The Magpies Festival – Preview

By Mike Ainscoe on 19th July 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

News of the family, friendly, folk festival – The Magpies Festival of music and arts.

We’re off to another festival! After months of kicking our heels, we have three this Summer and The Magpies festival of music and arts looks particularly tasty.

Run by Yorkshire-based transatlantic folk band, The Magpies, The Magpies Festival is a brand new music festival that will take place on Saturday 14th August 2021 in the stunning parkland of stately home Sutton Park, near York.

The line-up is set to include some of the UK’s finest folk, acoustic and americana musicians, including Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra, Blair Dunlop, Katherine Priddy, Dan Webster, Katie Spencer, Roswell, and lots more across two stages and some stunning grounds.

We’re excited to catch a couple of our folky faves. We’ve followed (and stalked) Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys for a while now. They have a new album at the starting gate and we’ve had a sneak preview and it’s sounding packed with driving banjo fuelled goodness.. Blair Dunlop too is a star either on his own with an acoustic guitar or with any sort of band behind him. He recently released his Queensland live album (which of course we reviewed).

Guaranteed swing and swagger comes from Rob Heron and Katherine Priddy has a new album – The Eternal Rocks Beneath (our review) – and we’ll be covering her tour later in the year. Nothing wrong with a sneak preview though 😉

And, of course, it wouldn’t be The Magpies Festival without the transatlantic folk of The magpies themselves.

As an all-female band, The Magpies are set on championing gender equality in the music industry. Led by female Festival Director, Holly Brandon, The Magpies Festival endeavours to achieve gender parity in both its line-up and staff, as well as providing a safe and comfortable environment for female musicians and festival-goers.

The festival is supporting national charity Women’s Aid, who are working to end domestic abuse against women and children.

Listen to The Magpies’ I Never Will Marry: