included in The Virgin Anthology of Songwriters for his important contribution to British comedy songwriting. When presented with the Gold Award from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters he was described as someone who for half a century has travelled the world with just a guitar and an immense collection of stories gathered through his own experiences. That kind of says it all.
Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin
Recently described as, “Authentic, haunting roots music from a first class duo” (Seth Lakeman), Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin combine influences as diverse as English folk music, Indian classical and American blues to create a sound that is “textured, hypnotic and utterly captivating” (Steve Knightley, Show Of Hands). Using slide guitars, fiddle, banjo, vocals, and even beatbox harmonica, their debut album, Singing The Bones, has garnered warm praise from the likes of Mike Harding (BBC Radio Two), Fiona Talkington (BBC Radio Three), and fRoots Magazine. They have played everywhere from Maida Vale Studios to Nashville, Tennessee; and are regulars on the festival circuit, from Glastonbury Festival to the Ham Marquee at Sidmouth Folk Week.
The Whiskey Dogs Hoedown Band
The Whiskey Dogs Hoedown Band are an old-time Americana string band playing authentic, high energy dance tunes from the Appalachian mountains along with a few of the region’s good-time songs and pretty, old-timey waltzes.
With a traditional line-up of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar and double bass, the band will provide the high-octane music while their experienced caller, Brian Swinton with his inimitable style, banter and wit will lead you through the lively, crazy dances of the mountains.
To give you a bit of a breather between dances they will give you some old-time mountain songs, hillbilly blues, dust-bowl ballads and jug band hokum, all played in the foot-stomping spirit of the 1920s and 30s.
Wilful Missing
Wilful Missing are a 5-piece band from Bradford. Their musical style eludes easy categorisation but is enjoyed by all those who appreciate good songwriting and quality musicianship. Some have drawn comparisons with Mumford & Sons, Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams & others. Theirs is trans- genremusic, with influences from acoustic folk, Americana, rock, pop and other genres.
Wilful Missing have been played by Steve Lamacq on both Radio 2 and 6 Music, & many local BBC Radio Stations including, Gloucester, Lancashire, Leeds and Cambridge as well as playing live acoustic sessions for BBC Radio Leeds - Introducing & The Durbervilles Folk & Roots Show. In 2011 four of Wilful Missing’s tunes were featured on the popular BBC TV series Waterloo Road.
Henry Priestman
AFTER over 30 years in the music business – and with a credit list longer than both your arms Henry Priestman reinvented him as a singer-songwriter in 2009 finally releasing his debut solo album entitled ‘The Chronicles of Modern Life’.” It’s the sound of a man who’s seen the music world explode from punk (he supported the Sex Pistols in 1977) through to pop (three million albums with The Christians; a top five single for Mark Owen) through to the digital age (soundtracks for James Bond/Xbox, BBC’s Wildlife on One and writing/production duties with the likes of singer/songwriters Marli Harwood, Amy Wadge and Lotte Mullan) and still has something worth singing about.
The Young Uns
With bags of charm, talent, and an abiding enthusiasm for traditional song, The Young’uns are making a big impact on the UK folk scene. Sean Cooney, David Eagle and Michael Hughes bring freshness and dynamism to their arrangements of close harmony songs, both with and without accompaniment. Everything from traditional sea and working songs to more recent compositions is present in their repertoire, and is delivered with originality and flair. Their natural rapport makes them a huge hit at the festivals, venues and clubs: they are effortlessly entertaining, with an irreverent sense of humour that always engages the audience.
The Heathen Kings
The Heathen Kings are a fresh, vibrant five-piece acoustic folk-rock band from Leeds, with their feet firmly rooted in the folk tradition! Going from high spirited, full band songs and tunes, to calm, tender duets on to poignant unaccompanied singing and then back again, their energy is relentless! Their sound consists of guitars, mandolins, harmonica, banjo, harp, bass, percussion and drums with four to five part vocal harmony. With their first album due for release this Spring, this exciting band have had audiences singing their praises up and down the country: “Watching them was like having someone sing into my soul – beautiful and so personal” Folk at the Proke
“Totally amazing voice…” Damien Barber, The Demon Barbers
“One of the finest voices in the UK at present” Duncan McFarlane, the Duncan McFarlane Band
“You could pay hundreds going to one of the big festivals and you wouldn’t hear anything better than that!” Ray Duffy, Oundle International Festival
www.theheathenkings.com
The Tom Townsend Blues Band
The Tom Townsend Blues Band were formed as the resident band at Scarborough
Blues Club and rapidly earned a reputation as one of the best blues bands in
the country. Fronted by singer/guitarist and songwriter Tom Townsend, they
blend Jazz, Funk and Old-Timey Blues to create a modern and refreshing
sound. Impressive musicianship and an intuitive feel make their original
material and classic song choices something extra special.
Tom Townsend – Guitar & Vocals
Mark Gordon – Keyboards
Nick Boyes – Bass
Paul Tilley – Drums
“These guys have got it! My favorite band!” Gino Washington
Farino
With a unique sound and style Farino have been finding popularity and wide
recognition in the busy and diverse Hull music scene. They have fused their
many influences to create a show of high musicianship and high paced live
shows. After their debut performance in the summer of 2007 at Hulls
Stripped, the duo have become increasingly popular with acoustic clubs and
festivals around the UK. Music Port, the UK’s largest indoor music festival,
is also a venue for the future, giving Farino the chance to play alongside
some of the greats like, Toumani Diabaté, Billy Cobham and Ivo Papasov. With
the release of their debut album “Circadian” the duo found more success with a deal for European digital distribution.
Plumhall
Formerly of Chumbawamba, Waking the Witch and Accidental Tourists, Michelle Plum has teamed up with Nick B Hall of The Hall Brothers to bring you exciting acoustic roots music as Plumhall. Together they have created a sound which delivers powerful and emotive original songs, gorgeous harmonies and dynamic guitar playing. The pair’s natural chemistry is plain to see, and they capture hearts wherever they go.
John Watterson ‘FAKE THACKRAY’
“John Watterson has made a proper tribute to this unique British song
writer. Not only has he taken great care to replicate Jake’s phrasing and
emphasis but he has managed to play guitar in Jake’s style too.” Ralph
McTell
John Watterson has performed the songs of Jake Thackray at festivals,
concerts, clubs, after dinner venues and – most specially – to members of
Jake’s family. Jake’s songs are exquisitely funny, satirical, incisive,
irreverent, witty and gloriously un-PC – and sometimes all of these at the
same time. Jake was a one off, his poetry broke the rules yet worked
beautifully. He was a true craftsman of the English language, and his legacy
of scores of songs continues to delight audiences of all ages today.
Anna Shannon
Rich Stephenson
Born and raised in East Yorkshire, Rich Stephenson is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and amateur cook. His diverse musical career has seen him pen tracks for E4′s Skins, write songs for Bollywood and support Mercury Music Prize winners The XX.
Inspired by his parents’ eclectic record collection, Rich has spanned the genres: from rock, to electro-pop, ska and folk. He’s now back to what he knows best: an acoustic guitar, sharp lyrics, killer melodies - and mandolin player ’The Bear’ keeping him on the straight and narrow. 2012 is business as usual: the release of his third solo single, a live radio tour of Britain (including BBC Introducing sessions) and work with a string quartet from the Royal College of Music. Wold Top is his homecoming gig – It’ll be good to be back on Yorkshire soil!
www.soundcloud.com/rich-stephenson
www.facebook.com/stephensonrich
The Alligators
“The Alligators are a three-piece, no holds barred, jaw-dropping blues band. They have been building up a reputation as an exciting live outfit on the club and festival circuit for a few years now.
The band has released three CDs: ”Surfacing”, “Second Bite” and “All3gators” featuring original material. Their line up consists of Mike Ollerenshaw on bass and vocals, Tony Underwood, guitar and vocals and Mark Sedgwick on drums.
Catch the Reptiles with Style at Wold Top.”
The Duncan McFarlane Band
Probably the best Folk/Rock band on the scene, never fails to get everyone to their feet with strong British folk songs overridden with pumping riffs and boundless energy. The highlight of many festivals from Shrewsbury, Sidmouth and Otley guaranteed to lift you up.
www.myspace/theduncammcfarlaneband
Circus Envy
Circus Envy are a rootsy five piece band with a sound equally influenced by classic rock, folk rock and Americana. The group delight audiences when playing both electrically and acoustically and their debut album had rave reviews both locally and nationally. It was their most recent EP ‘A New Dawn’ however that brought them even more attention – even hitting the national airwaves on the BBC Radio 2 Mike Harding Show. Produced by Stu Hannah (of Megson) the collection of original songs sees the band developing their trademark sound with guitars, cajon, bouzoukis and mandolins supplemented by strings, accordion, piano and flute. It is the tight vocal harmonies that have everyone talking however– described as “a bit Eagles, a bit REM, a bit Fleetwood Mac”. This is certainly a band with a future.
With beautiful harmonies and intricate guitar lines this recently formed group are rapidly building a reputation around the youthful indie folk-rock venues in the north of England. They are constantly picking up fans locally after recent performances at Half Past the Weekend (Hull), Beverley Folk Festival, Moonbeams Wold Top Festival and Scarborough Acoustic Gathering to name just a few. The trio are based in York where regular appearances there have quickly established them as one of most talked-about acts in the city.
Food from the PeaceCake Cafe!
We are delighted to have been invited to cater at Moonbeams Festival 2012, and we look forward to providing festival participants with a delicious range of home cooked food.We sell a variety of lovely meals, the heart of which are our freshly made organic salads. We always try and source our raw ingredients locally, we need to as we prepare our meals freshly everyday. We aim to be fair trade where possible, mainly organic and always delicious! Our house style is essentially East meets West: Mediterranean and Middle-eastern Tapas and Bakes served with a rich variety of salads. We also offer asian cuisine in our evening menu. We also offer snacks like samosas (the best you’ll have ever tasted), pakoras, and tamarind sauce, etc with different home made chutneys and dips, also juices, organic sparklies, fair trade tea/fresh coffee and home made cakes. This year for the first time and specially for Moonbeams we will be offering chips!
We also serve breakfast veggie and meat options. Take a look at our menu.
We bake our own cakes and desserts too. We cater for omnivores, veggies, vegans and for those with wheat and dairy food intolerences.
We offer breakfast too if required.
Please take a look at our website : www.a-moveable-feast.co.ukand to see more about our own festival go to: www.thegaiatribe.co.uk
Some of our previous events have included Permaculture Forest Gathering, Solfest (where were the main café), Beverley Folk Festival, The Breemie Festival, Oakleaf Festival, the Gaia tribe Camps
For more information contact Leila..
Click here to check out Michael Nagasaka’s great coverage from the 2011 festival
This is the money raised from the raffle at Moonbeams Wold Top Folk Festival 2011.. In the photo Leila Slater is handing the cheque over to Katie, a Cancer Nurse at Castle Hill Hospital
