Showcasing a variety of Liverpool, Liverpool Irish, Irish and Celtic inspired musicians, instruments and songs this medley of acts present work spanning centuries of music, including folk, shanty, Trad and contemporary styles. Offering just a flavour of what is tom come 19-29 October 2017, all these acts will feature with us again at Liverpool Irish Festival 2017. Rock up, join in and jig on!
The Rock Light Rollers are a six-man shanty group from Merseyside, specialising in material from and about Liverpool during its nineteenth-century heyday as one of the world’s great port cities. Comprising the five members of local folk heroes Reckless Elbow, plus Professor Gerry Smyth of Liverpool John Moores University (who sources and arranges all the material), the band will be performing (and inviting the audience to join in) a range of shanties –some familiar, some less well known – from their debut album: Sailor’s Song: Liverpool and the Sea (2016).
Steeped in the roots of Irish tradition and influenced by the likes of Dervish and Sandy Denny, 20 year old Trad and Folk singer Emma Lusby has performed at Celtic Connections (Glasgow), the Baltic State Folk Festival (Latvia) and other UK festivals. Liverpool based, her music is played on folk radio stations throughout the UK. Presently, Emma is working alongside Cinematic Skies on a project promoting cultural tourism in Northern Ireland to be released later this year…
“Emma doesn’t sing words, she sings pictures. One note from her lips can transport you down history’s path to the tip of a lovers’ tiff or the pit of a nation’s anguish.” – Marty Cullen, BBC Radio Ulster. soundcloud.com/emma-lusby
Seafoam Green is the brainchild of Dublin-born troubadour Dave O’Grady. Soulful psych-folk meets Americana. Following years of solo tours and honing his craft on both sides of the Atlantic, now Dave O’Grady steps out of the shadows to take his rightful place at the centre of the stage. Topanga Mansion, the ensemble’s debut LP, is available now on Mellowtone Records mellowtonerecords.com/artists/seafoam-green
Three pronged freak folk outfit Mamatung bring a sprinkling of scouse ceremony with a journey to the centre of the heart. A set entwined with spirited melodies, chants, serendipitous harmonies and a magical mixture of musical instruments. “Mamatung. . . are like something you’d stumble upon in an empty field. Like witches singing sweet songs of earth and the wild. ‘New ancient sounds” – Cee Smith, Newsnet.scot mamatung.com/
Tippin’ It Up are a traditional Irish music duo who also perform contemporary, Americana & original material on a variety of instruments including guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, tenor banjo, tenor guitar, bodhrán & the human voice. facebook.com/FolkMerseysidet/
Event Date: Sunday 25th June 2017
Categories: Children | Family | Free | International Mersey River Festival | Liverpool | Music | Summer of Love
