Yorkshire Gig Finder© Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Quirky, quintessentially cool and incredibly friendly – the family run Limetree Festival lines up big names and regional artists from the worlds of jazz, funk and soul, side by side, in the natural conservation area and spiritual sanctuary of Limetree Farm, Grewelthorpe, North Yorkshire.
With its own stone circle and Iron Age round house, the festival offers a long bank holiday weekend of traditional festival fare with a hip, contemporary feel from 27 – 29 August.
2010 sees the third annual Limetree Festival which has fast become one of the most well respected small festivals in the country, earning a nomination for best new festival at the UK Festival Awards 2008 in its first year. This year’s festival line up showcases talent from around the world and across musical genres, including pop punk stalwarts The Blockheads, jazz specialists the James Taylor Quartet, international reggae star Rocky Dawuni from Ghana, fresh from the studio where he has just recorded his fifth album ‘Hymns for the Rebel Soul’ and Limetree favourites, soul and funk outfit Chunky Butt Funky.
For every artist or band new to the festival there are others that are keen to return. The extended Limetree family includes Keith Allen, who played there for the first time last year and is now involved in the planned Limetree Creative Arts social enterprise, currently in development, and Corinne Bailey Rae who consistently lends support to the festival. For the first time BBC Radio 6 Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show, which supports many of the bands performing at Limetree, will be broadcasting live from Limetree on Saturday night.
Bands play in one of three areas at Limetree. The Green Man stage shows many of the headline acts. This year alongside The Blockheads, James Taylor and Rocky Dawuni will be folk duo O'Hooley & Tidow who are releasing their album ‘Silent June’ on 26 February 2010; Huddersfield’s own Kava Kava who are currently
taking on the US where they will be appearing at the world renowned South By Southwest Festival in Texas and Geordie funk duo Smoove and Turrell who are back on the festival circuit with a new single after performances at Glastonbury and the Big Chill in 2009.
The Haggis Horns saxophonist and husband to Corrine Bailey Rae, Jason Rae was part of the Leeds music scene before his premature death in 2008. As a tribute to their friend and colleague, Limetree founders Sean and Karen Birdsall named a stage after Jason and use this as a platform for the very best in regional and national talent. The diversity of the northern music scene is clear here with eight-piece hip hop funk band Mouse Outfit performing fresh from their first session at the legendary BBC Maida Vale Studios, recently signed dubsteppers the SubMotion Orchestra, dance DJ legends Utah Saints and afrobeat space jazz from the Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra who release their highly anticipated debut album later this year.
After its rapturous debut at last year’s Limetree Festival, Queerinspace is back with music, comedy and film in its Bet Lynch tent - bigger and more fabulous than ever. Home to singer songwriters Ella Edmonson and Rodina, both of whom have recently released their debut albums; harpist Fiona Katie Roberts who plays,
designs and builds her own harps, Madam Laycock and her Dabeno Pleasures who bring a unique stage show of music and burlesque and ragtime revellers The Devil's Juke Box, time spent in the Queerinspace tent is sure to be time well spent, whether visitors count themselves queer or not.
The festival uses local suppliers, including beer from the Daleside Brewery, keeping costs low and offers incentives for festival goers to take their litter home. Stewards will also literally be running around collecting rubbish to ‘Yackety Sax’, the Benny Hill theme tune, which will be played at random intervals throughout the day. There are craft areas, face painting, workshops and nature trails ongoing throughout the weekend for children of all ages and special areas set up for family camping.
Sean commented: “I love the fact that simply through starting this festival we have created the chance for people to get together and make friends, many of which are lasting. All we want is to create something pure and beautiful where good people are and good people come; that’s why it is so important that those who come to our festival feel completely at home – that Limetree is like being in your friend’s back garden, only with better music.”
Limetree Festival: quirky
quintessentially cool and friendly
27 - 29 August 2010
Lime Tree Farm, Grewelthorpe, North Yorkshire
quintessentially cool and friendly
27 - 29 August 2010
Lime Tree Farm, Grewelthorpe, North Yorkshire
Rev Chunky of soul band Chunky Butt Funky (aka Cleve Feckleton) and one of the organising forces behind the Limetree Festival talked to the Yorkshire Gig Guide about the festival, music, friendship and soul...
Madam Laycock and her Dabeno Pleasures who bring a unique stage show of music and burlesque on Friday to Limetree, in Conversation with Andrew of the Yorkshire Gig Guide