Playing at the festival

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

You think you have seen it all, then a group like the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain comes along and everything changes. Bringing their unique live soundto Oxford, the group will be playing other people’s greatest hits entirely on ukuleles.

Dhol Foundation

Bhangra kings the Dhol Foundation bring their unique fusion of beats.

Led by recent Imagined Village superstar Johnny Kalsi, the Dhol promise to shake up the Town Hall with their electrifying live performance.

Spiers & Boden

Dynamic duo Spiers and Boden come back to their roots at Oxford bringing material from their fantastic new album, Vagabond. Their live performance is full of energy and their extensive back catalogue will have the Town Hall swinging in no time.

Robert Maseko & The Congo Beat

Born in Kinshasa, Robert Maseko is among a new wave of Central African artists re-interpreting hip-swinging Congolese soukous music. A master vocalist who has performed with the likes of Papa Wemba and Youssou N'dour, Robert leads a band reflecting reggae, flamenco, tango, merengue and zouk influences.

Lau

Winners of Best Group at this year’s Radio 2 Folk Awards and one of the most exciting trios around today, Scotland's Lau have been captivating audiences around the world with their own unique interpretations of traditional Scottish tunes.

Jack Harris

Outstanding young songwriter from Builth Wells, Wales, who studied English Literature at Oxford.

A winner in Texas’s Kerrville Folk Festival, Jack creates songs of searching experience that reveal a maturity far beyond his years. Rich, complex lyrics and exquisite guitar technique.

New St George Waits

English bagpipes, hurdy gurdy, curtal, shawm, rauschpfeife, ropetensioned drums, mandola and gittern – it can only be the New St George Waits.

Expect riotous medieval grooves as well as hilarious banter from front man Wynndebagge.

Kismet

Three of Oxfordshire’s finest voices, Melissa Holding, Katherine Lucas and Jackie Singer play an eclectic mix of folk music, from wild Romanian dances to haunting Celtic lullabies, as well as their own compositions. Their rich tapestry of music and song is not to be missed!

Telling the Bees

Darkly crafted lyrics underpinned by driving mandolin, cinematic strings and haunting English bagpipes. Inspired by English folklore and the politics of protest, their music evokes an England of rustic charm and savage beauty.

Reel Bach Consort (Bonn)

Bonn is twinned with Oxford and one beautiful product of the relationship is a festival appearance by Reel Bach Consort who play Bach with a twist. Intrigued? You should be!

Kris Drever

As well as playing the main stage with Lau, Kris is gracing the second stage with a solo slot. An Orcadian multi-instrumentalist — and one of the most enigmatic voices to emerge from Scotland in recent times — Kris’ debut album Black Water won him the Radio 2 Folk Awards’ Horizon Award.

A Bit of a Do

Poet Bernard O’Donaghue is joined by singer Mick Henry and other musicians for a captivating evening of Irish music and verse at the HolywellMusic Room.

Fay Hield with Jon Boden & Sam Sweeney

Fay Hield, from the Witches of Elswick, brings her beautiful voice back to Oxford to perform traditional material, supported by Jon Boden and Sam Sweeney.

Wilber

Local lad Wilber, a Radio 2 Young Folk Awards finalist in 2007, has become a bit of a celebrity since he first played the Oxford Folk Festival two years ago. Sit back and relax to his folk and blues fusion.

Oxford Fiddle Group

With over 20 members and a range of music from Britain, Ireland and the USA, the Oxford Fiddle Group mixes foot-tapping jigs with marches, airs and laments.

Afropean Choir

Helmed by Anita Daulne (ex-Zap Mama), this Oxford-based choir can field up to 20 members, and delivers a blend of urban and ethnic song that will really get the main stage going on Friday night.

Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell

Guitarist Jonny, a graduate of the Newcastle Folk Degree course, has supported Rachel Unthank and the Winterset on their recent UK tour. Performing all his own material, he is accompanied on our stage by Lucy Farrell, who sings, plays fiddle, and occasionally (we hope she’ll bring it to Oxford) the saw.

Scarecrow

Back by popular demand, this Oxfordshire acoustic band unites folk, classical, rock and blues backgrounds. Whistles, flutes and pipes combine with bass, guitar, bouzouki and vocals in tight and unusual arrangements.

Wayland

The festival’s only storyteller, Wayland the Blackbird Bard, is back again with more wonderful and strange tales from the British and European folk tradition, with as a bright an eye and widely gesticulating hands as ever. Let Wayland take you on a journey of heroes, heroines and fairies and other magical creatures of old.

Maeve Bayton

Local ‘Queen of the Blues’, Maeve’s songs range from raunchy to poignantly sad, with some whimsical wit thrown in for good measure. Maeve mixes self-penned numbers with some relatively unknown traditional blues, combining a versatile voice of exceptional tone with guitar accompaniment and accomplished harmonica playing.

Cock and Bull Band

Ceilidh-ing till dawn (well almost) will be the Cock and Bull Band. They bring nearly 30 years experience of the folk scene with them, and more tunes and dances that you can shake a stick at. Our top tip? Comfy shoes, you won't want to miss a minute.

Tandara Mandara

Tándara mándara means ‘. . . and blah blah blah’. They are three blokes from Oxfordshire who steal music from all over Eastern Europe and play it on the fiddle (Ben Smith), accordion (Jim Greenan) and double bass (Chris Gardener). If the soulful sound of the fiddle over a cheeky bouncing rhythm doesn't get your goat, well, they also have very nice shoes.

James Bell

Local folk and acoustic scene regular, James Bell will be exploring the Canon of English Song by dividing it into seven deadly themes — humour, politics, sex, death, drink, faith and love. Featuring smash hits by John Dowland, George Formby, Gilbert & Sullivan, William Wordsworth, The Rolling Stones and many more . . .

Bill McKinnon

Oxford singer and guitar player — renowned for finding “the lost chord” in an extended pub session after his 14th pint . . .

Cosmic Aubergine

Cosmic Aubergine are a Bicester based folk rock band comprising two fiddles, guitar, bass and percussion. Not your traditional band — expect weird and wonderful female vocals over klezmerish acoustic music.

Jamie Huddlestone & Liv Dunn

Hailing from Devon, having met while busking in Torquay four years ago, Jamie and Liv have toured the towns and festivals of the South West. Liv's driving fiddle, combined with Jamie's sparkling accompaniment on guitar and squeezebox, makes for bouncy, foot-tapping sounds, but their sensitive delivery of songs can inspire the loudest pub to silence.

The Selenites

The Selenites are a violin and cello duo based in Oxford, playing traditional music with unearthly style and grace. Having met at the session in the Half Moon, Alice Little and Danny Chapman began to play regularly together, arranging traditional tunes and performing at a range of venues, including, most recently, as part of the Oxford International Women's Festival.

The Craic Addicts

Presenting Jesus College Oxford's renowned some would say notorious) traditional musicians! With Jack on vocals and guitar, Naomh on the fiddle, Jenny on the bodhran, Lynn on the harp and Seán on the flute, they're sure to bring a truly Celtic feel to the festival!

Rob Ryan & Friends

This year Rob Ryan’s fiddle is joined by Katie Butler on wooden flute and Ross Horne on guitar for more laid-back Irish tunes.

McDowell

Spooked folk rock, psych, alt country and baroque pop mesh to create McDowell's exotic kaleidoscope of sound. Visual support comes in the form of vintage lighting effects and moving collage inspired by the music.

After 2008’s 35 shows, the band are planning to release their new album A Gap In The Curtains' early in 2009, before embarking on more live work, culminating in appearances on the summer festival circuit.

Cal Folger Day

Just singing out some old news, Cal Folger Day comes straight from someplace in America. You'll catch lullabies, lamentations, and low-down licks. Some listeners have heard a needle scratching in her groove, but it is really only in their heads.

Moonrakers

Moonrakers is an Oxford-based multi-instrumental group playing Celtic traditional music and some original tunes and songs. They play harp, fiddle, mandola, guitar, whistles and sing in close harmony with male and female voices. The overall sound is a rich texture of melody and counter-melody — an exquisite blend of relaxing music.

Wytham Wood

Named after one of Oxford’s magical places, Wytham Wood play an enchanting mix of traditional and self penned material. Julian Dickinson (acoustic guitar/vocals) and Georgie Cundall (vocals) make up this talented local duo.

Meryl Jane

Meryl Jane and collaborator, Patrick Amos take their influences from a variety of music.

Meryl's expressive singing style and experience in Brazilian and African music creates sweet melodies and captivating grooves.

Bob & Gill Berry

Stalwarts of the Wiltshire folk scene, over the past 25 years, Bob and Gill have delighted audiences with their harmony singing of a wide range of material from traditional sources and contemporary writers. In 2007 they received an award from EFDSS for their services to the folk world.

Their latest album, Bittersweet, is released on Wildgoose Records.

■ For the latest information visit the website: www.oxfordfolkfestival.com