Purbeck Valley Folk Festival – 14th-17th August 2024

Just what are the ingredients of a great, family folk festival? A variety of fantastic music – naturally. How about lots of family friendly activities and a big choice of local food and drink – definitely.  Then lets throw in some of the liveliest audiences you’ll find anywhere, a dash of comedy, a relatively tame Velociraptor, a few Spitfires and even a pair of local Sea Eagles for good measure, all served up in arguably one of the prettiest parts of the world?… Now you’re talking!

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is spread over four days, At The Barrier were in attendance for the Saturday and Sunday of the 2024 edition.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Founded in 2010, the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival has steadily grown in stature and reputation, while still retaining its grassroots charm. The festival was the brainchild of Catherine Burke, who envisioned a gathering that celebrated the richness of folk music, combined with the beauty of the Dorset landscape. Over the years, the festival has stayed true to its roots, showcasing a diverse mix of folk, roots, and acoustic music, while also embracing other genres and art forms. Set on the stunning Isle of Purbeck, the festival enjoys a location that is as much a part of its identity as the music itself.

The festival site, located on a working farm, provides a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside, with distant glimpses of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site, this rural setting not only enhances the festival experience but also creates a warm and welcoming environment, far removed from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

2024 LINE-UP

The 2024 edition of the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival was a spectacular celebration of folk music, featuring a line-up that included both established acts and emerging talent. Headliners included Seckou Keita & the Homeland Band, The Longest Johns, John Smith, Kila, Dirk Powell and Le Vent du Nord.

A FESTIVAL FOR ALL

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is its appeal to all ages. The festival is designed with families in mind; and many were in attendance, offering a wide range of activities that keep children and adults alike entertained throughout the weekend.

From the Fire Stage field, which features crafts, storytelling, , yoga, meditation, song workshops, climbing wall, archery, welly-wanging, space hoppers and circus skills workshops, there is no shortage of things to do for the little and not-so little ones. This focus on family-friendly activities makes the festival a perfect destination for parents looking to introduce their children to the joys of live music and the vibrant festival atmosphere. For older children and teenagers, there were music workshops, where they could learn to play instruments and even join impromptu jam sessions.

GETTING INVOLVED

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is not just about music, there’s also Carl’s Comedy Club which included a variety of performances throughout the festival. The festival also provides the opportunity for you to flex your creativity and have a go – whether that be on the open mic music and poetry stages, a poetry slam, dancing or even through the various fancy dress and beard growing competitions, which were hugely entertaining – even if the otherwise superb compere was too young to know who Professor Yaffle is – I mean, seriously!

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is compact, but just a little too big to watch and review everything on offer, although with careful planning you should be able to enjoy your time without experiencing too much FOMO and after all, there’s always next year!

FOOD AND DRINK

Food and drink were another highlight, with a very wide selection of often locally sourced, organic options that cater to all tastes and dietary requirements. From the farm’s very own Aberdeen Angus beef to indulgent ice creams, the festival’s food offerings were as diverse as the music itself.

DANCE

Would it be a folk festival without some traditional dancing? of course not. Purbeck offered many opportunities to get footloose, including several Morris dancing workshops, Square dance, Global Discotheque and a couple of incredibly popular Ceilidhs.

MUSIC

There are multiple stages and performance areas across the farm, although only four are listed in the programme, including the big three that are the Big Barn (which should probably be renamed the Very Big Barn), Longbarn and Fire Stage, quite a few of the bands performed twice reducing the risk of missing them completely over the four days. Music is also performed in another barn that doubles as a very lively pub called The Udder Bar – the bar hosted a variety of acts including the Wareham Whalers and the hugely entertaining Bierfass Band who briefly turned the Dorset barn into a full-blown, Oktoberfest Bavarian Bierhalle.

SATURDAY

Highlights of a very sunny and warm Saturday included London based brass band Danger Goat, a sublime masterclass from Michael McGoldrick & Tim Edey, a fun and uplifting performance from Threepenny Bit (the band also provided the soundtrack to an immensely enjoyable Sunday Ceilidh), Purbeck favourite Martha Tilston , a rambunctious and highly entertaining set from The Great Malarkey and a rare opportunity to see the superb Kila who closed the evening in riotous style in the Big Barn.

SUNDAY

I must confess that I was not in the best of spirits on Sunday morning following a disturbed night of sleep – seriously people, please keep the noise down after midnight, none of us are getting any younger. But my woes were soon eased with a couple of very tasty crepes, a decent cup of tea and the promise of the line-up to come.

However it was still very much the morning when a large group of ukulele players pitched up in front of the photographers bench and to our horror started to tune their instruments – what had we done to deserve this we lamented! But our initial reluctance to embrace the presence of the Southampton Ukulele Jam was quickly replaced with a sense of childlike wonder as they belted out a very eclectic catalogue of hits, their enthusiasm was infectious and this was rewarded by an ever increasing audience who joined us to embrace the twangling, uplifting performance.

Converted to the mysterious ways of the ukulele many of us headed to the Big Barn to listen to the beautiful Taberna Folk of Gabriel Moreno & the Quivering Poets. In the Longbarn N’Famady Kouyaté performed the first of his two sets, firstly a solo set, later he closed the Big Barn with his full band – N’Famady’s mastery of the Balafon is mesmerising and both of his performances were highly charismatic and enjoyable. Arguably the two big crowd pleasing performances of the day were to come from The Longest Johns and Le Vent du Nord.

Those familiar with The Longest Johns will know that not only are they known for their fantastic renditions of shanties, but also for whacking random objects with a length of timber (obviously in a highly skilled, percussive manner) – well they surpassed themselves at Purbeck where they found an agricultural sink and proceeded the belt seven bells out of it.

Onto Le Vent du Nord and; for the sake of transparency, this Quebecois quintet are in my top three bands to watch live and have been some some time, so I was delighted when I heard that they would be performing at Purbeck. You don’t need to speak a word of French to appreciate their vast repertoire of traditional arrangements and self-penned works, you’ll find it near impossible to find finer musicianship – this is especially evident in their performances of Marianne, Au Bord de la Fontaine and the choreomania inducing Le Step a Alexis – which is also a solid barometer for determining who has seen Le Vent perform before (if you know, you know!)

Sunday and the festival drew to a bonkers but incredibly fun conclusion with Quinns Quinney who; for reasons unknown to myself, were all dressed for a wedding, but at times like this its just best to go with the flow and embrace the madness. As their bio states, they play silly songs in a serious way and serious songs in a silly way – and there’s not much more you can add to that! It was the perfect end to a very wonderful weekend.

A JOYFUL CELEBRATION

The 2024 Purbeck Valley Folk Festival was, in every sense, a joyful celebration. The music and activities were outstanding, the location breath-taking (which even exceeded expectations with regular fly-bys from the Spitfires based at Compton Abbas and a pair of Sea Eagles from Poole harbour) and the sense of community was palpable. Whether you were a seasoned festival-goer or a first-timer, the festival offered something for everyone, creating memories that will last a lifetime. The combination of top-notch performances, stunning scenery, and a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere made this year’s festival a standout event in my calendar, the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is not to be missed.

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival: Website / Instagram / X (formerly Twitter)

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube