Dry the River, Raghu Dixit Project and more announced for HoneyFest

The intimate Honeyfest will also be adding the all-new BBC introducing stage this year with more info coming soon; for now the first batch of artists set to grace the Honeyfest hive this April can now be revealed.

Welcomed back for the second year and hotly tipped for big things in 2012, Dry the River will be taking to the stage. Joining them will be Nick Harper, with his majestic guitar skills and endearingly satirical songs. Joining them on the bill will be crazy, cutting edge ceilidh troupe Cut-a-Shineand the genre blending Kidnap Alice who fuse bluegrass, blues and folk.  With the Battle of the Bands competition only a few weeks away and the first headliners news coming very soon, Honeyfest is sure to mark the Spring calendar with the sweetest music yet!

Meet the bands…

Dry the River – Honeyfest are delighted to welcome back the haunting vocals and beautiful melodies of Dry the River. As supporters of the first event, Dry the River have gone from strength to strength since, and are making waves in the music world including getting a mention on the BBC Sound of 2012 List.  

http://www.drytheriver.net/

Raghu Dixit Project – One of India’s best selling artists, Raghu Dixit Project remarkable rise has been nothing short of spectacular. As part of India’s blossoming alternative music scene, they create rousing folk rock that is making waves internationally.

http://raghudixit.com/

Nick Harper – known for his wild personal introspection and biting political satire via a charmingly caustic wit, Nick often seamlessly moves from his compositions to well-loved covers, effortlessly delivered in his style. Nick takes on Presley, Zappa, Jeff Buckley, Led Zeppelin, Monty Python and Public Enemy (yes, on an acoustic guitar!) Honeyfest is really excited and pleased to have Nick perform in 2012.

http://www.harperspace.com

"If imagination, energy and bags of talent were the only factors in makingK a successful pop career, few would deny that Squeeze man Glenn Tilbrook has backed a winner in Nick Harper…Splendid stuff" – MOJO magazine

Cut A Shine

Cut A Shine are a London based troupe of traditional musicians, dynamic dancers and crazy callers determined to spread the word that the Hoe Down is a’happening! From Hoxton to Humberside, from Amnesty International to Bestival, Cut A Shine are putting the ceilidh back on the map with sell-out parties in London to top summer festivals. This “Anarchic Hillbilly Barn Dancing Squad” will bring a rip-roaring, thigh-slapping, pavement-stomping, exhilarating, heart thumping, blood pumping barn dance creation to the green pastures of Honeyfest!

http://www.cutashine.co.uk/

Kidnap Alice

Kidnap Alice are a new band bursting on to the London scene with furore; set to spread across the UK with an upcoming tour and bookings at this Summers UK festivals – Honeyfest will be one of the first chances to see them this year! The band mix up classic Bluegrass and 'Old Time' tunes with a modern twist, and give their own original songs the Bluegrass treatment with fiery mandolin, blistering banjo and slapped bass. With soulful vocals and tight arrangements from a classic acoustic string band line up, the band bridge the gap between vintage Rhythm and Blues and Appalachian mountain music. The band's début festival performance took place at Glastonbury in 2010 and have since performed at Camp Bestival, The Big Chill, Green Man, Bestival, Secret Garden Party, The Alternative Village Fete at the National Theatre, and The Shakespeare's Globe amongst others.

http://kidnapalice.wordpress.com/

This is the first wave of acts to be announced, the first headliners announcement is soon to follow, as well as the results from the Battle of the Bands which will take place on 3rd February, where competition winners will seize their chance on the big stage amongst some of the UK’s leading festival acts.

TICKETS INFO:

The tickets are available through the website www.honeyfestuk.com or directly through Ticket Web at: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=xxx&query=schedule&promoter=honeyfest&interface=honeyfest and Sound Knowledge, Hughenden Yard, Marlborough.

local discounted tickets are available from the 2011 venue, The Barge Inn, Honey Street, Wilts. http://bargeinncommunityproject.com/

 

Honeyfest rescheduled for Spring

Also playing the Honeyfest 2011 will be hotly-tipped Dry The River, and Gabby Young & Other Animals. Local acts Matthew Kilford and Slaggerij will also be performing. 

Honeyfest is part of the Barge Inn Community Project, which is funded through Village SOS; a joint venture between BBC1 and the Big Lottery Fund which is supporting villages across the UK to start up new business ventures that rejuvenate rural and village life.
 
Villagers from around the Vale of Pewsey, in Wiltshire, have been awarded a £433k grant through Village SOS to take over their local pub, the Barge Inn. To launch their project with maximum impact they will be staging a mini-festival, Honeyfest, at the pub now rescheduled for on the 16th April. This unique all-dayer is the first of its kind for the area and will help the villagers in their mission to rejuvenate the social hub of the village. As countless rural UK pubs close each year; never has the need for such events in rural areas been more pressing.
 
The top class, international line up includes the stunning vocals of BRIT winner Laura Marling, happy harmonies of The Magic Numbers, the haunting melodies of Dry the River and eccentric wild cabaret from Gabby Young & Other Animals. This is not your ordinary pub gathering or spring fete!
Sandra Bhatia, Project Co-ordinator said: “We were so disappointed when the snow scuppered our earlier attempt to host Honeyfest in December 2010 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Barge Inn. The new event on 16 April promises to be very special indeed – we’ve still got these amazing acts lined up to play, but now because we’re holding it during springtime, we can also put on some other communities activities, so it will have something for everyone.”
“The proceeds from the event will go towards helping the community to run the pub and make it a real asset the locals and visitors to the area will want to keep returning to.”
 
This event is open to all, so people not from the local community can get their tickets for the bargain price of £35 from Ticketweb. http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_south&query=detail&event=419031