Idlewild to play Purbeck Folk Festival

Purbeck Folk Festival 2014

Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th August 2014
Wilkswood Farm, Langton Matravers, Swanage , Dorset, BH19 3DU, England MAP
£90 adult weekend, youth (12-17) £45, under 12s £10

Daily capacity: 1,500

Idlewild are to play their only mainland UK festival date at Purbeck Folk Festival a family friendly event for 1,500 set in the Purbeck Hills, in Dorset.

The band used Twitter to announce they were about to start recording a new album earlier this year and have since announced a date at the tiny Iona Village Hall Music Festival in July and a series of acoustic dates in the Highlands and Islands in October, making Purbeck their only English date confirmed so far.

"These are not 'comeback' gigs and I hope people don't think that they are," says frontman Roddy Woomble. "To me anyway, it's much more an opportunity to open the songbook again - to revisit and re-imagine old songs, to play new songs and ideas, and generally just have some fun singing and playing, in a relaxed, all-acoustic way in some lovely (and unusual) venues and places.

"We are still writing and recording the new album (it will be released in 2015) so it is a chance to take a break from that process, while also using the gigs as part of that process, if you see what I mean.

"We have had a line-up shift too, only to be expected when you all go and do other things for five years - Gareth Russell has left; he is semi-based in Australia now, so family and work commitments deem it impractical to say the least. Of course we wish him all the best. We're delighted to be joined by multi-instrumentalist and friend Lucci Rossi. Lucci has made a big difference to the new record already, so it will be cool to get out and about and play some concerts together."

The festival which will once again be held at Wilkswood Farm in Langton Matravers, near Swanage over the weekend of Thursday 21st until Sunday 24th August 2014 will also be host to Lloyd Cole, Eddi Reader, and The South will headline and also confirmed are Chris Wood, Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo, CoCo and the Butterfields, Gren Bartley, John Langan, Caravan of Thieves, Aimee Mackenzie, Alex Roberts, Odi, and Dan Whitehouse, with more acts to be announced.

For more details see the Purbeck Folk Festival line-up page.

Now in its sixth year the festival features folk, roots and world music from established and new acts with the line-up always featuring finalists from Radio 2's Young Folk Awards. Set in a unique and compact farm 'arena' with professional stages erected in converted barns, with Purbeck's fringe events offering workshops and crafts throughout the day for both adults and folk kids. The festival offers free camping on a large campsite.

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An adult weekend ticket is priced at £90, a youth weekend ticket (aged 12-17yrs) is priced at £45, children aged under 12 weekend tickets are priced at £10. Campervans will be charged at £10. Day tickets will available at a later date.

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