Catapulting gleefully into what will be its third year, the one of a kind festival will be curating a festival custom made for the curiously minded.
Featuring another bill brimming with artists of the esoteric and eccentric, some guest speakers of the seriously strange variety, cerebral cinema showings, plus palate-popping delicacies and more, the refreshingly different, adult-only (16+) festival arrives on July 7 to 8 2018.
Whilst its home will be remaining in the heart of Oxfordshire, there are big plans afoot for the bespoke bash’s latest edition. For the very first time, IFSS will not only be taking place across two days, but will also be pitching up at an exciting new site, as hosted by T.O.A.D: The Oxford Artisan Distillery, Oxford.
Hosted once again this year by the inimitable gag-slinging comedy outlaw Paul Foot, this year’s entertainments will span across two expertly individual stages.
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Pic: Bas Jan[/caption]
Taking stage on The Music Tent, expect to see tip-top performances from some of the finest left-field talent around. Feel the force of Bas Jan, the latest all-female alt-chamber-pop-punk project from Serafina Steer; get blown away by the hypnotic Jazz-tinged RnB of accomplished double bass player Bellatrix; float amidst the dreamy landscapes and laugh out loud at the hilarious rants of Alabaster De Plume; marvel at the talents of a former Stornoway supremo JON OUIN as he makes his solo live debut; plus don’t forget to tuck into other sets throughout the day from Alice Haughton, Despicable Zee and Sephine Llo. With a unique policy of booking no individual artist as a ‘headline act’, get down early and indulge in phenomenal performances from start to finish.
Over at The Odditorium stage, revellers will be able to expand their noggins with nuanced knowledge at a number of talks selected by the delightfully deranged mind of Dr David Bramwell. A talented spoken word artist and musician with a penchant for the fantastical, Dr Bramwell is perhaps best known for his Sony silver award-winning BBC Radio 3 programmes The Haunted Moustache, not to mention his Sing-Along-A-Wickerman live performances. In this Victorian-parlour style tent, give yourself over to Dr Bramwell’s sturdy, if slightly silly, hands as he gathers the most eye-opening enthusiasts, polymaths and eccentrics from across the land. Watch this space for the full programme to be announced in due course. Expect the unexpected…
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Irregular Folks Summer Sessions 2017 by Ian Wallman[/caption]
Orbiting the site throughout the day, there will also be plenty of chaos and creativity to stimulate all senses with Other Side Shows happening at the festival. Don’t miss Drunken Drawing, as Simon Mandator’s ingenious and interactive art pop-up staggers back to the festival for more mischief in 2018. Plus, don’t forget to pick up some rare finds at the Irregular Folks Merch Stall - as ever sporting a luscious back catalogue of limited edition releases by artists who have played Irregular Folks past and present that are sure to satisfy even the most hardcore record junkies.
Following the festivities on the Saturday, the Irregular Folks invite you to an extra, completely free day of fun and entertainment (open to Saturday ticket holders only): The Lazy Sunday Film Day (July 8). In collaboration with the local, independent and very brilliant cult cinema experience Ultimate Picture Palace, the Sunday will present revellers with a collection of weird and wonderful films to sit back and feast your eyes on as you kick back with a beer. Expect special Q&As with some of the directors too. Full programme to be announced in due course.
Helping you feed your stomach as we feed your mind throughout the festival, there’ll be grub and grog to grab from the likes of Brighton’s bohemian Bread For Life Mobile Pizzeria, artisan pick me ups courtesy of the Jericho Coffee Traders, T.O.A.D. beer stocked bars, popcorn and more to be announced.
Watch this space for extra line up additions, and info on the range of tasty treats and challenges that will be on offer at this year’s festival…
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Cory Mason - photo by Claire Williams[/caption]
The festival’s 2018 location at T.O.A.D.: The Oxford Artisan Distillery, is both brilliantly central and stunningly inventive and is found right at top of South Parks, Oxford. The fantastic people at T.O.A.D have cleverly converted a collection of old council equipment barns to house their wonderful distillery.
With principles completely aligned with that of the Festival’s, their love of the arts, passion for sustainability, as well as shared passion for making dreams come true, meant bringing Irregular Folks Summer Session to this exquisite new location was something of an unmissable opportunity.
Irregular Folks’ Summer Session is not a folk festival, it’s an all-day adult-only festival for lovers of the irregular. A festival for folks (noun meaning: people) doing something different and thinking independently. It’s a boundary breaking programme of great, unique music and other art forms to tantalise the ears and eyes, including art, comedy, poetry and film.
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Sephine Llo[/caption]
Irregular Folks itself is a specialist series of mainly music nights that run irregularly throughout the year. These nights and their yearly flag ship event, the Summer Sessions festival are also about creating stunning environments at an affordable price for which audiences and the artists can really sit back relax and be inspired by truly creative experiences. For more info, previous artists etc, click here.
The Irregular Folks’ Summer Session is generously funded by The Arts Council of England, via their Lottery funded Project Grants award, and for the first year ever, Irregular Folks Summer Sessions is also supported by PRS Foundation’s The Open Fund.
Speaking about this year’s bash, festival organiser Vez said: “I honestly keep pinching myself each day that it’s true – and wow that patch is starting to hurt! Irregular Folks has always been about bringing a super high level of unique creativity to people at an affordable price so people can try out something new.
“Having this funding means that we not only get to keep this event true to the values of creativity over commercial gain, and improving it year on year, it’s also a big juicy piece of recognition from two exceptionally highly regarded organisations being both The Arts Council and the PRS Foundation’s The Open Fund.”
Each year starts as a dream scenario and I simply cannot wait to put this years dream into action – it just goes to show, don’t be afraid to aim high, work hard and dare to make something happen. There’s support out there to help make the almost impossible possible.
For further information, click here.
