Paul Carrack (Friday), Saving Grace featuring Robert Plant & Suzi Dian (Saturday) and Kate Rusby (Sunday) announced as headline acts for the 7th Underneath the Stars festival.
After a year out, award-winning family festival, Underneath the Stars, is set to return for its seventh year on Friday 30th July – Sunday 1st August 2021 bringing live music, performance arts and delicious dishes to the stunning rural setting of Cinderhill Farm, Barnsley.
Within Covid guidelines and new for this year, festival goers can enjoy the event UNDERNEATH THE STARS as the festival is set to lose the big top tents for 2021. Festival bars and stages will be moved outdoors, allowing customers more space to distance themselves, beneath the sky.
Kicking off the star-studded line-up on Friday is Grammy nominated, singer songwriter Paul Carrack. Celebrating 20 years of phenomenal output as an independent artist, the Sheffield born artist has carved a niche for himself where blue-eyed soul and pop rock collide, promising a formidable live experience. His voice is instantly recognisable on numerous hits including “How Long”, Squeeze’s “Tempted”, Mike + The Mechanics “Living Years” and “Over My Shoulder”.
Hot off the press, Saving Grace, a collective which includes the vocal talents of Robert Plant and Suzi Dian, take to the stage Saturday. They are enriched by Oli Jefferson, Tony Kelsey, and Matt Worley’s sensitive and dynamic arrangements.
Performing in perfect harmony, Saving Grace will play a selection of diverse and eclectic cover versions, plucked from various places, creating a musical journey in its purest form. In the spirit of appreciation and musicianship, Plant will eloquently deliver the stories behind the group’s choice of songs, and his accumulation of different musical styles and genres - evidence of his ingrained desire to explore world music.
Closing the renowned and beloved festival for another year, Barnsley’s own nightingale, Kate Rusby will take to the stage, performing traditional folk and stunning self-penned songs. Yorkshire born and bred, Kate is known for her wistfully pure singing voice, good humour, and the down-to-earth warmth of her live performances. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to folk music, dance and song, Kate was honoured with the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) Gold Badge in 2019.
Other highlights over the weekend are set to include: Eddi Reader, one of Scotland’s greatest living female voices; LYR, short for Land Yacht Regatta, a genre-splicing supergroup of sorts, comprised of author and current British poet laureate Simon Armitage, musician Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Pearson; multi-award winning duo the Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita the Senegalese Kora virtuoso; fast rising indie-folk band Lanterns on the Lake; one of Scotland’s most exciting and successful folk groups, Breabach; the much beloved and acclaimed Admiral Fallow; the unique and utterly compelling live solo performer and singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph; UTSf favourite, Irish musician and singer Damien O’Kane & guests; Barnsley’s finest and the greatest show in tank tops, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican; an audience with the acclaimed broadcaster Mark Radcliffe; drawing on the traditional music styles of the Balkans and North America, Dallahan; fierce, fragile and euphoric songs from Welsh Music Prize nominee Bryde; Anglo-Irish all-female bluegrass quintet Midnight Skyracer; powerhouse Americana-twinged singer and songwriter, from Yorkshire, Lauren Hausley; deeply rooted English folk singer Nick Hart; Americana influenced trio Jaywalkers.
For artist day splits visit https://underneaththestarsfest.co.uk/lineup/
Run by the production team behind folk artist and Sunday’s headliner Kate Rusby, Underneath the Stars features music, performance arts, crafts and more for the whole family plus food, drink, and shopping, sourced from independent vendors, brought together in its cosy corner of rural South Yorkshire.
Despite last year’s cancellation, festival organisers have planned to go ahead with a socially-distanced festival so that they are not wholly dependent on the move to Stage 4 of the Government roadmap, though they hope measures are relaxed so that they can increase capacity numbers once lockdown restrictions are lifted. Thankfully, because of the festival’s extremely loyal fan base, many of whom kept hold of their 2020 tickets for this year, the festival has a huge festival family patiently waiting for its return in 2021.
Festival director Emma Holling says: “Building on our sell-out festival in 2019, we are delighted to announce our line-up for Underneath the Stars 2021 and looking forward to getting out into the field. To see the festival become an established event on the UK festival scene is just amazing - our recent awards and successes are testament to the hard work of all the team!”
Festival organisers are delighted to be welcoming back an army of volunteers for another year. The extremely loyal and supportive volunteers will be assisting the festival once more, with overnight campers, venues, bar support and each of the festival’s different areas.
Ensuring quality ingredients and excellent value for money, Underneath the Stars handpicks food traders for their weekend festival-goers. In addition to boutique street food vendors, and bar areas – promising fantastic flavours and worldly wines; Underneath the Stars are committed to fair, ethical trading, and environmental sustainability, and promise a delicious selection of food which caters for a wide range of dietary requirements.
Underneath the Stars festival is a community interest venture with inclusivity and community at its heart. The team recently enjoyed a week of celebrations as they won Small Festival of the Year and took home the prestigious Judge’s Award at the National Outdoor Events Association’s (NOEA) Awards ceremony on Wednesday 28th November 2019.
Underneath the Stars won Small Festival of the Year and took home the prestigious Judge’s Award at the sought-after National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) Awards 2019. The festival has also gained an Attitude is Everything Silver Charter Award.
They also gained an Attitude is Everything Silver Charter Award. AIE is a disability-led charity supporting non-profit and commercial organisations to make what they do more accessible and inclusive for Deaf and disabled people. Its Charter improves Deaf and disabled people’s access to live music by working in partnership with audiences, artists, and the music industry.
Tickets are currently sold out under existing Covid-guidelines because of the reduced capacity due to social distancing. Festival organisers will be keeping a close eye prior to announcements on 19th July and will release further tickets if lockdown restrictions are eased and it is safe to do so.
