This year there’s more happening at the festival than ever, including a Dog Show!
Registration is from 1pm – Why not enter your pooch? There will also be some car-boot stalls, bouncy castle and of course the bowling club bar will be open to keep you refreshed..
Incidentals are a female instrumental frame drumming band based in Todmorden and inspired by the style of the late Layne Redmond following her teaching of frame drumming as a spiritual path that connects us to the Sacred Feminine.
They are Oxana, Sandi and Sarah and we welcome them to the festival!
We welcome Three Men and a Box to the festival lineup this year, who promise to get us tapping along…
3 Men & a Box are Justin, Daz and Mark. They play a mix of their own Tunes and songs you all know and love but with a twist!
After delighting us at last year’s event with their heartfelt songs and sublime music Harry and MK return this year.
We’re really pleased they’ve agreed to come back!
Returning for a second year James Paul astounded all those who caught his set last year. His technically brilliant guitar playing will leave you amazed. Certainly one to catch this year, and one to watch for the future..
Photo: Rory Prior
The Actual Wizard of Oz will be looking for the Best Dressed Window in Heptonstall with the theme of “somewhere over the rainbow”.
Do your best between now and festival day, and post the pictures on our Facebook page for a chance to win with a prize to be presented by The Wizard Himself on festival day!
click here to visit our facbook page
The LAST CHANCE SALOON BAND brings a Hoedown with attitude for the 21st century with swinging tunes and dances.
Their high energy show mixes dynamic songs with traditional tunes, and country takes on modern classics.
We’re really excited to welcome local band The Tiny Minds to the festival bill this year.
The Tiny Minds are a 3 piece band from Hebden Bridge, whose folk, blues and psychedelia soaked pop reflect their tranquil and unique surroundings.
Described by DNA festival as ‘dreamy pop rock’, with ‘influential swoon’…
“Born in Salford and raised on romance, The Lottery Winners can be found at the exact midpoint between the North West’s dual musical Meccas of Manchester and Liverpool. Though Liverpool and Manchester have claimed many a legendary artist as their own, more often than not they hailed from somewhere betwixt the two, somewhere beneath Blake’s ‘dark satanic mills’, somewhere in Lancashire, somewhere called Leigh. The birthplace of Georgie Fame and the Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley, Leigh has done it again, spawning the best live band to emerge from the North-West in a generation:The Lottery Winners.”
We’re fantastically excited to be able to announce that The Lottery Winners will be joining the bill for a headline set at Heptonstall Festival this year. If you haven’t managed to catch these guys yet, you’re in for a real treat as this indie- pop quartet blend momentous melodies with wistful and insightful lyrics.
“The songs are the most important thing in the world to me, if they’re ever even a tiny fraction as important to other people, I’ll die a very happy man.” Thomas Rylance, frontman and songwriter.
Although the band have played extensively live, supporting the likes of The Futureheads, Jamie Cullum, The Charlatans and The Enemy, building up a loyal family of fans in the process, they’ve kept studio releases to a minimum. A very limited edition debut EP, Somebody Loved You, was released in April 2013 and those lucky enough to get their hands on a copy were rewarded with five nuggets of perfectly formed singalong gold, every lyric and guitar hook lovingly crafted with microscopic precision.
Have a listen for yourself:
Local duo Featherteeth are added to the bill for the Heptonstall festival this year, bringing their unique blend of avant-garde psychedelic rock to the festival line-up.
Brothers, Daz and Rew Brown, began playing in bands together in the early 90s starting with Heywood based death metal band Eternal Fear. Then, with a change in direction, towards avant-garde psychedelic rock, went on to be in another four bands together; Mr Lucky Bags, who experimented with tape loops and samples, ambient wild-track and found sounds along with guitar, vocals, bass and drums. Phorm, who were a Bristol based three piece consisting of guitar, vocals, bass and drums. Egg Tent, which included flute and saxophone. As well as Cookie Cutter who incorporated an electronic/dance element. One thing which remained consistent throughout each incarnation of the band was the unique sound that the Brown brothers had been constantly developing over twenty years. So when Cookie Cutter split up, the decision was made to continue as a two piece utilising and experimenting with looping and guitar synth technology, and Featherteeth was born.
Check them out here:
We’re really excited to announce of of the headline acts for the festival this year, Neal Bob Herd.
A founder member of the Alt.Bluegrass outfit The Coal Porters, NBH is also one of their principal songwriters. As a solo performer, he’s been called a “Scots Billy Bragg” literate, witty and barbed by turns. Proclaiming it vocally, with guitar rich in twang & tremolo, and a wry, dry way between the songs, he’s an all-rounder with real emotional depth in his writing, plus a well-developed sense of fun.
Neil Bob Herd and Friend
“Herd’s “Farmers’ Hands” nearly steals the show” No Depression
“Fine Original Compositions” Properganda
New EP “Unsolicited Recordings” available now
UPDATE: Sadly due to recording commitments, Flight Brigade will no longer be able to appear at Heptonstall Festival this year. We hope to welcome them to the festival in the future, and look forward to hearing their new material! Continue reading
Your chance to experience this amazing chamber choir from the Royal Northern College of Music as they perform original music from local Heptonstall composer Katie Chatburn, alongside works by Elgar, Arthur Sullivan, Stanford, Monteverdi, Gesualdo and more..
The Alchemy consort is a close harmony octet which was originally formed to perform in a series of Spotlight concerts at the Royal Northern College of Music. In those early performances they showcased a selection of madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi and Carlo Gesualdo. The group consists of mainly RNCM third year undergraduate vocal students but has recently expanded with members from various years. Since their début in the Autumn 2012 their list of repertoire has expanded to include not only Madrigals or Renaissance choral works but any work for choir or vocal ensemble spanning from the Medieval to the contemporary. They have recently explored the world of Romantic English choral music as well as experimenting with arrangements by modern groups such as the King’s Singers and the Swingle Singers. Having performed many times at RNCM and taken part in the 40th anniversary ‘RNCM in the City’ concert series with a successful concert at St Ann’s, Deansgate they went on to make their Bridgewater Hall debut in a lunchtime concert. They sang an eclectic programme ranging from their signature Monteverdi madrigals, through Mozart, Elgar and American Spirituals all the way to contemporary pop song arrangements. Most recently they premièred David Liggins’ “My heart is like a singing bird” at Didsbury’s Emanuel Church as well as receiving a master-class from The King Singers’ Alastair Hume.
Tickets cost only £5 and are available from the Heptonstall Post Office and on the door. Money raised will be donated to both the Heptonstall Methodist Church and Heptonstall Festival.
The Alchemy Consort Live at the Methodist Chapel
Heptonstall Parish Website 