The Friday night headliners include the Top 10 Album charting & Mercury Prize Nominees The Magic Numbers, world famous jazz guitarist Martin Taylor MBE and Black Umfolosi from Zimbabwe. Other acts on Friday include Moscow Drugs Club, Jamie Smith’s Mabon (Wales) The Peace Artistes and Geoff Berner (Canada).
Saturday headliners include The Mahotella Queens the revered, veteran song and dance trio from South Africa, Kathryn Tickell & The Side the highly regarded Northumbrian piper and her band, poet, broadcaster & Chancellor of Manchester University Lemn Sissay, Sarah Jane Morris (of The Communards, & more, fame) and DJ Don Letts of Big Audio Dynamite and 6Music. Other Saturday acts include Jackson Reed (South Africa) fine blues/acoustic singer/songwriter Sean Taylor, the eclectic genius Rory McLeod and the Familiar Strangers & Michael Messer’s Mitra a unique fusion of blues slide guitar, Hindustani classical slide guitar and tabla rhythms. Whitby pianist Jess Wright will be joining forces with percussionist and Young Musician of the Year finalist Delia Stevens to take the audience on an instrumental world tour.
Sunday headliners include Lynched the Dublin band nominated for three Radio 2 Folk awards in 2016 including best live act, Soupsongs Live led by trombone legend Annie Whitehead performing the songs of Robert Wyatt, John Smith the Devonian guitar maestro/singer & acapella folk trio and Coope Boyes & Simpson on their final tour and with their final album being released on the festival weekend. Other Sunday acts include fine bluegrass band Ragged Union(USA), rising English folk star Maz O’Connor, extraordinary young flautist Maïa Barouh (Japan/France) with her band, Icelandic folk band Árstíðir and acclaimed Tango singer Martin Alvarado (Argentina). Young Swedish multicultural 16-piece band Världens who brilliantly headlined last year’s festival will also put in an appearance on the Sunday we believe.
Throughout the festival there will be demonstrations of cookery from different artists’ cultures hosted by celebrity chef, comedian and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli and various workshops for children and adults. Outside the main venue will be Bob’s Blundabus the comedy/fringe venue that proved such a popular addition in 2015. Spoken word events include a book reading and Q & A with Miles Hunt of The Wonder Stuff and a round table discussion of music & politics led by Daniel Rachel whose book Walls Come Tumbling Down will have been recently published.
The indoor cafe area will become the hub for the weekend hosting various local and nationally known DJs. Outside food vans will enhance the catering provision of the venue with food from several cultures and around the main hall there is a festival market/bazaar which helps create the feel and vibe of an outdoor festival but thankfully without the mud. For those wanting an outdoor experience there will be a Sunday morning sea dip accompanied by the excellent young drumming band Runaway Samba from County Durham.
The festival even offers indoor camping in The Brunswick Centre a converted church in the centre of Whitby.
Musicport Festival, Whitby Pavilion – West Cliff, Whitby YO21 3EN, 21-23 October 2016.
