First night of Shrewsbury Folk Festival will see music legend take to the stage

Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, who had Top 20 hits with Judy Teen, Mr Soft, Mr Raffles, Here Comes The Sun and their number one Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me), will be one of the headliners as the festival gets underway.

Festival organisers have also secured an exclusive performance from Budiño, the band led by world class Galician piper Xosé Manuel Budiño, to close the festival’s Bellstone stage on Monday.

Edgelarks, a rare duo performance from Johnny Coppin and Phil Beer, the Yola Carter Band, a new folk dance music and storytelling show from Will Pound called Through the Seasons, and Anglo-Americana pairing A Different Thread will also perform.

Other names include the Richard Thompson Electric Trio, Steeleye Span, Turin Brakes, Show of Hands, Jon Boden and The Remnant Kings, Irish supergroup Usher’s Island, American singer songwriter Gretchen Peters, Daoirí Farrell Trio, Peter Knight’s Gigspanner Big Band, Canadians The Fitzgeralds, Shooglenifty with Rhajastani band Dhun Dhora, The Mighty Doonans, Guo Yue and Joji Hirota with members of London Taiko Drummers, Skerryvore, Fisherman’s Friends, Rusty Shackle, Peter Knight and John Spiers, State of the Union, Brooks Williams Band, O’Hooley & Tidow, Megson, Blowzabella, The Wilson Family and more.

Director Sandra Surtees said: “This year’s line up reflects our desire to offer a wide range of music from traditional folk to more contemporary acts in the genre, world music, Americana and the best of singer songwriters such as Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.

“Budiño is renowned for his high energy performance and the band will undoubtedly close the festival in style. They play to enormous crowds around the world and it’s a real coup to tempt them to Shrewsbury.”

Around 7,000 people are expected to attend the four-day festival at the West Mid Showground in Berwick Road, which runs until Monday.