2011home

This year's music starts on Friday night with our opening night gig featuring Frank Hennessy & Friends, Whiskey Before Breakfast and others yet to be announced.

The Hennessys are one of Wales'foremost traditional folk groups. In 1966 Frank Hennessy and Dave Burns, both from Cardiff's Irish community, won a talent competition organised by Cardiff City Council which persuaded them to take up music professionally shortly afterwards, adding Paul Powell on banjo and vocals. Having achieved success in the Cardiff area, they decided to spend some time travelling around Ireland, to acquire a wider musical experience. It was at this time that they were persuaded to develop a greater Welsh identity and they started to introduce traditional Welsh language songs into their repertoire, with great success, and their career took off. They appeared regularly on television in Wales, appeared on stage throughout the country and recorded several albums. Many of their songs like "Farewell to the Rhondda" (about the decline of the mining industry in Wales and its social consequences), "Tiger Bay" (about emigration from Tiger Bay, the Dockland district of Cardiff) and the capital's anthem "Cardiff Born" have become folk standards. Other hits include "The Grangetown Whale" and "Billy the Seal". The current line-up still includes Hennessy (on guitar) and Burns (on guitar and mandolin), who have now been joined by fiddle player Iolo Jones.
Frank Hennessy has been hosting his own radio programmes on BBC Radio Wales since 1984, including the now long standing Saturday night favourite "Celtic Heartbeat".

Perennial Aberystwyth celtic troubadours; a band that's now been around in various guises for 30 years, Whiskey Before Breakfast bring with them a whirlwind of jigs and reels, not to mention a sprinkling of sometimes surprising song choices. Current line up features long standing members Jed Farnell (guitar and vocal), Nick Taylor (bass, mandolin and vocal) and newer recruits to the Whiskey fold, Jasper Salmon (fiddle) and Darren Phillips (percussion).

Saturday night's gig is headlined by the InterCeltic dance music outfit Mabon with support from Songdog and Blu Byrd.

It's been an interesting time recently for Mabon and Autumn 2011 sees the fruition of this year's line up changes. A new look band brings with it a new sounding direction. More stripped down than before, but still managing to produce a sound bigger than the sum of it's parts. Founder member and guitarist Derek Smith is still in attendance, joined by flautist and whistle player Tim Orrell, fiddle player Jasper Salmon, and long time Mabon regular, percussionist extraordinaire Will Lang.

Coming from Blackwood in South Wales (Lyndon Morgans & Karl Woodward) and Dundee in Scotland (Dave Paterson), Songdog combine acoustic and electronic instruments to create soundscapes for singer/songwriter (and award-winning playwright) Lyndon Morgans's vignettes on life, love and loss. Songdog's albums (including 2008’s 'A Wretched Sinner's Song' and 2005’s 'The Time Of Summer Lightning') have received great reviews and plays on radio shows including Jonathan Ross and Janice Long on BBC Radio 2, Gideon Coe on BBC 6 Music, John Kennedy on London's XFM, the Arctic Circle and Hello Goodbye on Resonance FM plus other regional and international play. Their cover of Dylan's 'Desolation Row' was commissioned specially for Uncut’s 100th birthday issue covermount.

Fans include Bruce Springsteen, who used their track 'Days of Armageddon' for "walk in music" on his last European tour and personally requested a copy of 'A Wretched Sinner's Song'. Recent dates include the Port Eliot Festival, Folk In A Box at the One On One Festival, Peter Parker's Rock n Roll Club, the Borderline, Roundhouse Studio, Bush Hall, Union Chapel, ICA and Spitz, shows with Joan As Police Woman, Louis Eliot, Johnny Dowd, Duke Special, and the Go-Betweens on their last UK tour. They have also appeared at international festivals in Ireland, Canada, Spain, Sweden, Holland and Russia.

Blu Byrd are Patrick Kavanagh & Calista Williams, a harmony based acoustic duo of singer/songwriters. A great live act, combining original material with an easy, on-stage warmth; humorous and heartfelt in equal measure. Always a pleasure; after several previous appearances here, we're really looking forward to having them back again!

As ever, we aim to keep ticket prices at an affordable level, whilst at the same time bringing some excellent performers to Devil's Bridge. Devil's Bridge Festival Ltd is a not for profit company and if any profits arise, they are put back into the cost of future events. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the ARTS COUNCIL OF WALES through their Night Out scheme, who guarantee the major portion of the fees for the headline acts, without which we would be unable to present such first class music. The remaining performers have volunteered their services. We are grateful to them, and to the HAFOD HOTEL for their continued support, as well as to the group of volunteers and organisers who make these events possible.

Devil's Bridge Festival Ltd is a Company Limited By Guarantee registered in England & Wales No: 06698927

	During the day on Saturday, we have things going on to entertain all, young and old alike. Music in the afternoon will be provided in the hotel by members of Gwerin Aber Folk. Children's activities will be taking place in the hotel, along with an exhibition of work from local artists. There will also be the opportunity to take part in hands on workshops in rag-rugging and pottery.