Frank Turner, Joan Armatrading & Joan Baez confirmed for 2015 Cambridge Folk Festival

Joan Baez, Frank Turner, Peggy Seeger, Joan Armatrading and Passenger are among the first names to be confirmed for the 2015 Cambridge Folk Festival.   More acts will be announced shortly.

The full press release is detailed below.

***

CFF

CAMBRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL 2015 – FIRST NAMES ANNOUNCED

“For sheer class and integrity, it can’t be beaten.” THE INDEPENDENT

Joan Baez (Sat), Passenger (Sun), Frank Turner (Fri), Joan Armatrading (Sun) John Butler Trio (Sat), Nick Mulvey (Fri), Wilko Johnson (Fri) The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (Sun), The Unthanks (Sat) Show of Hands (Sat & Sun), Katzenjammer(Thurs), Altan (Fri) Treacherous Orchestra (Sat), Danú (Sun), Shooglenifty (Sat & Sun) Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting & Nancy Kerr (Sun), Peggy Seeger (Fri) Bella Hardy (Sun), Amsterdam Klezmer Band (Fri), The Lone Bellow (Sat & Sun) Chris Smither (Fri), Angaleena Presley (Fri), Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker (Thur & Fri) Jim Moray’s Silent Ceilidh (Sat), Keston Cobblers Club (Sun) The Stray Birds (Sat &Sun),Rura (Fri & Sat), Goitse (Sat & Sun) De Temps Antan (Days tbc), Lynched (Thurs)

WATCH A VIDEO TRAILER FOR THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL BELOW

An eclectic range of performances will include: legendary folk singer and activist Joan Baez, in her only UK appearance for 2015; international chart-topper Passenger, progressing from his 2011 debut on emerging talent stage The Den in its inaugural year to headlining Stage 1; a special solo appearance from hugely popular folk/punk singer songwriter Frank Turner, to coincide with the release of his book; the incomparable Joan Armatrading, accompanying herself on guitar and piano as part of her first ever worldwide solo tour; a welcome return for acclaimed Australian roots band John Butler Trio; Mercury Prize nominated Nick Mulvey, originally from Cambridge, garnering rave reviews and sell-out audiences worldwide for his fresh, hypnotic take on the acoustic singer-songwriter genre; a return to the city that gave him life-saving treatment for renowned rock and R&B guitarist Wilko Johnson, with crack touring band of Blockheads’ bassist Norman Watt-Roy and drummer Dylan Howe; irresistible entertainment juggernaut The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, celebrating 30 plucking years; Northumberland’s The Unthanks, breaking new ground with their complex combination of traditional stories and modern sonic arrangements; leading lights of the folk scene for over two decades, Show of Hands, featuring Miranda Sykes; Norwegian alt-folk-country-rock mavericks Katzenjammer, famed for their genre-mixing, riotous shows; venerable Irish traditional band Altan, re-energised by their new Appalachian-influenced CD; thrilling folk big band Treacherous Orchestra, with a rousing blend of rock and traditional Celtic sounds; one of Ireland’s leading traditional bands Danú, celebrating their 20th anniversary; Scots acid croft pioneers Shooglenifty, fusing exquisite traditional sounding tunes to devilishly dirty rhythms in their silver anniversary year; three of Britain’s finest folk musicians and interpreters, each vituosos in their own right, Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting & Nancy Kerr; doyenne of American folkPeggy Seeger, who played first ever Festival; BBC Folk Singer of the Year 2014 Bella Hardy, showcasing an innovative new sound from her ‘With The Dawn’ album; seven-pieceAmsterdam Klezmer Band, mixing klezmer, balkan, ska, jazz, gypsy and hiphop; fast-rising US alt-country band with a dazzling live reputation The Lone Bellow; highly respected American folk/blues singer songwriter and guitarist Chris Smither; Kentucky’s Angaleena Presley (also a member of Pistol Annies), impressing with her modern and powerful country songs about contemporary American rural life; BBC Folk Award nominees Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, ingeniously combining original and traditional songs with stunning musicality and skill; back by popular demand Jim Moray’s Silent Ceilidh; joyous five-piece Keston Cobblers Club with their foot-stamping mod-folk music; sensational close harmony American folk and bluegrass trio The Stray Birds; one of the hottest young bands on the Scottish traditional music scene Rura; contagiously energetic Irish quintet Goitse, winners of Live Ireland’s Trad Group of the Year 2015 Award; French Canadian trio De Temps Antan, multi-instrumentalists exploring the magnificent traditional music of Quebec; Dublin four-piece Lynched, with their anarchic, punk-influenced take on traditional Irish ballads. More names to be announced.