Wild Willy Barrett takes French Connection to Kimpton on 23 April

'Godfather of grunge-folk' stars with French singer Aurora Colson in Kimpton Folk Festival pipe-opener

On Saturday April 23, Wild Willy Barrett and his four-piece French Connection ensemble will be appearing in a special fundraising concert for the inaugural Kimpton Folk Festival, to be staged at the village's Memorial Hall.

Fresh from their recordings in Glastonbury, Barrett (dubbed ‘the godfather of grunge-folk’) and his group are celebrating the release of their new album, an original melange of French, Irish and English acoustic arrangements, using everything from a guitar and cello to Irish pipes and banjo. Joining Willy will be acclaimed French singer Aurora Colson, cellist Mary Holland, and Irish musician John Devine, who recently performed for the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

According to John, he was lucky to be able to take up the Royal invitation after nearly losing his historical, priceless and irreplaceable set of pipes, which had to be dramatically rescued when the boat on which he was living with his family sank in 2009:

“I ran to the boat to find the case completely submerged. The pipes were left to dry gradually for almost 2 months in the hope that once re-assembled everything would be fine, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Extensive repairs had to be undertaken and they have only been fully restored to their former glory in the last two years.”

Notwithstanding this near disaster, the group's innovative arrangements performed on guitar, cello, fiddle, banjo and pipes have seen them grown in stature and popularity in recent years.

Something of a musical prodigy, having learnt to play the ukelele at the age of four, Willy describes himself as ‘an experimental multi-instrumentalist.’  Best known for his outlandish partnership with John Otway, (their onstage antics were interesting enough to make the ‘best of’ Old Grey Whistle test DVD), it is the gentler side of Willy that has emerged during his collaboration with this acoustic quartet. In his words:

“Having worked with Mary and John for more than ten years, I am delighted to be able to add French to the Irish/English mix. It has given us the chance to work on some interesting new arrangements, utilising the full range of instruments at our disposal to their full advantage, testing their scope to the limit. It has definitely widened our horizons.”

The concert, which promises a wonderful evening's entertainment, is being staged to support the forthcoming inaugural Kimpton Folk Festival - a brand new event which has grown out of a thriving local music scene in the village. Festival Committee Chairman Doug Jenner said:

“We’re delighted to be staging such top-class entertainers as Wild Willy Barrett and his French Connection. This concert will be a wonderful taster of what we have in store for our visitors on 9 July, when Wild Willy will be joined by a host of amazing artists, including BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners Nancy Kerr and James Fagan. We’re very excited to be hosting this concert and we hope to have a full house. Full information about the festival itself is available on our website."

Tickets for Wild Willy Barrett and The French Connection are £10, with free admission for those aged 16 and under.

Concert starts 8 pm.

Editors' Notes

*   Kimpton Folk Festival is being staged for the very first time on 9 July 2016. The Festival, which has grown out of a lively local music scene, features a wide array of highly regarded musicians, performing in a range of styles, from traditional English and Irish folk through funk, country and bluegrass. Centrepiece of the event will be three ticketed concerts on the main stage of the Memorial Hall, from 12pm - 11.15pm.

*   The festival will feature a range of family focused events and stalls under an open-sided marquee on the village green, as well as a continuous concert in the 13th-century church, instrument workshops in the village's Dacre Rooms, morris dancing and 'come all ye' sessions open to all musicians and singers.

*   Visit www.kimptonfolk.uk for complete information about Kimpton Folk Festival and follow on Twitter: @kimptonfolk

www.kimptonfolk.uk

@kimptonfolk

/kimptonfolkfestival