Sadly Les passed away on 14th January 2023.  He entertained us many times over the years.  We’ve left his profile unchanged below, as it was written in 2018 when he last took to our stage.  RIP Les … your friends at Wickham will miss you and your wordsmith wizardry.

For 2018 Les Barker will be appearing on Thursday 2nd August.  For early arrival campers he will also be performing on Wednesday in the Community Centre at 20.00 – 20.45.

Les Barker writes strange poems and comes originally from Manchester, but he’s now Welsh. He was an accountant before he became a professional idiot. He’s written 77 books, which sell in large numbers at his gigs because people don’t quite believe what they’ve just heard. His poems have spawned a number of folk heroes: Jason and the Arguments, Cosmo the Fairly Accurate Knife Thrower, Captain Indecisive and Spot of the Antarctic, to name but two.

His serious songs have also featured on albums by Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, and by June Tabor and he made a name for himself on the circuit with his unlikely contribution to the Mrs Ackroyd Band. But it is his side-splitting poems and his elevation of the pun to new heights which guarantees an unforgettable if baffling evening.

Whilst some acts transfer well to TV / on-line viewing, others you can only truely appreciate live when your body shakes … we’re welcoming back The Dhol Foundation.  Over the years they’ve proved a real Wickham favourite so it’s another bhangra bonanza on for 2022.  These guys know how to put on a stunning show … Wickham, you want vibrant enery?  They’re back!!!  We’re not sure any other festival could claim to have a bhangra based house band.  On Saturday 6th August 2022 we’ll be welcoming some unique Indian culture to get us jumping on our feet.  You can also catch Johnny Kalsi’s DJ Set on the Friday.

Established in 1989, The Dhol Foundation began as a small class in slough with only a few friends asking Johnny Kalsi for Dhol drumming lessons. A couple of weeks went by, and those friends bought friends of friends and so on… One class turned into several! Before we knew it we became the first-ever dhol class/academy in the UK, creating a new breed of modern dhol players that became quickly in demand!

With a strong team of dhol players built up, it was time to hit the road! So Johnny Kalsi and The Dhol Foundation began workshops internationally and then tours across the globe, Slowly expanding along the way.

In 2001 TDF released our debut album, ‘Big Drum Small World’ which was another milestone for the British Asian music industry. With backing from Peter Gabriel’s Real World Publishing, the album grabbed mainstream attention and was quickly picked up by Hollywood directors. TDF collaborated with Martin Scorsese on ‘Gangs of New York’. This collaboration was then followed by more silver screen work with the likes of, Ang Lee on ‘Incredible Hulk’ and Sean Macleod Phillips on ‘Sea Monsters 3D’,

​As the years have flown by, The Dhol Foundation continues to grow. As through the lockdown months, they have started writing new material for their 6th installment. As the saying goes… Watch This Space!​

10cc first appeared at Wickham back in 2013 as a support slot which proved one of the big hits of the 2013 Wickham Festival.  They then played in 2015 and 2017 as headliners by popular demand.  Well … drum roll … they’re back at Wickham Festival 2022!!!  With a string of top 10 hits including Donna, Dreadlock Holiday, Rubber Bullets and I’m Not in Love, this evergreen act will bring our opening night to a fantastic finale.

Among the most inventive and influential bands in the history of popular music, 10cc are one of the very few acts to have achieved commercial, critical and creative success in equal measure. Fronted by original band member Graham Gouldman they are still going strong 40 years on.

10cc consists of:

Graham Gouldman
That loyal little song-bug has stood him in good stead through decades of distinction as one of the UK’s most productive and imaginative hitmakers. We’re talking very much in the present and future tenses, too, since he continues to write with contemporary hitmakers and see his classics renewing themselves constantly, as with the news that ‘For Your Love’ and ‘Heart Full Of Soul’, two of the timeless hits he wrote for the Yardbirds, have lately been part of live sets by the White Stripes. The headlines of Graham’s career may always be his early compositions for the scenesters of the ’60s, his crucial role in the super-intelligent ’70s pop of 10cc, and his livewire combination with Andrew Gold in Wax during the ’80s.

Rick Fenn
Born in Oxford, Rick was plucked for a band called Gentlemen to join 10cc towards the end of 1976, at the launch of the Deceptive Bends album and has been part of the team ever since. From 1979, he also toured and recorded with Mike Oldfield and with him co-wrote the song Family Man, which become a worldwide hit for Hall & Oates, and won him an ASCAP award for best song in 1984. In 1985, Rick wrote and recorded his own album Profiles, with Pink Floyd’s drummer Nick Mason. The single from the album, Lie for a Lie – sung by Dave Gilmour and featuring Maggie Reilly – was a hit in the USA.

Mick Wilson
Mick has performed and recorded with artistes such as Lionel Ritchie, Kylie Minogue, Westlife, Cher, Alice Cooper, Alison Moyet, Chris Rea, Donny Osmond, Robin Gibb, Cliff Richard, Lulu and the K.L.F.  He is also a regular member of The SAS Band which play all over the world, with guest performers such as Brian May, Roger Daltrey, Roger Taylor, Kiki Dee and Tony Hadley.  For over 20 years, Mick has had his own recording and production facility, which has been the base for a varied career as a producer and songwriter, as well as composing music for TV and live events, for companies such as Sky, BBC, ITV, Marks & Spencer, McDonalds, BT, Levi’s, Toyota, Mercedes, Ford and Mitsubishi.

Paul Burgess
Paul met Graham Gouldman in the early days of 10cc when recording at Strawberry Studios and when they planned to start touring asked him to join as an auxillary member, playing drums, percussion and keyboards for what was to become a ten year period. He started recording with them in 1976. In 1982, he toured throughout America and Canada with Jethro Tull and in 1983 played his final tour with 10cc around the U.K. The ’80s became a tour fest with Camel in (’83/’84), Elkie Brooks (’85), Joan Armatrading (’86), Alvin Stardust (’87), Gloria Gaynor (’88) and Icicle Works (’89).

Mike Stevens
Born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, Mike is a musician, producer and writer graduate from Birmingham School of Music, where he studied clarinet, euphonium and piano. He is widely known as the Musical Director for Take That, having performed with them on every tour since 1993, including the Progress stadium tour last summer.

A regular performer with Show of Hands since 2004, Miranda Sykes formed a duo with Rex Preston in 2009 and in just a few years they have developed into one of the most sought-after and acclaimed duos on the English folk scene.

A superb vocalist and double bassist, Miranda surprises audiences with her versatility on the guitar and with her unique interpretations of songs.

With a dozen albums to her name, Kathryn is the country’s leading Northumbrian pipes player as well as being an accomplished fiddle player. A winner of the Queen’s Medal for Music and the 2013 Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year, her work is deeply rooted in the landscape and people of Northumbria.

Her new folk-classical ensemble the Side comprises Louisa Tuck (cello), Ruth Wall (harp) and Amy Thatcher (accordion, clog dancing).

A firm favourite at Wickham, this self-described “Modern English musician” had already won an MBE and five Radio 2 Folk awards before her 40^th birthday. Now hitting the peak of her musical powers this Mercury Music prize-nominated singer has become one of the most dazzling and recognised folk musicians of her generation.

After a hugely successful 25-year career she is now fronting the 12-piece powerhouse supergroup the Wayward Band, one of the best festival acts on the circuit.

Edward II will be returning to the festival scene in 2023. This is a band that has incredible on-stage talent and energy that has to be enjoyed live. If you’ve got energy to burn and brought your dancing shoes … who doesn’t love some reggae beats with a twist.

Originally known by the neat title of Edward the Second and the Red Hot Polkas, Edward II reformed some 10 years after originally disbanding. With their unique mix of English folk, world music and reggae, they are a great live act who will bring the crowd to their feet.

Edward II, the English roots band that uniquely blend the rhythms of the Caribbean with traditional songs from the British Isles, have been secretly working on a totally new project and will be back in 2017. Temporarily turning away from the rural songs of the middle England Morris teams, this time around the band has been delving deep into a repertoire of songs born of the industrial revolution, specifically of their hometown, Manchester.

Still upbeat, and with rock-steady rhythms, blazing horns, fabulous harmonies, and fiery melodeon melodies, this will be a new set mixed with some of the old favourites and a familiar sound for the faithful.

For the 2023 festival season Steve Knightley and Phil Beer are returning to the duo format that launched their stellar careers over thirty years ago. Audiences will be treated to the usual ‘Show of Hands’ classics like ‘Cousin Jack’, rousing festival anthems, instrumental virtuosity and stunning harmonies from two masters of their craft.

A welcome return for Andy Fairweather-Low & the Low Riders to Wickham Festival!  They’ll be supporting 10cc on our opening night.

Best known for his hit single Wide-eyed and Legless, Andy has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the music industry. He first hit the big-time with Amen Corner who enjoyed a string of hits including Bend Me Shape Me, High in the Sky and the UK Number 1 (If Paradise is) Half as Nice.

Since then the Welsh wizard has sung backing vocals for artists as diverse as The Who and Kate Bush and he has also toured extensively with such legends as Roger Waters, Bill Wyman and Eric Clapton both as part of his touring band and opening for him in 2013 with the Low Riders.