Ceilidhs
The ceilidhs are a hugely popular part of the Warwick Folk Festival experience. As always we try to bring the best ceilidh bands to town to make sure the weekend goes with a real swing!
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Ceilidh bands booked in 2010
Glorystrokes
Possibly the world's only metal/hardcore/trad english folk dance band, GloryStrokes bring together some well known names from the UK folk dance scene with a cataclysmic dash through their skeleton riddled musical closets.
Take two melodeons, double kick drums, detuned guitars, beats, samples and weird keyboard noises and you're left with traditional music as it hasn't been heard before, bridging the barrier from barn dance to mosh pit.
Whapweasel
Since winning the 'Best Dance Band category of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and in 2005, the band has evolved into the 10-piece behemoth of 2010, sucking in all manner of styles and influences on the way, and emerging with a twin-box front line in the majestic form of Simon Care (Edward II, Albion Band, Tickled Pink) and Saul Rose (Faustus, Waterson:Carthy, Random). John Hirst (UK Mapex Drummer of Tomorrow winner) has replaced Bob Wilson, and trombonist Joe Fowler's jazzy slurs and jabs will be bringing exciting new colours to the legendary toot section.
Over and above their distinctive stage-wear and cunningly choreographed soft-shoe shuffles, it's the band's repertoire of self-composed tunes and some carefully selected songs, that gives them their unique musical thumbprint, with five albums of strikingly original material released over the last decade.
A typical Whaps show blends a dizzying diversity of elements into a multi-cultural, multi-vitamin mélange that would coax a sloth in a coma onto the dancefloor. Hang on to your hats: the Mighty Wind of Whap is heading your way...
Ceilidhography
Ceilidhography, described as a "Super-funked up Ceilidh Band" are the new kids on the block from Shropshire and the West Midlands. Established for four years, they are still relatively new on the circuit and pride themselves with many years of folk experience that helped to create the band. Endeavouring to retain the English tradition of Ceilidh and then flavour it with an eclectic mix of world beats and influences, they add to their traditional repertoire with the emergence of 'hand-penned' tune sets to offer a taste of something new and enticing to whip the dancers into a frenzy. The current band line up is: Simon Bannister (melodeon), Matthew Keegan-Phipps (Saxophone and Recorder), Matthew Pearson (Electric Bass Guitar), Gerry Bailey (Acoustic Guitars), Josh Smallbone (Electric and acoustic guitar), Adam Courthold (Drums) and Cate Bannister (Fiddle and Caller).
Callers booked in 2010
Baz Parkes
Regular caller and melodeon player with the hugely popular Shropshire ceilidh band All Blacked Up, this year we are challenging Baz to get 'down among the dead men' at Friday's pirate-themed WaterAid ceilidh with Glorystrokes. We're confident he'll rise to the challenge...
Gordon Potts
Gordon is arguably the best-known ceilidh dance caller in the country and he is also still a member of the committee which organises the Knees Up Cecil Sharp Ceilidhs at Cecil Sharp House. Larger than life, Gordon is one of the three remaining members of the original Committee Band line-up. Responsible for much of the "jangly" guitar sound of the band, Gordon was with Diane a member of Wizzard Wheeze, and is a member of the Hammersmith Morris Men.
Cate Bannister
Cate hails from Coventry, with a diverse and immersive folk upbringing. She has worked on many musical productions and events ranging from amateur dramatics to performing in the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. She has also been calling with many other bands; Peeping Tom, The Simon Care Trio, Trinculo and Hekety to name but a few, as well as her home band Ceilidhography.
