We've added 2 names to the Sunday line-up, Joe Broughton's incredible Conservatoire Folk Ensemble and The Kris Drever Band, and there's another big name for Sunday to announce quite soon. Also, Helian, who played last year, will be back across the festival.
The Conservatoire Folk Ensemble will be brightening up the final hours of the festival with their “tremendously exhilarating and joyously life-affirming" performance - over 50 young musicians, some destined to be stars of the future if past line-ups are anything to go by.
“The atmosphere was so strong that after a very short journey home I already miss it like I can not describe. I am a very lucky man to have witnessed what I just have. To manoeuvre the audience and encapsulate each and every one of us the way the CFE did leaves me gob smacked and short of words…You MUST, MUST see this to understand just how fantastic it is.” – The Sentinel
And also on Sunday Evening is The Kris Drever Band. One of Scotland’s finest and most acclaimed songwriters, Kris Drever, has been working with a really special group of musicians over the last few years, mostly in the studio. He says "it’s time now to share these wonderful people and the experiences they create with as wide an audience as possible, because they’re fabulous". GTSF is the only English festival booked, giving you the chance to be amongst the first to see them in a festival setting.
And "conservatoire" seems to be a theme today. Helian are Rhiannon (vocals & flute), Che (guitar), Ben (cello), and Niamh (harp), who met at Leeds Conservatoire, where they all graduated in music performance.
"Intimate, introspective, and picturesque, Helian's music radiates a warmth that invites you in. Helian are a four-piece folk band based in Leeds, U.K, blurring the line between modern ethereal sounds and folk that spans everything from guitars and cellos, to fiddles and harps."
Having all been making music from their early days, each member of Helian brings a unique pool of experience and talent into the project. Taking influence from the folk traditions of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Scandinavia, their sound pivots between smooth, shimmery and atmospheric, whilst they explore stories surrounding location, love, loss, nature, the human experience, and family. You may have seen them at GTSF 2022 and they'll be here for the full festival this year.
Day tickets are now on sale, along with Weekend and Weekend Extra tickets here.
And an early heads-up for the new bar arrangements: we're introducing souvenir reusable cups this year. These are £2 each and you can take them home at the end of the festival. Alternatively you can bring your own - as long as they're not made of glass!
That's all for now but watch this space for another big Sunday announcement!
The GTSF Team