Maryport Blues Festival 2009

The Maryport Blues Festival takes place from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th July 2009.

Jethro Tull headlines on Friday, John Mayall on Saturday, with Sunday's headliner being Eric Burdon after Taj Mahal cancelled. Supporting artists include Ruby Turner, the Blues Band featuring Paul Jones (also broadcasting for Radio 2 at the event), Ryan Shaw, Rab McCulloch, Alan Nimmo, WT Feaster band, Laura and the Tears, Dani Wilde. A group of blues artists, who have been regular visitors to Maryport over the years, will perform together under 'Friends of Maryport' and these include Sean Webster and Jon Amor with others to be confirmed. Local band, Nine Lives, winner of the annual Battle of the Bands competition will open the festival on the Friday evening.

On the outdoor stage and in pubs & clubs around town will be acts including Awol, Blueshouse, Broken English, Buzzard, Cats, Debbie Giles Band, Doctor brown and the Groove Cats, Feed Me, Gentleman Tim and the Contenders, Graham Robinson, Hokie Joint, Jay Tamkin band, Jon Amor Band, Mat Partner, Mingos Locker, Naturalz, No Mean Feat, Rosyblue, Route 666, Roy Mette Band, South Quay, and Timo Gross.

The rest of the festival line-up of over 40 bands and 150 individual musicians from all over the globe who will be performing in the main stage marquee, in the pubs and clubs, on an outdoor stage and on the street, will be announced soon.

As well as two main stages there is usually a DJ room, a visual arts and workshop area, a festival club, film programme, children's festival, an expanded market festival bazaar, and a silent disco.

Workshops this year include a Harmonica workshop with Giles King, of Hokie Joint, top British harmonica player on Saturday 25th July, at The Settlement; and acoustic guitar workshop with Dave Kelly, of The Blues Band, on Saturday 25th July, at The Wave; a vocal workshop with Keri Farish, award-winning lead singer of South Quay on Sunday 26th July, at The Wave; and a songwriting workshop with singer, songwriter and guitarist Sean Webster on Sunday 26th July, at The Settlement. Workshops take place on either Saturday or Sunday, start at 10.30am and last one hour. Tickets are available, priced £5 each, from The Wave and the Blues Festival Office (The Maritime Museum).

There are also numerous stalls selling musical instruments, crafts and so forth, Fair Trade goods, and information stalls on issues of global interest. Plus workshops include drumming and guitar.

Tickets are priced at £99.75 for an adult weekend ticket, Friday day tickets are priced at £38.50, Saturday or Sunday day tickets are priced at £44 for both afternoon and evening sessions. To buy tickets, click here.

Coaches will be running over the weekend transporting festival goers between Maryport and the local towns. Return journeys are available on the Friday, Saturday & Sunday between Maryport and the following towns: Carlisle, Wigton, Aspatria, Keswick, Cockermouth, Egremont, Cleator Moor, Whitehaven and Workington.

Maryport will also host a new festival on Thursday July 23rd, which celebrates the musical and artistic talents of local young people between 12 and 19 years by giving them the opportunity to participate and perform in their own festival - the Maryport Youth Festival. Young musicians, either with bands or as solo artists, will perform on the main stage marquee used for the annual blues festival and the young artists will display their work in an art exhibition also in the marquee. The marquee will be open at 2.00 and the young musicians will be on stage between 5.00 and 11.00, which for many, will be a rare opportunity to perform in a 2,000 capacity venue with state-of-the-art sound & lighting. Entry is Free and Refreshments will be available.

There will be more information here when available.

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