a taste of last summer
the LINE-Up so far
Antonio forcione
Antonio Forcione is an artist in every sense of the word, hailed as one of the most charismatic and unconventional guitarists in today’s musical world. With multiple international awards and 21 albums released, he continues to captivate audiences, earning him the title “Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar.”
His music transcends genres, blending jazz, Spanish, soul, African, Brazilian, and improvised elements with ferocious virtuosity, passion, and humor. He has supported music legends such as Phil Collins, Bobby McFerrin and Van Morrison.
Over the years Antonio has released 20 albums of largely original material and has performed in festivals and theatres from as far as Australia and Indonesia to the USA, Africa, and all over Europe, especially in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the UK. He has performed at numerous charity events and his festival appearances include Womad, Glastonbury, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Koln, Verona, Granada and Hong Kong Arts Festival, amongst others.
the zawose queens
There is spirit and fire in the music of The Zawose Queens. There's the vibrations of the ancestors, coming through on traditional instruments — soaring chizeze fiddle, buzzing illimba thumb piano, ngoma drums that chatter and thunder — and voices that go deep, high and out there. There's the connection to nature, to ceremony and ritual, in their dance-inspired fusion, their blend of the organic, harmonic and modern-day electronic. There are lyrics that tell, in their native kigogo, of the passion for music, the wonders of life. Of pride in environment, in tradition. In their East African roots.
Pendo and Leah Zawose showcase the fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the arid, hilly Dodoma region of central Tanzania. The most famous exponent of this musical tradition is the late, great Dr Hukwe Zawose (Pendo’s father and Leah’s grandfather).
Maisha, the debut album by The Zawose Queens, marks the first time that women from this famous musical family take their place as lead vocalists and performers.
iain ballamy
Iain Ballamy is a key figure in contemporary European jazz with a distinctive musical voice merging avant-garde experimentation with accessible melodic sensibility.
Listed in the BBC's '100 Jazz Greats' between Count Basie and Chet Baker, Ballamy has been described as urbane, original, and uncompromising. His work merges both strong jazz and classical references but remains un-encumbered by formality and tradition.
Saxophone concerto premieres with major orchestras include BBC Philharmonic, Liverpool Philharmonic and London Sinfonietta.
As saxophone professor at Royal Academy of Music, RWCMD and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Ballamy has developed innovative approaches to teaching improvisation and composition.
Ballamy's musical essence combines improvisational spontaneity with a profound appreciation for harmony and form, creating performances that unfold with narrative purpose and emotional depth.
kanekt
Kanekt, a group of talented musicians from diverse backgrounds, brings together the distinctive sound of the sitar with clarinet, violin, guitar and percussion.
With influences from jazz, Eastern European, Celtic and Indian classical music, Kanekt was formed by Devon-based sitar player, Ricky Romain. He is joined by Shaftesbury’s own Karen Wimhurst on clarinet, violinist Sudhi Salooja who has Welsh and Indian roots, Brazilian percussionist Caio Mamberti and John Robertson, with past collaborations including Grace Jones, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart and Morcheeba, on electric bass guitar.
Lauren
collier band
Talented, emerging Scottish musician Lauren Collier is making a name for her virtuosity on the fiddle and captivating vocals. Lauren released her highly-anticipated debut album Uddevalla in December 2023. The album takes listeners on a musical journey from Haiti, through Sweden and India, and onto Indonesia and Greece, all the while offering a unique blend of traditional and electronic music that is incredibly diverse, yet wholly cohesive.
With her band of well-known faces, this fresh and captivating music is well worth seeing live.
quimantu
Since Mauricio Venegas-Astorga formed his Anglo-Chilean band Quimantu in 1981 they have been the ambassadors of Chilean and Latin American music in the UK and Europe, creating a unique blend through their exceptional use of the hundreds of traditional folk styles of that vibrant continent, which they skilfully incorporate with contemporary influences, from Western Classical music, to Celtic, African and Indian styles to name just a few.
Currently based in London, Quimantu have performed regular concerts in various notable venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and Purcell Room and the Barbican Hall. With a very strong commitment to the power of music to connect people and build bridges between communities, rural touring has regularly been a part of Quimantu’s agenda.
Emily Burridge
with Martyn barker
Emily is a virtuoso cellist, composer and producer and soundscape artist.
She has seven albums published, has worked with luminaries as a session musician and composer and arranger as well as performing at international festivals both as a soloist and in ensembles including: Montreux jazz festival, Glastonbury, Edinburgh, Cop 26 and Earth Summit Brazil.
We are delighted to welcome her back to the festival and very excited to introduce her collaboration with Martyn Barker, acclaimed world-class drummer, composer and producer and multi instrumentalist.
Martyn has years of experience working with actors in theatre, co-writing for film, performing with artists internationally and as a member of his own band Shriekback.
He has toured and co-composed with Billy Bragg, toured globally with Marianne Faithful and performed with Robert Plant at the very first Womad festival in the Middle East.
Emily and Martyn crossed musical paths playing in a band on tour in Germany. On returning and collaborating it quickly became evident there was a creative spark which culminated in the album release “Water & Stone” published through Lift Music .
At Semley they will perform some of these works as well as new compositions born out of extraordinary choices of instruments combined with Emily’s looping cello antics.
supernormal
Supernormal is a 5-piece originals band based around Bristol/Bath, with the pianist hailing from Semley.
Funk adjacent delivering lots of fun and a big sound
