Top Irish band, Craobh Rua and outstanding singer songwriter, Karine Polwart are the headline acts for this years Moniaive Folk Festival.
While it is Karine’s first visit to Moniaive this will be the third time that Craobh Rua has topped the bill. Both artists have attracted considerable attention and advance sales of tickets are way up on last year. With Artistic Director, Wendy Stewart producing guests of this calibre it is hardly surprising that Moniaive Folk Festival was a finalist in last years Visit Scotland “ Event of the Year” Award at the MG Alba Trad Music Awards.
But Moniaive is much more than big names. Wendy has put together a balanced and varied list of guests, from around the world, including Cera Impala and the New Prohibition. Originally from Arizona but now resident in Edinburgh this is Bluegrass with a modern twist with some wild banjo playing. Sanevit is a superb Swedish band of harp, bagpipes, fiddle, guitar and nyckelharpe. They will kick up a storm with their polska rhythms, fine songs and humorous introductions.
The Old Dance School will be ripping the Memorial Institute apart for this years, Late Night Extra. They are one of the most exciting and innovative bands to have emerged in Britain over the past few years. According to Mike Harding this Birmingham based seven piece is “Stunning – full on, full of life and verve” while a review in The Scotsman declared them to be “Ear-bending and radiant”. They are currently touring Scotland and will finish up at Moniaive.
And in another blast from the past the festival has managed to book popular 70’s singer songwriter Miriam Backhouse. Absent from the scene for several decades she is now back and touring with Scottish singer songwriter Bill Adair.
This year’s festival gets under way on Friday night with a Grand Ceilidh. The core of the Caper Ceilidh Band is three of Dumfries and Galloways finest musicians. Gavin Marwick is one of Scotland’s finest fiddlers and composers and he 
and Ruth Morris play in several top Scottish bands. Moniaive based Pete Garnett is perhaps better known as the accordion player in the band Moishe’s Bagel
There are the usual free children’s activities including singing, circus skills workshops, ceilidh band workshop and the Grand Parade on Saturday with Clydebuilt Puppets workshop and performance on Sunday.
There’s a full weekend program of free live music on the various secondary stages including The Green Tea House, The Old Grey Whistle Rest and Watson’s Grocers. Then there are the sessions. Totally unpredictable but truly amazing to watch and listen too as just about every available space will be crammed full of visiting musicians including those on the Annual Charabanc Outing from Babbity Bowster in Glasgow.
For Tickets and full Event info go to http://www.moniaive.org.uk/folk-festival
