Outstanding in its field

With its strongest line-up yet, rave reviews and artists queuing up to play, Sark Folk Festival goes from strength to strength. Shaun Shackleton talks to director Simon Harvey

'IT TAKES up a lot of time and I go through periods where I think, "What the hell am I doing?"' said Simon Harvey, weighing up the pros and cons of organising Sark Folk Festival.

Somehow the pros always win out, because: 'It's going to be brilliant. This year we've almost doubled the visiting artists.'

In the week where part of the festival's line-up was announced, it was also reported that there are no weekend tickets left to buy, and there haven't been any for weeks.

'There are no Saturday tickets either,' said Simon, pictured.

This shows the enormous popularity of the end-of-June event, which is now in its third year.

It also shows the tremendous faith people have in its organisers. How many festivals are practically a sell-out before the line-up is announced?

The faithful, however, have been rewarded.

National and international headliners include 3 Daft Monkeys, Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo, Emily Portman, James Findlay, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, The Shee and BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards winner Lucy Ward, to name just a few.

Local bands already signed up are The Barley Dogs, Space Pirates of Rocquaine and The John Wesley Stone.

'We want to make it as broad as possible,' said Simon. 'There's so much different stuff around in the folk and roots world that we've had a great selection to choose from.'

Though this year, it's often been a case of the acts choosing SFF.

'We had an online application form and a lot of the acts we have playing have approached us.

'We've been lucky because the first two years we had a lot of well-connected people playing and they've spread the word around the other festivals.

The layout has changed a little from last year.

Still in the same clifftop location, the Tintageu stage will have moved but the Vermerette and Alligande stages will still be in place, as well as an additional tent/stage for dancing and workshops.

'Nook by the Brook will also be up and running again,' said Simon.

This natural amphitheatre is set in a small quarry and accessed by a cliff path.

'A lot of people were concerned about playing there because of the lack of a PA or any amplification, but a few artists this year have asked specifically to play there,' he added.

Food and craft stalls will again feature within the arena and Rocquette Cider will be sponsoring the event – along with CCD Architects, Norman Piette and Guernsey Arts Commission – as well as supplying the Bec du Nez (a still cider, specially made for the festival), which will be available at the all-important bar.

'What's really good this year is that there are a lot of families coming over, and we've issued a lot of children's tickets,' said Simon.

If you only go to one folk festival this year, make sure it's Sark Folk Festival.