This year’s festival has had just under 800 acts apply to perform, and is currently in the running for Yorkshire’s Outstanding Festival Award at the Yorkshire Gig Guide in October.
Ellen Cole, who runs the festival, says: “I am chuffed to bits with how much the festival has grown and I am really grateful to the York Food and Drink Festival team, who gave me the opportunity to set up York’s Little Festival of Live Music. The aim of the festival is to offer musicians the opportunity to showcase their work in front of a live audience who may or may not have experienced live music before. We have audience members who come to our festival year after year who have been inspired to attend more live music shows because of our festival. My first music gig experience was in 2012 where I was ‘dragged’ by a couple of friends of mine to see a band performing at the Black Swan Inn, that night changed my attitude towards live music and I have been hooked on it ever since.”
This year’s line-up sees bands and musicians from all over the country take to the stage including: Leeds College of Music student Ingrid Schwarts, Newcastle acoustic-folk performer Savannah Betts, Manchester’s own Dave Gorman, West Yorkshire’s orchestral folk-pop band Dear Friends, Yorkshire Coast sensation Gracie Falls and five-piece folk extravaganza Ramble Gamble from North Lincolnshire. Other acts who will be performing include acoustic-folk musician David Ward Maclean, Dan Webster, Duncan Macfarlane Band, popular York group The Blueprints, Americana folk combo King Courgette, country duo Mulholland, Leather’o, eight-piece theatrical band Vesper Walk, Everlate, These & the Other Guy, Flora Greysteel, The Bronze, Kitty VR, Jess Gardham, Laura Kindelan, Ava Rose and Charlie Daykin from Barcode Zebra, The YORKshire Puddingz, Kymberley Kennedy, York renowned performer Boss Caine and the veterans of the festival the Surf Sluts who are returning yet again due to popular demand.
Each year, the festival aims to raise money for a local cause and this year the festival will be once again working with York Mind. Ellen says: “We worked with York Mind last year and the money that was raised for them really helped contribute to supporting local people with mental ill-health. We are keen to work with them again this year to help them continue doing their great work in the York community”.
The festival will take place in the Music Marquee on Parliament Street from Friday 23 September – Saturday 1 October and admission into the event is free. The music starts each day at 5pm and will end approximately at 9pm. For more information on the festival visit: www.facebook.com/YorksLittleFestivalOfLiveMusic follow: @Live_Music_Fest on Twitter or email the team at yorkslivemusicfestival@gmail.com.
