West Country born singer-songwriter Seth Lakeman has been widely credited with bringing folk music to a new audience. His first two albums were fully self-financed and ‘Kitty Jay’ was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Seth has also previously won the Singer of the Year and Best Album awards at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. His 3rd album ‘Freedom Fields’ sold over 100,000 copies, leading to performances at V Festival and Glastonbury.

Seth blends elements of traditional folk and story telling, with modern indie-folk to produce live performances which exhibit a raw, rhythmic energy.

http://www.sethlakeman.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/sethlakeman

The Beautiful South have now morphed into ‘New Beautiful South’ after a breakup of 2 years.

Formed 20 years ago, the band have sold over 15 million albums worldwide and packed out stadiums and arenas throughout that period. They’ve had a string of hit singles such as Old Red Eyes Is Back, Rotterdam, Don’t Marry Her, Perfect 10 and Number One single A Little Time. Their greatest hits album, Carry On Up The Charts, was one of the fastest-selling albums in UK history, entering at Number One and staying there for weeks, becoming one of the country’s most popular albums ever.

Carrying on where they left off Dave Hemingway & Alison Wheeler (Vocals), Dave Stead (Drums), Damon Butcher (Keys), Tony Robinson and Gaz Birtles (Brass) are now joined by Phil Barton (guitar), Karl Brown (Percussion) and Steve Nutter (Bass) resurrecting the songs and the sounds of this Great British Pop institution by dipping into the Beautiful South songbook as well as writing new material.

www.newbeautifulsouth.co.uk
www.myspace.com/newbeautifulsouth

Adrian Edmondson is best known as a comedian in The Young Ones, Bottom, and The Comic Strip Presents.

He’s no stranger to the music world having played the Monsters of Rock and Reading Festivals with Bad News, the Hootenanny with Jools Holland, Hyde Park with The Who, and he’s toured with The Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band.He’s also had a No 1 single with Cliff Richard! As a director he made lots of music videos in the 80’s for the likes of The Pogues, Squeeze, Elvis Costello and 10,000 Maniacs.

www.thebadshepherds.com

Dreadzone are an eclectic fusion of dub, reggae, techno, trance, and folk. They had a UK hit in 1996 with Little Britain. Radio One DJ John Peel had earlier championed their cause, selecting six Dreadzone tracks in his Festive 50 for 1995. Dreadzone’s music evolves with each album.

They are known for their use of unusual samples, be it classical music or obscure films.

We welcome Greg and the band back for Wychwood 2010.

www.dreadzone.com
www.myspace.com/gregdread

We welcome one of Ireland’s most innovative and exciting bands, Kila, to the main stage on Sunday. Playing together for more than 20 years, Kíla have created their own distinctive style of world music, which has won over audiences around the world through their spectacular live performances. The seven members come from different musical backgrounds and share a passion to create great music with an ability to absorb influences from across the globe. With its roots in traditional Irish, it features a strong percussive like singing and gorgeous melodies driven by a serious rhythmical undercurrent.

Recently nominated for an Oscar for their music on Bruno Coulais animated feature film, ‘The Secret of Kells’, these folk legends will also be headlining the St Partick’s day celebrations in Trafalgar Square this year.

http://www.kila.ie
http://www.myspace.com/kilaofficial

We are very pleased to welcome CBeebies superstar Justin Fletcher to wake us all up on Sunday morning! Justin is best known as the loveable Mr Tumble, and from numerous programmes like Tikkabilla, Higgledy House and Something Special as well as being the voice of Jake and Doodles in the Tweenies and Shaun in Shaun the Sheep…the list goes on and on! Justin will be entertaining us from the mainstage, and there will be the chance to meet him afterwards, so bring your best singalong voices, dancing feet, and your favourite fancy dress costumes!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/justin_interview.shtml

King Creosote (Kenny Anderson) has been ploughing his own musical furrow on the wild East Coast of Scotland for over a decade and to date has released over 40 albums.  His latest, Flick the Vs, released in 2009 is described by Sophie Bruce of BBC Music as ‘an absolute corker’.    She talks of his ‘lilting Scottish vocals, pace and style changes that keep you guessing’.   Anderson is also the founder of the Fence Collective – a loose-knit amalgam of singer-songwriters, musicians, bands and electronic artists, who collaborate with one another on record, as well as on stage, sharing songs with one another very much in the folk spirit.

We welcome King Creosote to our Sunday programme.

www.myspace.com/kingcreosote

Rook and the Ravens are part of a recent wave of Americana-indie that’s been emerging from Manchester. Their songs are gritty but upbeat and packed full of catchy hooks and harmonies. The band are becoming regulars on the festival circuit and have frequently been compared to Neil Young.

“Rook and The Ravens impress with a versatility reminiscent of The Byrds and Traffic” – The Independent

http://www.myspace.com/rookandtheravens

Baraka are a world music band who take their inspiration from the music of West Africa, South Africa, The Caribbean and Ireland, to produce an diverse and original sound. Their music is a heady mix of global beats, intricate rhythms and soaring melodies.

Since their formation, Baraka have delighted audiences all over Europe. Baraka recently filmed a cameo for Channel Four’s “Skins”, playing the part of an African band backing a gospel choir. As well as writing a song for one of the featured characters to sing, Baraka wrote, arranged and performed the gospel song featured in the episode.

“It’s a blue-skied blend of calypso, gentle reggae, jazzy highlife and lilting soca” – Venue Magazine

http://www.BarakaMusic.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/baraka2

London based 6 Day Riot will be taking to the main stage on Sunday. The band are renowned for their live performances and have played at several festivals including Glastonbury and Green Man. In 2009 the band supported Seth Lakeman on his UK tour.

The band were named as one of the top 10 “pop picks of 2009″ in The Times and their latest single has received National radio play on Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 music and XFM. Tracks from 6 Day Riot’s ‘Have A Plan’ album are also due to be featured on series 4 of Skins.

http://www.6dayriot.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/6dayriot

Take smooth British nuance combined with passion reminiscent of Joan Jett, and you get the mesmerising style and sound of Noush Skaugen. A sound that was borne of British music legacy and American rock style vibrates in this burgeoning talent. Noush has shared stages with acts such as TV On The Radio, Cold War Kids, REM, and the Stone Temple Pilots as well as touring America. Now heat is building in the UK. Noush recently performed at the Indigo O2 in London and represented the UK at SXSW in Texas.

Noush Skaugen was recently crowned the number one Independent/Unsigned artist on Twitter and has over one million online followers. She was awarded Alternative Pop Artist of The Year’ at The Los Angeles Music Awards, and ‘National Independent Rock EP of The Year’ at The Hollywood Music Awards. As a classically trained musician and songwriter, her audiences have delighted in her grounded and authentic style, her charisma and her electricity on stage.

“From the opening chords, the reasons behind her million strong Twitter following quickly became apparent” The Daily Mirror

“Anst-driven girly power balladeering” NME

http://www.NoushSkaugen.com

http://www.myspace.com/noushskaugen

http://twitter.com/Noushskaugen

Martha Tilston is a captivating performer, an enchanting singer-songwriter blessed with a gloriously clear and seductively beautiful voice. Weaving her magic spell over listeners wherever she plays – from the concert hall to the campfire, from folk clubs to main festival stages – she is a rare gem who has the power to draw an audience into her world and create an intimate space where her words and music dance and delight, leaving all those present with a smile, a warm feeling inside, and a few issues to ponder, too.

Visit Martha here.

J.O.E.L are a rip roaring rock band from Austria that reiterate all that is good with pop, crossing over the vibe of Greenday with the Offspring in a fresh live show that bursts with energy. They’ve toured extensively in Central Europe for the last three years and are on the verge of releasing their first album and single in the UK.

Expect pure energy, pure music and pure great fun!

http://www.joel-music.at
http://www.myspace.com/rockvondejoel

Thrill Collins (Cheltenham’s Best Band™) are a ska/skiffle/lounge/jazz trio that specialise in 80s & 90s covers. Their story is one of heroism and intrigue and this slot at Wychwood kicks off a string of summer festivals and European tour dates for the band.

www.myspace.com/thrillcollinsmusic

The Geees emerged from the Oxford Canal at Wolvercote, a hairy band of narrow-boaters brandishing strange instruments including bagpipes and percussion. The band pride themselves on their ability to get people dancing, especially on a sunny festival afternoon!

The Geees have played a number of festivals including the Secret Garden Party, Shambala Festival and a show in Trafalgar Square. The band offered up a stunning performance at Wychwood 2006, so we are glad to welcome them back.

http://www.myspace.com/thegeees

Pop-punk band The Echoes’ catchy rifts and memorable lyrics have secured their place as one of the most popular local bands in Cheltenham. Whenever they play live, their audiences can be caught humming their songs for weeks.

The band have been played on Radio 1 and toured the UK in 2010 gaining rave reviews. The Echoes are influenced by bands such as You Me At Six, Paige, Mayday Parade, All Time Low and Futures.

http://www.myspace.com/theechoesmusic

Despite his young age, Theo Altieri has already gained considerable recognition, performing his mix of indie folk music all over the South of England with unassuming style and superb guitar playing.

Theo started song writing whilst in a band at the age of 8 and soon went solo with a collection of his own songs. Recently he has played a number of festivals including The Great Escape and Wood Fest. He has also supported Babyshambles and being nominated for a BBC West award.

“At just twelve years old, Theo Altieri, has within him the ability to embarrass the rest of the music industry with his astoundingly developed talent for songwriting and performing” efestivals.com

http://www.myspace.com/theoaltieri

An Acoustic Covers act from Cheltenham, Who play a wide range of covers from chilled Reggae to something to move your feet to.

Expect to hear some covers like; The Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, Bob Marley and many more sing along classics.

http://www.myspace.com/notinmynature

As Part of our Pomme Stage, we introduce Hats Off To The Big Man.

Who feature vocals and guitars from two of the county’s most prolific aural offenders.

Chris from Heretics & Lovers and Elliott from Rookie/Error bring you one spectacular change of pace from their normal offerings that creates something delicate, beautiful and unique.

Individually and collectively humming, strumming, scraping and plucking since the last century, Macaroni Wood have most recently gone a little Celtic for the punters during Cheltenham Race Week and then at the Craven Arms Cider Festival.  Working with fiddle, guitars, harmonium, mandolin and vocal harmony, they offer an intoxicating blend of Irish, Scottish, English, Canadian, American and European contemporary and traditional acoustic songs and music.