The song and cohambe festival returns this summer to Saltash in Cornwall

A festival dedicated entirely to song and carols will return to Cornish this summer. The event will feature a variety of musical genres including folk, rock, blues and choral music from Cornwall and the Tamar Valley in June.

The Saltash Songs & Shanties Festival will take place at various historic venues across the town from June 15th to 24th. Main acts include Wurlitza, Martha Tilston Trio, Diabel Cissokho Band, Bagas Fellion, Barrett’s Privateers and Haunt the Woods.

Wurlitza, who hail from St German’s, are known for their unique shows where they provide live soundtracks to classic silent films. On June 20, they’ll play the comedy One Week with Buster Keaton and the thriller A Cottage on Dartmoor, which involves an escaped convict, a love triangle and hairdressing.

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Martha Tilston, a Cornish musician known for her silky voice, has amassed a worldwide following. She has graced some of the world’s most prestigious stages, released critically acclaimed albums and been nominated for BBC Best Newcomer. She will be performing alongside long-time collaborators Matt Kelly and Matt Tweed on June 21st at the stunning and historic St Nicholas & St Faith Church, supported by the Saltash Shanty Singers.

Saltash’s international musician Diabel Cissokho from Senegal is due to perform alongside fellow West and North African musicians and St Neot’s Canoryon Lowen Choir on June 22. His innovative work fuses traditional music with elements of blues, Afro-beat and more.

He has previously performed on stages at WOMAD, Glastonbury, Africa Oye and the Barbican and collaborated with renowned musicians such as Baaba Maal, Youssou N’Dour and Paul McCartney.

On June 23, Bagas Fellyon and Barrett’s Privateers will take the stage. Bagas Fellyon redefines traditional Cornish music, combining drums, bass, saxophone, fiddle, accordion and mallet dulcimer to create hypnotic rhythms and textures.

They combine ancient and modern tunes for a traditional Cornish Nos Lowen evening full of dancing and fun. Barrett’s Privateers, led by their captain, Gideon Barrett, are known for their love of sea songs, bosoms and folk music. Their performances, enriched by a mixture of voices, are always highly entertaining.

This year’s festival also offers a wide range of workshops, from shack singing to samba drumming. The festival kicks off on June 15 with a Saturday Scratch Band event in collaboration with Livewire Youth Music. This event is designed for young people learning guitar, bass, drums or singing who want to gain experience playing in a band. The day will conclude with new band Scratch supporting Livewire prodigies The Other Woman and Haunt the Woods for an evening concert.

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There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, including music for pre-schoolers in the library, tango, tea and cake with Tango Sonoro at the Social Club, a pop-up piano session on the Waterside and an acapella harmony workshop with GraceNotes. Additional events include an afternoon of community music by the River Tamar (19 June), folk group Tipil playing in historic Mary Newman’s Cottage and the award-winning Saltash Town Band in Victoria Gardens (22 June).

Since its launch in 2022, the festival has quickly become a significant annual event on the Cornish music scene. Known for its high-quality performances, creative programming and fun, friendly events in beautiful settings, the Festival attracts audiences from across the South West and beyond.

Tickets will again be sold with payment options, making the event accessible to all. More information and tickets are available at www.songsandshanties.co.uk.

The festival is supported by Arts Council England through National Lottery Open Access Project Grants, Cornwall County Council, Scops Arts Trust, Sue Hooper Charitable Foundation and Saltash Town Council. It is produced by Salt Arts CIC.