3 Daft Monkeys
Through 2 years of extensive touring this talented trio have exploded from Cornwall onto the international music scene. This innovative and exciting band combine rousing vocals, frenetic fiddling, rhythmical 12-string guitar, dancing bass and foot drum. Whether it's Celtic, Balkan, Gypsy, Latino, Cornish or other World Music you are drawn to, you will hear its influences in their self written music. Add to this the band's varied backgrounds from Dance, Dub, Punk, Reggae and Traditional Folk, and you have a stunning combination. It's quirky, it's groovy, it's fun ... we dare you not to dance!! Along with the release of their 3rd eagerly awaited new CD 'Hubbadillia', the band have just finished a highly successful tour of Europe supporting the Levellers. (Friday evening Cross Keys Marquee, Saturday evening The Dolphin, Sunday afternoon Boat Trip)

Andwella Consort
The Andwella Consort is a flexible ensemble - run by Michael Tyack & William Summers of Circulus - which provides music for both informal and educational occasions, and formal concerts. The first of the Friday evening programmes "Miri it is" includes troubadour songs from the French regions and the earliest known English secular songs using the vernacular, alongside contemporary dances. The surviving records of this repertoire are scarce and fragmentary, with such basic elements as instrumentation, speed and even rhythm and pitch left to the discretion of the performers. The second programme "England Be Glad" consists of music of much greater definition: starting with dances of the Italian and French Courts (14th century) through to the earliest epoch of European publishing - Odhecaton (1501) and Henry the Eighth's great collection (circa 1520). (Friday evening Corn Exchange 850 yrs of music Part 1)

Bill McKinnon
What an astonishing year it has been for Bill McKinnon. In an unprecedented move every major record label in the country has very nearly rung him up to offer a six figure recording deal. Bill says "I am astonished at the avalanche of interest shown in my digital dexterity by the moguls of the music industry. Only last night a very important mover and shaker would have rung - probably - but I couldn't wait in because I had to nip down the chippy". Said a local pub landlord "We are astonished, Bill is always very popular and I have managed to avoid booking him - wait for it - an unheard of seven times on the trot. He is great!" Bill has ordered a Bentley in ultramarine blue with banjo wheel trims. (Friday evening session Cross Keys, Sunday afternoon Boat Trip, Sunday evening session Coach & Horses)

Blo na Gael
Caroline Smith (vocals, whistles, bodhran), George Wilson (guitar, vocals) and Pete Searle (accordion, keyboards, doughnuts) hail from the South Coast and don't always take things too seriously. They are, however, serious about writing original material, performing to the highest possible standard while wetting themselves laughing, and saving enough money to get George a kilt for next Burns Night. He really does need the full 9 yards. Come and support this worthy cause! (Friday evening North Kinecroft Stage, Saturday evening Bunk Beer Festival, Sunday afternoon Boat Trip)

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Cat Kelly
Cat is equally confident calling for experienced ceilidh dancers or complete beginners. She has a lifetime's experience of folk dancing to draw from, and her confidence and infectious enthusiasm quickly entices people on to the dance floor. Cat has called at many of the major ceilidh series, including Knees Up Cecil Sharp, Reeling in Ealing, and Meltdown Ceilidhs, as well as CeilidhAid and Towersey festival. Her vocal workshops cater for all ages and abilities and work up from very simple rounds to complex beautiful harmonies in a surprisingly short amount of time (it surprises her anyway!). (Caller Friday evening ceilidh, Saturday afternoon workshop)

Champagne & Smoke
Victorian / Edwardian Music Hall was the entertainment of the man and woman in the street. It ranged from the high-toned songs of Charles Coburn ("Monte Carlo") and Ellaline Terris ("A little bit of string") to the Cockney ditties of Albert Chevalier ("Wot Cher!") and Marie Lloyd ("Don't dilly dally on the way"). Champagne & Smoke (Lola McDowell, Larry Barnes and Laurence Payne) will be happy to re-create all these and more, plus a liberal sprinkling of magic. If you don't remember the songs your grandparents sang, come along and learn them all over again! (Saturday evening Corn Exchange 850 years of music Part 2)

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Cozma Vaughan
Well crafted songs, fusing jazz, blues and folk, with beautiful heart felt lyrics. Performing and writing solo in recent years, Lu Cozma has been well received at such prestigious venues as; The Mean Fiddler, The Garage and many other concerts around Europe. An acclaimed guitarist, Gordon Vaughan has encompassed the styles of R’n’B, Jazz and Folk, for his own solo projects, as well as working with a multitude of bands and established artists. (Saturday afternoon Boat Trip, Saturday afternoon Corn Exchange Bar, Sunday afternoon Coachmakers Arms garden)

Crane River Cajuns
Hand reared by alligators on the banks of Eel Pie Island, this band serve up a hot Gumbo of two steps, spicy waltzes and their own foot-tapping original numbers. When these lads & lassies take the stage, it's time to party Cajun style... "laissez Les Bon Temps roulez!" Stephanie Graffitti - foxy fiddle, vocals; Jim Bean - double bass, vocals; Paul Castlemaine - acoustic guitar; Martyn Day - squeeze box, vocals; Paul Birkbeck - triangle, washboard, snare drum. (Sunday evening North Kinecroft Stage)

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CrossCurrent
CrossCurrent are an instrumental and vocal group based in the North East of England. Members of the band originate from England, Ireland and the Scottish Borders. They formed their musical friendship at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne where they have recently become the first graduates of the new degree in folk and traditional music. CrossCurrent have performed at various major festivals and venues throughout the U.K. and Europe and are all accomplished teachers of traditional music. Whilst rooted in their own individual styles, it is the innovative crossing of their traditions that makes CrossCurrent such a musically diverse band. - "... they chat and play the tunes with an understated sexiness and drive that would win over the most sceptical of audiences" - fROOTS. (Friday evening Bunk Beer Festival, Saturday afternoon Cross Keys Marquee, Sunday afternoon North Kinecroft Stage)

Damian Clarke
Pressgang's founder brings his rivetting solo set to BunkFest. He is a singer/songwriter with a difference. Damian is part storyteller, part traditional folk singer and part hurdy-gurdy (Drehleier) and dulcimer player. He also sings his own songs that are passionate and challenging, at the same time he likes his audience to have fun, to dance to his instrumental tunes, to realize the power of some of the oldest music. He believes in sharing traditions and cultures, showing how these appear in the roots of all European countries and beyond. (with Pressgang Friday evening North Kinecroft Stage; solo Saturday afternoon Step Off The World, Saturday evening Bunk Beer Festival)

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Dansmall
Dan Plews (guitar, bouzouki) and Guy Fletcher (fiddle) are two fine musicians from Northamptonshire; members of the 4-piece band Dansaul, since 1995 the duo have taken their mixture of original and traditional songs and tunes through the UK, Belgium, Germany and the U.S. This long pedigree lends a fluidity and intuition to their big sound, with Dan's playing and excellent songs augmented by Guy's incendiary playing - skills which have seen them tour and record with a veritable who's who of English musicians - Jon Boden, Little Johnny England, Kings of Calicutt, Eliza Carthy, and Ashley Hutchings to name but a few. (Sunday afternoon Cross Keys Marquee)

Dave King
One of Reading's finest justifiably unknown singer/songwriters. The man with more strings than sense is back, he has run singarounds and sessions at Caversham, Sidmouth and of course, infamously, BunkFest 2004. He can be seen in the local library giggling to himself and defacing Readers Digest. You too will end up like him if you don't stop playing the banjo! (Saturday Singing Train)

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David Lambert
Famed for his idiosyncratic (or just plain idiotic) introductions with New Forest-based band, Lady Winwoods Maggot, David Lambert has been involved with folk music for as long as he can remember. The Maggots, who are veterans of numerous festivals, including Glastonbury 2002 & 2004, supported the BunkFest in 2003 with a cracking performance on the Kinecroft. We welcome David back to BunkFest as a compere without compare and in his own right as a fine musician. (Compere Friday and Saturday evening Cross Keys Marquee, Saturday Singing Train)

Diego Brown & The Good Fairy
It's not often you come across an act as genuinely different, let alone one as entertaining and inventive as this duo. They have long been a cult darling of north London's acoustic scene. The siblings shot to wider notice when they played four sets in two days at Sidmouth Festival in 2000: billed as 'the Carpenters on a lost weekend in Twin Peaks', the pair went down a storm and since then their appearances at other festivals (including Towersey and Off The Tracks) have been similarly well-received. The duo's surrealistic vocal gymnastics and harmony, witty narrative lyrics and daunting musicality appeals to listeners of any age and persuasion. Although often labelled as 'roots and folk genre', their music takes in influences as diverse as the Bonzos, Ian Dury, Talking Heads and music hall - think Brummie buskers with a London edginess, a strong pop sensibility and atavistic memories of the BBC Light Program. (Saturday afternoon North Kinecroft Stage, Saturday evening Coachmakers Arms, Sunday afternoon Cross Keys Marquee)

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Ellis C. Taylor
Ellis Taylor was born in Western Australia and is of Scots, Irish, Welsh and Cornish descent. Now 52-years-old he has lived in both England and Australia. Ellis has had numerous supernatural experiences and this has engendered a passion for research into the mysterious aspects of life. A passionate seeker and proponent of truth he is a sought after speaker and has appeared on several TV and radio shows; in articles, newspapers, books and on the internet. Ellis has just published his first book, 'Living in the Matrix ~ Another Way', which is the first of a series delving into consciousness, human culture and history. During his fully illustrated talk Ellis will relate some of his life-long experiences and his interactions with other worlds and beings. (Sunday afternoon workshop)

Four Hand Reel
Four Hand Reel take their name from a dance particularly associated with the county of Dorset where they are based. However, the fact that dances with this name can be found throughout the Celtic world and beyond is intended to reflect their interest in traditional music in its broadest sense. The four hands of this duo play music from Celtic Britain, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, North America, Sweden and Eastern Europe, as well as several new compositions of their own. Four Hand Reel are Julian Gurr (mandolin, octave mandolin) and Andy Stone (guitar, vocals). (Friday evening Coachmakers Arms, Saturday afternoon workshop, Saturday afternoon Boat Trip, Sunday afternoon Coachmakers Arms Garden)

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George & Jenny Wilson
Born within the sound of the shipyard rivet guns, George moved South when he joined the Royal Navy as a boy. His family were well-known musicians in the North-East of England. During the floods of 1957 his Mother was rescued from the family home by paddling out on a sofa whilst his Father accompanied her on the piano. His music has been variously described as pop, folk, rock'n'roll and dire. He also has a great sense of humour! All joking aside, George has built up quite a reputation as both an entertainer and compere at some of the country's most prestigious music festivals (Guernsey, Maryport, Fareham, Winchester, Broadstairs) as well as in folk clubs and pubs all over England. He is also appearing at BunkFest with Blo na Gael. Daughter Jenny is rapidly gaining an excellent reputation as a compere in her own right. (George - compere Cross Keys Marquee Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Jenny and George - comperes North Kinecroft Stage)

Gerhard Kress
A craftsman maker of high quality bodhrans, Gerhard is well known on the festival circuit for his illuminating bodhran workshops. (Sunday afternoon workshop)

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Giles, Metcalfe & Woods
G.M.W. comprise of Ian Giles, Graham Metcalfe and Ian Woods. Collectively, they have been singing folk songs for about 120 years, but only joined together a year and a half ago - now work that one out! G. is well known as performing in Magpie Lane and Oxford Waits: M. was with G. in Folly Bridge, while W. is reputed to have recorded on wax cylinders! Since these three very fine solo singers amalgamated they have been hailed at Oxford Folk Festival 2004, and recorded by BBC Radio 3 for Late Junction. Some of the most powerful English traditional folk song in the business. (Sunday evening 850 yrs of music Part 3)

Guitar Heaven
Colin Green, co-founder of Guitar Heaven started his career as lead guitarist and then Musical Director with Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames (often watched by Beatles Lennon & McCartney), Alan Price & Billy Fury. He has toured the world and recorded with dozens of famous artists - so many that there isn't space here but to mention some highlights - Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Elton John (guitar on "Your Song" and "Border Song"), Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel ("Bright Eyes") the Bee Gees ("Massachusetts"), Roger Whittaker, Scaffold, Tom Jones, Hank Marvin, John Williams and on and on... He is joined by fellow Guitar Heaven people the absurdly talented Nic Walsh and Paul Cleverley to form the Guitar Heaven staff band, which will be performing an eclectic collection of guitar-oriented pieces and crowd pleasers. Feel free to drop in on them at 42 St. Mary's Street during BunkFest weekend. (Saturday evening North Kinecroft Stage, Sunday morning workshop - Guitar Heaven Academy)

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Harvey Rodda
Well known on the local session scene for his frailing banjo and enthusiasm, Harvey is a big aficionado of all things Bluegrass and Old Timey. As well as leading the Bluegrass session Harvey will be appearing over the weekend with Appalachian dance side Cornucopia (see Dance Display schedule). (Saturday evening Cross Keys Bluegrass session)

Isambarde
For an acoustic folk three piece, Isambarde certainly make a big noise. Vocal harmonies and a touch of fiddle magic combine with driving rhythms - and an oboe! This young band is equally at home with traditional or original songs and tunes - all performed with humour, passion, insight and vigour! "Isambarde sing and play with a fabulous energy and an amazing array of musical talents. Fiddle, guitar and oboe sustain their voices through a wonderful collection of songs and tunes. We love their music (and they're good fun to boot!)." - Cloudstreet. (Friday evening Dolphin, Saturday afternoon Cross Keys Marquee, Sunday afternoon Boat Trip, Sunday afternoon Singing Train)

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James Harrison & Ben Cornish
James and Ben went to Knighton Heath Music Centre together, in Poole. They emerged friends and more confident in their singing and song writing skills and are still the only lads on the course who could tune their own guitars. Since then the chaps have played together at The Blue Boar in Poole, where they recently headlined, Solid Air and Shenanigans in Bournemouth, where James and Ben have another headline on 25th September. The duo is launching their first album, all original pop ballads on piano and guitar, lovely harmonies! Look out for it soon on www.jamesharrison.org (Friday evening Coachmakers Arms, Saturday afternoon Boat Trip, Saturday afternoon Coachmakers Arms Garden)

Jody Wyatt
Young local chap, GSOH, has own guitar, loves early Bob Dylan (when you could still understand him), Richard Thompson and Guinness (not specifically in that order). Nephew to the great Robert Wyatt (not that one). Booked at the BunkFest after a successful summer season at Wittfest. WLTM anyone. (Saturday afternoon Coachmakers Arms Garden)

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Jon Fletcher
Acoustic music with roots and soul: beguiling vocals, intricate folk-jazz guitar and superbly crafted songs combine in a new take on the troubadour tradition. Jon Fletcher has performed around UK in a number of guises including Epona, Lisa Fitzgibbon, and Magpie Lane, while his album 'A Month in the Summer' has established him as a solo artist on the rise. Equally at home breathing new life into traditional songs and tunes as playing finely-crafted original songs, Jon performs with a flair that combines deft instrumental skills and a voice that will both raise the roof and melt the heart. (Saturday afternoon Boat Trip, Saturday afternoon Step Off The World)

Jon Harvison
Jon Harvison has a huge talent as a singer, guitarist and writer of beautifully crafted songs - skills which have seen him achieve acclaim and a loyal following throughout the British Isles. With other performers taking up songs such as 'Heavy Horses' and 'Dance with Me', his songs may well arrive at your club before he does. He has built a strong reputation as a skilful entertainer, a powerful performer of his own material and a fine interpreter of traditional song both accompanied and unaccompanied. The long awaited new CD 'Smile' will be released in October. (Friday evening Bunk Beer Festival, Saturday afternoon Boat Trip, Saturday evening Cross Keys Marquee, Sunday afternoon Coachmakers Arms Garden, Sunday evening Corn Exchange 850 yrs of music Part 3 with Steve Hunt

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Justine Hoile
Justine Hoile lives in High Wycombe and has been running African Drumming workshops for 7 years. She learnt to play on a Drum and Dance holiday in Senegal and hasn't stopped since! She works with a varied range of groups, for example running a course with adults with severe learning difficulties or team building sessions at corporate events. If you would like to join a community African Drumming group, Justine runs sessions on Wednesday evenings in Wendover and on Tuesday evenings in High Wycombe. These are open sessions and there is no need to book. For more information, Justine's contact details are on the Drumcall website. (Sunday afternoon workshop)

Ken Cole
Ken Cole has been a singer, guitarist and songwriter for 26 years, performing at folk clubs, pubs and festivals and organising clubs around the country. Ken is also an experienced railwayman. Not surprisingly, he often sings about trains - including some nostalgic self-penned songs, prompted by boyhood memories of British Rail steam days. Ken has also written songs on a wide variety of other topics - environmental, social and political - covering such diverse themes as the beauty of the Cornish Coast, press censorship, vegetarianism and World War Two. He also sings a selection of songs by other authors. (Friday evening Bunk Beer Festival, Sunday Singing Train)

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Lucy Quinn
Lucy Quinn has been successfully running folk music sessions in the Wallingford area for many years, especially The Drones Folk Club at the Plough, Long Wittenham every Wednesday. She has a vast repertoire of songs going back to Joan Baez and Pentangle. Lucy also plays guitar for Appalachian clog dancers Cornucopia. Husband Tony specializes in raucous chorus songs from his native North East. (Saturday afternoon Singing Train)

Lyn Thomson
Lyn Thomson is a qualified music teacher and Kodaly specialist who founded Music Matters 5 years ago. The aim of Music Matters is to provide the best possible start in music to as many children as possible, as research shows that learning music from an early age stimulates every area of the brain, assisting physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. Classes for babies and children up to the age of eight are held in the Maidenhead area. The classes are age specific with a maximum of 12 - 15 in each group and contain a variety of activities designed to fully involve every child in the lesson and make the learning fun. (Saturday afternoon workshop)

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Mad Dog MCREA
This high energy, raw Celtic folk rock band never cease to capture the complete attention of their toe tapping audience. Their unique blend of kaleidoscopic orchestration has to be seen and heard to really appreciate their energy. This South-West band combine fiddle, 5-string banjo, flutes, mandolin, guitar, melodica, bodhran, drum and bass along with powerful vocals to create an eclectic sound that will mesmerise you from beginning to end. Having toured far flung places such as Thialand, USA, Scandinavia, Europe, Ireland and all over England, Mad Dog MCREA are in constant demand. Enjoy!!! (Sunday evening North Kinecroft Stage)

Mary Jane
Mary Jane play a highly original blend of acoustic & electric psychedelic folk-rock. The group's consists of Jo Quinn (vocals, flute, fiddle), Gillie Hotston (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Paul Alan Taylor (guitar, bouzouki), Cliff Eastabrook (bass) & Steve Barker (drums). Their music is a very individualistic & varied combination of self-penned & traditional material, with strong Celtic, Eastern & Medieval influences. Albums include 'Hazy Days', 'The Gates of Silent Memory', 'Tacit', and their latest 'To the Prettiest One'. Mary Jane's energetic stage shows have also become an increasingly popular live attraction at various festivals throughout the southern UK during recent years. (Saturday afternoon Coachmakers Arms Garde (duo), Saturday evening North Kinecroft Stage)

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Mawkin
Mawkin; A scruffy, un-kempt person. 3 years ago, Dave (guitar), Jamie (fiddle) and Danny (bass guitar) thought that sentence described us in perfect fashion. When Alex (melodeons) joined in 2003, it made even more sense; we were young, smelly and had a taste for beer. Shamefully, not much has changed, except that we have grown facial hair and we can drink a lot more! The music is eclectic, it can be strong pulsating rhythms with fat bass lines and powerful chord sequences, or it can be soft flowing melodies with harmonies and subtle arrangements. Playing traditional music from the British Isles and the odd self penned tune here and there, its hard to pin us down, but then again, what do you expect from a bunch of louche Essex boys? Whatever it is, we enjoy it, and hope you do too. "Jamie Delarre's fingers are a national asset.." - Diane Easby (BBC Radio 2 Messageboard 2004) "You were f**king superb" - Tony Dinsdale (Reedham Ferry Folk Festival 2003). (Friday evening Cross Keys Marquee, Sunday afternoon Family Ceilidh North Kinecroft Stage)

Mike Agranoff
Mike Agranoff is, as his CD title suggests, "the very model of a modern folk musician." What he does as a folk musician is a rather difficult question to answer. He plays a superb fingerstyle guitar in idioms ranging from ancient harp tunes to obscure Tin-Pan-Alley compositions. His concertina arrangements of music by anyone from Bach to Berryman's may be haunting, complex, exciting, but are, above all, musical. His repertoire is not only varied, but vast.
Mike is not only a collector of songs and a master at arranging them, but is also a writer of songs and recitations. He has a keen ear for the best of the best, and this only enhances his own writing. If you're sick of the endless stream of singer songwriters who write for the market, you will find Mike to be a refreshing alternative. He makes us laugh, cry and think, all the while entertaining us long into any evening of music. Mike hails from Boonton TWP, New Jersey. (Saturday afternoon Corn Exchange Bar, Saturday evening Coachmakers Arms, Sunday afternoon Boat Trip, Sunday afternoon Coachmakers Arms Garden)

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Pat Cogswell
What was the top speed of a BSA Bantam Mark II? Did Stanley Matthews wear Y-fronts? Did your granny come from Glockamorra? The answers to these any many more questions could be answered by either Pat without hesitation, but would you want to ask him? I think not. You have to remember that this venerable chap was born in an age when to be seen holding hands with even your wife was to risk being denounced on the BBC. When the AA man frozen to the seat of his motorbike would still snap to the salute on sighting a member, even deep underground in perfect darkness. When Boy Scouts would be trained to live a whole month off a single boiled woggle in the times of extreme weather conditions to be encountered around 1948. You may therefore be tempted to think that he would not be able to cast any light upon the problems of today. You would be right. (Sunday evening Cross Keys session)

Pete Orton
Pete could best be described as one of Wallingford's answers to Who's called Pete and lives in Wallingford. A complete lack of catering qualifications is evident in his show, which at no point attempts to offer food to the audience. His complete lack of musical qualifications is however not so considerately treated. This is not a show for Poodle Fanciers, Train Spotters, Gerbil Breeders, Curry Despisers, Bold Young Sailor Boys, Einsteins, Jolly Colliers, and persons...(what are "persons" for heaven's sake.....it's "people" isn't it..) of that ilk. Friday Nite at the Bunk Beer Festival... be there or assume rectangular proportions...

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Radio BunkFest
From 10.00 on Friday DJs from The Music Box will entertain the Charter Market with fine music from the festival artists. With a break for the Official Opening Ceremony at 12.00 Radio BunkFest will continue until later in the afternoon when the market closes and things start warming up on the Kinecroft. Radio BunkFest can also be heard on the Kinecroft from 12.00 on Friday until the live music starts at 18.00 (Friday daytime Market Place and Kinecroft)

Richard Butler
Richard Butler is a guitar teacher from Oxford. His informative workshops of the basics of guitar technique have proved popular at every BunkFest so far. We welcome him back to show us the way again. (Saturday morning workshop)

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Rosie Doonan & Ben Murray
Rosie Doonan & Ben Murray's folk pedigree includes the Doonan Family Band and Hedgehog Pie, plus Tarras, but though both their parents are longstanding members of the former bands and though Ben shot to prominence with the latter, Rosie and Ben as a duo are an original combination. They sing traditional songs in their own classy folk/soft-rock/jazzy style and also write with a maturity that belies their tender years. Both play guitar & piano and both sing - she with a voice that's like a cross between Kate Rusby and Katherine Roberts and he with a voice that reminds you of a young James Taylor. “In a climate of cool grooves, Rosie Doonan and Ben Murray are set to turn up the heat” Essential Media. (Saturday evening North Kinecroft Stage, Saturday evening Bunk Beer Festival)

Short Drag Roger
Oxfordshire's foremost shanty crew. They are all local residents of Chalgove (a small but perfectly formed village near Wallingford), and discovered that they had both the talent and desire to sing Shantys as a proper crew. Having no sea and no sail, that really only left the other type of shanty'ing to enjoy (a beer in one's hand). (Saturday afternoon Shanty workshop, Saturday evening Corn Exchange 850 years of music Part 2, Sunday afternoon Boat Trip)

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Spire
Leading lights of the Oxford folk circuit, Spire will dazzle you with their musicianship and singing, including such instruments as mandolin, accordion, clarsach, hammer dulcimer, bouzouki & fiddle. They play mainly British traditional folk songs, with a few self-penned numbers thrown in. The band was formed in the summer of 1997 by Sian, Pete, Roxy and Ed. The name comes from the initial letters of the names of these four, which put together nearly spell the word 'spire' - and Ed and Pete live in Oxford, the 'city of dreaming spires'. At the beginning of 1998, they were joined by Helen Bell, on viola and whistle. Her name presented something of a problem, but she volunteered to be called 'Ingrid', and thus supply the missing 'i'. When Helen departed in 1999 for university, Steve, whom Ed and Pete know from the Larkrise Ranters, took her place, and followed the established tradition by taking the name 'Ivan'. (Friday evening Dolphin, Saturday afternoon Boat Trip)

Steve Hunt
Steve Hunt is a well known face on the folk scene having served time as a club, gig and festival organizer, performer, songwriter, agent, reviewer, dancer, roadie and MC. his ability to engage an audience has bought him numerous club and festival bookings and support gigs with many well known names including Dick Gaughan, Robin Williamson and Show of Hands. We welcome him back to BunkFest once more to entertain us in his inimitable style. (Compere Late Night Festival Club Friday and Saturday, Sunday evening Corn Exchange 850 yrs of music Part 3 with Jon Harvison)

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Stretchmarks
For the best part of two decades, Stu Weetman and Jeremy Kahn have worked together in various bands playing Blues and Blues influenced music. The latest incarnation, Stretchmarks, features Stu on guitar and vocals, Jeremy on bass, and introduces Tom Weetman on lead guitar. The band plays mostly acoustic blues from the first half of the 20th century, with some jazz and country music sprinkled in. (Friday evening Blues session, Coach & Horses)

Tándara Mándara
Tándara Mándara means '...and blah blah blah'. They are three blokes from Oxfordshire who steal music from all over Eastern Europe, and play it on fiddle (Ben Smith), accordion (Jim Greenan) and double bass (Chris Gardener). Try to stop your foot tapping to songs and dance tunes from Romania, Macedonia, Serbia, Poland, Russia, Greece... tándara mándara. Better still get up and - as they say in Romania - turn your sausages. “…simple memorable and immediately endearing tunes” “…a set of gems” - OHM (Oxford Home for Music) Magazine. (Friday evening North Kinecroft Stage, Saturday evening Dolphin)

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Tarleton's Jig
Tarleton's Jig is a highly successful ensemble of professional musicians who specialise in playing early musical instruments and who explore lighter side of the popular repertoire. For over twenty-five years they have been performing a wide spectrum of popular English music from the Middle Ages to the Georgian period with particular emphasis on the 16th and 17th centuries. They can entertain both indoors and outdoors; raucous hurdy-gurdy and bagpipe tunes, Jacobean lute and flute duets, shawm band music, traditional English country dance tunes and witty Restoration broadside ballads. Concert venues have included the Royal Albert Hall, City of London Guildhall, The Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace in the presence of many members of the Royal Family. They have performed for BBC Radios 2, 3 and 4 and have been included on many TV programmes for both ITV and BBC. Their two albums of 17th century music have been very well received. (Saturday evening Corn Exchange 850 years of music Part 2)

Tarrantella
One of the up and comingest, most dazzlingly effusive and energetic ceilidh bands on the scene. Derek Tarrant, Melodeons; Anne Tarrant, Violins; Pete Royston, Bass Guitar; Rob Williams, Drums and Bill McKinnon, Guitar/Banjo combine to produce one of the most intrinsically danceable sounds on the scene today. "Should go far" - anonymous traditionalist. (Saturday evening Ceilidh Wallingford Sports Park)

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Tony & Pearl O'Neill
Long involved in the Folk Music Scene around the Thames Valley and further afield with associations with Maidenhead Folk Club and the now sadly defunct 'Dog Days' fund raising weekends, Tony and Pearl are delighted to be involved with the Bunkfest, Tony raising a racket on the train and in the Coach & Horses, and Pearl raising Caine as a Compere. (Friday evening hosting BunkFolk, Saturday evening Coach & Horses Big Sing session, Sunday Singing Train)

Tumbledown Dick
Tumbledown Dick are a traditional Barn dance band from Oxfordshire. The present line up have been together for twelve years: Liz Strange - Caller, ex 70's harmony group 'Piggleswick Folk'; Nick Rigby - Fiddle, Recorder & Saxophone, playing a wide variation of musical styles; Merryn - Piano Accordion, Flute, ex Whiteknights & Charlbury Morris, Hart & Sole and Tanglefoot clog; Jim Humphries - Bodhran & Traps, Abingdon Traditional Morris and Town Crier; Paul Rhodes - Electric bass, Northumbrian small pipes, plays soul with 'Soul Traders'; Peter Strange - Acoustic guitar, hammered Dulcimer, ex 70's harmony group 'Piggleswick Folk'. The folk genre is their opportunity to make good music and have some fun. (Saturday afternoon Family Ceilidh North Kinecroft Stage)

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Wallingford Handbell Ringers
A traditional form of music making that has spread from England to all continents of the world during the last century. Tuned bells date back over 3000 years in China! Wallingford Handbell Ringers are an enthusiastic group who meet on Tuesday evenings at the Bullcroft Park Hut in Wallingford High Street from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. (Sunday afternoon Kinecroft Stage, Sunday afternoon workshop)

Wynndebagge
Wynndebagge engages his audience with shaggy dog stories of musical inventions, the origin of the codpiece, Robin Hood's tights, homeopathic medicine, enzymes, animal husbandry, medieval peasant raves, the Tudor pop charts, and Elizabethan dresses. Covering an eclectic history of music from Breughel to The Beatles, Wynndebagge reveals the secrets of the hurdy-gurdy, how to bend a crumhorn and sets the record straight on the uses and abuses of pigs' bladders in traditional music as he plays his way through a range of unusual Medieval and Renaissance woodwinds, strings and percussion before finally inviting members of the audience to join his medieval rock'n'roll band. What could possibly go wrong! Known as 'Early Music's rebel comic', Wynndebagge has appeared on television (The History Channel, BBC Garden SOS), film (Adventure Inc.) and BBC Radio 4 as well as countless live broadcasts and numerous session recordings.
(Friday evening Corn Exchange 850 years of music Part 1 with The New St George Waits, Saturday afternoon Corn Exchange Bar, Step Off the World, Coachmakers Arms Garden)

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Tip
When you have clicked on a name in the table you will be navigated down this page to a write-up about the selected artist. At the top of each write-up is the artist's name, which is a link of one sort or another that will open into a new window. Close the new window when you have finished before returning to this page and clicking another, as otherwise the new destination will be hidden behind this page (thanks Bill Gates).
Clicking on the (time and place) bracketed line at the end of each write-up will take you to the venue's page.

BunkFest Artists go to top of page