We are delighted to welcome The Bootleg Beatles to our stage on Thursday 31st July.  They are the world’s premier Beatles tribute band.  Arguably they are the most well known tribute band of any band.  Incredibly they have performed for over four decades and 4500 live shows whilst touring the world. They have become an institution in their own right with their note-perfect recreation of hits from every era of the world’s most famous songbook. 

In 1979 ‘Beatlemania’ opened in The West End at The Astoria Theatre and four British hopefuls (Neil Harrison, Andre Barreau, David Catlin-Birch and Jack Lee Elgood) became the UK cast. After the show run ended, ‘look-alike band’ The Bootleg Beatles was formed, signing up to the late Brian Epstein’s NEMS Agency. Their first gig was a college shindig in Tiverton, Devon. The band cut their teeth playing clubs and colleges around the UK.

Over the next 40 years and with many line up changes they are still going from strength to strength.   In 1998 the group supported Rod Stewart at Wembley Stadium. The following year they were the last band to play at the old Wembley Stadium at a gig featuring Elton John and football legend Pele in the audience. The band have also supported, Simple Minds, The Coors and David Bowie.

In 2017 they performed (twice) at Glastonbury, the Royal Albert Hall and toured Australia. Their now traditional Spring and Winter tours of the UK are unmissable! The Bootleg Beatles, continue to thrill audiences with performing their acclaimed homage to the Fab Four.

The current band members are:

• Paul Canning (John Lennon) – guitar, vocals, keyboards, harmonica (2024–present)
• Steve White (Paul McCartney) – bass, vocals, keyboards (2012–present)
• Stephen Hill (George Harrison) – guitar, vocals (2014–present)
• Gordon Elsmore (Ringo Starr) – drums, percussion, vocals (2016–present)

The acclaimed Judie Tzuke will make her Wickham Festival debut on our opening night, Thursday 31st July.  Judie Tzuke is the epitome of the female singer-songwriter. Her wistful lyrics, sublime harmonies and hauntingly clear voice are testament to a career which has spanned four decades and continues to inspire a generation of fans with her unparalleled songwriting.

After an education in the arts, music and drama, at the age of 13 Judie began to spend her time writing poems which she turned into songs. In 1975 she met Mike Paxman and together they secured a record deal with Tony Visconti’s label Good Earth and released a single These Are The Laws under the name of Tzuke and Paxo. It was at this time that Judie met her future husband Paul Muggleton who would go on to produce all of her future recordings.

In 1977 Judie went to see managing director David Croker at Elton John’s label Rocket Records as their motto was “a label for artists”. She played them a few songs, one of which was Stay With Me Till Dawn and was immediately signed. Judie and Mike spent the next six months recording her first album Welcome To The Cruise at Air Studios in London. Released in 1979, it contained Judie’s haunting signature song Stay With Me Till Dawn which stayed in the UK charts for 16 weeks. In 2002, BBC Radio 2 conducted a poll to determine the top fifty British songs of the past fifty years, Stay With Me Till Dawn was at number 39.

Fuelled by the success of her debut album, Judie began her first full band tour which lasted for 18 months and her second album Sportscar shot to number 7 on the UK album chart. Around this time, at the request of Elton, Judie toured America as his special guest.

Back in the UK, her third album I Am The Phoenix was released and Judie undertook another lengthy UK tour culminating with a headlining slot at Glastonbury Festival. At this time, Judie was selling out concert halls all over the UK and Europe and recorded her acclaimed live album Road Noise during two sell out shows at Hammersmith Odeon. As Rocket Records folded in the UK, Judie signed with Chrysalis to release her next two hit albums, Shoot The Moon and Ritmo.

The Cat Is Out was released with Legacy, a new independent company, in 1985. For the first time, Judie and her producers Paul and Mike were able to create an album without record company interference and drew up designs for a purpose built home studio: Big Ocean Studios. This was to become the place where she would record all her future albums including her next release; Turning Stones.

Judie entered the 1990s signing to Columbia Records for her next album, Left Hand Talking which included an atmospheric take on The Beach Boys’ illustrious God Only Knows and a reworking of her own classic Stay With Me Till Dawn. In 1992, Brian May featured on her Wonderland album. Founding her own label in 1996, Big Moon, Judie released with Under The Angels followed by her own personal favourite album, Secret Agent in 1998. Queen Secret Keeper became her first release of the new millennium.

Tzuke’s pen still poised, more albums followed with: Over The Moon, The Beauty Of Hindsight and The End Of The Beginning. These were all released to acclaim and devotion from her ardent army of fans. In 2010, the retrospective compilation Moon On A Mirrorball saw Judie touring the UK with a band that included both her daughters Bailey and Tallula on backing vocals. The tour climaxed with a stunning show featuring a wide selection of her old and new songs at the Union Chapel in London.

Having always suffered from stage fright, Judie decided to take a few years out from touring to explore her unique ability to write beautiful songs, working with a large number of artists including Lucie Silvas, Morcheeba, Tom Baxter and many others

In 2013 Judie was diagnosed with cancer of the womb. After undergoing a major operation and radiotherapy, she received the wonderful news that she was cancer free. Judie’s battle with cancer was the inspiration behind her most recent album Peace Has Broken Out. It is perhaps her most accomplished album to date, featuring some of her most personal and poignant writing.

Judie contributed four songs on the recent Woman To Woman album, a collaboration with Beverley Craven and Julia Fordham: If (When You Go), Temporary, a re-working of her classic song For You and Safe, a simple and delicate song co-written with Beth Nielsen Chapman. This song was the perfect vehicle for the hit Woman To Woman album, showing all three ladies at the top of their game, in a perfect blend of harmony. The Woman To Woman tour saw Judie along with Beverley and Julia playing to sold out houses around the UK and selling in excess of 35,000 tickets.

After the success of the Woman to Woman album and tour, Tzuke joined forces again in 2022 with Craven, Fordham and new addition Rumer when their show played to Sold Out shows in concert halls across the country. Their song Safe has now amassed half a million streams on Spotify.

Judie’s latest album, ‘Jude The Unsinkable’ was released in October 2023.

We welcome back Alistair Russell as one of our comperes for Wickham Festival 2025.

Singing and playing folk music since his teens, and over thirty years a professional musician and sound engineer, Alistair sings songs mainly from his family homeland Scotland, its neighbour Ireland, self-penned songs inspired by his world-wide travelling with Battlefield Band, and any other song that takes his fancy.

Alistair grew up in the North-East of England, with Scottish parents who had a rich fund of songs of their own—music hall favourites, Harry Lauder songs, sentimental ballads and stage Irish songs which his father brought back from working on contract.

The sixties’ beat boom saw Alistair and a few like-minded school friends exploring folk music. By the late seventies, his band was playing extensively throughout NE England, with frequent forays into Germany and Poland. In 1978, he teamed up full-time with Tom Napper, and they released their first album, “Tripping Upstairs”. The next four years saw Tom take his leave, and Alistair set out on a solo career. His album “Getting to the Border” (with a star-studded guest musician list) was released.

Then came that rare thing in the world of folk music—the “big break”. Alistair joined Scotland’s legendary Battlefield Band. The next thirteen years were a whirlwind of touring—one million miles of it!

Nine Battlefield albums and two videos later, Alistair jumped off the global tour bus to “recharge the batteries”. His spell in Battlefield had not only developed his playing, singing and songwriting skills, but his role as “front man” in the band had honed the skill of relaxed communication which is so vital to putting the music across.

He didn’t remain idle for long. Knowledge gained on the road and in the recording studio got him jobs in management (Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley), album production and CD recording (over 60 commercial projects released), tour management (Magnetic Music),  stringed instrument setup and sales (The Music Room), stage management,compering and live sound engineering at major UK festivals (CV Audio and freelance), and tuition DVD production (Mrs Casey Music).

Alistair Russell has recently written a book! It’s a light-hearted look at life on the road as a travelling musician & sound engineer. It’s received rave reviews from the critics and copies can be ordered online here:

https://www.alistairrussell.co.uk/shop/

Legendary Geordie folk-rockers Lindisfarne will headline our opening night on Thursday 31 July.

Tyneside folk-rock pioneers LINDISFARNE first grabbed the attention of the country in 1970 with their debut album Nicely Out of Tune. There followed a string of memorable albums and evergreen classics including Meet Me on the Corner, We Can Swing Together, Fog On The Tyne, Lady Eleanor and Run For Home.

In 2025 and in top form, the band is pleased to return with a series of UK concerts presented by a classic five-piece line up of long-time members fronted by original founder-member Rod Clements on vocals, mandolin, fiddle and slide guitar.

With a repertoire of unforgettable songs and a reputation for live performance second to none, LINDISFARNE’s power to galvanise festival and concert audiences remains undimmed and is guaranteed to get the crowd on its feet and singing along.

Lindisfarne members are:

• ROD CLEMENTS (1969-present) Vocal, mandolin, fiddle, guitars
• DAVE HULL-DENHOLM (1994-present) Vocal, guitars
• STEVE DAGGETT (1986-present) Vocal, keyboards, guitars
• IAN THOMSON (1995-present) Bass, vocal
• PAUL THOMPSON (ex-Roxy Music) Drums

“Lindisfarne were the real surprise for me at Towersey Festival. Not being of their generation I had been unsure of just how they would go down, but they stormed it. Consummate professionals and great musicians, they surprised me with just how many of their great songs I knew, and those that I didn’t, felt familiar. Wonderful stage presence and rapport with the audience, who I should say came in droves to see them. A no-brainer booking for me. One of the year’s festival highlights.”
Joe Heap – Director – TOWERSEY FESTIVAL Ltd