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Two generations of Towersey – Steve & Joe Heap
with spectacular results. Says Alan Bearman: “There was a period when most of the musicians were older and it wasn’t seen as a cool place to be for young people, so we tried various things to get them interested. But we stumbled from one embarrassment to another because those leading it tended to be people of my gen- eration. When Laurel Swift came to the fore and Shooting Roots was developed to put on events for young people led by young people, the whole atmosphere changed and suddenly they started turning up and bringing their friends with them. One of the biggest changes in recent years has been the huge number of young people attending Sidmouth and Shooting Roots is right in the middle of that.”
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Ask Bearman his personal Sidmouth highlights through the years and he’ll talk avidly of La Bottine Souriante electrifying the Arena (founder member Yves Lambert returns this year with his own trio) and special events like the Frost & Fire show. But mainly he reflects on the lower profile events and the informal sessions at The Volunteer pub and elsewhere.
“We’ve always tried to explore the edges of what’s possible and take advantage of the fact that Sidmouth is a week-long event, which means you can grow things. We like to think we have reflected various changes in what happens with folk music but we always try to be as diverse as possible. We want to represent the far edges. Unlike a lot of festivals we can programme a lot of tra- ditional singers and also find a place for more quirky, left-field stuff. People like Sproatly Smith this year.”
So do these three trailblazing festivals have rosy futures? They each point to commercial pressures and the tricky issue of attract- ing artists who will pull in sufficient audiences at a manageable price. With his agency hat on Alan Bearman declares it has never been harder to get bookings for artists while Steve Heap cryptical- ly says “Some artists think their fees ought to be more and in some cases I agree. In other cases I don’t agree…”
Yet, for all the problems and soul-searching, demand for tick- ets at all three festivals this year is higher (Cambridge sold out in almost record time) and all are cautiously optimistic about the future. Alan Bearman: “We’ve had some turbulent times and it may still be a struggle for the next few years but there is a much more positive attitude to the music and yes, I think Sidmouth’s future is secure.”
Steve Heap: “I’ll be taking more of a back seat in future but things will continue to change and develop and the music’s so strong. If you’d stopped people in the street in the ’60s and asked if they knew who the High Level Ranters and the Watersons were, they wouldn’t have a clue. If you stopped them now and asked if they know who Kate Rusby and Seth Lakeman are, the chances are they would know.” Eddie Barcan: “It’s looking good but don’t ask me about the future – I’m just too focused on our 50th year to worry about the 51st.”
Happy birthday to the lot of them…
Towersey Festival: Fifty Years In The Making by Derek Schofield will be published in July.
www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk www.towerseyfestival.com
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commitment to young musicians and enthusiasts has also been key to the ongoing success of both Tow- ersey (where a young Eliza Carthy made her solo debut) and Sidmouth, which activated the Shooting Roots initiative for 12-25 year-olds twenty years ago
Photo: Judith Burrows
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