Liverpool-born BBC Radio 2 DJ Janice Long will host the city’s inaugural Folk Festival on the Dock next month, organisers have announced.
The first female presenter of Top of the Pops who has since become renowned for promoting new talent, will be joined by a number of top musical names who have also just been added to the bill.
The Albert Dock event on 26-29 August will also bring performances form contemporary folk acts including The Lost Brothers, Laura J Martin and award-winning British singer/songwriter Blair Dunlop.
The trio of performers will join previously announced musicians on the bill including Alasdair Roberts, former Bellowhead member Benji Kirkpatrick and Gilmore & Patrick to name a few.
Revealing the latest line-up additions Clare Rawlinson, marketing manager at Albert Dock Liverpool, says: “Having a host of Janice’s calibre is a real coup for the event and for Liverpool. Janice is another success story in Liverpool’s rich musical heritage, and her passion and dedication for discovering and promoting new talent fits in perfectly with the essence of the event.
“Likewise, it’s exciting to add some more local talent to the line-up. The Lost Brothers honed their sound in Liverpool during the city’s explosion of musical creativity in the mid-noughties alongside such bands as The Coral and The Zutons. Laura J Martin hails from Maghull, and recently recorded her third album, ‘On The Never Never’ in Nashville, which was a hit with critics and fans alike.
“Blair Dunlop is one of Britain’s most exciting talents to come from the folk scene in recent years, and his second LP, ‘House of Jacks’, gained critical acclaim and even won the BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award.”
The free new festival has been commissioned as part of the Albert Dock Liverpool 175 strategy and is supported by Liverpool City Council.
It will also feature some ticketed elements, including concerts by The Christians and Henry Priestman and Sam Winston at Tate Liverpool.
This year’s Liverpool Shanty Festival will also form part of the event, and will showcase international shanty artists along with a choral event bringing performances from established choirs as well as a newly formed Albert Dock Community Choir.
