ARTISTS

Michael Walsh and Quarehawk

Born in Manchester, raised in Stockport, Michael grew up learning Sligo style music from Marian Egan. His music reflects these origins, his Yorkshire home and his love for the music of the Iberian peninsula and beyond. His flute playing is inspired by Irish traditional flute players Roger Sherlock and Tony Howley. His 2019 album

Quarehawk features guest appearances from Ríoghnach Connolly, Michael McGoldrick, poet Mike Garry and Basque Trikitixa legend Kepa Junkera. Quarehawk is a story of loss, moving on finding a place in the world. Irish Music Magazine said: “This album moved me like no other”. MIchael is joined by Gina Le Faux (fiddle), Paul Daly (flute) and Will Hampson (melodeon).

Good Habits

Good Habits are an award-winning UK folk duo forged on the other side of the globe. Composed of Bonnie Schwarz (cello + vocals) and Pete Shaw (accordion), the pair mix vivid storytelling with eclectic sounds, drawing on their diverse musical tastes and weaving them into an action-packed narrative of folky goodness. After a pandemic spent happily stranded in New Zealand, they’ve returned to the UK to spread their joyous music throughout Europe. In just their first year, they toured relentlessly in their red van ‘Laurie Vanderson’ including performances at Manchester Folk Festival, Shrewsbury Folk Festival and Purbeck Valley. They are now based in Manchester.

Bella Gaffney

Winner of the 2016 Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Award, Bella writes folk inspired songs which she performs along with her own original arrangements of traditional pieces. 2023 will see the release of Bella’s new album which is inspired by connections made over the lockdown period. Her latest singles, ‘Fair and Tender Ladies’ (a duet with Sam Kelly) and ‘Blood in the Earth’ were released in 2022 to great acclaim along with airplay on BBC Radio 2. Bella is also part of sought after folk band The Magpies (‘effervescent’ The Sunday Times) who will be performing at St Mary’s Church on Sunday afternoon as part of our festival line-up.

Amber Smith

Amber is another of our Youth Award finalists. A guitarist and singer, Amber is inspired by indie folk rock and American folk music, specifically bands such as The Wild Reeds and The Crane Wives. She enjoys the soft vocals of these genres and the fingerpicking guitar.

Cacophany Arkestra

Formed in 2014 from a group of talented musicians and carnival artists, they perform a high energy mix of Soca & Calypso tunes blended with other musical styles - Ska, Jazz & Afro-beat. The band plays carnivals, processions, clubs and anything in between either on a truck, on foot or on stage. This year sees them return to perform procession style at our Outdoor Stage.

Chords and Fiddles

‘Chords and Fiddles’ is a young folk duo composed of Erin and Ben, finalists in this year’s Youth Awards. They perform folk music from a variety of traditions from Ireland, Scotland and Lancashire and play fusions of pop and rock tunes in a folk style. They especially enjoy upbeat tunes you can dance to and have started to write their own arrangements. Erin started playing violin aged 5 and has been attending Chetham’s School of Music for