News: Just over a week to go until Musicport Festival

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With over 60 acts over one weekend in one main venue Musicport 2015 is all set to deliver some world class acts to an audience that have come to expect something very special from this internationally renowned festival.

Always trying to develop new and innovative ways to showcase the array of acts, Musicport are happy to announce the new addition of Bob’s Blundabus – a 40 seat Double decker comedy venue – and a commissioned opening piece with Gambian Kora player Sura Susso and Whitby pianist Jess Wright (working alongside Project Jam Sandwich & local music students) through to a closing performance by Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band it is a non-stop and varied programme of music, comedy, films, food and spoken word events.

Local schools West Cliff & East Whitby will be involved through workshops and performance.

Highlights of this year’s event are likely to be:

Swedish 14 piece band Världens who put in a brief appearance at 2014 Festival and astonished everyone who saw them then.
Transglobal Underground joining forces with Albanian brass band Fanfara Tirana
Dub Colossus. Massive Ethiopian reggae roots and jazz ensemble.
Frigg the massed fiddle band from Finland.
The award-winning Demon Barbers XL who were such a hit at Coastival in 2014
Top European Cajun band The Cajun Roosters.
And of course Eliza Carthy from Robin Hoods Bay with her big band on the last date of a tour that has been garnering ecstatic reviews countrywide.

Friday night of the festival also sees the North Sea Stage hosting the Yorkshire Grassroots Music Awards with several of Yorkshire’s finest acts being showcased whilst Terry Hall of The Specials will be playing a DJ set on main stage.

A cookery stage will feature cookery demonstrations from several artists including Cajun, North Indian, Swedish, Costa Rican & West African cuisine.

There are also lots of daytime workshops in subjects like Indian Song & Percussion, Spoons, Tai Chi, Yoga, African drumming, Poetry, Songwriting, Salsa & Cajun dance… and there’s a very popular open mic stage for audience members and artists to do impromptu sets.

Marry Waterson & David A Jaycock will be giving an exclusive preview of their new album ‘Two Wolves’ at the fringe venue Rusty Shears Gin Palace on Friday night. Punk poet Attila The Stockbroker will also be launching his autobiography ‘Arguments Yard’, named after the Whitby place of the same name, on Sunday lunchtime at the same venue.

A Sunday morning sponsored sea swim/dip accompanied by the colourful Frumptarn Guggenband will be in aid of The Refugee Council who will be speaking at the festival and gathering support for their invaluable work throughout the weekend.

Weekend, day and session tickets are still available – Tel 01947 603 475.