Music (2021)

It is 50 years since Joni Mitchell published her album 'Blue' and the Perri and Neil Quartet will be playing the album through. A delicious audio adventure from ALSO Festival.

The multi talented artist and musician Seramic has eclectically performed with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show, had his sculptures exhibited at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery and a music video nominated for an award at the Raindance Film Festival. This rising star of modern soul will bring his fantastic performance to your Saturday night at ALSO, one guaranteed to stop you in your tracks and demand your attention. Don't miss it.

The international psych explorers, Flamingods - a four-piece, multi-instrumental band from Bahrain & London - take to the main stage on Saturday night. Using a vast selection of instruments from the Middle East and Asia, the band marries this with western instrumentations of synthesisers, guitars and drums to create a potent sound all of its own that they call ‘Exotic Psychedelia’. What is not to love?

Don’t miss London based singer-songwriter Ned Roberts at ALSO21. Nicke has drawn comparisons to the likes of Tim Hardin and Nick Drake and his songs sit comfortably among the classics of the Laurel Canyon era, with a timeless quality and a poetic turn of phrase. His debut was primarily a solo affair and garnered significant national press, including rave reviews in UNCUT and The Guardian. “Absolutely gorgeous stuff...one to really get excited about' – Lauren Laverne, BBC 6Music

Talcum powder on grass shouldn't work, but bring your bags and your vest tops and put it to the test at this "all-nighter-crammed-into-an-hour" session.   Add to this the Saturday night Happy Hour and we should be off to a great start!

Andrew and Celeste are a father and daughter combo that bring an element of harmony and lots of fun, energy and percussion to singing sessions for ALL the family. They play and sing many of the classic children's favourites, but also include songs for the older family members, such as Beatles, ABBA and Disney singalong old and new! They provide percussion and encourage everyone to join in the singing and the moving!! Aimed at children from 0-5 and their families

ALSO-favourites London International Gospel Choir start your Sunday with gospel, pop, jazz, funk, soul, and the root of it all, African song. Take your blanket and breakfast to the stage and start your Sunday with a spiritual vibe.

Feast on this intoxicating, fun and sincere montage of trans-European roots music with upbeat guitar, finessed cello, dixie-esque clarinet, stomping drums, soaring violin, heartfelt tin whistle, a vintage 1960s electric reed organ, 3-part harmonies, jazz maracas and more…

Following his Friday night performance on the Lake Stage, Jo Dudderidge dives into his eclectic record collection on Saturday afternoon, bringing the sunshine with a selection of his favourite Afrobeat, Benga and Highlife records.

Ideas run through our programming like letters through rock, and one of the biggest ideas we've worked with this year is the need to keep our Circadian Rhythms in good shape by getting some crucial early light. So to help, why not start your morning by bringing your breakfast to the main stage on Saturday morning to hear the most excellent Real String Orchestra's Tori Rushton while your CRs reset themselves?

Based on an original songwriting collaboration, between vocalist Perri Alleyne-Hughes and classical guitarist Neil Campbell, the Perri and Neil Quartet create music of sensitivity, atmosphere and poise. The band members also include Roger Gardiner (bass) and Viktor Nordberg (drums) and between them, these four fabulous musicians bring together an array of influences upon obscure covers and original work alike which include jazz, classical, folk, latin, soul, progressive rock and free improvisation.

Friday and Saturday night expect a mix of upfront and oldschool as DJ Vertigo and friends take over the decks in the bar to the close of the evening. It will be rocking.. 

Hailing from Brazil, the charismatic Marcos Santana and his amazing bubble of Tribo samba drummers will be bringing the carnival vibes to ALSO 2021. Mixing Brazilian samba, with African rhythms and South American groove, this is high energy music played by exuberant performers bringing pulsating rhythms and melodic vocal hooks. We defy you not to dance!!! 

Portobello Live Choir is the capital's rock and roll community choir. Singing classic songs by west London artists such as Gorillaz, Paul Weller, The Clash and Hollie Cook and mixing in gospel, soul and African flavours.

Don't miss the Tina & Mash Nostalgia Set! Yes, they'll be blending 70’s Disco with 90’s Hip Hop to bring some nostalgia to the ALSO party people.

Don’t miss Oxford quartet, Low Island - Carlos Posada (vocals/multi-instrumentalist), Jamie Jay (Backing vocals / multi-instrumentalist / producer,) Jacob Lively (Bassist) and Felix Higginbottom (Percussion/Drums) - at ALSO with their highly anticipated debut album 'If You Could Have It All Again’. Taking cues from Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Caribou or Glass Animals, it's a sophisticated record that takes stock of a twenties filled with false starts, heartbreak and cyclical conflict, and carves a path towards a better decade to come. Replete with future indie dance-floor hits and softer, more introspective gems, the quartet meld pristine electronics with erudite art-rock sensibilities.

We are so thrilled to have White Tail Falls joinng us live at ALSO21. The gorgeous tracks are based on some time he spent in New York and tell the story of how our lives can become brighter.

Later Youth is the new solo project from singer-songwriter and producer Jo Dudderidge. His distinctive voice, unswerving lyrics and soulful piano take centre stage within songs and arrangements that have drawn comparisons to Rufus Wainwright, Mac DeMarco and The Bees. Having fronted Manchester's revered folk-rock cult-heroes The Travelling Band spanning four acclaimed albums, the now London based multi-instrumentalist has also made his name playing piano for other artists including Ren Harvieu, Aldous Harding, James Walsh and Lissie.

The John Barry Machine’s music is a miasma coalescing somewhere between Holsts, the planet suite,The Ipcress file, Scott Walker and XTC !! Songwriting very much in the European harmonic tradition ( no blues, no solos, some wailing ) Influences include: Vaughan Williams, Cardiacs ,XTC, Scott Walker, Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell and Brain Eno. What's not to love, we say?

Join us in the bar on Sunday for a glass of Sangria to get your Balearic groove on with DJ DAMAGED DIGITS DOM. Grooving with soulfull balearic beats from 1pm.

Spirit Wrestlers music collective will be appearing on the Sunday afternoon at ALSO21 in tribute to the untimely death in October 2020 of DJ and Producer Peter Birch. An original member of the DiY Collective, Pete set up the Spirit Wrestlers project in the name of the radical principles of the eighteenth century Russian religious sect of that name. Expect some eclectic jazzy vibes, live keyboards and guest vocals to perfectly complement the Sunday afternoon session down at the lake where Pete himself played a legendary set in 2019.

Learn fun Bhangra dance moves with Sohan Kailey. Bhangra is an agricultural farming dance from the Punjab region of India. Dance to vibrant music. Suitable for all ages.

Minx is a vibrant singer, rapper and songwriter hailing from London. A seasoned performer, Minx was the front woman and writer for pop duo tigermonkey, she has taken her music globally and made waves in the underground HipHop scenes in the UK and US. Back home in London whilst studying for an MA in songwriting she met composer, classical pianist and producer Dusal. Dusal was a musical prodigy from the age of 5, awarded a piano scholarship at Wells Cathedral school, winning several international piano competitions and competed twice in the BBC Young Musician competition. He then graduated from Durham university with a BA in music and went on to study an MA in Music production at Tileyard where he met Minx. Though they are two very contrasting characters Minx & Dusal celebrate their differences and marry them harmoniously to create an innovative and fresh sound. Their project 'Suggestive Biscuit' is the fruit of their hard work together during their Masters Degree and of their unlikely friendship.

Join Pic’n’Mix waking up over by The Rum Shack with super chilled out, laid back Sunday grooves. From classic funk and soul to jazz odyssey to modern classical with beats and beeps in between. All on vinyl from around the world, Think Bonobo, Nils Frahm, Max Richter and Maribou State. Also think Singapore Jazz and Mexican Ska. And The Very Reverend Al Green of course. It is a Sunday after all. Let's Stay Together…

If you can do the splits or a magic trick. If you can yodel, bogle or dance like a show girl. If you can do impressions or body percussion. If you can tell a joke, disappear in a  puff of smoke or rhyme and rap or ballet and tap. If you’re a poet or a singer or a talented bell ringer, an eloquent talker or a tight rope walker. If you can limbo, tango or peel a mango without using your hands - YOUR FESTIVAL NEEDS YOU.

Let's get this party started. Our big band sound will come from Tarsus (Eloise Macdonald - Violin, Yusuf Narçin - Tuba, Joe Hardy - Accordion and Cabbar Boziye - Percussion) who will get us moving to a collection of songs curated especially for ALSO - featuring Klezmer, French Waltzes, Bulgarian dances, folk music from Macedonia, Brazillian Bossa, Russian drinking songs, Irish jigs and Turkish pop odysseys.

DJ Mash (PeopleLikeUs/Bath) is an Also regular and has previously treated us to his Vinyl collection at The Lakeside. This year he has invited new Also grooving partner DJ Tina, resident DJ with the all-female, Vulva Underground collective from South London.  They will be playing 2 hours of back-to back nostalgia, digging through their record collections to bring you a 70’s Disco Tina-bop and 90’s Hip Hop Mash-Up.

Get ready to get lowdown with a hot and sultry mess of dirty grooves… heavy funk… sleazy soul… filthy R&B… bad boogaloo… tuff ska… and general misbehavin’...

Easy like Sunday Morning, The Surrey Women will be putting on their best Radio 2 voice to bring you an hour of Solid Gold.

Come along and be part of a drumming workshop with Marcos Santana, founder of Tribo. Open to all levels, whether you're a beginner or an advanced drummer, you can learn how to play the authentic afro Brazilian rhythms. This event has been so popular it is fully booked. Don’t worry though! Check in at info on the day to see if more space is available. 

Head down to the Lake Stage to see The Real String Orchestra, an ensemble of local Warwickshire musicians with a shared passion for classical music and amazing composers. Let them bewitch, beguile and entertain you with an eclectic blend of the emotive and dramatic, skilfully directed by the baton of the professional home-grown musician Tori Rushton. Why not treat yourself to our Afternoon Tea or Getaria Picnic and bring a blanket to make the afternoon even more enjoyable.

Sip and slide into the weekend with Hoppys’ melodic forest funk and Balearic beats down at the Rum Shack. No Wray, no rainbow!

Our resident DJ returns to ALSO 21 with house classics, funky grooves and cheeky samples to help you unleash your inner animal. Grrrr!

What the world needs right now is the dynamite sound of Sister Cookie and a big dose of her funk-soul-blues medicine! Her infectious, hard swinging single, (You're Never More Than) Seven Feet Away, is just what the doctor ordered - jaywalking across the junction from rock ‘n roll and rhythm & blues to jazz and back again. A heady brew of Buddy Rich-esque drums, spicy uppercuts of tenor sax, punchy guitar chords and silky double bass all powerfully framed by a rolling piano refrain and Cookie’s distinctive contralto vocal.

Andrew Yeadon is a musician, writer, producer and teacher from Barnard Castle in North East England.  As an original artist he has produced nine albums and performed at festivals and venues in the UK, Europe, Asia and America.  His current core music project is 'About the Humans...' He regularly performs with other groups, including as the front man in the Wild Irish Trad/Punk group 'The Watty Boys'   

Mera Bhai (meaning 'My Brother' in Hindi) is the brainchild of Karthik Poduval. A multi-instrumentalist, DJ & producer, best known as a founding member of Tropical-Psychedelia band Flamingods. His debut EP 'Futureproofing', was released on Moshi Moshi Records on 9 October and features guest appearances from Alxndr London, Andrew Ashong, Alex White (Fat White Family) & Charles Prest (Flamingods). Hard to pin down, Mera Bhai is centred on a musical balance, between eastern and western traditions, the new and the old.

Carrie is a singer from Yorkshire.  She sings a wide range of folk and Americana songs with her band, ‘Carfrae’.  Carrie has also sung in many operas and concerts,  especially as part of her classical duo, ‘Incantare’ who tour rural venues in the North to bring opera and show tunes to the people!  She most recently teamed up with singer and musician Paul Sartin on the ‘Songs for Seniors’ project which brought videos of old favourite ‘sing-a-longs' to care home residents during the Covid pandemic.  She’ll be performing a selection of these old favourites with Paul at Also. Paul is a member of Belshazzar’s Feast, Faustus (Preis der Deustchen Schallplattenkritik 2017) and the late BBC award-winning Bellowhead. He directs the Andover Museum Loft Singers, arranged Community Choirs Folk (Faber Music), and is a BASCA-nominated composer.

Find your inner animal in an unashamed mash-up of party beats and singalong classics set with DJ Ferdie, down at the water's edge at our legendary Rum Shack. Make mine a Dark and Stormy.

Join Sohan Kailey as he takes you dancing around the world with songs from his debut album Let's Naach (Let's Dance). Bhangra Pop Music for children and families. Get ready to sing and dance along to Bhangra Rave, Bhangra Pirates, Dinosaur Rock, Shake It Like (Bollywood style), party on the beach. Fun songs for all to enjoy. Audience participation a must!

In this Soundtrack to our Lives, the award-winning writer, novelist, journalist and cultural historian John Higgs talks us through the key songs that define his life. Hear them, then hear why they are so important.

Six months after the birth of her son, Emma Jane Unsworth finds herself in the eye of a storm. Nothing - from pregnancy to birth and beyond - has gone as she expected. A birth plan? It might as well have been a rough draft! Furious and exhausted, her life is the complete opposite of what it used to be. She's swapped all night benders for a grazed labia and Whac-a-Moling haemorrhoids. How did she end up here? In this brave and hilarious account of postnatal depression, Emma tells her story of despair and recovery.