Julian Gaskell & His Ragged Trousered Philanthropists and more

Julian Gaskell & His Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

Taking an alternate route from more familiar traditional folk styles, this show promises a wild and yet haunting journey through a murky past to a dark future and is sure to enthral, educate and entertain both the young and the old.

This weird and wonderful band produce a collection of 'Gruesome & Supernatural Broadside Ballads' – along with other strange and wonderful self penned and ancient songs – heading the band is the equally weird, macabre and supernatural Julian Gaskell in collusion with the strangely strange Cally Gibson and Tom Sharpe

Recently Penryn’s premium post-ragtime, rembetika punk, swing polka klezmer blues trio finished a tour where they presented a new anthology of some of the most melodramatic, gruesome and supernatural broadside ballads from the 17th to 19th centuries. They were printed and sung in the Georgian and Victorian eras but have lain unrecorded and largely unperformed for the last 100 years, hopefully a bit of this will sprinkle into our festival. Indeed, many of their tunes have been lost to time, and so the words have been rearranged and re-fitted with newly composed music on piano, accordions, violin, drums, bouzouki, bass, banjo and guitar.

Kelsey Michael

The music of Penzance based singer songwriter Kelsey Michael is a hotline to West Cornwall’s nature and landscape, offering a re-kindling of our collective experience of wild places. Her set balances crafted piano compositions alongside micro-music centring on close encounters with insects, birds and plant life and cinematic ‘song landscapes.’

Kelsey’s recently released album ‘Lethowsow’ (an old Cornish name for The Seven Stones reef) was described by UNCUT as ‘infused with natural wonder.’

More info: https://www.kelseymichael.com/

Nick Woolgrove & Harvey Gorst

Nick Woolgrove - Guitar and Vocals

Nick is an environmental campaigner and researcher. His current focus is on the health of UK river systems and the role of nature recovery in promoting sustainable and prosperous local economies. Originally from the foothills of the South Downs in West Sussex, he now lives in Constantine village outside Falmouth.

Nick’s grandfather made medieval instruments (dulcimers and bowed psalteries) so he has been around folk music from an early age. He began playing piano at school and picked up the acoustic guitar and singing as a teenager. He believes music has a unique power to unite and inspire, elevating the wishes and cries of a common cause. For the noble right to roam campaign, traditional folk music is uniquely placed in gifting people a glimpse into a time gone by; a time where our respect for the natural world was strong and connection to the land not forgotten.

Harvey Gorst - Whistle, Guitar and Mandolin

Harvey is a gardener with an interest in forest gardening and permaculture. These methods of gardening and land management link natural ecosystems to human habitation. Plants are used to improve the soil and increase biodiversity whilst providing medical and edible harvests year round.

He has been a musician almost all his life, starting in brass bands and then folk music playing whistle, guitar and mandolin. He believes music strengthens communities and maintains and creates traditions, giving meaning to life and connection with the land, which to him are the backbone of every society.

Host or Publisher Fish Factory Arts