Spike’s All-Stars featuring Spike Edney (Queen) and guest vocalists Graham Gouldman (10cc), Steve Harley (Cockney Rebel), Tom Robinson, Toyah, Madeline Bell (Blue Mink) and an all-star band.

Every SAS show is unique and Thursday 5th August at Wickham Festival will feature a fabulous line up of eclectic artists. This will be an evening not to be missed.

Founded by renowned musician and musical director, Spike Edney, THE SAS BAND (a.k.a. Spike’s All Stars) is the “Ultimate All-Star Band” featuring world class musicians and some of the world’s greatest Rock artists.

These performances include The Prince’s Trust “Party in the Park” and the Mandela 46664 concerts in Cape Town, Hyde Park, London and Radio City Music Hall, New York. Corporate clients feature Microsoft, Harley Davidson, HSBC and McClaren Mercedes.

The SAS Band last appeared at Wickham Festival back in 2016 with special guests including Roger Tayor and proved hugely popular.  We can’t wait for their return as headliners on our opening night.

Eddi Reader grew up in Glasgow and Irvine, Scotland and it was in those towns that she learned to use music as a vehicle for communicating with others through busking and performing at the local folk clubs.  In the early 1980s, Eddi travelled around Europe with circus and performance artists before moving to London where she quickly became a sought after session vocalist.  She famously harmonized with Annie Lennox touring with the Eurythmics, after her time with successful punk outfit Gang of Four. It was the short-lived but warmly remembered Fairground Attraction that really brought her into the limelight and to the attention of a much wider audience.  The single ‘Perfect’ and parent album First of a Million Kisses both topped the British charts.

However, it was her subsequent albums which signalled her increasing ability to assimilate different musical styles and make them all very much her own. Her unerring instinct for fine material, whether self penned, collaborative or a carefully chosen cover version resulted in Mirmama (1992), Eddi Reader (1994), Candyfloss & Medicine (1996), Angels & Electricity (1998), Simple Soul (2001).

Through these years Eddi based herself in London, but in 2001 she decided to move home to Glasgow where she recorded the classic ‘Songs Of Robert Burns’ album released to international acclaim in 2003. Awarded the MBE in 2006 for services to singing, she took her Burns songs on tour all over the world and found connections to the bard everywhere from Kolkata, India to Sydney, Australia. In 2006 she released ‘Peacetime’ on Rough Trade Records featuring the finest traditional players in the United Kingdom and produced by Folk Musician of The Year, John McCusker.  Constant touring with her band has created a magical organic chemistry between Eddi and her players and the results of this relationship can be found on her most recent release.

‘Love Is The Way’,  Eddi Reader’s seventh solo album,  was released in March 2009 on Rough Trade Records.

Produced by Eddi herself, it is her best work so far.  Recorded in a matter of days with her band in Glasgow, the record has captured the award winning songstress in her finest form.  Songs written with her long time writing partner Boo Hewerdine,  songs written with her life partner John Douglas (The Trashcan Sinatras) and a song from the magical Irish singer/songwriter Declan O’Rourke as well as a rare Brian Wilson composition,  an Eddi/Fleetwood Mac ‘mash up’, and a wonderful song from Dublin songwriter Jack Maher.

2010 saw Eddi play sold out shows promoting “Love Is The Way” all over the world. It also brought Eddi’s Hollywood movie debut as she featured in Richard Linklaters, “Me And Orson Welles” with Zak Efron and Clare Danes. Eddi plays a chanteuse in the movie and is featured singing ‘Lets Pretend That There’s A Moon’ with the Jools Holland Orchestra. The original soundtrack features another two performances from Eddi.

From the traditional to the contemporary, Eddi brings joyous life to all forms of song.  Her taste in co-writers, writers, songs and players is impeccable and anything with her name on it is guaranteed musical treasure. Whilst the perfection of her technique is widely acknowledged,  what sets Reader apart is the depth and quality of the emotional performance;  her ability not only to move the listener but to connect her experience to that of her audience.  Her passion and instinct move people in a way reminiscent of those who have influenced her work.  Her rare blend of meltingly true vocals and towering romanticism combine with an astute and pragmatic nature to make her a unique and powerful figure in contemporary British music.  She has effortlessly developed into one of popular music’s most thrilling and affecting performers.

Lindisfarne emerged from Tyneside in the 1970s and quickly carved out a unique place for themselves as one of British rock’s most original bands. Their pioneering sound, combining acoustic instruments like mandolin and fiddle with their electric blues roots, proved the perfect medium to deliver the catchy, memorable songs provided by the band’s resident writers Alan Hull and Rod Clements. Their first hit, the Clements-penned Meet Me On The Corner, paved the way for their classic Fog On The Tyne to become the UK’s top-selling album of 1972.

Lindisfarne ’s unforgettable songs, powerful live performances and unpretentious style led to worldwide success and an enviable reputation as festival favourites, and the annual Christmas concerts they presented in their native Newcastle became the stuff of legend.

The original band finally called it a day in 2003, but now Lindisfarne are back with a classic five-piece line up of long-time members fronted by original founder-member Rod Clements (vocals, mandolin, fiddle, slide guitar) and Alan Hull’s son-in-law Dave Hull-Denholm (vocals, guitars). With a repertoire of much-loved songs like Meet Me On The Corner, Fog On The Tyne, Lady Eleanor and Run For Home 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

Merry Hell have firmly become a Wickham favourite, last performing in 2021.  We’re not sure we could manage 3 years without pleading them to return.  They’re fantastic musicians that always get the crowd dancing! What’s more, for a 2023 Virginia Kettle will be performing a solo set at 13.15 – 14.00 before taking to the stage with the band at 15.15 – 16.15.

Merry Hell are a band founded on the ever evolving Folk tradition – music made by the people and shared by the people. Though their hearts and souls are tuned to the songs which came before them, they bring you new words and music forged from their own experiences, from the lows and the loves of theirs lives. Their art is energy and their hope is unity. Their pleasure is to please, let the audience be the acid test and let the music speak for itself!

During 2014, Merry Hell played over twenty festivals, including a highlight support slot to Richard Thompson at Towersey, undertook its first national tour in Spring, a further tour in October, plus a ten date acoustic jaunt around the folk clubs and arts centres of Northern Britain.  In March, 2015 they released their third album, The Ghost In Our House and Other Stories.

In 2017 they proposed an alternative National Anthem – Come On, England!  The single was released on 1st August 2017 and taken from their album Bloodlines. Words and music by Bob Kettle.

The Young’uns have proved themselves a unique proposition – writing and performing a cappella or subtly accompanied songs that tell it how it is alongside traditional songs from their native North-East and further afield – songs of conscience, songs of warmth and wit, songs to provoke, songs to inspire.

“The harmonies are glorious, the wit is waspish. The songs are powerful, the banter is relentless and the audience is happy.” – The Guardian

Renowned for their pitch perfect harmonies and rapid fire humour, their live show undeniably has the human touch. Always engaging, frequently heart-warming, they have built an enviable audience rapport. They are an act that truly takes the cliché out of the “make you laugh, make you cry” tag.

Visit their shop to purchase a collection of material.

What are Skerryvore? They’re like no one else. Epic of melody, intimate of feeling and plugged into the roots of Scotland but blasting out to the world.

Three time winners of Scotland’s ‘Live Act of the Year’ award, Skerryvore have evolved from their humble beginnings to become one of the country’s leading forces in a thriving live music scene. At the forefront of a movement that has reinvented and reignited a traditional Scottish scene for a modern, multicultural audience, the band have brought their high energy performances to audiences across the globe. From their early days in Scottish West Coast halls and bars, to festival crowds in the USA, Canada, Australia and throughout the UK and Europe, Skerryvore’s wide range of influences and talent produce a musically expansive, immersive yet intimate set that excites and captivates audiences.

With a mix of bagpipes, fiddles, accordions, and whistles, alongside guitar and vocals, underpinned by driving bass, drums and keys, Skerryvore represent the best in contemporary Scottish traditional music. Their 6 studio albums demonstrate the wide range of influences the individual musicians bring to the mix – a unique fusion of folk, trad, pop and rock.

Their latest studio album ‘tempus’, due for release on April 28, is already making waves in the UK music scene, with the first three single releases – You & I, Together Again & Everything You Need – all having been consecutively chosen to feature on the BBC Radio 2 new music playlist.

To celebrate the release of the new album, Skerryvore will be bringing the Tempus Tour to audiences across the UK, Europe and USA.

“Skerryvore have crafted a world beating fusion, which takes pride in their heritage and above all else is a pure joy to listen to.”
Folk Radio UK

“A spectacular mix of traditional Scottish folk music and the most diverse rock elements.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung, GERMANY

“The highest rated show we have ever had on our post-concert surveys… people LOVED the show.”
Anchorage Concert Association, ALASKA

“Such a fresh, real, new sound… I love it”
Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2 UK

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!​

Named after a dead dog, Megson are the acclaimed husband/wife duo Stu and Debbie Hanna. This unlikely combination of a former punk and a classically trained soprano are already making waves on the folk circuit. With five critically-acclaimed albums to date, these regulars on the festival scene have wowed crowds wherever they have played.

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.

Formerly the Beautiful South, this new incarnation of the band is as popular as ever going down a storm at Wickham Festival in 2015, 2018, and 2021.

With 15 million sales and a string of top 20 hits in their repertoire, you are guaranteed to be singing along to such tunes as Rotterdam, Don’t Marry Her, Perfect 10, Song For Whoever, Old Redeyes and the band’s UK Number 1 A Little Time.

When great British pop institution, The Beautiful South split in 2007, some members of the band didn’t feel ready to hang up their microphones or instruments just yet…

Two years later, singers Dave Hemingway and Alison Wheeler, alongside life long members Damon Butcher (keys), Gaz Birtles (sax) and Tony Robinson (trumpet), came out of retirement and formed the 9 piece band, The South.

And so The South embarked on their journey. Celebrating the Beautiful South legacy and great songs of their own, the band continues performing the classic songs including: A Little Time – the number one single, Perfect 10, Rotterdam, Old Red Eyes, Good as Gold, Don’t Marry Her. All performed again live, these songs span an impressive 20 year career starting way back in 1989!

Fast forward to 2017 and its all change. Dave Hemingway has announced his retirement from the live music scene, Damon Butcher now resides in Ireland thereby leaving the band and Tony Robinson has moved on to pastures new.

It was time for The South to regroup and have a rethink. With the support from their amazing fans, they were encouraged to strive onwards. Right under their nose was an obvious choice. Up stepped long time sax player Gaz Birtles to take centre stage and take over the male vocal duties. As well as performing with The Beautiful South and within The South, Gaz has also had success in his own right as a singer songwriter. Quite handy he should also know the back catalogue of Beautiful South songs too!

Also welcomed into the fold, comes the amazing keyboard player – Andy Price, with years of experience playing along side Ska legend Laurel Aitken, Blues guitar maestro, Ainsley Lister. Happy Mondays’ Bez. The Drifters. Jersey Budd

We are also excited to welcome to the band the new sax player Su Robinson. Su has had a wealth of live experience with such legends as Prince Buster, The Specials’ Horace Panters band, Uptown Ska Collective as well as sitting in with The South on the few occasions Gaz Birtles couldn’t make it.

Long time trumpet replacement for Tony Robinson, Gareth John, is now established as a permanent fixture. His past glories include working alongside members of the Happy Mondays, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, The Specials, Vintage Trouble and many more.

With the new reshuffle complete, The South are a full team again and raring to go! Their live show promises to continue to celebrate and perform the classic Beautiful South songs along with songs from The South’s debut album ‘Sweet Refrains’ and maybe even new material in the future too.

Come on! Let’s Carry On… Regardless!

The South are:

Alison Wheeler (Vocals), Gaz Birtles (Vocals), Phil Barton (Guitars), Steve Nutter (Bass), Dave Anderson (Drums), Karl Brown (Percussion), Gareth John (Trumpet), Su Robinson (Sax), Andy Price (Keys).