Line-up 2011...

Steven Gene Wold, better known as Seasick Steve, is another performer who has reason to be grateful to Jools Holland.  Steve had been on the road singing blues and playing his beat-up guitar nicknamed ‘The Trance Wonder’ since the early 1960s, but it was not until his appearance on Jools’ Annual Hootenanny BBC TV show on New Year’s Eve in 2006 that his career took off.  After that show his popularity exploded in the UK, as he later explained in an interview, “I can’t believe it, all of a sudden I’m the cat’s meow!”  More success soon followed – he won the 2007 Mojo Award for Best Breakthrough Act, and played more festivals than any other artist in that year.  His major-label debut album I Started Out With Nothin’ and I Still Got Most Of It Left followed the next year, and since then Steve hasn’t looked back.  We welcome him back for his second appearance at the Larmer Tree.   

www.myspace.com/seasicksteve
www.seasicksteve.com

He’s back again to kick off our 21st year and is guaranteed to get the 120 hour Larmer Tree party started with a swing!  With the return of Jools and his 20-piece band of superb musicians and vocalists it will be another incredible evening of jazz, pop, blues, rock, ska and boogie-woogie.  Over 15 years of performances at Larmer Tree almost 40,000 people have experienced Jools’ uplifting performances and on-stage camaraderie!  This year’s star guest is the barefoot princess of pop and icon of the 1960s Sandie Shaw, acclaimed winner of the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Puppet on a String.  

www.joolsholland.com
www.sandieshaw.com

Imelda has our friend Jools Holland to thank for one of her biggest breaks.  In 2008 her debut album Love Tattoo caught his attention and he invited her to support his band on tour.  This led to an appearance on Later With Jools Holland on BBC2, which really raised Imelda’s profile.  Imelda, born in Dublin, first started singing in clubs when she was 16, developing a fusion of rockabilly and blues.  She formed her own band in 2006 and has been touring ever since, along the way developing her chic '50s fashion look, her dark hair tinged with a blond streak.  But it is her powerful voice that impresses most with The Guardian crowning her “the new queen of the oldest rock'n'roll game in town.”

www.myspace.com/imeldamay1
www.imeldamay.co.uk

Originally formed to play at a Los Angeles labour protest over a decade ago, Ozomatli are the ultimate culture-mashers.  Their music spans urban Latino, hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga and much more.  With five albums under their belt and hundreds of live shows all over the world, the seven members of Ozomatli have developed a tight sound and a spectacular live show.  Their speciality is upbeat songs and precision dance steps with band members juggling back and forth from guitars to tubas and other instruments between numbers.

www.ozomatli.com
www.myspace.com/ozomatli

Sixteen years together as a band, nine albums released, and nearly 400 live gigs performed, and Asian Dub Foundation are still considered one of the UK’s most exciting live acts.  Their distinctive sound, a combination of hard hard jungle rhythms, indo-dub basslines, searing sitar-inspired guitars performed with a punk attitude has earned them a loyal fanbase.  Highly political and anti-racist, ADF have used their music in conjunction with education and social work for youth in the East End of London, as well as other British anti-racism campaigns.

www.asiandubfoundation.com
www.myspace.com/asiandubfoundationuk

Jon Boden and John Spiers first thought of forming the band when they were stuck in a traffic jam on tour.  The longer they sat in traffic the more names they added of friends who they would like to perform with as a 10-piece band.  In 2004 they were invited to play the first Oxford Folk Festival and were an instant success, with bookings and plaudits soon piling in.  After only four gigs Bellowhead won Best Live Act in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2005, and won that award three more times.  Their debut album Burlesque was released in 2006 to rapturous reviews, followed by Matachin in 2008 and Hedonism last year.  Now an 11-piece, Bellowhead are one of the top contemporary folk acts on the circuit merging traditional dance tunes with folk songs and shanties, playing a total of 25 instruments between them in a stunning live act.

www.myspace.com/thisisbellowhead
www.bellowhead.co.uk

The Orchestra was formed in 1985 as a bit of fun, but the first gig was an instant sell-out and they've been performing ever since.  The current ensemble of eight ukulele players have been together for over 20 years and played thousands of gigs across the globe including a sell-out show at The Albert Hall last year with over 1,000 other ukulele players joining in!  They play everything from classical to jazz and punk and love to rock out on a bit of Nirvana and Tchaikovsky!  As The Orchestra say on their website, a Ukulele Orchestra concert is a “funny, virtuosic, twanging, awesome, foot-stomping obituary of rock'n'roll and melodious light entertainment.”
  
www.ukuleleorchestra.com
www.myspace.com/ukuleleorchestra

Fosters 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner, Russell Kane is a multi-talented writer and performer who has firmly established himself as one the best comics in the UK today.  As well as winning comedy’s most prestigious award, Russell has had a prolific year with numerous TV and radio appearances: he rejoined ITV2’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here Now presenting team, broadcasting live every night; presented Freak Like Me, a six part series for BBC3; appeared regularly in ITV1’s Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford; made an acclaimed appearance on BBC 1’s flagship Live at the Apollo.  Russell also found time to write a play called The Great British Country Fete for the Bush Theatre and is writing a novel too.  In between touring his sell-out award winning show Smokescreens and Castles around the UK, he lives in Essex with his cats Keith and Wayne.

"Many comics feign weirdness, but this is the closest to the real deal: a breathless, raging, feral act... Probably the most exciting comic discovery of the year."  Chortle

www.russellkane.co.uk
www.twitter.com/#!/russell_kane
www.facebook.com/people/Russell-Kane/714811345

Devonian folk singer and fiddler Seth has been widely credited with bringing folk music to a whole new audience since his 2005 Mercury nominated album Kitty Jay.  All Seth’s songs on the self-financed album were inspired by stories and legends from Dartmoor, where Seth was born and still resides.  Seth had formerly played with his brothers as The Lakeman Brothers and young folk band Equation, going solo in 2001, and releasing his first solo album The Punch Bowl in 2002.  But it was the dramatic and powerful story-telling on Kitty Jay which had such an impact, and three more albums and constant touring have put Seth right at the top of the folk tree.

www.sethlakeman.co.uk
www.myspace.com/sethlakeman

Not actually hailing from Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides, the quartet are based in Oxford and according to their MySpace profile, the band consists of an ornithologist, an occasional Russian translator, a South African pirate captain, a trumpeting horse and a human radio!  The truth is that Stornoway, who have been together six years, have really taken off over the last two years.  They won three slots on the bill at Glastonbury in 2009, played WOMAD, toured the UK and America and appeared on Later With Jools Holland on BBC 2.  They have been championed by BBC Oxford who describe their music as “dreamy, pastoral, English indie-folk.”

www.myspace.com/stornoway
www.stornoway.eu

Acoustic folk duo Phil Beer and Steve Knightley have been playing together since the mid-1980s.  But it was not until Phil left the Albion Band that their partnership became a full-time career as Show Of Hands in 1991.  They soon rose to the top of the folk tree releasing their first album in 1992, going on to release another 15 albums and a huge fan base.  This was confirmed when in 1996 when they took the massive risk of choosing the Royal Albert Hall as a venue.  They need not have worried, the show sold out in advance and they went on to sell out the venue twice more during their illustrious career.  This year is the 20th year of their partnership and Show of Hands are firmly established as the UK’s top folk duo, continually pleasing fans and critics alike, evidenced by two more awards at last year’s Radio 2 Folk Awards.

www.showofhands.co.uk

Comedian, writer, broadcaster and all-round British institution Arthur Smith is one of the ‘alternative comedians’ who shook up the world of light entertainment in the ‘80s and ‘90s.  A BBC regular, well known for his appearances on TV’s Grumpy Old Men, QI, Have I Got News For You, The One Show and Radio 4’s Loose Ends, Balham Bash and Radio 2’s Smith Lectures. He is a ‘Spirit of The Fringe’ award-winning Edinburgh Festival stalwart and Olivier nominated playwright for An Evening With Gary Lineker.

You can expect an hour of sublime playfulness, crammed with jokes, anecdotes, short stories, poems, songs and maybe some readings from his recently published and critically acclaimied memoir My Name Is Daphne Fairfax.  Arthur is simply one of our funniest and most original comic performers and is guaranteed to bring you a night of hilarity, mirth and scandal... with a touch of rudeness thrown in for good measure.

"Arthur Smith's show is full of genial, well crafted one liners. His timing is always a marvel to behold. Smith has become a renaissance man."  The Times

www.arthursmith.co.uk
www.twitter.com/#!/ArfurSmith

We’re really proud to bring you the son of one of the uncontested trailblazers of African music the late Ali Farka Touré.  Over the last five years Vieux has developed as a major artist in his own right and his music is as distinctively Malian as his father’s, incorporating fleet-fingered guitar licks and sensitive and soulful vocals, but also moves forward into the worlds of reggae, funk, rock and blues.  Nicknamed ‘the Hendrix of the Sahara’, Vieux confirmed that he had truly arrived at the top of the world music scene when he played at the World Cup opening concert in South Africa in 2010, alongside Shakira, The Black Eyed Peas and other top artists, reaching an audience of over one billion people.

www.vieuxfarkatoure.com
www.myspace.com/vieuxfarkatoure

Born in Dallas, Texas, but raised in Nashville, Tennessee, it is not surprising that Caitlin is a country singer – her mother is country songwriter Liz Rose and her father works in marketing country and western music.  Previously the lead singer of indie band Save Macaulay, Caitlin, now in her early twenties released her solo debut album Own Side Now to rave reviews and a live performance in London in September had The Guardian’s music critic Ian Gittins enthralled - “she's a gifted and captivating personality-plus performer whose pitch-perfect vocal and lyrical candidness have already given rise to awed comparisons to such country and western titans as Loretta Lynn or even Patsy Cline.”
  
www.myspace.com/caitlinrosesongs
www.thecaitlinrose.com

Formed in Coventry in 1979, The Selecter spearheaded the 2 tone ska movement along with The Specials and Madness.  Fronted by striking vocalist Pauline Black the band first hit the charts with On My Radio, and went on to have a string of hit singles until they split at the height of their popularity in 1981.  Pauline went on to have a successful acting career during the 1980s, but The Selecter reformed in 1991 and have been playing regularly ever since.  They were the first band to mix punk, ska and reggae, and their songs reflected the social and political issues of the early Thatcher years and gave a voice to disaffected youth across the racial divide.  Despite numerous lineup changes over the years the key sound remains through vocalists Pauline and the charismatic Gaps Hendrickson.  Last year The Selecter celebrated the 30th anniversary of their debut album Too Much Pressure by performing the whole album live at the Sinners Day Festival at Ethias Stadium, Hasselt, Belgium, then repeated the exercise in front of an ecstatic capacity audience at Bloomsbury Ballroom in London.

www.theselecter.net
http://paulineblack.com/index.htm

Phil Nichol was born in Scotland, but raised in Canada and he first found fame as a member of the musical comedy trio Corky and the Juice Pigs, best known for their legendary song The Only Gay Eskimo.  Winner of the 2006 if.com Eddie award Phil is a truly unique performer - an acclaimed actor, award winning comedian, producer, presenter, writer and musician, there is no end to his talent.  With a surreal edge to some of his mischievous rantings, he always brings something new to the stage, his keen sense of fun and eye for the shocking and absurd has cemented his position as one of the best comedians on the circuit today. 

“Nichol’s thermonuclear stage presence is so intense as to elude description.  Give him any room and any crowd and he’ll win them over…He’s just outstandingly good at what he does” ***** The List

www.gloriousmanagement.com/artist/phil-nichol

New Zealand band Batucada Sound Machine are a dynamic 10-piece who have captivated audiences at festivals all over the world with their breathtaking variety of beats, styles and raw on-stage energy.  The band’s three-piece samba/reggae percussion line-up and all-star horn section intertwine Brazilian, funk, hip-hop, reggae and Pacific soul influences.  The band has just released their debut album Rhythm and Rhyme, which featured vocals in Portuguese, Spanish and English.  The album received rave reviews and many favourable comparisons to Ozomatli and Manu Chao.  This really will be an ‘end of festival’ party you just can’t miss!

www.myspace.com/batucadasoundmachine
www.batucadasoundmachine.com

C W, Christopher William, to be precise, comes to us from Australia bringing with him the full Primitive Horn Orchestra.  C W was born to American parents in Australia and raised in the Aboriginal community of Papunya.  He began playing guitar at the age of 11, and during his teens soaked up pre-war acoustic blues, jazz and calypso to create his own unique style.  His first album Jungle Hokum was well-received as was the follow-up Jungle Blues last year.  Reviewers have noted C W’s enigmatic stage presence, natural storytelling abilities and rasping voice, as The Guardian commented “Hearing Stoneking perform live is, somehow, like listening to an old 78 recovered from a dusty attic in New Orleans.”

www.myspace.com/cwstoneking

Andi Osho won the prestigious Nivea Funny Women award in 2007 and since then has made a big splash on the comedy scene.  As well as an established performer on the stand up circuit, Andi is a popular guest on radio and TV for her cheeky, quick wit and effervescence, with appearances on Mock The Week, Tonightly and most recently Channel 4’s topical show, Stand Up For The Week amongst many others.  She recently performed in front of the masses as Michael Jackson on BBC1’s Let’s Dance for Comic Relief.  She is currently on a nationwide tour of Afroblighty - the funny and touching tale of an East End girl born to Nigerian migrants and her journey to find an identity in the cultural cross fire of modern Britain.

“Translating Osho’s words to the page doesn’t do her proper justice… her work is visual, narrative and pivots on her perfect delivery.”  The Guardian

www.andiosho.co.uk
www.twitter.com/#!/andiosho
www.facebook.com/pages/Andi-Osho/43785077047

On Friday night the Big Top will be transformed into the rocking ‘n’ rolling, spinning and electro-swinging White Mink Speakeasy! With not-to-be-missed DJ Nick Hollywood, the brilliant dance troupe The Twilight Players, the big band and jive sounds of Fat 45, and French masters of the turntables AlgoRythmik, as well as a spectacular Lindy Hop dance showcase, this is going to be one high octane night to keep the heart pumping and the feet jumping.

Saturday night’s transformation sees a complete change in environment for the infamous and excellent Headphone Disco.  If you’ve never experienced one before, now is your chance, and if you have, you know you’ll be coming back for more!  Headphones and channel hopping are the name of this game, and the two competing DJs will have you dancing your socks off until dawn.  They’ve added a whole new dimension to the hugely popular silent disco with their outstanding Retrovision Show - not only will you be able to hear the biggest tunes from the past 30 years but you’ll be able to watch the video to each one on three giant screens.

Formed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1997, this indie rock band take their name from a fictional organization in the 1990s American TV series MacGyver.  Their catchy, warmly atmospheric songs have seen The Phoenix Foundation compared to modern bands like Fleet Foxes, but also to bands of an earlier era, with a BBC Review declaring, "the band in no way reinvents the wheel, but their dreamy, synth-heavy spin on Byrds/Beach Boys-style pop is immaculately crafted."  The band reached a wider audience in this millennium with their film scores for Eagle vs Shark in 2007 and Boy in 2010, with the latter gaining them several awards.

www.thephoenixfoundation.co.nz
www.myspace.com/thephoenixfoundationnz

Multi award winning Scotsman Phil Kay brings his marvelous freewheeling ever effervescent stand up to Larmer Tree Festival at last.  After 22 Edinburgh Festivals and 18 Glastonburys Phil is still breaking new ground as a highly emotive, touchy feely, come off the stage and cuddle you, whispering a song in your ear type guy.  His show is able to magically blend and bend to what is most needed and best required by his fabulous audience… so he will effortlessly meld a ramshackle all over the place style with a growing sense of the whole thing congealing like jelly into a wondrous event that afterwards will definitely have been something!   Do not miss this man, he’s a total one off, and every performance is unique.

"One of the greatest comedic odysseys ever witnessed... 'Hysterical' in every sense of the word - Kay truly is a mesmerising headf**k genius"  ***** Time Out

www.philkay.co.uk

French world music band Watcha Clan fuse many styles and traditions including hip-hop, drum'n’bass and reggae with sounds from throughout the Mediterranean.  There are traces of Latin American cumbia, Caribbean reggae and Balkan gypsy music too, and an undercurrent of bass-heavy pulsations.  The four band members are vocalist Sista K, who also dances; Suprem Clem, who handles programming and sampling, keyboards and accordion; Nassim who plays gumbri and guitar; and Matt Labesse who plays double bass and guitar.  Watcha Clan bring their very danceable music to the festival after a packed summer with gigs in France, Austria, Hungary, Germany and the USA.

www.watchaclan.com
www.myspace.com/watchaclan

Take a bit of hip-hop with a pinch of swing. Add a bunch of breakbeats, a tablespoonful of bass, a healthy serving of samples and sprinkle it all with scratches, then throw everything in the mixer and drink it all down in one go… that’s the AlgoRythmik recipe!  This band form Lyon in France was born in 2008 and consists of scratcher/MC Djohn and two drum’n’bass escapees Rok and Larry Coon.  Old school breaks, head-nodding samples and a healthy dose of electro-swing subtly come together for one purpose - to get the masses dancing!

www.myspace.com/algorythmiklive

We bring you the biggest name in British Bhangra, Jassi Sidhu.  Born in Birmingham in 1978, Jassi started his musical career with the Brit Asian pop band B21.  The band were a huge success all over the world, but Jassi left the group in 2002 declaring it as “nothing more than a glorified mime act.”  Jassi made the transition from boy band member to solo artist look effortless, producing an award-winning debut album Reality Check and going on to make three more albums.  Jassi’s love of both Eastern and Western instruments has led him to incorporate a range of different sounds in his music, balancing Bhangra beats with a modern edge.

www.myspace.com/therealjassisidhu
www.jassisidhu.com

Described by The Guardian as “the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene” and twice winners of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Duo, John Spiers and Jon Boden have made the genre of spontaneous, punky English folk very much their own stomping ground.  Leaders of the mighty big band/folk phenomenon, Bellowhead, the duo have also enjoyed a long-term relationship with Eliza Carthy as The Ratcatchers.  The combination of Jon’s fiery fiddling and frantic vocals and John’s driving melodeon and tuneful harmonies make a Spiers and Boden performance an unforgettable experience.

www.myspace.com/spiersandboden
www.spiersandboden.com

Formerly a member of all-female folk supergroup Cherish The Ladies, Heidi was born in County Kildare, in Ireland in 1980.  She began singing in the church choir run by her mother, and aged sixteen, studied at Dublin’s Bel Canto Singing School.  Aged eighteen Heidi moved to New York, eventually joining Cherish The Ladies, but continuing to develop her solo work.  After recording her second album In Love and Light, Heidi decided to go solo, and launched the album at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections in January 2008.  The following year Heidi toured as the support act and backing singer for Eddi Reader.  Now she tours in a trio with her husband, multi-instrumentalist John McCusker, and established singer-songwriter Boo Hewerdine.

www.myspace.com/heiditalbotmusic
www.heiditalbot.com

Yorkshire funny man Tom Wrigglesworth became a national have-a-go-hero when he rescued a little old lady from the jaws of Virgin train bureaucracy, only to be arrested for begging. His subsequent sell-out show, Tom Wrigglesworth’s Open Return Letter to Richard Branson, bagged him the Chortle award for Best Show 2010.  He recently clinched a deal for his own BBC Radio 4 series, Tom Wrigglesworth’s Open Letters, tackling consumer affairs in his own hilarious way and has just finished his nationwide tour of Tom Wrigglesworth’s Nightmare Dream Wedding.  Now firmly established as one of the most original and talented comedians on the UK and international circuit, charismatic wordsmith Tom is an articulate and natural raconteur, possessing an innate ability to riff with an audience like they’re old friends.

“The God’s Of Comedy Chose Tom Wrigglesworh for Greatness” ***** The Scotsman

www.tomwrigglesworth.co.uk
www.twitter.com/#!/tomwriggleswort

With a string of sell-out shows, and an ever-growing international following, singer-songwriter Krystle Warren is hot property.  She hails from Kansas City and at 15 learned to play the guitar by listening to The Beatles albums Rubber Soul and Revolver.  Later, busking on the streets of New York and Paris, she honed a distinctive musical style that merges jazz, blues, folk, funk and pop.  Her debut album Circles was well received with The Guardian saying “Warren’s voice is an extraordinary instrument, murmuring with tenderness at times, growling with intensity at others.  It vividly recalls Nina Simone in its depth and smokiness, as well as John Martyn and Jeff Buckley in terms of virtuosic variety.”

www.myspace.com/krystlewarren

This blistering eleven-piece big band are bringing back the dance music of the 1940’s & 50’s just for you.  With their slick quiffs, sharp suits, swingin’ hips and high heels, all crowned by the rich soulful voice of the charismatic Dale de Ville, they are guaranteed to make the Big Top shake, rattle & roll on Friday night!  The band from sunny Brighton got together in 2008, and with their heady mix of rock & roll, rhythm & blues and jump jive have been setting dance floors alight ever since.

www.fat45.com
www.myspace.com/fat45com

Trained opera singer Gabby brings her eccentric ensemble to Larmer Tree to perform what some critics have described as “circus meets festival meets stage.”  There is certainly a cabaret style to the trio’s act which brings together guitars, banjos, accordions, trombones, clarinets and occasional cowbells!  Their style encompasses gypsy, folk, rock and jazz, with redhead Gabby at the forefront belting out the vocals.  The band’s album We’re All In This Together had favourable reviews in many of the UK’s major newspapers and magazines, with Mojo describing it as “a mixture of pre-Raphaelite beauty and antique shop.  As much art school as Agent Provocateur.”

www.gabbyyoungandotheranimals.com
www.myspace.com/gabbyyoung

Bringing the vibrant sounds of India to the Larmer Tree, this seven-strong band will be tired out by the end of the day after conducting workshops, performing in the carnival and on stage.  Hailing from a long family lineage of musicians and sharing his life between Jaipur and Paris, leader of the band Hameed Khan Kawa, a master of the tabla, has put together an outfit of superb musicians chosen from the best local bands of Rajasthan.  Their repertoire blends traditional Gypsy music from Rajasthan with a touch of Hindustani classical music and a dash of Bollywood, this unique sound is enhanced by the energy and humour of the players and the fiendish dancing of a Gypsy danseuse.

www.myspace.com/jaipurkawabrassband

Over the years award-winning guitar-playing comedian Rob Deering has cemented his reputation as one of the country’s finest stand ups, lambasting pop culture, promoting apple-based alcoholic beverages and playing widdly-widdly rock guitar, all with his inimitable cheesy egotism.  He has taken six solo shows to the Edinburgh Festival, headlining all the major comedy clubs throughout Britain and taking part in Paramount Comedy's Edinburgh and Beyond live show as well as his own Charmageddon and The Rob Deering Experience national tours.  On TV Rob's stand up appearances include Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford, Celebrity Juice and Never Mind The Full Stops.  He was also the proud winner Weakest Link Comedians Special on BBC1!  On the radio Rob has featured on BBC Radio 4 in Banter, My Teenage Diary, Four From The Fringe and BBC Radio 2’s Jammin’ and Out To Lunch.

“As sharp and versatile as a Swiss Army knife, Rob Deering is one of the best performers currently on the circuit.”  The Independent

www.robdeering.com
www.twitter.com/#!/DeeringRob
www.facebook.com/people/Rob-Deering/554086805

A weird menagerie of sounds, samples, vocals and riffs make up this eccentric French folk outfit.  With song titles like Drunk Fox in London, Queen Me and Puree Hiphop the group are telling stories through music, sounds and noise.  The band carry around influences with pointless abandon, drawing in the loosest possible way from groups like Moldy Peach and early Sonic Youth, but then throwing it in a blender, leaving the lid off and revelling in the mess left behind.  Seeing them live will involve watching a Hoover, melodic singing and random outbursts of noise and words.  Not bad for a group that come across at first glance as a relatively unassuming three piece!
 
www.myspace.com/gableacute
www.gableboulga.com

The Coal Porters began life in 1989 in the words of leader American Sid Griffin as “a full on electric folk-rockin’ monster.”  All that changed after Sid produced Lindisfarne’s excellent Here Comes the Neighbourhood album.  Sid decided that The Coal Porters should go acoustic and concentrate on bluegrass music, and they have not looked back since.  Armed with guitars, banjos, fiddle, double bass, mandolins and immaculate harmony singing, the five members of the band are an exuberant live act, adding a touch of country and folk to traditional bluegrass material alongside songs from the likes of Bob Dylan and Gram Parsons.

www.myspace.com/thecoalporters
www.sidgriffin.com

3 Daft Monkeys have become darlings of the festival scene all over Europe during the last decade.  The Cornish trio, Tim, Athene and Jamie have developed an exhilarating, quirky and energetic live act, drawing on a host of World music influences to create their unique style.  Celtic, Balkan, Romani, Latino, Gypsy-jazz, electronic dance, reggae, dub, punk rock and traditional folk have all found their way into the mix, as the band created a huge buzz at gigs all over Europe.  Highlights have included Guilfest, Folkwoods, Holland, Glastonbury, Trowbridge Village Pump Festival and many more festivals.  The band have found time to record half a dozen albums despite their hectic tour schedule, including their latest The Antiquated and the Arcane.  They have also attracted a lot of media attention, with Mike Harding of Radio 2 enthusing “A brilliant band…I think this is absolutely amazing” and fRoots magazine saying “A veritable melting pot of styles makes a colourful carnival of sound.”  

www.3daftmonkeys.co.uk
www.myspace.com/3daftmonkeys

Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award 2010 for Best Newcomer nominee, Gareth Richards’ engaging observational comedy and inspired one-liners have made him in an instant favourite on the comedy circuit.  He performs stand-up between some funny, poignant and genre-defying songs, accompanying himself on ‘The Incredible Omnichord’ - an instrument he has rescued from the 1980s!  In 2008 he was nominated for the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Award, and later won a place as part of the Comedy Reserve, the Edinburgh Festival showcase run by the Pleasance.  Gareth has previously appeared in the Comedy Zone at Edinburgh - the fringe’s longest-running and most prestigious stand-up showcase, and took his award-nominated show Stand Up Between Songs to the 2010 festival.  He can be heard regularly on Saturday mornings from 8am on Frank Skinner’s Absolute Radio Show.

“Gareth Richards comes across as an effortlessly assured act… exceptionally inspired and truly memorable.”  Chortle

www.garethrichards.net
www.twitter.com/#!/garethrichards
www.facebook.com/people/Gareth-Richards/780235393

Brought up in The Cameroons, Muntu Valdo’s music is rooted in the blues, mixing African traditions with contemporary sounds and technical mastery, building up layers of sounds with loops and samples.  A vocalist, guitarist, harmonica player and percussionist Muntu has played alongside some of the greatest names in world music including Ali Farka Touré, Manu Dibango, Richard Bonas, Eko Roosevelt and Alpha Blondy.  Muntu has come a long way since he first learnt to play a three-stringed guitar made of plasterboard and fishing wire under a giant mango tree in Yauonde, the capital city of Cameroon.

www.myspace.com/muntuvaldo

Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Staveley-Taylor have been making music together since they were children.  Brought up in a house that echoed to the sounds of Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Beatles, singing in perfect 3-part harmony came naturally to these three sisters.  Having started gigging in local pubs and cafes, The Staves are now captivating audiences on much bigger stages - earning rapturous encores with their exquisite songs of love and longing.  Accompanied by just acoustic guitar and gently strummed ukulele, their extraordinary intertwining voices melt the most cynical of hearts.  Guaranteed to give you goosebumps, The Staves make music in its purest and most beautiful form.

www.myspace.com/thestavesmusic

Twenty-something country blues singer and guitarist Delta will not reveal her real name, but will admit  that she comes from Wavertree in South Liverpool, and first got hooked on American roots music when she was a child, delving into her parents’ record collection and listening to artists like Bonnie Raitt and BB King.  But it was country blues queen Rory Block who really inspired her and led back to the roots of delta blues and the music of legends like Son House and Leadbelly.  Delta began writing her own songs and taught herself to play guitar.  A left-hander, Delta has a very distinctive style, has a voice that has been likened to Patsy Cline, and has just released her debut album Outside Looking In.

www.myspace.com/deltamaid

Mama Rosin is a three-piece band that has the unlikely distinction of bringing Cajun music to their native Switzerland.  For the last five and a half years the trio has lived communally at a farm near Geneva spreading the Louisiana sound across Europe and supplementing their income by manufacturing schnapps from the fruit trees in their garden, and producing their own brand of dried chillies and hot sauce.  Their music is not purist - as the Brighton and Hove Free Press put it - “Mama Rosin smash genre boundaries… it’s voodoo magic out of zydeco/Cajun Creole music meshed with furious rock'n’roll… Velvet Underground meets Clash meets Deep South…and then some more!”

www.myspace.com/mamarosin

Late Night Gimp Fight, winners of the Chortle Award for best sketch show 2011, bring their Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominated show to Larmer Tree  after a complete sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe that cemented their position as the most exciting new sketch groups in the country.  Their fast-paced sketch comedy combines song, dance and the occasional gimp with their trademark off-the-wall sketches that'll leave you feeling violated, but in a good way.

"Nothing short of genius"   ***** Three Weeks

www.latenightgimpfight.com
www.twitter.com/#!/gimpfight
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4858023463

Cosmo caused quite a stir earlier this year with his single Gay Pirates which Stephen Fry liked so much he put a link to its video on his Twitter feed. Born in New Jersey, USA, Cosmo moved to Totnes in Devon as a child, and first started writing and recording music in his bedroom, where he also began making his first films on VHS when he was barely 12.  A natural storyteller, Cosmo released his self-titled debut album aged 19, releasing his second album Is The World Strange or Am I Strange? earlier this year.  Cosmo has been touted as ‘the next big thing’ by numerous DJs and artists including Tom Robinson, Paul Gambaccini and Brian Eno.

www.myspace.com/cosmojarvis
www.cosmojarvis.com

A truly international band with members from Argentina, France, Greece, the UK, Slovakia and Portugal, the Tombolinos are led by Alejandro Toledo, a Bachelor in Classical Saxophone Performance and currently a PhD candidate in Gypsy Performance Practices.  There is a strong element of Balkan Gypsy music in the band’s high energy style, but also shades of classical and rock culture, punk and other World music styles.  A high energy band who cause a commotion wherever they play - “prodigious performers taking music to its edge and playing with great risk, rarely failing to amaze with rhythm and virtuosity” – The London Paper.

www.myspace.com/alejandrosax
www.magictombolinos.co.uk

With members from Scotland, England, Croatia and Holland, The Penny Black Remedy are as international as their music is eclectic.  Formed in 2006 by singer-songwriter Keith M Thomson and named after an Edinburgh pub, the band are back at Larmer Tree by public demand after a storming set at last year’s festival.  Their music is a fusion of country, blues, punk, ska and Balkan folk and is darkly comic.  With songs about drinking and angels, including the wonderful Gypsy Hospital Death March, and catchy sing-along choruses they make each performance a rowdy and unforgettable experience.

www.myspace.com/pennyblackremedy
www.thepennyblackremedy.com

Doyen of film critics Mark Kermode gets behind his double bass to deliver another thumping session of rock, boogie, skiffle, country and blues.  With the help of Mike Hammond on lead guitar and banjo, Aly Hirji on rhythm guitar and banjo and Alex Hammond on percussion, The Dodge Brothers will deliver another typical set of hard-drinking, hard-loving, hard-living and hard-dying songs.  The band’s sound borrows heavily from the mid-1950s Sam Philips/Sun Records era, but their sound has been described as “refreshingly retro” by one critic.  The Hampshire-based unit have been playing together for over a decade now, and finally got round to recording their debut album, Louisa and The Devil in 2009.

www.dodgebrothers.co.uk
www.myspace.com/dodgebrothers

This 5-piece band from Germany have played over 4,000 live gigs since forming in 1985, and it’s virtually impossible to remain in a seated position when they play.  As their name implies Boppin’B are a band who play old-style rock 'n' roll, but their sound has gradually developed over the last 25 years.  Other influences like ska, swing and punk have crept in, and the enjoyment they get from playing is reflected in their funny and flamboyant on-stage antics, but the music always comes first.  So get ready for some serious bopping!

www.myspace.com/boppinb
www.boppinb.com

Originally a singer-songwriter from Australia, Elizabeth Morris moved to London in 2005 and began performing under the name The Darlings.  She changed the band’s name to Allo Darlin’ at the end of 2008, and a few months later recruited fellow Australian Bill, and Mike and Paul from Kent.  Elizabeth’s carefully crafted and catchy pop songs soon became a staple on the London music scene through Allo Darlin’, and in 2010 they released their debut album to excellent reviews, with the BBC’s Music website review saying “This debut is a joy from beginning to end, a fully-formed talent at the first attempt - as rare as it is welcome.”
  
www.allodarlin.com

Named after an ancient Celtic fertility symbol, the five members of Sheelanagig first got together in 2005.  Bringing a wide range of musical backgrounds to the band, they have since honed a style that is truly eclectic.  Folk, jazz and world music are represented in their high-energy fusion of Eastern European, Celtic, North African and Latin music, with the emphasis on Klezmer dance rhythms and Celtic melodies.  The band have built up a big following, released three albums and developed a blistering live act.  “Innovative and energetic… quality musicianship, vibrancy and sheer joy.” Folk and Roots magazine.

www.myspace.com/sheelanagiguk

Skinny Lister are a family of like-minded musicians who came together in 2009.  Characteristically English to the core and with folk in their hearts Daniel, Lorna, Max and Sam create their own brand of barnstorming music, equal parts traditional folk and ramshackle pop.  Their first full summer as a band last year saw Skinny Lister performing at Glastonbury, Isle of Wight Festival, Camp Bestival, and an unusual canal tour, which saw them set off on a narrowboat down the Grand Union Canal and other British waterways, playing at lockside pubs on the way, ending up with a rip-roaring night at the Lock Tavern in Camden, London.

www.myspace.com/skinnylister

Everyone’s talking about Abandoman, the 2010 Winners of The Hackney Empire New Act of the Year and the Musical Comedy Awards create hilarious musical numbers at lightning speed.  Frontman Rob Broderick and multi-instrumentalist James Hancox reinvent hip hop in a way that appeals all age groups - creating each song based on audience suggestions – no gig is ever the same!  Last year at Edinburgh they sold out their entire 28-day run and were invited to perform alongside Jimmy Carr, John Bishop and Brendan Burns.  Since then they’ve been wowing audiences across the country supporting DJ Yoda, Atmosphere and Micky Flanagan.  They’re regular performers on the Now Show on BBC Radio 4, have a spot on Chris Hawkins Breakfast Show on BBC6 Music, and are the house band for Dick and Dom.

"Killer punchlines - note-perfect, lyrically mind-blowing hip-hop improve - genius!" The Stage
 
www.robbroderick.com
www.twitter.com/#!/abandoman
www.facebook.com/ABANDOMAN

When you are born in Penny Lane to a mother who plays the oboe in the opera and a father who makes parts for wind instruments, plus a grandfather who played trumpet on The Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever, it’s not surprising that you end up having a career in music.  That is exactly what happened to Pete Lawrie, who started off playing trumpet in a ska-punk band, then keyboards in a hip-hop band, later concentrating on writing and singing his own songs.  Describing his style as “southern blues country rock skiffle hop-tronica,” the results of 18 month’s hard work culminated in the release of his debut album A Little Brighter earlier this year.   

www.myspace.com/petelawrie
www.petelawrie.com

Combining original material with songs by the likes of Jacques Brel, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen, Moscow Drug Club from Bristol transport audiences to various musical settings.  With Canadian chanteuse Katya Gorrie on vocals, the 4-piece cabaret-style group will take you anywhere from 1930s Berlin, the Hot Club de France, a New Orleans funeral parade or even a gypsy campfire.  Intimate, intoxicating and darkly comic, Moscow Drug Club also feature two guitarists, Denny Ilett and Dave Archer, both of whom could give Django Reinhardt a run for his money, and a stirring violinist, John Pearce.

www.myspace.com/moscowdrugclub

The six-piece Buffalo Gals actually consists of three girls and three guys, who are fast becoming the UK’s favourite all-time country string band.  Firmly rooted in traditional American music with an authentic sound driven by fiddle, banjo, percussive step dance and soaring harmonies, they play a mixture of Appalachian, bluegrass, blues and Cajun tunes and songs with passion, skill and a real sense of fun.  As our local paper the Dorset Echo summed up when reviewing a Buffalo Gals gig last year, “This is a real band, the whole greater than the sum of its parts.  That extra ingredient is spirit, and the Gals have it in abundance.”
 
www.myspace.com/buffalogals
www.buffalogals.co.uk

Emily is a young singer, songwriter and concertina player who began songwriting at the age of six.  She was raised on a diet of fairytales and Somerset folklore, and first cut her teeth on the folk scene with the trio The Devil’s Interval.  Last year she released her debut solo album, The Glamoury which gained her two BBC Folk Awards nominations and some great reviews including one in The Observer which hailed it as “a remarkable and original debut.”  Emily herself describes her songs as “old stories with new skins,” a neat way to describe how she turns ancient dark folk stories and myths into new and original songs.
  
www.emilyportman.co.uk
www.myspace.com/emilygportman

We welcome back this talented Australian blues roots singer and guitarist for his fourth appearance at the Larmer Tree.  He first hit the UK music scene about ten years ago, and has since played thousands of gigs not only in the UK, but Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France and back in his native Australia.  A passionate performer with a stunning guitar technique, Derrin has so far released eight albums, the latest of which, Skin of The Earth got a tremendous review in Classic Rock Magazine, “a lyricist of rare maturity… a vocalist of character… an acoustic guitarist with lightning under his fingers - it’s now clear that Nauendorf is ready to meet his public.”
  
www.myspace.com/derrinnauendorf

Big characters, inventive sketches and fast-paced fun for those who enjoy a riot but would rather sit in a theatre and laugh.  Hotly tipped as ones to watch for the future, come and be charmed by three men who take silly very seriously.  Hurry, this is important!  Featuring Naz Osmanoglu (Amused Moose winner 2009, So You Think You're Funny? Runner Up 2009, Chortle 'Best Newcomer' nominee), Kieran Boyd (SYTYF? semi-finalist 2009) and Mark Cooper-Jones (no competitive instinct).
 
"There are probably more original and fresh ideas in the first 10 minutes of Wittank than many sketch shows fit into an entire hour."  Chortle

www.wittank.com
www.twitter.com/#!/WitTank
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7844537540&ref=ts

Totally Tom is a comedy duo comprising Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton.  Both have been close friends since school, where they started a comedy group and began writing sketches and making short films.  While at university they continued to write and perform together and in 2009 they formed part of the successful sketch show Curse These Metal Hands.  In 2010 they performed for the first time as Totally Tom in Oxford, launching their short film High Renaissance Man which has proved something of an youtube sensation.  Following the success of both projects, they have since been busy writing material for their upcoming hour-length show due to premier at the Edinburgh Fringe this August.  Totally Tom are definitely one to watch, don’t miss them!
 
“Sharp, timely… Totally Tom are poised to go far.”  Spoonfed.com

www.totally-tom.com
www.youtube.com/user/MrTotallyTom
www.twitter.com/#!/totallytom101
www.facebook.com/mrtotallytom

Two girls and two boys make up the dentally challenged (or is it nostalgic?) My First Tooth.  Signed to Alcopop Records, the band released their debut album Territories late last year, and their emotional folk/alt-country sound impressed quite a few critics.  Including Sound Magazine who said, “Acoustic guitars, violin, mouth organ, a fascinating and sometimes harrowing voice can conquer you... It's a pure and honest music that goes straight to your heart..."  Inspired by bands like Eels and Arcade Fire, the Northampton-based band have developed a barnstorming stage act involving a lot of fast-paced instrument swapping, touching harmonies and bags of energy.

www.myspace.com/myfirsttooth

Ex-circus clown and fire eater, a one-man soul band, folk singer, poet and storyteller, Rory has graced the Larmer Tree stage before as a solo artist, but this time he brings a band with him.  A roving troubadour, Rory has played all over the world from Asia to the Middle East, from Gambia to Cuba, Central America, Australia, North America, Canada and Europe.  Rory's heartfelt songwriting depicts the real lives of people and places.  Some songs have a political edge, but most are more personal.  Or in his own words “all my songs are love songs it's just some are angrier than others.”

www.rorymcleod.com
www.myspace.com/rorymcleod

Award-winning comedian and major break-through comedy actress Sara Pascoe has appeared in Channel 4’s Free Agents,  The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, and Campus (follow up to The Green Wing) and cult BBC shows The Thick of It and Being Human.  As a stand-up comic, Sara is a circuit favourite using her unique style of comedy to fuse high intellect with the surreal and playful.  Her razor sharp wit, one liners and hilarious left field view of the world, ensure she is a true original.  Sara will be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe this year following the success of her sell-out debut show in 2010.

"always clever .. often exquisite"  The Independent

www.twitter.com/#!/sarapascoe

A support slot on the Mumford and Sons tour last year has pushed Matthew and The Atlas into the limelight as the next big thing in folk music.  Leader of the band Matt Hegarty told www.forfolkssake.com where 'the atlas' came from… “I didn’t want to perform under my full name anymore, I liked the idea of having a moniker and the detachment you can have from it.  I like the vastness the word Atlas gives, I really like to travel as well and I like the feeling and imagery it gives.”  Matt’s rugged and evocative voice define the band’s sound with The Independent noting that he “boasts the kind of craggy larynx that lesser vocalists spend years trying to cultivate with diets of cigarettes and alcohol… spellbinding.”

www.myspace.com/matthewandtheatlas

This Winchester-based four-piece have created quite a stir since their formation in 2006, being championed by Bob Harris and Terry Wogan on Radio 2 as well as performing live sessions with Cerys Matthews on Radio 6.  Taking their influences from jazz greats like Billie Holliday and adding a quintessentially English twist with inspired harmonies, Polly and The Billets Doux have been described as a sumptuous blend of blues, jazz, country, folk and gospel.  Following the release in 2009 of their debut album Fiction, Half-Truths & Downright Lies, the band have concentrated on touring and festival appearances picking up fans and praise wherever they go with their flawless energy-packed live act.

www.myspace.com/pollyandthebilletsdoux

Based in Brighton, these rich guys have taken the festival and club circuit by storm with their dirty mix of Fela Kuti inspired brass lines, Latin percussion section, Afro-psych organ and James Brown-style funk riffs.  Fusing tunes from the heart of 1970s Nigeria to the carnivals of Cuba, the back streets of Brazil and beyond the Millionaires usually tour as a 12-piece.  They have already impressed Mark Lamarr when they played live on his BBC Radio 2 show God’s Jukebox, inspiring him to say “Thank you for being as good as you are!”  Expect an upbeat and exhilarating experience with some driving Latin rhythms, danceable and uplifting music, and a good deal of audience participation including mass whistling!    

www.myspace.com/kalakutamillionaires

A fresh new band from the stables of the wonderful Magpie’s Nest crew in London who mix up bluegrass and old time tunes with a modern twist, and give some classics the special Kidnap Alice treatment.  Soulful vocals and tight arrangements from a classic acoustic string band line-up, the band bridge the gap between vintage R’n’B and Appalachian mountain music.  The band had their debut festival performance at Glastonbury 2010, opening Club Da Da stage for the legendary Thursday Night Hoe-Down. And, in true Glastonbury spirit, the band busked another six shows around the site including a super rowdy one in the dug-out Piano Bar very late on Sunday night to close the weekend!

www.myspace.com/kidnapalice
www.kidnapalice.com

Five nice young Brummy lads got together in the autumn of 2009, inspired by the music of the singer-songwriters of the '60s and '70s like Burt Bacharach, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, they began writing their own songs.  Developing an individual alt folk/new country style, the quintet remained undiscovered until a video from a low-key gig played in a friend’s kitchen surfaced on the net.  This led to a gig at Moseley Folk Festival where they performed just before another of their inspirations - Donovan.  Last year they played Bestival and Green Man and supported the likes of British Sea Power.

www.myspace.com/goodnightlenin

Growing up in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in a house overflowing with musicians – her dad played uilleann pipes and her uncle was a member of Lindisfarne – it is not surprising that Rosie became a folk musician herself.  After a three year partnership with Ben Murray, Rosie decided to strike out on her own.  Her stunning debut album Moving On, containing 11 self-written songs set a high standard, matched by the follow-up Pot of Gold released in November 2010.  “She demonstrates through her versatility as a musician, her colourful allure, her captivating charisma, and perhaps most importantly her remarkable voice, just why she is one of Yorkshire’s brightest prospects” - dig.Yorkshire.com.

www.myspace.com/rosiedoonan

The legend is back and ready to spin you some more reggae classics from his battered backpack.  Since last year Derek, the man who single-handedly made the cardigan cool again, has been in constant demand touring the length of Britain using only his beloved public transport.

ahab (not to be confused with the German doom band of the same name) formed in 2009, after a couple of members were invited to play the Fanfare Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, and they have been going strong ever since.  Playing mainly on the UK pub, festival and music venue circuit, they have developed a blend of Americana, country and folk which has seen getting bookings the length and breadth of the land.  Their appearance at Cropredy last year led to the esteemed BBC DJ Bob Harris inviting them to do a live session on his show. 

www.myspace.com/ahabmyspace
www.ahabofficial.com

Coming from Devon, Phillip and Hannah are virtuoso musicians who combine very different styles.  Phillip plays Delta blues bottleneck guitar in the style of Ry Cooder.  He has developed an astounding Dobro technique, and also plays harmonica, inspired by the playing of bluesman Sonny Terry.  Phillip’s repertoire brings together folk melodies of the British Isles, blues, gospel and classical Indian music in his moving and original compositions and arrangements.  Phillip has been described by Steve Knightley as “one of the most extraordinary musicians around.”  Hannah is a singer, songwriter, banjo and fiddle player who attended folk clubs and sessions from an early age.  Consequently she developed a keen interest in traditional music, and her songs weave folklore and legend with beautiful melodies and innovative arrangements.  She contributes some amazing harmonies to Phillip’s songs, dexterous banjo picking, and fiery fiddle, both acoustic and electric.

www.myspace.com/philandhannah
www.philliphenryandhannahmartin.co.uk

Megan was exposed to music at an early age watching her mother sing at Nettlebed Folk Club near her home in Henley-on-Thames.  As a child she listened to the songs of Abba and Queen, but as she grew older she found inspiration in the songs of Bill Withers, Bob Dylan and Joan Armadtrading among others.  As a teenager Megan started writing her own songs, and she performed both as a solo artist and with her band, honing her skills on the local live music circuit.  When she was eighteen she spent six months travelling, busking her way round Italy, Thailand, India and Malaysia.  During this time she fell in love with the people of Nepal, and has since returned to record with a number of leading Nepalese musicians.  The last couple of years have seen considerable success for Megan, with a BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award in 2009, a well-received debut album Making Waves, and festivals all over the UK, plus supports for artists like Mumford and Sons, Ray Davies and Eric Bibb.   

www.meganhenwood.com
www.myspace.com/meganhenwood

James Acaster began performing stand-up in 2008, since then he has developed into a hugely engaging and exciting comedian.  His set features storytelling, dazzling audience interaction and routines about not being particularly cool - he is from the town of Kettering but is based in London - both cool in their own way!   In 2010 James won Off The Kerb's Laughing Boy New Act of the Year and has recently provided support to Josie Long and Milton Jones on nationwide tours.  At last year’s Edinburgh Fringe he performed as part of BBC's Stand Up in the Street and is taking his first full solo show Amongst Other Things to Edinburgh this August.

“Delightful.”  Time Out

www.twitter.com/#!/JamesAcaster
www.facebook.com/people/James-Acaster/1122316844

Iain Stirling is a stand-up comedian and the current face of CBBC.  He burst onto the comedy scene just two years ago, whilst studying for a law degree at Edinburgh University, and was placed second in both the Paramount Funniest Student final, and the Chortle Student Comedian of the Year final in 2009.  Just one week after graduating, Iain found himself on a train down to London to begin presenting on CBBC.  Iain currently presents alongside his trusty canine puppet sidekick, Dodge, doing over two hours of live continuity links every weekday afternoon.  He has also developed and written for a number of other CBBC projects and recently supported Rhod Gilbert on tour.

"He’s got an innate sense of timing, with perfect pace and phrasing to enliven the routine.”  Chortle

www.twitter.com/#!/IainDoesJokes
www.facebook.com/pages/Iain-Stirling/134107354688

Fergus Craig is an accomplished actor, writer, comedian and voice artist with an impressive list of TV, radio and theatre credits to his name.  Before taking up stand-up Fergus was a part of the acclaimed double act Colin and Fergus. From 2004 to 2006 they took shows to Edinburgh, winning the Writer’s Guild Award with their first show.  Fergus started performing as a solo stand up in 2008 and quickly won the prestigious Hackney Empire New Act Of The Year Award in 2009.  In the same year he took his debut solo Fergus Craig Still Watches Neighbours to Edinburgh and sold out.  He is now a regular on the UK comedy circuit and is currently supporting Russell Kane on his 2011 national tour.

“His set was an inventive breath of fresh air, while never forgetting to be funny… with killer lines, great delivery and a delightful dollop of surprises, Craig was class.”  The Stage

www.ferguscraig.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/#!/ferguscraig
www.facebook.com/people/Fergus-Craig/650585937

You might have caught English Comedian of the Year finalist 2009 Joel Dommett in The Social last year in The Lunchtime Club, now he’s back to compere the ARC stage on Sunday night.  Joel has performed  his compelling, energetic stand up on Russell Howards Good News, is co-presenter of the Paul Foot Radio Show on Resonance FM and has had comedy roles on BBC2’s Popatron, E4’s Skins and ITV’s Teenage Kicks.  

"a manically funny act" **** Three Weeks

www.joeldommett.com
www.twitter.com/#!/joeldommett

Ruth is a young singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist who started her career busking outside W H Smiths in Southampton.  Although Ruth has been hailed by the media as a leading light in the new folk movement, her style covers everything from folk blues to jazz poetry and she performs with a plaintive and wistful intensity with constant changes of mood and pace.  Ruth has released two albums Worm Food and White Holes of Mole Hills, the latter album attracting this comment from a reviewer in The Guardian: “Songs so quirky and unexpected that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else performing them, following none of the more conventional styles of songwriting.”
 
www.myspace.com/ruththeodore
www.ruththeodore.com

In 2006 Barnaby Keen began writing a collection of songs whilst walking the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain.  In the following years Barnaby's song writing continued to develop and began to shift emphasis towards more experimental psych-folk whilst retaining a hint of his brother’s self-confessed addiction to Brazilian beats.  With growing input from brothers Nathaniel on guitar and Oliver on bass he has pushed the sound further in this new direction.  Drummer Dave De Rose began collaborating when he moved into the same acoustically-rich converted chapel in South East London that Barnaby was living in.  The hall of this chapel provides the sonic setting for the most recent EP – Learnt from Love.

www.myspace.com/barnabykeenband

The band was born in 2010 when Mathew Board met Grace, Andy and Sam whilst they were all studying music at Dartington College of Arts.  Whilst on a tour in Germany a chance meeting in Berlin with ace drummer Ulysses Alvarez completed the current line-up.  Their musical style draws from a range of contemporary forms with inspiration from Pattie Smith, Bjork and Talking Heads plus spending extended time in Berlin and Paris the band have absorbed the music from many European cultures.  This year has seen the band honing their craft and with the edition of an experienced management team The Spree are all set for a bright future.

www.myspace.com/spreeband

Combining a heady mix of Cumbia and classic Latin tunes Baila La Cumbia are a Bristol based collective featuring a sonorous 4 piece brass section and full Latin rhythm section. They will be featuring at many festivals over the summer and have played to packed out crowds at St Pauls Carnival in Bristol and Brisfest.  Their style of music is massive on the world circuit at the moment and the band are one of the UK's top exponents.  Featuring some of the regions foremost musicians they are guaranteed to bring out the sunshine in any party.

www.myspace.com/bailalacumbia

Hannah and her Tastemakers are a brand new deep funk and soul big band from the South Coast that have already garnered huge praise from DJs such as the BBC’s Craig Charles and Nik Weston.  The band is fronted by sensational soul diva Hannah Williams, whose warm and husky tones have been described by a leading journalist as “nothing less than superb, her voice sent shivers down my spine”.  If you really love the retro sound and you really want to dance like there’s no tomorrow this is definitely the band for you.

www.myspace.com/hillmanprojects
www.recordkicks.com

Live upbeat dance music with flavours of Funk, Afrobeat, West African Highlife, Zimbabwean Chimurenga and Dub.  A new side project led by Oliver Keen inspired by his travels to West Africa, joined by his brothers Barnaby and Nathaniel who draw on a lifelong  connection of concocting grooves, with honorary brother Dave De Rose.  Together and in various projects these 4 talented musicians have appeared at venues and festivals worldwide including Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Sonar, Montreal Jazz Festival, and North Sea Jazz.  The Bamana Project Debut E.P is soon to be released on Round In Motion records.

www.myspace.com/bamanabeat

Scoundrels began when Ned, Alex and Josh studied at LCCM Music College in London.  There, they shared their love of ‘50s soul, roots, doo wop, classic rock and blues, honing their skills and putting on rootsy nights at Notting Hill Arts Club and The Troubador.  The final piece of the band jigsaw came when they recruited young guitarist George.  After soaking up the music on a trip to Louisiana last year the lads travelled to Chicago to work with alt-rock legend Steve Albini.  Now signed to the Blue Horizon label and working on their debut album, Scoundrels are set to take off.  The band say “we have enough soul to make your bones jangle to the beat and your nose hairs stand on end.” 

www.myspace.com/scoundrelsofficial
www.scoundrels.fm

Old skool ska and rock steady tunes are the staple of this Dorset 5-piece who include in their number Jan and Lisa from the duo Foo Foo who several years ago joined forces with Kent*sta, Barry Tone and King Tut to create Boy Le Monti and have been getting crowds up and dancing at festivals and venues ever since.  Having spent the winter recording their new CD Dance Crasher the band are ready to get back to doing what they love to do, playing to seething mass of moving bodies.

www.boylemonti.co.uk
www.myspace.com/boylemonti

Last year a small chap named John made a record with a big chap called Sonny in a tiny bungalow in Yorkshire.  This became the debut album by The Little Unsaid, an act that has since evolved from a nomadic solo act to a London-based band of pluckers, bowers, key-pressers, programmers and wailers.  Inspired by folk like Nick Drake, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Neil Young, and anything else spilling over with soul, The Little Unsaid aim to chew their way through the UK festival circuit this summer like a busy-ness of hungry ferrets, armed with their unique folky-rocky-electronicky-song-driven-musical-noise…"Absolutely stunning!" - SoulCulture.

www.thelittleunsaid.com
www.myspace.com/thelittleunsaid

The jazz and hula of the gramophone era is given a new lease of life by the unique talents of this Isle of Wightian trio.  Angelina Grimshaw’s sultry espresso-dark voice and exotic good looks lure you in, her brother JC’s dazzling guitar playing pins you to the spot while Paul Armfield’s upright bass knocks you for six.  A choice blend of vintage and original material, in their hands the sounds of the era sound so fresh you’ll think you’re hearing it for the first time.  Theirs is a set full of surprises, be sure not to miss it.

www.myspace.com/thegramophoneparty

Pronghorn describe their music as a sort of a cross between Irish, Yiddish, Kurdish, Nashville-ish, Cajun-ish, football terrace-ish and Kaz-bar-ish.  We describe them as a bunch of deranged psychobillies, goths and punks, armed with banjos, fiddles, saxophones and washboards.  Led by the charismatic Lamma, the band have been playing annually at Larmer Tree since jumping the fence in 1993 and have proved themselves the ultimate good-time band, always performing with humour and unbounded energy.  Since 2004 Pronghorn have been staging their own festival, Endorse It In Dorset, just a stone’s throw from the Larmer Tree Gardens.

www.myspace.com/pronghorn
www.hogbitch.net

This seven-piece are a high-energy band featuring an eclectic mix of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, drums and guitars with knockout four-part harmonies in an exuberant medley of country, pop, folk, and rocking urban Bluegrass.  Veteran DJ Johnnie Walker describes their gigs as “a really good, fun time”, with songs that veer from the wistful and poetic to flat-out, foot-stomping tales of doomed barbecues, French mustard and falling in love on a Tennessee highway!  Founded in 2008, the band is now gigging in earnest, buoyed by a rapturous reception at festivals last summer and the launch late last year of their debut CD.

www.myspace.com/policedoghogan
www.policedoghogan.com

Salisbury pop-rock band City Stereo have come a long way in a short time.  Formed just over three years ago, they quickly established themselves on the live music circuit, and in March 2009 were selected as one of the top twelve unsigned acts by an industry panel, through Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition.  At Glastonbury the band played a storming half hour set on the Q Music Queen’s Head Stage.  Later that year the quintet played support to chart stars You Me at Six at a sold-out Salisbury City Hall.  Their debut album Dance Like You Mean It was released in March 2010, and the band followed it up with a successful 15-date UK later that year.  City Stereo’s growing success was confirmed this year when they played support to McFly on a 14 date arena tour.

www.myspace.com/citystereo
www.citystereo.net

Psychedelic rhythm & blues trio The Joker & The Thief are childhood friends Howlin’ Dan Grabiner, Josh ‘the angel’ Elliott and Guitar-Tree Justin.   Known for their chaotic and raucous live shows they play soul music fast and loud, their sound being compared to the likes of Ray Charles, Tom Waits, Morphine and The White Stripes.  Having performed at legendary London venues such as Koko, Ronnie Scott’s and the 100 Club, they made their first Larmer Tree appearance last year and hope 2011 marks the second of many visits to come!  Their debut EP has just been released.

www.myspace.com/thejokerandthethiefmusic
www.thejokerandthethief.com

Welcome to the human beatbox who could pop-up on any stage at any time during the festival.  Vid is a performer and composer specializing in jazz, glitch and hip-hop.  Fresh, sharp and sophisticated, Vid has been wowing crowds at festival stages across the UK including WOMAD, Electric Picnic, The Big Chill, The Big Green Gathering, Sunrise Celebration and Shambala.  "Absolutely brilliant, go and see him immediately" – Sophie Oliver, BBC Bristol.

www.myspace.com/vidwarren

Due to unforeseen circumstances we are very sorry to announce that Kitty Marfarlane has had to cancel her performance at Larmer Tree, her replacement will be JP Cooper www.myspace.com/jpcoopermusic.

Tinderbox are an acoustic duo featuring the distinctive honey rich vocals of Dublin-born Monique Houraghan and finger style guitarist Dan Tucker.  Monique met Dan on a windy moor in Yorkshire in 1997 and soon persuaded him to return to Dublin where they worked on writing and performing new material for the next four years.  In 2004 they moved to Bournemouth and have steadily built a strong loyal local following with Maverick Magazine describing them as being “poised to ignite the acoustic world.”  They have also found time to travel the world, taking their beautiful mellow sounds to countries as far flung as Fiji and Hong Kong.  April 2010 saw them launch their third studio album The State of Play to a sell-out crowd.

www.myspace.com/tinderboxacoustic

Based in Bournemouth and with a firm reputation around the South, this thoughtful quartet play meaningful, lyrical pop music that covers subjects as broad as Lily Allen, love triangles and praying for sunshine.  Earning their first appearance at the Larmer Tree Festival by winning this year’s Dorset Music Awards and heavily tipped for big things by BBC Introducing Sussex as a “Folk/Pop band with a moral compass”, catch Fearne in their natural habitat. Just look out for the band with the lucky gold cat…

www.myspace.com/fearne

Hailing from Southampton, The Mopes started off as a duo playing Super Furry Animals’ covers in an attic, but it was not until 2009 that they expanded into a seven-piece band.  Their basic musical style is country rock, but there are many other influences at work, including The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and John Mayall.  They’ve enjoyed sell out shows at The Joiners, Talking Heads and the Soul Cellar in their hometown, and the band have also made several live appearances on BBC South’s South:Live radio programme.

www.myspace.com/themopes

We’re bringing back Disco’s Out (Murder’s In) after their knockout session in the Big Top last year.  DOMI combine catchy rock songs with a touch of ska and punk whilst not forgetting their flamboyant dress sense, crazy headgear and a shameless DIY approach to their stage act.  Formed in Bournemouth in 2009, this six-piece band is fuelled by an hugely energetic brass and woodwind section.  The band’s infectious blend of styles and their wildly enthusiastic stage presence was richly rewarded when they scooped all four of the festival slots offered as prizes at the Dorset Unsigned Music Awards in 2010.

www.myspace.com/discooutmurdersin