Constantly on a quest to seek out ‘exclusives’, Suffolk’s FolkEast will play host to a very special ‘trio’ premiere this August at its new Sotterley Estate home.
Harmonica and melodeon genius Will Pound and classical percussion magician Delia Stevens (already a duo) will join forces with celebrated nature writer Robert Macfarlane (The Old Ways, Landmarks, The Lost Words, Underland)
The surprise performance – still in the melting pot – is entitled Earth: The Silent Planet and promises a wonderful fusion of music and language on the opening day of the festival.
It will be a prelude to the threesome’s tour with orchestra in 2026 so the FolkEast show will offer a sneak preview.
Nominated three times for the coveted Musician of the Year title at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Pound is seen as one of the finest harmonica players of his generation and with BBC Radio 3 award-winner Delia Stevens he has produced an extraordinary genre-hopping sonic landscape borne from an enviable musical empathy. Having met via Instagram they will release their debut album in 2026.
Last year Stevens and Pound reimagined Holst’s The Planets suite for the 21st century – performing alongside a climate activist, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Northern College of Music. In a twist they added a final movement to recognise Earth. When he wrote The Planets, Holst silenced Earth as “astrologically insignificant”. But Stevens & Pound chose to add planet Earth back in to their recomposition to amplify unheard voices around climate change and to urge listeners to recognise the environmental issues we face today.
Says FolkEast co-director Becky Marshall-Potter: ”At FolkEast, we’re no strangers to flashes of collaborative brilliance, so we’re incredibly excited to bring these three artists together on stage for the first time as a trio, for an experimental adventure of words and music.”
Award-winning author Macfarlane, internationally recognised for his writing on nature, climate, people, place and language will also be giving a talk about his latest book ‘Is a River Alive?’ at FolkEast. Already familiar with musical collaborations, as a lyricist he has written songs and albums with folk artists Karine Polwart and Cosmo Sheldrake and released two albums and an EP with singer-songwriter and actor Johnny Flynn.
Another of FolkEast’s fortes is its celebration and support of young musicians and this summer it will partner with the Sound Roots Artist Mentoring Pathway 2025-2026 (previously known as the English Folk Expo Artist Mentoring Programme). This is an intensive, year-long programme with mentoring, industry guidance and performance slots and FolkEast is delighted to announce it will showcase the four young people selected for this year’s scheme.
They are Norfolk-based Americana and British folk singer songwriter Lucy Grubb, inventive duo Filkin’s Drift (Gloucestershire’s Seth Bye and Cardiff’s Chris Roberts), Edinburgh-born nu-folk singer and clarsach player Anna McLuckie and London-based singer-songwriter Ed Blunt.
Filkin’s Drift recently embraced a sustainable way of touring, embarking on a gig-punctuated 870-mile walking tour of the Wales Coast Path, marking the release of their debut EP.
Says Becky: “I had the opportunity to meet and see these amazing artists at the Manchester Folk Festival at the beginning of their journey with FolkExpo. We are delighted to welcome them to FolkEast, so if you don’t know them yet, there’s no better time to check them out.”
England’s most easterly folk festival will take shape at its new home from August 15-17 – the picturesque grounds of the stunning Sotterley Estate near the market town of Beccles. The 3500-acre private estate is owned by the Barne family and features extensive parkland around a Georgian house with ancient woodland, a beautiful lake with Palladian folly and a 12th century church.
Among artists already announced are Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening, Penguin Cafe, Sheelanagig, The Longest Johns, Bridget St.John, The Rheingans Sisters, Steve Tilston, Katie Spencer, Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith and Tarren.
With many more names still to be added to the eclectic line-up weekend tickets are now on sale – prices are £180 (adults aged 18-64), £170 (65 and over) and £100 for Youth tickets (12-17 years) which must be purchased with an adult ticket. Family weekend tickets for two adults and two 12-17 year olds are £515.
FolkEast continues its great tradition of offering free admission for children aged 11 and under; camping under canvas is £25, camping under canvas with vehicle alongside £40 and camping on wheels (caravan, camper van, motorhome) £40-£60.
Tickets: https://folkeast.co.uk/tickets-4/
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