Nottinghamshire’s international roots music festival Gate to Southwell has announced the first names for its 2020 line-up, which includes English folk supergroup Show of Hands, Spain’s Anxo Lorenzo Band, Folk Award 2019 stars The Breath, Glasgow-based Ímar, Canadian roots duo Madison Violet, Scottish firebrands Talisk, masterful Canadian fiddle and guitar duo Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres, international combo Trackdogs, one of Ireland’s finest live bands The Henry Girls, exciting talent Blair Dunlop, Italians Veronica Sbergia & Max De Barnardi, French folk-tinged reggae from Simawé, English folk-swing favourites BeauBowBelles and Folking.com Soloist of the Year 2019 Reg Meuross.
Saturday afternoons have become a bit legendary for GTSF-goers with their theme-of-the-weekend concerts in the big-top. Previously they’ve held anniversary celebrations of Woodstock and the Summer of Love and Bob Dylan’s 75th birthday; and in 2020 the theme is “The Beatles” which we of course here in the People’s Republic of Liverpudlia have no issue with at all – marking 60 years since their formation in 1960 and 50 since they disbanded.
The festival launched in 2007 and has gradually evolved from a purely folk event to a much more inclusive and international showcase of all things roots and acoustic. There are 5 main stages, all covered, and you’ll find many artists perform on multiple stages over multiple days, which makes timetabling your weekend a bit easier. It means you’ll also bump into artists as you wander from stage to stage – sometimes finding them joining sessions in the bar, or hosting workshops in one of the other marquees.
Set over 4 days (June 4th to 7th) in a rural setting close to the minster town of Southwell, the festival includes on-site camping, various food and drink outlets, lots for kids and families and a great Ceilidh programme. More information including discounted early bird tickets are available from the website here.
